The Naming of Cats… er, Cameras

Posted on 02/07/2013 by Jouni Rinne

I have bothered my head with this for some time…

The principle behind the naming of the various Miranda camera models seems to be somewhat eccentric… either that, or lacking of any eccentricy. I’ll explain myself; let’s think about some of the early models: There are Miranda A, B, C and D. E is missing (unless we count the late 70’s Sensorex EE), then comes F and G, and later, Fv models. Add a TTL metering prism with a ‘T’ engraved on it and you get models GT and FvT. Add to this the fact that one of the first Miranda cameras was named model T. In the 70’s came the various models with ‘Senso’ as a part of their name: Sensomat, Sensorex and Sensoret. Confusing?

I haven’t made up my mind whether to think this as an indication of either a remarkable lack of imagination or a brilliant brand design.

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Olympus VF-2 viewfinder

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Jouni Rinne

As almost all of the modern digital camera users probably agree, the LCD screens on those cameras are in some lighting environments excellent to use, but in some other situations are at best, awful, and at worst, impossible to use. That applies to my Olympus PEN E-PL3’s LCD screen, too; for quite a long time I have considered buying one of the available add-on viewfinder models (VF-1 to VF-4) for it, and a few days ago I finally settled on a black version of VF-2 viewfinder:

VF-2 backside
VF-2 frontside
VF-2 in 90 degrees position

So, why did I choose the VF-2 model?

Starting from the oldest Olympus PEN viewfinder model, the VF-1 is an optical viewfinder only, meant for use with 17mm pancake lens.

The newer VF-3 is cheaper than the VF-2, but its much lower screen resolution means worse image quality on the viewfinder. The difference between VF-2 and VF-3 screen quality is really noticeable, I had the opportunity to test both models on my E-PL3 at the local camera shop. Besides, VF-3 comes only in silver…

The screen of the new VF-4 is much sharper than VF-2, but it is also some 100€ more expensive, and at the time I ordered the VF-2, Olympus hadn’t yet released the firmware update for the older PEN models to support the VF-4. (Actually, just today I learned that the firmware update has been released).

Additionally, I think that with its rounded appearance the VF-2 is the best looking of all the Olympus viewfinders…

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Repairing the RE (part 4)

Posted on 28/05/2013 by Jouni Rinne

The new Miranda Sensomat RE mentioned in the previous post turned out to be in much better condition than it seemed at first. All of the mentioned problems are now fixed:

  • The exposure meter needle was only a little stuck (probably just because of lack of use). With gentle persuasion it started to move, and the rest of the metering system seems to be in full working order. I haven’t measured whether it gives correct readings, though, but at least it shows something, which is a big step forward.
  • The sticking lens is working fine now, too. The brass screw which holds the aperture actuating arm in place was loose, which in turn allowed the arm to move in such a way that the aperture blades jammed. After partially dismantling the lens I was able to retighten the loose screw.

As for the other, m42-mount RE, which was the original subject of these ‘Repairing the RE‘-posts, I have so much other interesting things to do during the short Finnish summer that I don’t think I’ll have time to finish repairing it until next fall.

I noticed something curious while comparing the two RE bodies: they are otherwise identical, but the new RE (which is actually older of the two, according to the serial number 6828896) is, apart from the focus screen, built using slot-headed screws like the Fv, while the other (serial number 6857640) uses cross-head screws everywhere.

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Another Miranda Sensomat RE

Posted on 24/05/2013 by Jouni Rinne

Today I got a new addition to my Miranda collection: an another Miranda Sensomat RE!

With a serial number of 6828896, it is a very clean and nice looking example, with some extras: a faultless case with an original rubber pad on the strap, a rubber eyepiece (with a negative diopter lens installed within; at first I thought that something was wrong with my own eyesight…), and an additional shutter release on top of the body. The shutter is working perfectly on all speeds, and even the light seals look quite good.

And now for the bad news: because it was dirt cheap, something is probably wrong with it, right? Right! The aperture blades on the 50mm f/1.8 lens are sticking quite badly (it is entirely possible that it is repairable, though, and anyway I have quite a lot of other Miranda lenses), and the exposure meter seems to be dead. I may need to gut the other RE body, which has a working exposure meter, for spares, if there is really something unrepairably damaged in the meter circuitry.

Miranda Sensomat RE: front
Miranda Sensomat RE: top
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Light seal replacement on Miranda Fv

Posted on 11/05/2013 by Jouni Rinne

The light seals and the mirror damper pad on Dad’s old Miranda Fv looked a bit… shady, if you’ll excuse the pun. I haven’t yet got the first test film back from the film laboratory, but I’ve had this nagging suspicion that the condition of the seals had already caused light leaks.

I wasn’t unprepared for that, though: some months ago I bought a light seal kit from Cam Spares. So, because I already had all the needed materials and tools, I decided to tackle the task of light seal replacement for the Fv.

With proper materials (and good instructions, see here for an example) the task was surprisingly easy, the hardest part of it being fitting the ~1,5mm strip of foam to the grooves on the long sides of the film compartment. I may need to devise a special tool for that, if I ever need to re-seal an another camera.

The mirror damper pad replacement may be a bit easier on Miranda than on other SLR makes because of the removable viewfinder. While I was doing that I took the opportunity to remove and clean the focus screen in a warm, mild dishwashing liquid solution. Never, ever, EVER use any kind of solvent on these plastic screens, you’ll damage them beyond repair!!!

The seal types I used:

  • 2,5mm foam for the mirror damper pad.
  • 1,5mm laser cut foam strip for the film compartment top and bottom seals.
  • 1mm felt for the viewfinder sealing and for the film door ends (red arrows on the last picture).
Mirror damper pad
Felt seal on viewfinder opening
Film compartment
Film door ends

Now I just need a new film…

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