The Regal Mamiya Crown

    If you think the little white dot in the center of this Mamiya Crown's viewfinder window is a specular reflection, you'd be mistaken. Here's why. Although it was in excellent condition when I obtained it, this fairly rare camera had one problem: the rangefinder patch was dim. Luckily, I remembered having read about a quick and easy solution at http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-165.html.  All you have to do is to place a small black dot in the center of the viewfinder window. But because the window in the photo appeared as black, I substituted a white dot for illustrative purposes. 

       Seen from above, the camera resembles most other 35mm cameras of the fifties. The film advance lever, film counter, and shutter release are at the right. The accessory shoe is at the center of the top. The rewind knob is at the left. Interestingly, the ASA indicator is found between the rewind knob and the accessory shoe. A film type indicator sits between the shoe and the advance lever. The camera features a hinged back.

     The f1.9 48mm Mamaiya Secor FC lens (photo, top right) is ideal for low light situations.   Shutter and diaphragm controls are conveniently located. The red dot (right) marks the click stopped diaphragm control ring. Blue denotes the EV system ring. Yellow shows the shutter speed control ring. Green indicates the depth of field scale. Violet marks the distance scale, and black shows the focusing knob. By the way, when I received the camera, the focusing ring was stiff and difficult to turn. Fortunately, a few drops of lighter fluid (naptha) solved the problem. An old timey PC connection peeks out just to the right of the green dot.

     If I hadn't been able to loosen the focusing ring and correct the rangefinder patch on this camera, it would have been extremely difficult to use. But as the Bard wrote, "All's well that ends well." Even though it lacks the refinements found in some other rangefinder cameras, the Mamiya Crown is a nicely designed, well made, and reliable unit that can still produce excellent photographs.

COMING SOON: Ricoh 35