Analogue Magazine

17
analogue
A little background on Miranda. The first Miranda
appeared on the market in 1956, called The Miranda
T. The first Japanese SLR with a pentaprism - the first
Japanese SLR with interchangeable viewfinders and
a 1/1000 top shutter speed. The T was followed by
the A, the first Miranda with lever wind, and the B,
the first with an instant return mirror. the Miranda D -
envisioned as mid-tier full featured SLR for the budget
minded. The D only exported, and was never on the
market in its native Japan.
The Miranda D has a dual shutter speed dial
with the top for speeds of 1/60 to 1/500 second, and a
bottom setting for slower speeds from 1/15 to 1 second.
The standard lens is alright. It’s not retina splitting
sharp, but like most fast lenses of the era, it was
designed to be fast first and foremost and sharpness
took a back seat. There are other nice touches: with
the prism, the view is 1:1 with a 50mm lens, which
makes it super easy to envision a shot in your head
without having to lift the camera to your eye.
The advance lever is ratcheted, so you can
advance the film incrementally - the camera straps
never get in the way of your fingers. And most
distinctively, the shutter is rather quiet for an SLR of this
era too, although hardly quiet by even 1970s standards
- but way better than the sounds Prakticas make. All
in all, the Miranda D may take more time getting used
to than the previous cameras. However, as a tradeoff,
its numerous settings make room for even more
experimental shots to take place. So if you’re looking
for a camera that can shoot a variety of shots, the
Miranda D could be the one for you!