Picking this Miranda Sensorex up for less than the price of a Starbucks coffee, I had no intention of using it - just flipping for a profit. But after having a little play it seemed quite interesting, so why not run a film through.

It is the original version of the Sensorex line made between 1966-71, is very well built and has a lovely silky smooth shutter sound. As Miranda’s top end model it came with lots of features, which can be read on camera-wiki if you want to!

Some features seem like they are going to be really good, but did not suit me - the main one being the removable prism meaning you can use as a waist level finder. However I missed focus on all frames as I could not see the image properly (as my eyes are rubbish and didn’t have my glasses with me!)

Loaded with a fresh roll of HP5, I started off with a stroll along the canal…

These were shot on a beautiful still morning, with good light but they just look a bit meh! The aperture was not wide open, I can’t remember the exact values but would say somewhere between f5.6-f8 so within the range of good sharpness, and shutter speed fast enough not to need a tripod - so it must be down to the glass.

The remainder of the roll was shot around my home village on overcast days when HP5 is suited best, mostly at 1/250 f8 and still the images are not great.

This little Bedford camper is soo cute, I imagine it would be quite entertaining to drive though!

To be honest I was hoping for better results, but am not blown away with the image quality. Details are not sharp, and overall the shots look a bit fuzzy to me. The lens is clean and clear as far as I can see. Considering how impressed I was recently by the same era Kowa SE, the Miranda was a bit of a let down. The Sensorex feels a more premium camera, but just didn’t deliver.

I wanted to like it more, but the weight and the image quality from this particular camera don’t outweigh the lovely shutter sound, and quality feel of it.

It has therefore been moved to the ‘for sale’ box!

Impressions of the Miranda Sensorex

One month with Micro Four Thirds…

Interesting stuff bought recently…