Mamiya Press

The Mamiya Press is a medium format rangefinder camera system designed to accept interchangeable backs and lenses. Mamiya made a number of variants to the basic body design, including one model, the 600SE, that was licensed to be marketed under the Polaroid name. The camera body itself is a simple affair, with a single-window combined range- and view-finder that couples to the lens for focusing. It has tripod mounts in both vertical and horizontal positions, a mount for a handgrip for the left hand, and cold shoes on both the body and the handgrip.

Lens System

The lens system incorporates a breechlock mount unique to the Mamiya Press, and each lens is mounted in a Seikosha leaf shutter. The original (chrome) lenses uses a shutter called Seikosha S, while the updated versions used Seikosha 0. Lenses of fixed focal lengths from 50mm to 250mm were produced, all of which covered up to 2x3 film sheets, while the 127mm and 75mm lenses offered greater coverage necessary for the 2 7/8 x 3 3/4 inch images produced by the Polaroid backs.

Lenses produced were:

• 50mm f/6.3 - 8 elements in 5 groups (Biotar type), 72mm filter

100 f/3.5 and 100mm f/2.8 lenses image by Erich Z (Image rights)

• 65mm f/6.3 - 4 elements in 4 groups (similar to the Wide Field Ektars or Bausch & Lomb Metrogon)
• 75mm f/5.6 - 7 elements in 4 groups (Biotar type)
• 90mm f/3.5 - 4 elements in 3 groups (Tessar type)
• 100mm f/3.5(chrome) - 4 elements in 3 groups (Tessar type), 40.5mm filter
• 100mm f/3.5 - 4 elements in 3 groups (Tessar type), 55mm filter
• 100mm f/3.5 - 4 elements in 3 groups (Tessar type), 55mm filter, rubber grip
• 100mm f/2.8 - 6 elements in 4 groups (Gauss type)
• 127mm f/4.7 - 4 elements in 3 groups (Tessar type)
• 150mm f/5.6(chrome) - 4 elements in 3 groups (Tessar type), 40.5mm filter
• 150mm f/5.6 - 4 elements in 3 groups (Tessar type)
• 250mm f/8 (not rangefinder coupled)
• 250mm f/5 - 6 elements in 4 groups (Sonnar type)

Film Backs & Accessories

Two different types of back exist for the Mamiya Press, the Graflex back, and the Mamiya Back, or G-type and M-types. The backs are incompatible with each other, and Press cameras came in versions for either one back or the other. The Super 23 only accepted Mamiya (M-type) backs. The Mamiya Universal had interchangeable rear adapters - the M adapter and the G adapter. Thus, the Universal was capable of using both Mamiya and Graflex backs, as long as one had the appropriate adapter. The Universal also accepted a Polaroid back; this needed no adapter and attached directly to the main camera body.

Mamiya film backs include 6x9, 6x7, a combination 6x4.5-6x6-6x9 back, and Polaroid packfilm backs. Accessory backs for 2.5 x 3.5 inch (6.5x9cm) sheet film and plates include a right angle focusing back, a magnifying focusing back and a ground glass viewing back. Other accessories include a wire frame sportsfinder, separate finders for the 50mm, 65mm, and 75mm lenses, back spacers and extension tubes.

Iterations

Mamiya Press

showing back extended, with 120 roll holder image by John-Henry Collinson (Image rights)

Mamiya Super 23, with 100 f/3.5 lens image by Erich Z (Image rights)

The original Mamiya Press system had several minor variations. The first iteration of the camera was introduced in 1960. It lacked brightlines in the finder, came standard with a 90mm f/3.5 lens, and was produced with a M-type back. Later versions were the Press G from 1963, with the Graflex back system, the Press 23, and the Press Standard (a renaming of the original model). Many of these bodies were fitted with rear bellows and locking struts, permitting back tilt or extra focus extension.

Mamiya Super 23

This upgraded version was introduced in 1967. It came with a new body and was capable of using roll film and 2x3 sheet film. This added a brightline display in a much larger viewfinder, and parallax-compensated framelines for 100mm, 150mm, and 250mm lenses. The camera was available in silver and black.

Full extension of bellows back image by Rachel Rayns (Image rights)

Mamiya Universal

Introduced in 1969, this revision uses a body similar to the Super 23 and allowed for use of both Mamiya and Graflex backs, as well as the Rand Polaroid back, but eliminated the Super 23's rear bellows device. This was possible, because the native back on the Universal Press (Press back) accepted P-adapters to mount M-Type (Mamiya) or G-Type (Graflex) film holders. When the Mamiya RB67 was released in 1970 a Press back adapter (P-adapter) was available to mount Polaroid backs originally designed for the Universal Press.

Mamiya Press Universal, with 127mm f4.7 lens and hood 127mm finder mask, 6x9 and instant film backs. image by Zokyo Labs (Image rights)

A similar model was marketed as the Polaroid 600SE, however both the lens mount, and film back mounts, were changed so that neither lenses nor film backs were interchangeable between the Polaroid and Mamiya models. Some 3rd party companies in Japan & the US produced adapters to allow Mamiya Press back accessories to be fitted to the 600SE. The camera was available in silver and black.

Bibliography

• Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Items 1594–7.
• Kamera no ayumi. Zen nihon shashin renmei sōritsu 50-shūnen kinen (カメラのあゆみ・全日本写真連盟創立五〇周年記念, History of cameras, commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the All Japan Association of Photographic Societies). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1976. No ISBN number. P.91.
• McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P.645.
• Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Items 6070–6.

Links

• Mamiya Universal Instruction Manual at Mamiya.com
• Comparison of Mamiya Universal and Polaroid 600 SE on moominsean.blogspot.com
• Review of Mamiya Press 23 Standard @ Thorley Photographics by Thorley Bros.

In Japanese:

• The Mamiya Press models at the Mamiya official history site