Mamiya/Sears TLS Auto 500???

[asaphoto]

Hey All,

I just got a Mamiya/Sears TLS Auto 500 on ebay. I got it cause it was cheep and I am planing on reselling it. It only thing is I cannot fined any information on this particular model at all. I found a lot of similar cameras on the web but nothing exactly the same. Dose anyone know anything about this. Here is the link to it on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ayphotohosting

Thanks a lot.


Asa

[Elox]

AKA Mamiya/Sekor 528TL

http://66.49.230.119/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_528tl.pdf

Link is from the great www.butkus.org site with lots of various camera manuals.

As for the camera, it is a step up from a Holga, since it is better sealed and does have a three element glass lens.

[Paul Sorensen]

AKA Mamiya/Sekor 528TL

http://66.49.230.119/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_528tl.pdf

Link is from the great www.butkus.org site with lots of various camera manuals.

As for the camera, it is a step up from a Holga, since it is better sealed and does have a three element glass lens.

My dad had one of these! I have been remembering it but didn't know what model it was, thanks for the link.

[Elox]

I'm being a little harsh in my description. IIRC, this camera was designed to give an SLR alternative to the better Instamatics and pocket RF cameras. To me, you gain lots of bulk and no advantages.

[asaphoto]

You think $27 is to much to pay for it?

[Elox]

Average ebay price for a 528TL is about $10, so I doubt you will be able to sell it at a profit in the near future. I think you can get everything this camera offers, except the reflex viewer, in many inexpensive range-finders. Also, most of them would be smaller, lighter, and have a better lens.

[Monophoto]

Before the late 1960's, the most popular 35mm cameras were rangefinders. There were a few SLR models around, but they were not nearly as popular as rangefinder. The problem was that the technology was rather primative - cameras either didn't have meters at all, or the meters they had were built into the camera body and didn't meter through the lens. That meant that the only option was average metering, and the angle of those meters didn't change with a change in lenses. In addition, cameras were mechanically quite simple, and required that the user manually stop down before shooting. The Mamiya/Sekor line, was one of many camera brands that started the migration away from those technologies and that led to the superautomatic cameras that are still available today.

The 500TL was the bottom of the Mamiya/Sekor line. There was also a 500 DTL and a 1000 DTL. The number indicated the top speed (1/500 s in the 500, 1/1000 in the 1000), and the TL indicated a through-the-lens meter. The DTL had dual spot/average meter with a switch to choose between the two modes. The lenses all featured the Practica/Pentax M-42 screw mount.

The first SLR I ever purchased as a Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL. I think I paid about $139 for it at Olden Camera in New York in 1971. It served me well until the shutter locked up in 1982 by which time getting it repaired was no longer practical. My one recollection is that it was a monster - physically pretty large and with a very noisy shutter, but more importantly, it weighed a ton compared with the Nikon FM-2 that I bought to replace it.

By the way, I am still using that FM-2.