The original Miranda T 35mm SLR camera was launched by the newly established Japanese Orion Camera Co. in 1955. It is the first Japanese
35mm SLR camera to have an eyelevel
Pentaprism
A pentaprism is a five-sided reflecting prism used to deviate a beam of light by a constant 90°, even if the entry beam is not at 90° to the prism.
The beam reflects inside the prism ''twice'', allowing the transmission of an image through a r ...
finder. The camera was a success, and after only two years, the manufacturer changed its name to the
Miranda Camera Co. The camera stayed in production for two more years while a series of new models designated model A, B, C, D, and S were introduced, based on the original camera. These comprised improvements like a faster shutter with 1/1000-second top speed, a frame counter, wind-on lever, and an
Instant return mirror In photography, the single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is provided with a mirror to redirect light from the picture taking lens to the viewfinder prior to releasing the Shutter (photography), shutter for composing and Focus (optics), focusing an image. ...
on model B in 1958. In addition, a rare Miranda TII with 1/1000-second top shutter speed does exist.
The Miranda cameras were equipped with a double
lensmount consisting of a wide 44mm internal thread and an external bayonet—the
Pentax/Praktica screw mount is 42mm. The flange to film plane distance was deliberately made as short as possible to accommodate as many different makes of camera lenses as possible using separately-sold lens adapters. The detachable finder prism was set in a sliding mount. The lenses for the Miranda were at first supplied by either ''Zunow'' or ''Ofunar''. However, by the end of the 1950s,
Soligor
Soligor was originally the trade mark for the American Allied Impex Corporation, used from 1956 for lenses and later cameras imported from Japan. It imported cameras from Japan and also took control of companies in Japan. Among the first product ...
became the main supplier, and soon the lenses were labelled Auto Miranda.
[{{cite book, title=Collecting and using Classic SLRs, author=Ivor Matanle, publisher=Thames & Hudson, London, year=1996, isbn=0-500-27901-2, page=171]
See also
*
History of the single-lens reflex camera
The history of the single-lens reflex camera (SLR) begins with the use of a reflex mirror in a camera obscura described in 1676, but it took a long time for the design to succeed for photographic cameras. The first patent was granted in 1861, and ...
*
List of camera types {{Short description, none
* Camera, the general term:
** 360 camera (VR camera)
** 3D camcorder
** Action camera
** Animation camera
** Autofocus camera
** Backup camera
** Banquet camera
** Body camera
** Box camera
** Bridge camera
** Camcorder
...
References
135 film cameras
SLR cameras
Products introduced in 1955