Ron Herron's Mamiya 35mm Cameras Frequent Questions

Frequently Asked Questions
I thoroughly enjoy talking with people all over the world about Mamiya 35mm cameras. However, I hear some of the same questions over-and-over-and-over, and it sometimes does get a little tedious. Some of the repetitive questions are better handled by a page like this, so I have more time to enhance the site, enjoy my grandchildren and, heavens! actually use some of the cameras I have collected! If you can't find the answer you want, please join my Collecting Mamiya 35mm Forum (read only), and post your question where lots of folks can try to answer you!

These are some of the questions I receive most often... (not necessarily in any order):

...and these are some of the answers I give to them!

Q: What is my Mamiya camera worth?
A: This has to be the Number One question I am asked (and it is often about non-Mamiya cameras)! The best answer in any case: "What will someone give you for it?" That might sound flippant, but it's true! I believe the price of any older camera is exactly what the buyer and seller agree upon as the sale price at any given moment in time.

If you follow these transactions long enough, you begin to see an "average" price that people will tend to pay for a specific item. Not the lowest selling point...and certainly not the highest possible, either...but a comfortable spot in-between...an average.

So, in order to answer this frequently-requested question, I created my Auction Prices page, listing auction price averages for nearly every vintage Mamiya 35mm camera (the only exceptions are the "point-and-shoot" Mamiya cameras, on which I collect no data). Remember, the prices you see in the table are average prices for cameras in very good condition. Remember too, just as there will always be someone willing to pay more, there will always be someone who says "You've got to be kidding!"

If you are inclined to ask me how much your Mamiya might be worth, please check this Auction Prices page first. If you still can't find the information you need, then feel free to email me. I will try my best to acknowledge your inquiry and answer your question (no guarantee), but please don't abuse the privilege. I normally charge by the hour, whether you take my advice or not!

Q: What lenses were available for my Mamiya 35mm camera?
A: First, don't forget that these are old cameras, and lenses for them are only available on the "used" market. Where original equipment information is known, links have been provided on the specific camera pages to pages that list the lenses and accessories that were originally available. Check the individual camera page listings. If no link appears for lenses, it means the information either has not been compiled, or I have not located definitve information and only sketchy data is available, if at all.

Please note there is no information listed on my site at all for lenses made by manufacturers other than Mamiya. I will leave that effort to someone building a site specifically for those lenses. That is, of course, unless some Gentle Reader comes through with a wealth of information! So, if you have such data (verifiable, please) for third-party lenses (such as Revuenon or Osawa) you would like to contribute, please consider joining my Collecting Mamiya 35mm Forum (read only) to tell us about it (it's free)!

Q: Do you have any information on the current selling price of the Mamiya lenses for the old Mamiya 35mm SLR cameras?
A: As a matter of fact, YES! I have been collecting data for a long time on the auction prices of old Mamiya SLR lenses, and that has now been published on my Lens Auction Prices page!

Q: I need service on my Mamiya 35mm camera, but my local tech says he cannot do the job. Can you recommend someone?
A: There are excellent repair facilities listed on my Related Links page that I can recommend from both reputation and experience. A very good one is Essex Camera (closed) in New Jersey. While they may not be able to service every old Mamiya SLR, they are highly recommended for most, from the TL-series and newer. Other service facilities that may have helped you with Mamiya 35mm SLR in the past will be added if you will just tell me about them. If you find others, by all means, let me know! Once I can verify their service, I will add them to my "Links" page!

NOTE: Gentle Reader Ken Kline from Toronto, has written to tell me about two shops in that city who still service the old Mamiya 35mm SLRs. I have spoken to each of them, but have never used their service. Only Commercial Camera (gone !) had a web site when I last spoke to them (although International Camera is working on one), so you may have to do some good old-fashioned calling!

Commercial Camera Repair, Telephone: 1-416-223-2257 (ask for Gord)
International Camera Repair, Telephone: 1-800-340-5937 (ask for Stan)

If you use either facility, please post a critique on my Mamiya 35mm Forum (read only), so every reader will know what you discovered!

Q: Is there a place in Europe where I can get service on my Mamiya 35mm cameras?
A: A Gentle Reader of this site sent information about Sendean Cameras (closed), in the UK, as a repair service that still works on the old Mamiya SLR line. When I contacted them, Sendean verified that information and said, "We service all cameras and have dedicated Mamiya technicians specifically for the older range and professional cameras."

I have not personally used their service facility (and from my location here in the USA would have little occasion to do so), and have received no reports about the quality of their service (other than the original note, which was full of praise). If you use Sendean, please use my Mamiya 35mm Forum (read only) to tell everyone about your experience with them!

I also heard from several sources that Mamiya Corporation of Germany has been helpful in servicing old Mamiya 35mm, particularly the later ones (TL-series forward).

However, when I contacted them, they indicated that their supply of parts has been rather depleted and they are no longer offering full service on these cameras. They did not rule out an occasional bit of assistance, however, so I would at least ask! You can inquire about it directly from them by clicking here.(Only repairs digital Mamiya) So far, those are the only non-North American facilities that anyone has brought to my attention.

Q: Where is the best place to sell my Mamiya camera?
A: I'm not sure I know the best place to sell any camera! I have sold them at camera fairs, garage sales and even following conversations in the supermarket! I buy a few at the same fairs, garage or estate sales on occasion (before you deluge me with sale offers, there are only a few Mamiya 35mm in which I might still be interested -- see below)! However, I can tell you without hesitation that my personal favorite place to buy and sell old cameras is eBay.

Q: Will my Mamiya NC1000 lenses fit a Mamiya ZE? (read also: ZE-2, ZE-X or ZM)
A: Yes, Mamiya CS lenses (the type used on the NC) will fit the Z-series, but not without a loss of the auto aperture function, which is not recommended. The lens will also be skewed about 90° in the mount.

In one of the unfortunate (in my opinion) marketing blunders made by Mamiya Corporation, the E- or EF-series lenses made for the Z-series cameras cannot be used on the earllier Mamiya NC1000 & NC1000s because of a different pin-reading element...even though both are bayonet-mount lenses with a similar mount!

Q: I cannot find Mamiyalite flash unit information on your site. Have I missed it?
A: No. There is no Mamiya flash unit information published on the site right now, although instruction manual reprints for the Mamiyalite ZE and MZ 18R are available on my Instruction Manuals page.

Q: Do you own all the Mamiya cameras you show on your site?
A: Not quite, but I'm getting close.

Q: Are there Mamiya 35mm cameras you are specifically interested in buying?
A: Yes, I'm still looking for a Mamiya Sketch and the original Mamiya Prismat (the one with the curved nameplate on the prism -- c.1960). If you have either of these available (in any reasonable condition) please contact me!

Q: Do you really have all of the "other" cameras you list on your site (such as your German, Russian and Kodak cameras)?
A: Yes. That part of my collection is not as comprehensive as my Mamiya collection, but I have each camera listed (as well as multiples of some, and some that aren't listed at all), including a growing collection of old Kodak & Voigtländer folders, Speed Graphics, view cameras and Russian rangefinders. Along with my regular Mamiya collection, they take up quite a bit of room (much to the consternation of my wife). I do not, however, have a lot of support documentation about them. There are instruction manual reprints available for some, and if you need one, check my Manuals page.

Q: Do you have the complete lens system for each camera?
A: No. And I sincerely doubt I ever will. I have many of the different focal length Mamiya lenses that were made for the DTL and NC, but it would be senseless (and expensive) to accumulate every focal length lens for every camera I own, particularly since I will seldom ever find time to use the ones I have!

Q: Do you have lens system information for each camera?
A: No. Comprehensive data has been hard to find. I have added as much information as I have been able to verify in the available tables. I am certain there were aftermarket lenses such as Osawa, Revuenon, Tamron, Spiratone and others for many of the Mamiya models, that I have no information about.

Q: Do you do camera appraisals?
A: An emphatic NO. An appraisal would require me to physically inspect your camera or system, and I do not want to get involved in shipping items back and forth, traveling, or waiting for someone to show up on my doorstep. This is only a hobby for me, not a job.

However, if someone wants a sight-unseen guess as to the value of their camera (and they have not figured out how to use my Auction Pricing tables), I will be happy to charge a flat $25.00 fee (payable in advance via PayPal) and email them my opinion. Just contact me about where to send your money. But that's a lot to pay for an opinion that is little more than a guess without actually seeing the camera!

Q: Do you sell these vintage Mamiya cameras?
A: If you mean directly from my web site, the answer is no. My site is for providing information about these vintage 35mm cameras, not for selling them. I do sell cameras, camera bodies, or lenses from my collection occasionally, but that is usually on eBay.

Q: Why don't you sell current Mamiya medium-format film cameras, or the new Mamiya ZD medium-format digital camera on your site?
A: I would like to. In fact, I approached Mamiya USA about advertising and selling their medium-format cameras on my site. However, they apparently do not license such online selling unless the seller also has a physical "storefront" presence, which I, alas, do not.

Q: Do you have information on the old Mamiya Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras?
A: Not much. My collecting interest has been limited to Mamiya 35mm SLR cameras, and this site is dedicated to them. I did recently acquire some old Mamiya TLR and medium-format information. Reprints of the instructions I have will be available on my Manuals page.

Q: I have an old Mamiya 35mm that has fungus on the lens. Do you know how I can clean it? Nothing seems to work on that stuff!
A: I have to assume you know how to disassemble your lens to get the glass separate from the rest of the mechanism. That done, make a small 50-50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and regular ammonia, and wipe it directly (Q-Tips work well) on the fungus. It will literally melt right off! Follow up with clean water or a lens cleaner. Visit my How To section for more information.

Q: I would like to clean the reflex mirror in my camera. How do I go about it?
A: First of all, I would definitely not recommend self-cleaning the mirror. However, if you insist on pursuing it yourself, use plain water on lens-cleaning paper. I have also heard it recommended to use a diluted solution (about one drop per cup of water) of dishwasher rinse aid (not the soap). Do NOT use lens cleaner! With some mirrors, the silvering can come off, leaving you with just a clear (albeit clean) piece of glass!

Q: What is the difference between a Mamiya tele-extender and an extension tube?
A: An extension tube is essentially a hollow device that goes between the camera body and lens. Moving the existing lens farther from the film plane allows for closer (or macro) focusing of your lens. A tele-extender contains glass optical elements that change the focal length of your lens (i.e; a 2X tele-extender would make a 50mm lens function as a 100mm lens). The number associated with the tele-extender indicates the degree of magnification.

Q: Are all the pictures on your site of your own cameras?
A: Almost all of them are, but a very few are shots used with the written permission of the original owner. I give credit when someone asks for it, in return for the use of the image. Regardless of where the images came from, the entire site is copyright protected, and neither images or text can be used without my written permission.

Q: Where can I get instruction manuals for my Mamiya 35mm SLR camera?
A: You may look elsewhere if you like, but you will find one of the most comprehensive collections of support information for Mamiya 35mm rangefinders, fixed-lens and SLR cameras right on this web site, on my Instruction Manuals page!

Q: Why do you have advertising links on your site?
A: Good question! I would like to be able to present a nice, clean, ad-free information site. In fact, that is exactly how this site started.

However, as the effort grew, so did the expense associated with it. The ad links on most pages list other sites that pay for traffic, and I have them here to help generate revenue to offset site maintenance costs (Hint: it isn't working)!

Q: Why don't you give away instruction manual copies, instead of charging for them?
A: Another good question! I suppose that would be nice but, as I said before, I already have a considerable investment just in gathering all of this information (and a lot of it I've had to buy), not to mention the costs of maintaining the site itself. Quite honestly, it costs me far more each month to continue the site than I have ever taken in!