Mamiya Six II1947

History

When Mamiya resumed civilian camera production after 1945, the original Six design was updated and re-released as the Six II. The postwar Japanese optical industry was reorganizing rapidly: Olympus Zuiko lenses remained available from Takachiho Optical, and Mamiya continued to source these for the Six line alongside its own Lausar optics. The Six II sits between the original prewar design and the more refined Six III that followed around 1949.

Documentation for early Mamiya variants is inconsistent in both Japanese and Western sources, and the precise designation boundaries between the Six, Six II, Six III, and Six IV are difficult to establish from surviving literature. The Six II is sometimes conflated with late production runs of the original Six or early Six III units.

Why It Matters

The Six II is primarily of historical interest as evidence of Mamiya's continuity through the transition from wartime to postwar production. It demonstrates that the original Six formula - self-erecting bellows, prismatic coupled rangefinder, 6x6 format on 120 - was sound enough to be carried forward with only minor changes. For collectors tracing the Mamiya Six lineage, the II fills the gap between the founding prewar design and the more documented Six III and Six IV.

Optically, Zuiko and Lausar lenses of this period are competent but modest performers by modern standards. The cameras are not prized for technical superiority but as artifacts of early postwar Japanese camera manufacturing.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Early postwar Japanese professional and press photographers working in medium format.
• Collector and historical research interest predominates today.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Mamiya Six
• Wikipedia: Mamiya