mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8

(Sample Images made with this camera)

Click to Enlarge - Templeton MA 1975 - mamiya sekor Click to Enlarge - Providence RI 1974 - mamiya sekor
Full Frame

 

mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8

 

When I left my parents home to go study photography in 1973, I took with me a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic II that I had purchased for myself, a Fisheye Takumar that I had purchased, and a SMCT 135 f/3.5 that my mother had given me for my birthday. 

Later that year, I left the school darkroom to make a run over to the store for some supplies.  In my haste I left my camera under the enlarger along with my Gossen Super Pilot meter.  When I returned, they had gone missing.  It was a harsh lesson in caring for my stuff that left me camera-less in the middle of school.

My co-worker, Ken Frasier, made me an offer I could not refuse - he had two mamiya-sekor DTL cameras - a 500 DTL and a 1000, and a trove of gear that he agreed to sell me for $300.  It was a very generous offer which I quickly snapped up.  It saved me and allowed me to sample some different equipment.  I found the DTL's to be less graceful than the Pentax but liked the spot meter feature.  I discovered that my SMC lens didn't fit without removing the index lug from the rear of the lens.  I carefully extracted the lug and saved it for many years when I was to reinsert it so I could use the lens on a Spotmatic F.

On Christmas eve of that second year at photography school a fellow came into the store near closing time with a broken camera body.  It was a Pentax Spotmatic II with black body.  The take-up spool clutch was broken.  He hoped to have it fixed on the spot so he could take pictures for Christmas.  Of course that was not possible but instead I offered to do a trade with him.  I ended up with the Spotmatic body and he ended up with the mamiya-sekor and a Vivitar 28mm f/2.5 that had come with the gear Ken sold me.  I fished a rubber band into the take-up spool of the Spotmatic and shot with it that way for many years until I sent the camera for some other service and had the spool fixed at the same time.  I still have that Spotmatic.  I purchased this rather worn DTL to take the place of this type camera in my life.

mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8
 
Spot Meter Switch on mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8
 
Spot Meter sensor on mirror of mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8
 
mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8
 
mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8
 
mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL with 55mm f/1.8
 

mamiya/sekor 1000 DTL Owners Operating Manual (cover image)

Online Manual

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25-Dec-06 09:15 AM

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