Miranda interchangable viewfinders

[belgiumreporter]

I've allways had a sofft spot for slr cameras with interchangable viewfinders the obvious ones are the pro level nikon and canons in the pre digital age (although i've got a pro digital slr with interchangable viewfinders, you may guess wich one).
The less obvious might be miranda, allways a bit of an oddball in the slr world. When going through some boxes with camera stuff i came across this early miranda of wich i've totally forgotten i've had it, so to give it some credit here's a pic of the camera with all of its finders. there's the plain prism, the waist level finder the odd but very handy 5 or 1,5x magnifying finder an the metered prism.
Even though mirandas design relies heavily on exacta's they did inprove on the way to change the viewfinders, rather than pulling it upward along with the focussing screen exacta style, miranda used the same sliding backward theme like the canon F1. This is in my opinion the best way to change finders, even though i am a nikon man i must admit their system of changing finder is inferior to the miranda or canon way ( i do realise the diafragm coupling of nikon stood in the way of making it easy to change finders or screens.)

[philbirch]

Sold exclusively by Dixons in the UK, the Miranda didn't quite make it. At the time we retailers blamed its rather feminine name

[belgiumreporter]

Feb 1, 2015 17:50:07 GMT -5 philbirch said:

Sold exclusively by Dixons in the UK, the Miranda didn't quite make it. At the time we retailers blamed its rather feminine name

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet ...

You are so right about the name, i remember when i was sixteen a girlfriend of mine who was in foto school had a Miranda, i secretly admired the camera (and her ) but i didn't wanted to be seen dead with a Miranda because of its stupid name, when you're sixteen it is inportant to keep your cool and that was just inpossible with a Miranda round your neck. So yes it is indeed my experience that the name of the beast was inportant enough not to buy it.

[truls]

Very nice and interesting Miranda, looks in really good condition.
Photo snobbery is not a new trade... ..almost always by photo-professionals-lookalikes. The real professional photographers more care for the fees than what equipment used. Who would spot a difference in the image taken with Miranda or other camera, none.

At the end of the film period, around year 2000, I purchased a used Minolta lens in a camera shop. I could hear when the gentleman went for the lens in the other room claimed how low life person which purchased this bad lens. Photo snobbery!

[Stephen]

The founders of Miranda as the Orion Camera, were both scientists and engineers, and it showed in the design and accessories, Exakta inspired in some ways, but better designed in most aspects. As mentioned Mr Kalms of Dixons bought the bankrupt name for use on other makers in the end. He had held the European rights to the Miranda name for many years.
Even in the early years Miranda relied on bought in optics, sharing many designs with Soligor, but Standard lenses were home productions. The Importers in the UK were next to useless, and the name was not bad, there were worst around.