Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Recommended reading

Jim Grey
13 comments on Recommended reading
1 minute

💻 Let it not be said that I don’t deal with the critical issues of the day here in Recommended Reading. Television writer Mark Evanier explains why closing credits on vintage TV shows are formatted so weird. Read ASK me: Old TV credits

Peonies on the coffee table
Miranda Sensorex II, 50mm f/1.8 Auto Miranda, Kodak Ektar 100, 2015

💻 Have you ever heard of the Hague Convention? If you and your spouse move with your children to one of the countries that has signed on to this treaty, you can’t take your children home even to visit unless both spouses agree. If you do it anyway, you can be charged with kidnapping. This is a mixed bag, as Suzanne Lucas explains. She and her husband moved their family to Switzerland some years ago. Read Swiss Sunday: The Hague Convention

📷 Did you know that Leica is rereleasing a film camera they discontinued years ago? It’s being hailed as an important moment in the future of film photography. James Tocchio calls BS, because this camera costs north of $5,000. He reminds us that any number of late-film-era autofocus SLRs can be had for peanuts and make terrific images. Read Leica’s New M6 and Solving the Film Photography Accessibility Problem

📷 Miranda made some wonderful 35mm SLRs in its time, but never achieved the popularity of the bigger makers. Mike Eckman reviews an early Miranda SLR. Read Miranda A (1958)

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Comments

13 responses to “Recommended reading”

  1. Andy Umbo Avatar
    Andy Umbo

    Can’t say enough here about Miranda cameras, the Sensorex being my first precision Japanese camera. Mike has a subsection here outlining the internet story, hard to find now, by an ex employee on Miranda’s takeover by their American distributor, which I believe was instrumental in its demise. An infighting dysfunctional family who basically bled the company into oblivion. My Sensorex had the usual Miranda shutter capping problem, which seemed to be fixed by the Sensorex 2. My current copy was fixed (for how long?), by the late, great Essex camera, but it took them two tries. I was going to send my second one in but then they were wiped out by a hurricane, never to return. Who knows of a Miranda repair genius? I was pretty sure they were

    The Sensorex was such a well made camera, fit so well in the hands, so quiet and vibration free, and had so many features, I felt it was well on its way to professional use; it will always be a puzzle as to exactly why it never achieved stardom. I can tell you in the era, it was easily as well regarded, if not more well regarded, as Pentax, Minolta, and many other brands that had longer lives.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I intend to buy another Sensorex one day. The one I had was lovely. It too had a shutter-capping problem, which is why I let it go. Who can fix those today? I’m not aware of anyone.

      Reply
    2. Kodachromeguy Avatar
      Kodachromeguy

      Andy, I remember reading reviews in Pop Photography and other magazines in the late-1960s at the time when I was ready to buy my first “serious” camera. The Sensorex was well-regarded back then. The company’s demise is still mysterious. I ended buying a Nikkormat FTn, which proved to be a rugged and reliable choice.

      Reply
    3. tbm3fan Avatar
      tbm3fan

      While I have a bunch of Mirandas now, from Automex, to A, D, F, Sensomat, and Sensorex but not the problematic RE-II. I considered the Sensorex in 1971. It was between that and the SRT-101. I did a lot of research in the magazines at the times and took some weeks to make a decision. Both cost about the same from FedMart. Know FedMart. It as started by Sol Price in San Diego in 1954 and expanded from there and he later started Price Club. In the end I bought the SRT-101 and of course Miranda faded after as quality went down hill not too long after I bought my Minolta. One note and so now the reason for my camera purchase becomes clear since FedMart didn’t have Yashica, Pentax, or NIkon cameras then.

      Reply
      1. Jim Grey Avatar
        Jim Grey

        You made the right choice then!

        Reply
  2. Greg Clawson Avatar
    Greg Clawson

    Jim, a comment about the Hague convention.

    My cousin married a German girl while stationed there. He was later stationed in the US, they had a daughter and seemed to be happy.

    She went back to Germany to visit her family and never returned and filed for divorce in Germany. The German government said the daughter was a German citizen and the mother would not allow her to come to US.

    He got a lawyer and was told he had to visit his daughter in Germany and if he tried to take her he would be charged with kidnapping, not good if you are a US soldier on active duty. He visited her in Germany until she was an adult and could make her own decisions.

    Suzanne’s post was spot on.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      The treaty was meant to protect children from malicious removal from a country, but had this unintended side effect. I can’t fathom why it won’t be fixed.

      Reply
  3. tbm3fan Avatar
    tbm3fan

    As to the Leica there is as much chance of me ever buying one of those as there is in buying a Tesla. In short, no way, now go away…

    Reply
  4. brandib1977 Avatar
    brandib1977

    I have always wondered that about the old tv credits! This makes perfect sense and I feel kind of silly for not thinking of it.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      And now you know!

      Reply
  5. Kodachromeguy Avatar
    Kodachromeguy

    The Casualphotophile article about the new Leica M6 appears to have been withdrawn (today is Oct. 30.)

    Reply
    1. tbm3fan Avatar
      tbm3fan

      Interesting as I read it before Jim mentioned it here along with the comments. Now their last article dates from October 9th. Someone get intimidated?

      Reply
    2. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I’ve messaged the author about it.

      Reply

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