Mamiya/Sekor MSX 500 Operation manual

mami ya/sekor MSX 500
owners
operating manual

CONTENTS
Description of parts ... ................ .. ...... ......... .. ....... .. ... ............. ... ..... .............. ..... 2
Specifications ............................................. .. ..... .. .. ... . .. ....... .. .. ........ ..... ............. 4
Short course
of instructions . .. . .. .................. ... .. ................ .. ............................ 6
Inserting the battery ......
.......... ......................... .. ........ .. . .. . .... ....... .. ... ... ........... 8
Loading the film ..........................................................
..... .. . ...... .. ................. .. ... 9
Setting the film
speed .................................... .. . ... .. ................ .... ......... ... ........ 11
Selecting the shutter speed .............. .. ........ ... . .. ...... .. . .. . ... . .. ... ........................12
Focusing and viewing
.. .... .. .... .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ... .. ... .................................................13
Infra-red
photography ...... .. ............................................................................13
Setting the
exposure .... ..................................................................................: 14
Depth of field ... .. ... .......... .. . .... .............. .... ...........···· ·· ·······································16
Changing lenses
..... .............. .... ........................................... ·· .·····.····· .. ·.··..........18
Holding the camera .......... .. ............... .. . .. ...... .. .................... ... ....... .. .. .. .. . .. .. . .. . ... 19 .
Flash
photography ......... .. ...............................................................................20
Rewinding the film .......................................
... ...... .. .......... .. .... .. . .. .......... .. . .. . ... 22
Multiple exposures ...................................... .. .............. .. . ... .. . .. ........,..... .. .... .. ... 22
Stopped down aperture operation .............................. .... ................ .... .. .... ... 23
Trouble shooting ...... ... .. . ... .. ......................... .. ................. ... ..... ..................... ... 24
Lens
comparison chart ......... .... .. .... .................................................................26
Accessories .................. ... .. .............................................. .. . .. . ... . .. ......... .. .......... 28
Helpful hints ... ............... ... .................................................................................32
'.

DESCRIPTION OF PARTS
4 5 6 9
14
2
1. Neck strap eyelet
2. Exposure counter
3. Lever retracting button
4. Film advance lever
5. Shutter release button
6. Shutter speed
dial and ASA/DIN window
7. Pentaprism hoosing
8. Rewind knob and film compartment door
release
9. Film plane reference mark
10.
FP & X flash terminals
11 . Aperture ring
12 . Depth-of-field scale
13 . Focusing ring
. 14. Lens release button

16 17
18
19
20
21 22
15 . Film chamber
16 . Viewfinder eyepiece
17. Focal plane shutter
1
8. Film advance sprockets
19 . Film take-up spool
20. Film
compartment door
21 . Film pressure plate
22 . Film cartridge pressure plate
23 . Battery compartment cover
24. Tripod socket
23 24
25
25. Rewind release button
3

SPECIFICATIONS:
mamiyal sekor MSX 500
CAMERA TYPE:
35mm Single Lens Reflex with behind-the-Iens,
spot readings, full aperture metering system .
FILM SIZE AND CAPACITY:
Perforated 35mm film in standard 20 or 36 ex-
posure cartridges.
STANDARD AUTOMATIC LENSES:
mamiyd / sekor SX 55mm f/1.4
7 elements in 5 groups
Angle
of view: 43 ·
Accessory size:
52 mm
mamiya / sekor SX 55mm fl1.8
6 elements in 5 groups
Angle
of view: 43·
Accessory size: 52 mm
mamiya / sekor SX 50mm f/2
6 elements in 4 groups
Angle
of view: 47·
Accessory size:
52 mm
4
LENS MOUNT :
Universal thread mount (42mm) with locking
pin.
SHUTTER :
Focal plane with speeds from 1
to 11 500
second and B for time exposures.
EXPOSURE CONTROL:
CdS celi
positioned on the back of the reflex
mirror (spot system) .
The metering system is cross coupled to the
shutter
speed . control, film speed dial, and
diaphragm mechanism on all automatic
SX
lenses.This system accurately measures light
at full aperture
withmamiya / sekor SX
lenses.With other universal thread mountlenses,
the
metering system will operate in the
stop-down mode.

METER SENSITIVITY:
ASA 25 to 3200 DIN 15 to 36
VIEWFINDER:
Pentaprism type with micro-diaprism center
spot
on Fresnel screen for rapid focusing. Brackets
visible in finder indicate location
of spot meter
reading area (10% of fieI9).
Exposure needle and reference pOints indicate
necessary exposure adjustments.
FLASH SYNCHRONIZATION:
Two separate flash contacts are provided,
marked "
FP " and "X". Proper selection of
terminals allows correct synchronization for all
types
of flash pictures.
REFLEX MIRROR:
Instant return type
5
FILM ADVANCE:
Ratchet type·film advance lever transports film,
cocks shutter, and advances exposure counter
in a single stroke (1600
)or by anumber of shorter
strokes.
EXPOSURE COUNTER:
Progressive type, reads from "S" (start) to 36.
Counter automatically resets to "S" when film
compartment
door is opened.
DIMENSIONS:
Width : 5 31/32
in . (151 .5mm)
Height : 3
3/4 in. (95 mm)
Thickness: With 55mm f/1 .4 lens 3
61/64 in.
(100 .5mm)
With 55mm f/1.8 lens 3
25/32 in.
(96mm)
With 50mm
112 lens: 3 3/ 4in . (95mm)
WEIGHT:
With 55mm f/1.4 lens: 33 oz. (9359)
With 55mm f/1 .8 lens:
31 3/16 oz. (885g)
With 50mm
f/2 lens: 30 5/16 oz. (860g)

SHORT COURSE OF INSTRUCTIONS
Insert an Eveready 5-76 silver oxide
battery (or equivalent)
Load the film.
Pull up the rewind knob to open the film
compartment door, drop in the film cartridge
and push
down the knob, turning it until it
drops into place . Insert the end of the ·film
leader into the film
take-up spool, making
sure the perforations along the film
edge
are hooked onto the teeth of the sprocket.
Close the film
compartment door and ad-
vance the film and press the shutter button
repeatedly until the number "
1" appears in
the Exposure
Co vnter Window.
6

Set the film speed.
Pull up the outer ring of the film speed dial
and turn it until the ASAIDIN number (or re-
presentative reference mark)
of the film you
are using appears in the window opposite
the white index mark. .
Set the shuHer speed.
When outdoors in bright or hazy sunlight, 1/
125 second is generally suitable for most
photographs.When indoors in a well lit room
1/60 second should be sufficient to capture
your subject, depending upon th.e film you
are using.
Focus on your subject
by rotating the focusing ring until the image
in the center of the viewfinder screen ap-
pears sharp.
7
Set the exposure.
Aim the camera so that the bracketed
area falls upon the most important part
of the picture.
Center the exposure
meter needle be-
tween the brackets in the viewfinder by
turning the Aperture Ring
or the Shutter
Speed Dial.
Compose your picture and press
the shuHer release buHon.

1 INSERTING THE BATTERY
l J
8
Open the battery compartment door on the base of the camera by
turning the
cover counterclockwise with your thumb until the white dot
aligns with the letter "0 " (open).
Clean the battery contacts with a clean, dry cloth
to assure they are
free
of oil or dust which may interfere with making positive contact.
With the
(+) sign facing you, insert the battery and replace the cover,
. tightening it with the thumb, turning it a one-quarter turn
in the opposite
direction of the arrow.
TURNING ON THE METER
To activate the cameras metering system, pull the Film Advance Lever
away from the camera
body approximafely 1/2 inch until it clicks into
position. To
prevent unnecessary drain on the battery, lock the meter
in the "OFF' -position when the camera is not in use. Press the "OFF"
button on
top of the Film Advance Lever and the lever will retract to-
wards the body.
8

2 LOADING THE FILM
A. Open the film compartment door by pulling up the Rewind Knob.
Drop the film cartridge into the compartment and rotate the Rewind
Knob until it drops down and locks the cartridge in place.
B. Insert the film
leader into one of the slots in the Take-up Spool.
9

C. Slowly advance the film by stroking the Film Advance Lever as far
to the right as it will go . If the lever stops midway, press the Shutter
Release Button
to free it for another stroke. Be sure that the holes
on both sides
of the film are caught by the teeth on the Film Trans-
port Sprockets .
NOTE: The film must pass under the Take-up Spool when advanced.
D. Gently turn the Rewind Knob
clockwise to take up the slack in the
film .
E. Close the Film Compartment Door and advance the film several
times until the
number " 1" appears in the Exposure Counter Window .
As the film is advanced through the camera the knob will turn in a
counterclockwise direction, indicating the film is advancing properly .
As the film is advanced the shutter will
be cocked automatically. Your
camera is
now loaded and ready to go .
NOTE: AVOID DIRECT LIGHT WHEN LOADING AND
UNLOADING
THE FILM.
10

3 SETTING THE FILM SPEED
. Lift the out ~ r ring of the Shutter Speed Dial and turn it in either direction
until the ASA rating of the film you are using appears opposite the index
mark. Your films ASA rating can
be found printed on the film cartridge
or in the instruction sheet packed with it.
To use the DIN rating, turn the Shutter
Speed Dial until the correct
number appears in the DIN window on the dial.
Below is a table of the available ASAIDIN ratings with the numbers
represented by the
dots shown in parentheses beneath them.
ASA
25· • 50 , , 100· • 200· • 400· • 800· • 1600· • 3200
32 40 64 80 125 160 250 320 500 650 1000 1250 20002500
DIN
15· • 18 •
21
• 24· • 27
30 33 36
16 17 19 20 22 23 25 26
28 29 31
32 34 35
11

4 SELECTING THE SHUTTER SPEED
The shutter controls the length of time light is allowed to strike the film.
The
speed at which the two shutter curtains pass across the film is
measured
in fractions of a second that correspond to the numbers on
the Shutter
Speed Dial. (250 is 1/250 second. 2 is 1/2 second. etc .)
The
number "1"on the dial represents one full second exposure. When
set on
the"S" setting. the shutter will remain open as long as the Shutter
Release Sutton is
depressed . When using the" S" setting. and for ex-
posures
longer than 1130 second. a cable release and tripod should
be used to minimize camera movement.
To
select a shutter speed . turn the Shutter Speed Dial until the desired
speed lines up with the index mark.
NOTE: Shutter
speeds may be set before or after the film is advanced.
but
be careful not to pull up on the Shutter Speed Dial. You may
inadvertently change the film
speed setting.
12

5 FOCUSING AND VIEWING
The mom!yo i sekor MSX is an SLR camera. That means that the image
you see in the viewfinder is the same image you will see in the final
photograph.
Focusing the MSX is
made easier by the micro diaprism focusing grid
in the viewfinder. This small, round area in the
center of the viewfinder
exaggerates the difference between the "in focus" and "out of focus"
image. By rotating the focusing ring on the lens barrel until the
micro
diaprism disappears, the image is brought into focus.
For subjects with irregular outlines,
like wooded hillsides, the entire
ground glass surrounding the micro diaprism may
be easier to focus
with, turning the Focusing Ring until
the image appears sharp.
INFRA-RED PHOTOGRAPHY
Infra-red light waves focus on a plane slightly behind that of visible
light. When using infra-red film you can compensate for this
difference
by focusing slightly behind your subject. First focus normally until your
subject is sharp. Note the position
of the Footage Index Mark on the
Distance Scale. Rotate the Focusing Ring until the small red
dot moves
into this position and your lens will
be focused for infra-red photo-
graphy.
13

6 SETTING THE EXPOSURE
1. Turn the Shutter Speed Dial until the shutter speed you wish to use
lines up with the index mark. Outdoors
in bright or hazy sunlight1/ 125
second should be fast enough for most situations, depending upon
the film you use. Indoors
in a well lit room, 1/60 second or slower
should be sufficient under most conditions.
2. Look through the viewfinder and aim the camera so the brackets fall
on the most important part of the picture. For the most accurate
reading be sure the bracketed area doesn't include objects much
lighter or darker than the area you want to measure.
3. Rotate the Aperture Ring on the lens until the needle to the right of
the finder is centered between the open ends of the index mark.
When the needle centers, the exposure will be correct. If the meter
needle does not
come to the center no matter what aperture you
choose, change shutter speeds. When the needle is
on the (+ ) side,
the picture is overexposed and you need to select a faster shutter
speed. When the
needle is on the (- ) side, the picture is underex-
posed and a slower speed should be chosen.
14

Expos ur e Meter Needle
Ar ea Measured by Spot Meter
Index
of Measuring Ra ng e
Micro Diaprism
NOTE:
You may reverse the procedu"re if you wish to use a certain
aperture.
In this case, select the aperture and center the meter
needle by rotating the Shutter Speed Dial.
When using
SX lenses it is not necessary to push the Film
Advance Lever toward the camera body to take a
meter read-
ing. This action is taken only to view depth-of-field.
In general photography the meter requires no special calcu-
lations
or compensation to obtain correct exposures even if
filters or close-up accessories such as auto-bellows or auto
extension tubes are used.
Meter readings taken with the normal
lens alone and then with accessories attached may not
~e the
same due
to the properties of the accessories, but the ex-
PQsures will
be correct. In close-up photography the meter
reading must be taken after the final focus, since exposure in
this instance is affected by the distance between lens and film.
15

7 DEPTH OF FIELD
When the camara is focused on an object , an area in front of and be-
hind the object will also be in acceptably sharp focus.
The distance
between the nearest and farthest objects in focus is called
Depth-of-Field.
Each time the aperture is changed, depth-of-field changes also. As the
lens is
stopped down towards f/16 , depth - of-field increases, and as the
lens is
opened towards f/2 , it decreases .
Knowing h
ow to use depth-of -field allows the photographer to use the
principles of " selective focus" to eliminate unwanted foreground and
background objects from his photographs, and could mean the differ-
ence between a snapshot and a successful photograph .
To view the depth-of-field in your photograph with the MSX, bring your
subject into sharpest focus and press the Film Advance Lever in towards
the
camera body . This causes the lens diaphragm to "stop down"
(become smaller). The exposure meter needle may deviate from
the
center of the index mark, but do not readjust the exposure setting.
The lens is
now at the aperture at which the picture will be taken.
NOTE: When taking
exposure meter readings with SX lenses, DO
NOT press the Film Advance Lever for meter reading.
16

THE AUTOMATIC LENS
The depth- ' of-field will appear in the viewfinder exactly as it will appear
in the finished picture. By changing the focus while the lens diaphragm
is .
stopped down you can select the area of sharpness in your photo-
graph. When using preset or non-automatic lenses the diaphragm must
be set manually, but the same results are achieved.
You may also
determine the depth-cif-field by checking the scale on
the lens barrel. Numbers representing lens apertures
appear at the
near and far limits
of depth for any given focus distance and lens open-
ing.
For example, if the standard lens is focused at
15 feet , one of the marks
representing
f/11 appears at the 10 foot mark and the other at the 30
foot mark. This means that in a photograph focused at 15 feet and the
diaphragm
set at f/11, everything between 10 and 30 feet will be in ac-
ceptably sharp focus.
The
mamiya/sekor standard lens features an automatic diaphragm to
let you view the scene at the lens maximum aperture. When you press
the Shutter Release Button the lens will automatically "stop
down" to
the aperture you selected and re-open immediately .
17

8 CHANGING LENSES
CAUTION : PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY BEFORE AT -
TEMPTING TO REMOVE
OR INSTALL A LENS.
To remove an automatic lens from your camera, first press the lever
retracting button. Hold.the camera securely with one hand and press
the Lens Release Button. With the other hand, firmly grasp the lens
and rotate it
counterclockwise until ali the threads have been dis-
engaged.
To mount the lens, screw the lens threads into the lens mount on the
camera body, rotating the lens clockwise until it stops and locks into
place with a sharp
click . While mounting the lens, never press the lens
release button.
Always be sure. the film advance lever is retracted and that the
threads are
properly engaged . If t.he lens is difficult to screw in ,
remove it and inspect the threads for dirt or other foreign matter.
Do not touch the reflex mirror
in the camera body after removing the
IEInS . Dust particles can be removed with a blower or soft camels hair
brush.
IMPORTANT:
Protect your camera
body and lens by using lens and body caps.
18

9 HOLDING THE CAMERA
Support the- camera in the palm of the left hand, with the thumb and
forefinger gripping the focusing ring. The palm of the right hand should
fit against the right
side of the camera body with the forefinger resting
near the Shutter Release Button and the thumb on the
camera back .
Look through the viewfinder with the camera resting against the fore-
head to help steady it, and the left elbow held in against the body.
As a general rule, the camera should not be hand held at shutter speeds
slower than 1/60 second . This becomes particularly important when
using lenses of longer than normal focal length, where it may be neces-
sary to use even faster speeds to eliminate camera movement. At speeds
slower than 1/60, a tripod is a must for the sharpest photographs .
IMPORTANT: When attaching the camera
to a tripod that has a long
attachment screw , adjust the screw to less than 1/4 inch
(6.35mm)
to prevent damage to the interior of the camera
body .
19