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 →slr-35mm
The Mamiya CP-M (1988) is a consumer 35mm SLR using Mamiya's proprietary CS bayonet mount, and is widely regarded as the final 35mm SLR produced by Mamiya before the company exited the 35mm market entirely. It offers three exposure modes - program, aperture priority, and manual - with a TTL center-weighted meter, an electronic vertical-metal-blade shutter from 30s to 1/1000s, and AA battery power. The CP-M represents a late-cycle consumer refinement of the CS-mount system rather than a technical advance; by 1988 Mamiya's commercial focus had long since shifted to the medium-format RB67, RZ67, and 645 Pro bodies. The CS mount was effectively orphaned at the CP-M's discontinuation, leaving no further development of CS-mount glass.
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
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The last 35mm SLR Mamiya ever made: 1988, CS mount, program/aperture/manual, electronic shutter.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Mamiya CS |
| Years | ~1988–~1991 |
| Shutter | 30s – 1/1000s, electronic vertical metal |
| Flash sync | ~1/60s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted |
| Modes | Program, aperture priority, manual |
| Weight | ~570 g |
| Battery | 2x AA (required; no mechanical fallback) |
Mamiya's 35mm SLR history spans from the Mamiya Prismat (1961) through a steady progression of M42, then proprietary CS-mount bodies. The CS mount was introduced in the early 1970s and carried through the DTL series, the professional NC1000, the mid-range ZE/ZF family, the ZM generation, and finally the CP-M. By the mid-1980s, Mamiya had already pivoted commercially to medium-format; the 35mm line continued with diminishing investment.
The CP-M's addition of program mode reflects the late-1980s consumer expectation that all SLRs should offer fully automatic exposure - a response to Canon's EOS and Nikon's AF line raising the baseline. Despite the added mode, the CP-M remained manual-focus only, which placed it at a disadvantage in a market rapidly adopting autofocus. It was the last significant product Mamiya shipped under the CS-mount umbrella before the mount was closed for good.
The CP-M is primarily a collector endpoint: the final iteration of a 35mm SLR line that Mamiya abandoned entirely. Its significance is historical rather than practical. The CS mount has no living third-party support; Mamiya-Sekor CS glass is the only option, and the supply of working CS lenses is finite and slowly shrinking.
For shooters who already own CS glass - particularly the 50/1.4 or 28/2.8 - the CP-M offers a functional body with a broader exposure mode set than the earlier ZM generation. The addition of program mode is useful for casual shooting without the cognitive overhead of aperture selection. The AA battery requirement (versus the SR44 cells of earlier CS bodies) is a minor practical improvement for field use.
Used prices are low ($40-120) reflecting the limited demand and orphaned lens situation. This is not a camera to build a system around in 2026; it is a camera for those already committed to CS glass, or for Mamiya lineage collectors.
Mamiya CS bayonet mount. All Mamiya-Sekor CS lenses from earlier bodies are compatible. Known CS lenses include:
No third-party CS-mount lenses were produced in meaningful quantity. Adapters from CS to modern mirrorless mounts exist but are uncommon. No autofocus or power-drive accessories were produced for the CP-M.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →C41
Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Mamiya CP-M
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