Mamiya/Sekor 500TL (c.1966) R. Herron Collection
Mamiya/Sekor 1000TL (c.1966) R. Herron Collection
To view the Mamiya lenses available for the TL & DTL, Click
Here!
Historic Note
Beginning in 1967, all Japanese cameras made for export were required to
undergo significant intensive testing, designed to assure they would prove
to be trouble-free under normal use. The government body known as the Japan
Camera and Optical Instruments Inspection and Testing Institute (JCII) was
responsible.
Lens Adapters Available for Digital!
Lens adapters are available allowing the many of Mamiya's threaded lenses
(M42) to be used on the new Canon EOS digital SLR's! These adapters (and
adapters for other DSLR brands)can often be found on eBay. Used in conjunction
with original Mamiya P-adapters, they also allow use of Mamiya CS and E
bayonet-mount lenses.
Mamiya/Sekor TL Series
The Mamiya/Sekor 500TL and 1000TL cameras
were introduced in October 1966. Fully mechanical, they came with a wide
variety of interchangeable lenses (all
designated as "Auto Mamiya/Sekor").
The lens mount was the same 42mm threaded mount developed for the Praktica
and popularized by Pentax. The TL-series was the first Mamiya 35mm with
CdS through-the-lens (TTL) metering. It was powered by one MS-76 or equivalent
1.5v battery, and provided a spot meter that measured approximately 10%
of the viewfinder area.
Mamiya M42 lens series (photo courtesy R.
With a horizontal, mechanical focal-plane shutter with cloth curtains, it
has an ASA range from 25 to 800, with shutter speeds from 1 sec. to 1/500
(1/1000 on the 1000TL), with a Bulb setting. The flash would synch at 1/60
and both cameras originally came with an optional flash mount (cold) that
attached over the prism housing via the rear finder (it
is visible in the 500TL picture above). The 1000TL model added a self-timer.
Like many Mamiya 35mm cameras, the TL series was also sold with rebranded
names, particularly in Germany, where the retailing powerhouse Porst (Porst
went out of business in the 1980s) demanded house-brand cameras that could
be sold for less than the "original" brand name! The Mamiya 500-
and 1000-TL cameras were sold as the Porst
Reflex 500c and the Porst
Superflex 1000c, respectively.
Note: Information on MAMIYA/SEKOR 528TL or 528AL cameras can be found on
the Fixed
Lens SLR page.
Mamiya/Sekor 1000DTL
(c.1968) R. Herron Collection
Mamiya/Sekor 500DTL (c.1968) R. Herron Collection
Black Mamiya/Sekor 1000DTL (c.1968) R. Herron Collection
Mamiya/Sekor 2000DTL (c.1969) R. Herron Collection
A black-bodied version of the 1000
DTL was offered in a
limited quantity. Mamiya also introduced a black-bodied 2000
DTL (with a faster
1/2000 shutter speed) in
1969.
There is some information available indicating it was first shown at the
1966 Photokina, but production models were not sold until 1969. It was intended
primarily for export. An extremely fast shutter-speed option for the era,
it did not endure long and is a very rare camera today.
Mamiya/Sekor DTL Series
The Mamiya 500- and 1000-DTL series
cameras were introduced in July 1968. Along with the TL series, these Mamiya/Sekor
cameras were the popular backbone of the Mamiya line in the mid-to-late
60s. They were sturdily built, with excellent optics. The DTL lenses were
virtually identical to those on the TL-series. They still used the universal "Pentax
type" 42mm screw-on mount, although later DTL lenses are identified
by the black lens ring which replaced the earlier chrome version. Either
lens ring can be found on each series of these cameras today.
The major difference in the newer DTL series was the addition of dual metering
patterns, where both spot meter (10
percent of the field) and
average readings were possible. The DTL's are also capable of measuring
over a wider ASA range (25-3200), and the 1000-series again provided a self-timer
that was not included on the 500 DTL.
The Mamiya 500- and 1000-DTL were the only cameras of their day to offer
these dual metering patterns! This
metering feature, which would eventually become an important marketing feature
for all cameras, did not become generally available on SLR's from other
manufacturers for several years after the Mamiya 500- and 1000-DTL.
An "A" and "S" switch, near the lens mount on the DTL
camera body, is used to choose between the average- and spot-meter utility.
The light meter itself is activated by pulling the film advance lever slightly
away from the camera body.
DTL Average/Spot Meter Switch
A schematic of the DTL, showing the relationship of its metering components.
An extremely sturdy camera, both the TL- and the DTL-series are still widely
available. They are often sold as "a completely mechanical camera,
great for students" at reasonable prices.
Although they now often require repair to the light meter, if the lenses
are clean it is an extremely worthwhile investment to buy and fix for everyday
shooting, even without the meter. Th