C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →rangefinder-35mm
The Mamiya/Sekor 528AL (introduced ~1968) is a fixed-lens 35mm coupled-rangefinder camera featuring a selenium-cell automatic exposure system that requires no battery. The "AL" suffix designates the selenium (selenium-cell) metering approach, distinguishing it from the CdS-metered TTL variant that would follow. A leaf shutter provides flash synchronisation at all speeds up to 1/500s. The camera was aimed at the serious amateur market and represents the final generation of Mamiya's battery-free AE rangefinder design before the company transitioned to CdS-based TTL metering in the successor 528TL.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
Battery-free selenium AE rangefinder from 1968 - the last of Mamiya's selenium-metered fixed-lens cameras.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Lens | Mamiya-Sekor fixed, ~40-45mm f/2.8 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/500s, leaf |
| Flash sync | 1/500s (all speeds) |
| Meter | Selenium, coupled AE |
| Modes | Auto, manual override |
| Focus | Coupled rangefinder |
| Battery | None required |
| Weight | ~620 g |
Mamiya's fixed-lens rangefinder programme in the 1960s produced a series of selenium-metered AE bodies aimed at the mid-price amateur market. The 528AL arrived in 1968 as a late-generation entry in that lineage, competing with similar offerings from Konica, Ricoh, and Yashica at a time when the market was rapidly shifting toward CdS metering. The "528" designation likely refers to the shutter's speed range (1/500s maximum) rather than any specific model numbering convention.
The 528AL was shortly succeeded by the 528TL in approximately 1969, which introduced CdS TTL metering and required a battery - a significant design philosophy change reflecting broader industry trends. The 528AL is therefore a transitional camera: technically refined within the selenium AE tradition but quickly overtaken by the CdS generation.
The 528AL is a minor but historically legible endpoint in Japanese selenium-AE rangefinder design. By 1968, selenium meters were understood to be sensitive to cell degradation and limited in low-light performance; the 528AL was already a rearguard product when new. Its practical appeal today rests on battery independence - a meaningful advantage when mercury PX625 cells are unavailable and zinc-air substitutes introduce their own complications. A functioning selenium cell in a 528AL gives usable meter readings with no adaptation required. The camera does not command collector premiums and is rarely documented in photographic history texts; its interest is primarily to Mamiya line collectors and users seeking a battery-free shooter.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →Mamiya 528AL
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