© R.L. Herron. The contents of this entire web site are copyright protected. Unauthorized use of ANY images or text violates International copyright law. Site last updated on 1/16/09 |
About Me
Rangefinders
Prismat
Fixed Lens
TL & DTL
XTL & X-1000
MSX & DSX
NC-1000
Z-Series
Other
Mamiya
Mamiya
Camera
Prices
Mamiya
Lens
Prices
The Rest
of My
Collection
FAQ
Instruction
Manuals
Related
Links
How To!
Mamiya
35mm
FORUM!
APERTURE!
My Online
Photo Gift
Store!
Neat Photo
Books!
Light Meters!
Lens Filters!
More of my
Photo-Related
Products
on Amazon!
Welcome Mamiya Collectors!
The Purpose of This Site
This site began almost ten years ago from
my personal interest in old Mamiya 35mm cameras. It's come a long way
since the original site, which was a simple listing of Mamiya 35mm camera
models.
Mamiya OP (Japan) provided a few valuable photo references for the early
site, for which I sincerely thank them. But they stated they simply didn't
have production references available any more. Mamiya USA, their marketing
arm in the United States, also could not answer my production inquiries
either.
I've been collecting Mamiya 35mm cameras for more than 40 years, and finally
realized my own efforts had uncovered a great deal of data. So, this web
site was born, and it gave me a great deal of pride to learn Mamiya was
refering inquiries about their old 35mm camera models to this site!
Of one thing I am certain. You will find
information here about Mamiya 35mm cameras you will not find anywhere
else, including the newly formed Mamiya Digital Imaging Company (see
"Transfer" story in the next column).
About Mamiya
Tsunejiro Sugawara (left) and
Seichi Mamiya (right); c.May 1940
The company was founded in May 1940,
by engineer Seichi Mamiya (pronounced ma-MEE-yah) and businessman Tsunejiro
Sugawara (pronounced su-ga-WAR-a) as Mamiya Koki Seisakusho.
Over the years, Mamiya made major technological advances in the science
of photography, and the company produced popular equipment for both the
medium-format and 35mm amateur and professional markets. Mamiya is still
a strong brand presence in the professional medium-format digital and
film camera market. Click here
for more Mamiya history!
Mamiya Instruction Manuals
Instruction and service manuals for Mamiya
35mm cameras are increasingly difficult to find. There are few other online
sources for these manuals, and none are as dedicated to the quality you
will find here. Reprints of these hard-to-find original operating instructions,
service manuals, period articles, critical reviews and other references
are available
here!
Mamiya Lens Pricing
The results of my ongoing lens pricing study
can be seen on my Lens
Auction Prices page. There is also a
tips page to help you find your own pricing
answers.
My first Mamiya camera. The Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL, c. July 1968.
Mamiya Camera Pricing
I receive many requests for appraisals on old Mamiya cameras (and many other camera models, for some reason). I'm sorry, but it is just not a service I offer. I seldom have time to send a personal answer and it's always a hard question for me, for several reasons.
One, I'm not a camera dealer. Collecting them is my only connection with prices. Plus, it is virtually impossible to appraise a camera without seeing, holding and trying to use it. Lastly, I truly believe the actual value of a vintage camera has little to do with its book value.
Every seller needs a buyer before his/her camera has anything more than a sentimental value. Which means, the value of any vintage camera is always the price agreed upon by a particular seller and a particular buyer at any given moment in time!
However, I have followed sales and auctions for a long time, and can give an accurate average price for each model from my notes (I only track those in good condition). So, I have tried to answer value questions on my Auction Prices page.*
Mamiya Transfers Camera Division
On September 1, 2006, Mamiya transferred its entire Optical Equipment Division to Cosmo Digital Imaging Company, Ltd. This included all inventory, property, trademarks and patents. The new enterprise was named Mamiya Digital Imaging. The Mamiya camera nameplate was continued, and service for Mamiya cameras, lenses and accessories continue in the existing Mamiya distribution network.
In November 2006 Mamiya Digital Imaging introduced two new medium-format lenses: an f/4.5 auto-focus 75-150mm zoom lens and the world's first medium-format, super wide-angle AF 28mm f/4.5 aspherical lens.
Read the September 2009 Shutterbug Magazine review of the Mamiya DL28, a stunning 28-megapixel medium-format digital camera that can also shoot film!
View other recent Mamiya Digital Imaging press releases.
* Price references listed are derived from several published sources, including McKeown's Price Guide to Antique & Classic Cameras; McBroom's Camera Bluebook; online pricing subscription services; and my own extensive experience. For reasons discussed on the listing pages, actual buy-or-sell prices could vary considerably from the listing, and the table should be used only as a benchmark of the market.
