On Episode 45 of the Camerosity Podcast, the guys and I return to a brand specific discussion for everyone's favorite bellows-TLR, 6cm x 4.5cm medium format SLR, 35mm leaf shutter SLR, f/1.5 lens rangefinder, half frame pistol camera making company, Mamiya!  If that seems like a wild range of cameras, you're right!  As makers of pretty much every style of camera conceived, Mamiya has done it all!
Joining Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on this episode is Bill Rogers from mamiyarepair.com who has a literally grocery store size storage room full of spare Mamiya parts acquired from the company before they went bankrupt.  Bill has experience with and can repair nearly every Mamiya camera ever made, even the compact 35mm point and shoot Mamiya U.
In addition to Bill's expertise, we also welcome current Mamiya employee Ray Nason.  Ray has many decades of experience working with Mamiya cameras, selling them for many years to professional photographers and consumers alike.  Together, both Bill and Ray offer a 1-2 punch of Massive Mamiya Madness!
Along for the ride are returning callers, Robert Rotoloni, Mark Faulkner, Nick Marshall, Cheyenne Morrison, Andrew Smith, Bob St. Cyr, Ira Cohen, Marcy Merrill, and Larry Effler, and first time callers Brian Howard, Mike Ahmadi, and Steven Lederman.
With a total of 20 participants, the most we've ever had on an episode of the podcast, we cover a HUGE array of subjects, including some history of the brand, the state of the Japanese optics industry immediately after the war, the origins of the Mamiya-Sekor name, trivia on a rare Canon lens made in the Exakta mount for Mamiya, and how Mamiya was able to use Nikon's bunny ears for the meter coupling on the lenses for the M645 cameras.  Ira shows off his half frame Mamiya Pistol camera, Marcy brings with her a very strange accessory made for the Mamiya U, and Steven Lederman shows off a totally bizarre stereo camera made with Mamiya lenses.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you!  We would love to hear from more listeners, especially those who are new to shooting film or collecting cameras.  Please don't feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are new to shooting and are interested in having an episode dedicated to people new to the hobby, so please don't consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you'd like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, and right here on mikeeckman.com.  We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are finally entering the digital era, with an entire discussion on film-less cameras.  Point and shoot digicams, DSLRs, digital mirrorless, vintage digital, and digital backs are all topics we may or may not get to!  If you'd like to learn more about the history of digital photography, or why Gen Z is so smitten with Japanese digicams, be sure to look out for the next show!  Episode 46 will be recorded on Monday, April 3rd.  We hope to see you there!
This Week's Episode
Introducing Bill Rogers from mamiyarepair.com
The History of Mamiya / First Japanese Camera Maker After WWII / Made in Occupied Japan Cameras
Mamiya Sixes Can Be Found with Fuji, Nikkor, and Zuiko Lenses / Nikon Almost Made a TLR
The Mamiya Six Had a Movable Film Plane and a Strange Film Pressure Plate
In 1948 Mamiya Released Both the First Mamiyaflex and Mamiya 35mm Camera / Early Mamiyaflex and Mamiya C-Series TLRs
Anthony Knew a Guy Who Used the Mamiya C to Shoot Crime Scenes and Dead Bodies
Mamiya C TLRs Were Popular with Wedding Photographers
Ray Nason Works for Mamiya and has a Couple Photos of Mamiya Prototypes
The Koni