unusually, had a leaf-type shutter
in the camera body plus a built-in
selenium cell light meter (so it
didn’t need a battery). The Prismat
CP followed in 1964, replacing
the selenium cell with a CdS-type
meter, although again non-TTL,
and providing fully-automatic
aperture control (i.e. eliminating
stop-down metering). TTL metering
was adopted in 1966 with the
500TL and 1000TL models – the
model designations indicating
the top shutter speed – and with
the choice of spot or average
measurements. Auto exposure
control inevitably followed, butwith the Auto XTL from 1972,
Mamiya didn’t do anything by
halves. Apart from offering shutter-
priority auto exposure control –
well ahead of the likes of Canon,
Nikon or Pentax – it had TTL
metering which was measured at
the film plane (with either spot or
average modes), and an advanced
viewfinder display which showed
both apertures and shutter speeds
and was illuminated via semi-
silvered pellicle mirror. The shutter-
priority auto control required a
new lens mount as previously
Mamiya had used the M42 Pentax
screwthread fitting. The Auto XTLintroduced the ES bayonet mount,
but it was then only used on one
other model – the X-1000 from
1975 –and was then replaced with
the CS bayonet in 1978.
Meanwhile, the more
conventional MSX and DSX models
(both introduced during 1974)
returned to the 42mm screwthread
lens mount. Both were offered in
versions with a top shutter speed
of either 1/500 second or 1/1000
second, and both had CdS-based
TTL metering, but the MSX models
had only a spot measurement
while the MSX cameras offered
the choice of spot or average.By the late 1970s the 35mm
SLR market was really hotting up
and Mamiya needed to get back
in the game. Despite being so
advanced when it was launched,
the Auto XTL hadn’t been the
success that was expected so, in
1978, Mamiya started afresh with
the NC1000 which followed the
trend towards lighter and more
compact designs. It also had an
electronically-controlled shutter,
centre-weighted average metering
and shutter-priority auto exposure
control, but with the new CS
bayonet lens mount. Along with
the NC1000 came a total of 14 CSMaMiya NC1000S
Mamiya’s 35mm SLR programs changed courses several times.
The NC1000S was a more compact and lightweight model using
an all-new bayonet lens mount.MaMiya C220 ProfeSSioNal f
The TLR lines were continually refined with the Pro F (1982) being
the last of the C2/C22/C220 dynasty, and featuring an auto erecting
(i.e. one-touch) focusing hood.MaMiya rZ67 Pro
Launched in 1982, Mamiya’s new generation of 6x7cm SLRs
featured a polycarbonate bodyshell, electronic shutters and
auto exposure control.MaMiya M645J
Budget-spec M645J (1979) was intended to make the 6x4.5cm
format even more attractive for amateur photographers.MaMiya CLASSICS
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