Miranda Lens Sales Brochure (1971?)

Braddanman · Joined: 13 Aug 2012 Posts: 94 Location: UK

For those collectors out there or those that are just interested.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Cool !

The "native" lens lineup seems to be exactly what I predicted.
The Tokina 200mm looks like it was indeed made with a fixed Sensorex mount, I will have to look for one.
I thought these other non-Kowa lenses were supplied as T4's only.

The last "Complete Miranda System" is also very interesting.
The lenses in the back are all Soligor T4 Autos and T-mount presets.
Among other things they seem to have laid out a bunch of actual T4 mounts, on the left, and T-mounts on the right.
Since these are, naturally, for other camera makes (a Miranda would only require a Miranda mount I suppose), we can take this as a family photo of the whole Soligor product line of the day.

Some of the presets there look like the "chrome ears" (Sun?) series, though a few aren't.

The big ones in the back are the Kawanon 600 and 800mm

casualcollector · Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 5:25 pm Post subject:

Interesting to see and interesting to see how memory doesn't hold up very well. I recall Miranda ads that had very Tokina looking teles and this add bears that out at least at 200mm. My error was making the assumption that the whole Miranda line at one time may have come from Tokina!

As a frequent lurker on ebay I see many Soligors with Miranda mounts that appear to be Miranda lenses without the Miranda name.

An interesting feature of some, if not all Miranda lenses is that the focus scale is engraved in inches at distances less than about 3 feet. Very comprehensive and a characteristic I've noticed on some Soligor presets. Perhaps they came from the Miranda lens assembly facility that has been alluded to. That may also explain the "M" serial Soligors.

I have a Soligor 28mm/2.8 that resembles the 28 illustrated in this brochure. It bears a 966xxx serial and has a simplified distance scale and Canon FL mount. I have previously attributed this lens to Kino Precision but may have to eat my words!

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Short fat one with the huge tripod mount in the back right is the Tokina-made (I believe) 500/8 reflex in T-mount.
Behind it is the 450/8 "chrome ears", which is horrible.

casualcollector · Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:33 pm Post subject:

I had not noticed the 500 reflex lens in the group photo! I had read(memory again!) Yashica was the supposed producer of this lens, most commonly seen as Spiratone and Lentar. I just took delivery of one of these branded Samigon. Awaiting EOS T-mount adapter.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

I believe Yashica carried it in their catalog at one time, like several other third party lenses; I have seen several of the usual suspects in their lineups from several periods.

OTOH, it may have been made by Yashica, who knows for sure.

themoleman342 · Expire: 2013-01-24

Great info! The macron has 4 elements in 6 groups, eh? Very Happy

casualcollector · Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:59 pm Post subject:

One of the Miranda lenses bearing only the Soligor name. It's the curious looking
35mm that's as long as a 105!

Click here to see on Ebay

Oldhand · Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:09 pm Post subject:

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Miranda are perhaps the most confusing manufacturer to work out, they seem to have sold a load of different lenses at different times, from different makers.

There's a Tokina looking 3.5/200 Miranda that's not shown in this catalogue. There's also a 2.8/28 that is smaller than the one in this catalogue an I also think is made by Tokina. There are two versions of the 2.8/35 too, one is much bigger than the other. Also, there is a 2.8/50 that isn't in this catalogue. The quality of Miranda lenses varies from very good (1.4/50) to mediocre (2.8/105), I only kept the 1.4/50 and the Sensorex body.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

There certainly is a Tokina made 200/3.5 in this brochure, two in fact.
The one featured on the cover is a Tokina.
Its sitting among a bunch of lenses from a different maker, apparently Kowa, so its the odd one out.
The same lens was sold in T4 mount as a Soligor and Vivitar.
There is another, different 200/3.5 also a Tokina, and a T4, in the last group photo.
There were several versions of Tokina made 200/3.5 auto lenses, at least three of which took the T4 mounts, and of course others later.
I have these two versions of the Soligor-branded Tokinas in T4.

lenny · Joined: 23 Feb 2013 Posts: 47 Location: British Columbia

CasualCollector's link doesn't work for me.
I think this may be what you were linking to:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/35MM-35-2-8-SOLIGOR-FOR-MIRANDA-118349-/141006009277?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d49cf3bd
I have the small, Miranda-branded 35 2.8, which looks like the same vintage, only really differing in size.

casualcollector · Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 3:27 am Post subject:

Link didn't work for me, either... I'll check my work next time!

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 1974

Hmm, very conservative and budget oriented lineup, not a single ambitious lens. Well, maybe 1:1 52mm macron and 8 element 50mm 1.4 stand out a bit from this otherwise quite boring lineup.

They weren't good with numbers either. Closest focus of 2.50 cm and total length of 158cm do make sense for a 200mm lens Laughing

Maybe these were ambitious lenses after all.

Hmm the more I read this brochure, the funnier it becomes:

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Miranda made nice cameras but the lenses just seem to be basic offerings bought in from various makers, mostly Tokina and Sun I think, certainly most of the Mirandas I've had were identical to chrome ears Soligors that were attributed to Tokina and Sun.

I think, for most of the Miranda offerings, they just rebadged whatever Soligor was selling at the time, they were both owned by Allied Impex after all. I bet if you had all the Miranda catalogues, you'd see different lens line-ups almost every year.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA

Did anyone make a copy of this lens brochure.?
If so I'd love to have one.

D1N0 · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 2536

There is a site for Miranda but it is very slow in loading and most of the time images don't load, like it is 1998 and you're using a 14.400 baud modem.

http://www.mirandacamera.com

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA