by Karen Nakamura
The Miranda Sensorex is a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera with match-needle TTL manual exposure metering. According to the Miranda Historical Society, the Sensorex units were released in 1967 although Kitamura's camera museum says they were released in late 1966. Using the text or images on this website without permission on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.
I purchased my Type 'C' Sensorex in good user condition from an antique camera collector in Roseville, MN in the summer of 2002.The body has a serial number of 9317xx and came with the standard Auto-Miranda 50mm f/1.8 lens (serial #19044xx).
The original Miranda Sensorex retailed in Japan in 1966 for ¥44,000 with the Auto Miranda 50mm f/1.9 lens. The exchange rate was fixed at ¥360/US$1 so that comes out to US$122. Taking inflation into account with the AIER calculator, that's $675 in 2002 dollars. So the Sensorex was quite expensive! Not exactly for the masses and not for the pros, this is why the models that have survived have tended to be in good condition.
According to the Miranda Historical Society, there were at least seven revisions to the Sensorex model line during its lifetime, mine is the last revision, Type 'C'.
The prism is removable on Sensorex models by pushing the small slider to the left of the prism to the left and pulling back on the prism housing. You can then look down on the focusing screen, still retaining the TTL metering.This is handy when doing close-up macro work.
The other obvious quirk about Mirandas is that the shutter button is on the face of the camera, not the top. If you think about it, this is a pretty natural place to put it.
Because the pentaprism is removable, they couldn't build the CdS cell into the prism housing like other companies (Nikon, etc.). So they cut tiny slits into the mirror and mounted the CdS behind the mirror. Actually many of the modern SLRs use semi-transmissive (usually about a 67/23% ratio) mirror to reflect most of the light up into the viewfinder, but retain some to the focusing/metering gadgetry behind the mirror in the same fashion. This is why if you compare an older camera with a full-reflective mirror (Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, for example) and a contemporary SLR (Canon EOS-3, for example), the contemporary ones can seem a little bit drab. They might have brighter screens to aid focusingbut this results in less contrast. All in all, the full-reflective mirrors are great for manual focusing.
| Camera Name | Sensorex Type 'C' |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Miranda Camera Co. |
| Place of Manufacture |
Japan |
| Date of Manufacture | 1966.9-1972 (presumably Type 'C' were built in the latter part of this frame, around 1971 according to the Miranda Historical Society) |
| Focusing System |
Single-lens reflex with removable pentaprism eye-level viewfinder Lens use helicoid focusing |
| Lens and Lens Mount |
Auto Miranda 50mm f/1.8 (Gauss type, 6 elements, 4 groups) Filter mount 46mm diameter Minimum focusing distance = 17" (0.45m) Right focusing (infinity on right hand side) Miranda bayonet mount w/ aperture coupling |
| Shutter |
Focal plane shutter 1 sec - 1/1000 sec X-sync = 1/60 Self-timer |
| Metering System |
Match-needle type CdS TTL center-weighted metering EV 2.7 - 18 (ISO 100) |
| Apertures |
1 sec - 1/1000 + B X-Sync = 1/60 |
| Flash |
Cold shoe flash mount PC Cord Socket Flash X-Sync Electronic and FP Bulb |
| Film type / speeds |
Standard 135 (35mm) film ISO 25-1600 |
| Battery type | 1.35v mercury PX625 |
| Dimensions and weight |
142 x 93.4 x 90mm 900g w/ 1.9 lens |
| Retail price | ¥44,000 w/ 1.9 lens for original Type 'A' in 1966 |
| Note: Using the text or images on this site in an ebay auction without permission is a violation of your ebay Terms of Service. I will report you to ebay if I discover such a violation taking place. |
The first camera released by the Orion Camera Co. in 1955 was originally slated to be called the "Phoenix" but they were made aware that there was already a German camera by that name. So the camera was released as the "Miranda T" and the company soon after changed their name to the Miranda Camera Company. If you can find an Miranda T with the Orion Camera Co. stamp then buy it! They're quite valuable right now.
The company produced consumer lenses right through the seventies but they couldn't catch up with the electronization and mass production capabilities of the big guys (Canon, Nikon, Minolta, etc.) and ended with the DX-3 of 1976.
Miranda cameras in general are well-built. Since most were sold to consumers rather than professionals, the ones that you find are usually in good condition.
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