This is the latest addition to my Miranda camera collection - a Miranda Sensomat RE-II.
Miranda Sensomat RE-II Images
My Miranda Sensomat RE-II camera
I bought this as a spares or repair purchase for £20 postage paid, but I messaged the seller prior to buying it to find out what was wrong with it. The message I received, which turned out to be pretty accurate, was that the shutter fires, but the speed selector doesn't turn and the aperture blades in the lens are displaced. I was fairly sure that I could repair these faults, so I decided to purchase it, as the RE-II is one of the missing cameras in my Miranda collection.
When I received the camera a few days later there were a couple of other minor things which need to be addressed - the top of the metering on/off switch and the dust cover to the X sync socket are missing, so I'll probably need to buy another 'spares or repair' unit sometime to source these parts. Also, the camera is quite 'scruffy' and will need a good clean, although at 40 odd years old I suppose it's not too bad. The focusing screen has a fair amount of dirt in, so I'll also need to clean it up.
The speed selector was indeed stuck, but after I removed the control and the top plate and added a very small amount of lubrication, that seemed to free up. The ASA setting still didn't work, but that was because the dial had become unglued from the inner brass cog, so a spot of glue fixed that.
The lens unit is a more serious issue - it is obvious that one of the aperture blades has come away from the spigot which holds it. I don't know until I open the lens whether it is a simple reassembly or if the pin has broken off. If it's broken, I'll need to make sure that the spares' camera I buy also has a lens to get another blade because I don't think they are the same as the older Miranda lenses (of which I have a few broken ones I could use for spares).
One good point is that the lens itself looks pretty good condition. The focus is smooth and the aperture adjusts easily apart from the dangling blade, so it is probably worth fixing even if it does need a new blade.
Miranda Sensomat RE-II Description
This camera is quite a late model in the original Miranda line up - internet research suggests it was made around 1975/76 which puts it at about the same time as the company's last model the DX3 (last model of the original Miranda). Even being this late, it still has a lot of the original Miranda features like replaceable viewfinder and bayonet/screw dual lens mount, but I have to say it doesn't have the feel of quality that the earlier models had. I don't know if it is because it's black, but the body, although quite heavy, doesn't seem to exude quality like the original Sensomat does.
In terms of specs, it seems very similar to the original Sensomat, except the lens is of the EC series, so the aperture is read by the camera using a lever from the back of the lens mount.
Even though the Miranda Sensomat RE-II has an EC series lens, the exposure system is not automatic, and in fact there are various warnings on the web about not switching the lens to the auto setting on this body as it can damage the lens. Setting the correct exposure is carried out by adjusting the aperture and shutter speed whilst observing the meter needle in the viewfinder in the same way as the Sensomat. There is a description of how this works in my post on the original Sensomat, and most of the features of that model also applies to this one.
Miranda Sensomat RE-II Specification
- Miranda Sensomat RE-II
- Year of manufacture 1975/76
- ISO range 25 to 1600
- Light cell built into mirror
- Depth of field preview lever on lens
- Match needle metering with single PX675
- Removable / replaceable viewfinder.
- Cable release socket.
- 50 mm f/1.8 EC lens with rubberised focus grip and in-built lens hood.
- X and FP sync sockets on front of camera
- X sync hot shoe
- 1sec to 1/1000 + B (some speeds not available at some iso settings)
- Body Ser No: 5806642
- Lens Set No: 2125989
- Manual available on-line here
