Wake up Miranda!

<p>I'm sitting here in the office with my new friend, Miranda. She is a Sensorex who arrived today, having been the subject of an ebay bid that blatantly violated the rules of safe ebay buying. One of those, "my granddad's camera, looks nice but nobody's touched it in years, don't know if it works" deals.</p>

<p>She came with some extra baggage: Miranda 50/1.9 and 28/2.8 lenses, a Vivitar T4 135/2.8 and adapter, matched hoods for each lens, and half a dozen filters. The T4 mount was of particular value because I have a big bunch of T4 lenses so Miranda will have lots of glass to play with. She cost me $27 plus reasonable shipping. A lot of gear for the money, but she and her sisters are so underrated that in market terms, it probably wasn't that great of a deal.</p>

<p>Miranda wears her years well, with just the odd scuff here and there. I like her looks; that front prism panel with the 4-pointed star reminds me of an old radio or classic car grille. The only cleaning needed was some deteriorated mirror bumper foam on the mirror and focusing screen. The glass she brought with her looks optically fine. The 50mm has oily and slow aperture blades, but may benefit from some exercise and perhaps a little Ronsonol.</p>

<p>Miranda has been asleep for a long time, judging by how her leather case stuck to her. But she cranked and fired just fine, and I can tell by listening that her speeds are close to true. I like the feel of this camera, the control placement, and a lot of the features such as the DOF preview and film-advanced indicator. I have specific plans involving the removable prism which I'll post about in a few weeks.</p>

<p>The big question mark is often the meter, of course. I took out the old 625 cell, popped in a zinc, and switched her on. No needle movement. Oh, well. These days, I tend to regard a nonfunctioning meter on a classic as breaking even. Just in case, I left the camera switched on and pointed out the window for a couple of hours while I interrogated a witness. When I came back, the needle was moving! Not too far, so I left Miranda in the light for a few more hours. Gradually, the meter became more sensitive. Right now she's about 1 stop slow when pointed outside, and accurate at interior light levels. Almost there! C'mon Miranda, wakey wakey!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'd consider that a fairly amazing deal, <strong>August</strong> ; A Sensorex in good condition fetches good money in my part of the world, and having all the bits and pieces to go with it adds value beyond their individual worth. By an interesting coincidence, I've recently taken delivery of a very similar outfit, though my wide lens is the 35mm f2.8 Auto-Miranda, and included in the deal was the 135mm f2.8 Auto-Miranda. Mine is virtually new with everything up and running, and with all the information from a reputable dealer, but I paid over five times your price, with two bidders hounding me right up to closure. So I think you did rather well...</p>

<p>Pleased to hear the meter is coming back to life; I have a couple of lazy meters on other cameras so I might try your remedy on them. Just out of interest, what did you use to clean the foam deposits from the mirror? I find this a rather scary procedure. And you're so right about the Sensorex "grill"; the first time I saw one I fell in love with the "1950's auto" look. I hope Miranda gets her meter up and running to your satisfaction, and that you enjoy a fabulous camera. I look forward to some pics....</p>

<p>Zinc batteries sometimes take some time to wake up. It may not be Miranda's fault.</p>

<p>My Miranda likes occasional exercise of the low speeds, tending to bog down a bit around 1/4 when neglected.</p>

<p>Well, I think Miranda is almost fully awake now, but the light outside is failing so it's hard to tell. I'll leave her switched on for the weekend. I was getting pretty good readings late this afternoon. </p>

<p>A nice thing about the Miranda is how easy it is to bias the meter to an accuracy of half a stop by adjusting the max-aperture dial on the meter. A handy alternative to using the ASA setting.</p>

<p>I used the softest brush I could find to clean the mirror. It is risky. Some old cameras seem to have quite durable mirror coatings, others quite fragile. I always test on one of the corners of the mirror first. This particular camera appears to have quite a durable one, although I don't plan to push my luck by ever touching it again if I can help it.</p>

<p>Thank you for the tip Matthew. I did notice that 1/2 and 1 sec. were a little slow at first. The zinc might have something to do with the wake-up. I left the zinc with the tape off for about 15 minutes before installing, and tend to think of zinc wake-up times in terms of minutes rather than hours, but maybe.</p>

<p>What are people's opinions on these Miranda lenses?</p>

 

<p>Congratulations August, that sounds like a good deal. I now have two Sensomats and a collection of Miranda and Soligor lenses. However, these are all recent aquisitions for me too. I have only managed one film so far, but the results ( <em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikkormat/sets/72157623086666631/">link</a> </em> ) from my 50mm f2.8 Auto Miranda are as good as from any contemporary cameras that I use.</p>

<p>I am only part way through a second film because my original <em><a href="http://glyptolith.wetpaint.com/page/Miranda+Sensomat+RE">Sensomat RE</a> </em> (only a few months 'old') needed servicing after a week of use shook up a load of crud that stopped it working. A service / CLA wasn't expensive and the camera is now really smooth and quiet in use.</p>

<p>My second (earlier) Sensomat was an auction 'steal' a few weeks ago. I really wanted the 35mm f2.8 Auto Soligor that was fitted, but after a clean-up, the camera turns out to be in good order and working well, so it was essentially free. I have a pre-set 180mm f3.5.T-mount Soligor which is reported to be a sharp lens at about f5.6 - it has a 10-bladed iris, so I am keen to see results at wider apertures.. Similarly, I have recently bought a pre-set Soligor 35mm f2.8 T-mount for £2 ($3) which closely resembles a <em>very</em> <em>sharp </em> Haminex lens that I used in the 1970s. While there may be some under-performing lenses, at the current prices does that really matter? Not for me.</p>

 

<p>enjoy!<br>

I bought a Miranda D in 1961. and used it a lot.<br>

I later found the other finders and a T prisw. even later I found a 35mm f/2.8 P A D type.<br>

and 3 years ago bought a 135mm f/2.8 P A D type as an unknown mount lens.<br>

In 1962 My brother brought me a sensorex from japan and I later added more bodies. I bought T4 lenses. 28-200mm<br>

In 1979 I bought a Macron preset close-up lens that does 1:1<br>

I still look for accessories. the prices seem to mean collectors and not users have taken over.<br>

It is a good user camera Usable with gloves. ( try that with some others)<br>

The max aperture setting and lever permits TTL metering at full aperture with any lens.<br>

even a magnifying glass on a black pipe.<br>

As I posted, early models had no shoe. later models did and some even had a hot shoe.<br>

I made a bracket.<br>

The m44 screw mount makes a telephoto mount solidly.<br>

Question? where is peter Naylor hey pete MIRANDA alert</p>

"...I left the camera switched on and pointed out the window for a couple of hours while I interrogated a witness."

 

While leaving a meter in the light to fix it, do you have to interrogate a witness, or can you, say, argue with a spouse, annoy a neighbor, or yell at a politician? I ask because a witness is not always available.

 

That confusing detail aside, it's a great read... thanks!

 

--Marc

<p>My Miranda is a chrome Autosensorex EE with the standard eye level prism finder. I would like to find a waist level finder for it. For lenses I have a 28/2.8, 50/1.8 and 80-200/3.5. These are all EC lenses. I also have a 28/2.8 in non-EE mount which will fit and work, just not in EE mode. I would like to find 35/2.8 and some automatic extension tubes to round things out. If I get another body I'd like it to be a black EE2. </p>

<p><em>"While leaving a meter in the light to fix it, do you have to interrogate a witness, or can you, say, argue with a spouse, annoy a neighbor, or yell at a politician?"</em></p>

<p>I honestly don't know. If you want to follow my method, all I can say is it works when you interrogate a witness. If you cut corners, I cannot guarantee it will work. :)</p>

<p>Seriously, even when not interrogating witnesses, I have had the leave-it-on method bring back some SRTs and Spotmatics too, in fact it is running at around a 50% success rate with initially dead meters. I think it has to do with Scott's post in the can-digitals-be-classics thread about "modern electrons." (It was a typo but I've become infatuated with the concept.) I think that modern electrons initially have difficulty finding their way through the antique camera circuit pathways, especially when they have become overgrown with old electrons and even some neutrons. After the first few push through, more follow and eventually you get a nice flow.</p>

 

<p>Hi, August Well, with Walt giving me such a great intro, here I go .... Great to hear about your new love affair! I tried to find one of those intriguingly naughty-but-nice Hal Rieff ads with 'Miranda' using a Sensorex to conceal her er, 'naughty bits' - but I think they'd been stopped by then in favour of more conventional ones, as per the attached scan from c. 1968.</p>

<p>I do have one for her with the Sensorex's predecessor, the Automex, though .....</p>

<p>Please also consider joining the Yahoo Miranda Group, as per this link:<br>

<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mirandacollectors/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mirandacollectors/</a></p>

<p>You'll find a lot of interesting stuff amongst its 'Photos' and 'Files' areas, including the entire 60 pages of the Sensorex IB which I painstakingly scanned some time ago. You'll also be able to bounce some questions off the other guys, of course. (Pete In Perth)</p><div></div>

<p>C'mon Pete, post one of those "naughty" Miranda ads.</p>

<p>Hi, Tony Aw, shucks, twist me arm, why don't ya - so here goes with the 'slightly naughty' Automex 11 ad of c. 1963 vintage from Hal Rieff. None of Hal's ads ever actually showed anything to get the mackintosh brigade hot under the collar, or the Mary Whitehouse Wowsers into indignant mode for that matter. Still, I guess we have to bear in mind that this was 1963 and long before Jean Shrimpton had incensed the Melbourne Cup crowd with her mini skirt and lack of Dame Edna-approved pearls and twin-set. Everything has to be viewed in the context of its times, dunnit.</p>

<p>By the way, just compare the prices of the 1963 Automex and the 1968 Sensorex (plus others) - prices had definately gone down in real terms. Maybe that explains why Automexes of whatever genre are so comparatively rare today, compared to Sensorexes. Come to think of it, the original Miranda T had cost over $200 way back when ... (Pete In Perth) </p><div></div>

Here's another one:

<p>

<img src='http://basepath.com/images/PhotoArticles/big/PP-1963-Aug-MirandaDRad-1.jpg' width='700' />

<p>

--Marc

<p>August - great find, I think the mirror has the meter sensor so once that gets "aged" the meter is no longer working.</p>

<p>Pete - awesome ads, i thought only Minolta had naughty ads. You made my day :-).</p>

<p>Marc - thanks for posting that ad for the DR, which I hadn't seen before. It's probably dating me more than I like to admit, but doesn't the wimpy guy on the left kind of remind you of the Charles Atlas adverts, with Mr Punyverse always getting sand kicked in his face by the beach bully?</p>

<p>Ralf and Tony - here's another one from the series, for the Miranda C. It's actually the earliest one I've got and could be even earlier than the 1960 date I've conservatively quoted, since the 'C' was introduced in 1959.</p>

<p>If anybody has got any more of these Hal Rieff gems of advertising, please post them! I've now got six of 'em, but I'm sure there were a lot more. Interestingly, the lady who played 'Miranda' was not a professional model but a worker in the advertising agency who'd signed up Hal Rieff to do the series. Reputedly when they were discussing in the agency office who to pick for the 'Miranda' role, seeing the wanted a 'new' face rather than a well-known model, she volunteered her services - and the Rest Is History ..... (Pete In Perth) </p><div></div>

<p>Actually, looking a bit closer, I now see that both the guy and 'Miranda' are different models to the later ones. She's a slimmer, smaller blonde and he looks older, although the bowler and brolly props are the same. (Pete In Perth)</p>

<p>Thanks guys for the excellent advice and the terrific ads. I see the loser in the "men from the boys" ad has an MF folder just like several of mine. I'm glad to have made the transition over to the right side of the page.</p>

<p>I notice that the first had shows what looks exactly like my camera and characterizes the meter as a "spot" meter. Is that really true in the modern sense? My girl came with her original manual, and it has a confusing page about the "variable sensing spot" which purportedly varies with the length of the lens in use (but how would it know)? It seems likely to me that the metering area is actually a constant area of the screen, and it appears to be roughly the same as the outer microprism focusing area, but the manual is charmingly coy on this: "Since however marking of this variable sensing spot on the screen of the finder would impair clear view, the actual area is not indicated." The visual diagrams of the spot area in the manual are very difficult to interpret.</p>

<p>Anyhow, by way of an update, leaving the old girl running all weekend and giving her battery contacts a nice massage with a pencil eraser got the light readings right up to full sensitivity, so she's 100% good to go for her first outing, hopefully this weekend. The 50mm lens blades have not eased up yet, but I did confirm that the T4 adapter is working and this is one of the simple ones that works well with TX lenses also. Ebay has already yielded a telextender and a waistlevel finder (the magnifying one shown at the bottom of that first ad) for next to nothing.</p>

<p>jeff , i have the black auto sensorex ee ric your looking for all things work great on this camera light meter shutter etc there is minor brass showing but it is not that terrible , but what is nice also is that it comes with the auto miranda e 2.8 f=35mm smooth and clean and heavy ha and also a soligor tel e 3.5 f=135 in pristine cond. i am a shooter not a collector and man the cameras are pilling up between digital mf and range finders i wonder what i am going to shoot so i am thining out the heard let me know if this suits you if not any one give me a haller<br>

robert</p>

<p>jeff , i have the black auto sensorex ee ric your looking for all things work great on this camera light meter shutter etc there is minor brass showing but it is not that terrible , but what is nice also is that it comes with the auto miranda e 2.8 f=35mm smooth and clean and heavy ha and also a soligor tel e 3.5 f=135 in pristine cond. i am a shooter not a collector and man the cameras are pilling up between digital mf and range finders i wonder what i am going to shoot so i am thining out the heard let me know if this suits you if not any one give me a haller<br>

robert</p>