Miranda T and TII
The Miranda T is the first Japanese 35mm SLR camera with an eyelevel pentaprism finder, released in 1955 by the Orion Camera Co.. A prototype called the Phoenix was presented in 1954 by Orion Seiki Sangyō Y.K., but the camera name was changed due to a trademark conflict.
The prototype enabled the owners to raise sufficient funds to establish the Orion Camera Co., and start manufacturing in 1955. Orion Camera Co. is engraved above the lens mount on the camera. In 1957, after just two years of production, the company name was changed to Miranda Camera Company, and this camera is accordingly marked Miranda Camera Co..
The Miranda T was an advanced camera at the time of introduction. It was the first camera made by this manufacturer, but they were already widely known for their engineering ingenuity, reputedly able to solve almost any problem, like special lens adapters for most cameras, even those otherwise considered impossible to match (see e.g. the Orion Coupler). A particular speciality leading up to the introduction of this camera was the Mirax reflex housing for rangefinder cameras. The Miranda T was the first commercially available Japanese SLR equipped with a pentaprism finder, only introduced about five years after the pioneers Contax S, Rectaflex and Alpa Prisma Reflex.
The Miranda T is equipped with an interchangeable finder and a dual lens mount, inherited from the Mirax reflex housing, including a large 44mm screw mount and a sturdy external bayonet mount. The original standard lens was the rare Zunow 5cm f/1.9. Among the early interchangeable lenses available for the camera was the Orion Supreme 10.5cm f/2.8. The Focabell bellows, which actually preceded the Miranda camera, was also available from the start.
A small number of these cameras was made available with shutter speeds to 1/1000 sec., known as the Miranda TII. It has a slightly different styling, including a black shutter-speed dial, and it was usually sold with the Arco 5cm f/2.4. The Miranda camera with the Orion Camera Co. markings is among the most sought after 35mm SLRs by camera collectors today. The serial numbers have six digits, of which the first two certainly indicate the year of manufacture.
Links
In English:
- Orion Miranda T at Cameraquest
- Pages of the Miranda Camera website:
In Japanese:
