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 RT-1 (1978) is a 35mm M42-mount SLR and the final significant development in Mamiya's M42 camera line before the company transitioned to proprietary CS-mount designs. It retains the electronic vertical metal shutter of the MSX 1000, with a top speed of 1/1000s, but adds aperture-priority automatic exposure to supplement manual control - a significant capability upgrade over its predecessors. TTL center-weighted CdS metering drives both the auto-exposure mode and the manual meter needle. The RT-1 accepts the full range of M42 screw-mount lenses and is stop-down metered with non-Mamiya glass. The body is of conventional aluminum-alloy construction with a pentaprism finder and split-prism/microprism focusing aid.
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.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
A refined late-M42 SLR from Mamiya (1978), adding aperture-priority auto to the MSX platform.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | M42 |
| Years | ~1978 - ~1980 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s, electronic vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted CdS |
| Modes | Aperture-priority auto, manual |
| Focus | Manual - split-prism + microprism |
| Battery | 2x SR44 |
| Weight | ~690 g |
Mamiya's M42 SLR line began in the mid-1960s with the Mamiya Prismat and 1000 DTL series - multi-pattern metering bodies that were competitively specified against Pentax Spotmatic and Fujica ST series cameras. The MSX 1000 (1974) moved to an electronic vertical metal shutter, replacing the earlier horizontal cloth design, and introduced electronic metering circuitry. The RT-1 followed around 1978 as a further refinement: the electronic shutter platform was retained but aperture-priority automation was added, reflecting the market shift toward auto-exposure that Pentax had accelerated with the ME and MX in 1976.
By 1978 the M42 mount was commercially aging. Pentax had introduced the K-mount in 1975, and most Japanese manufacturers had moved or were moving to proprietary bayonet mounts offering full-aperture metering and automation. Mamiya itself followed suit with the CS-mount ZM Quartz series from 1982. The RT-1 is therefore a transitional camera: technically capable within the M42 system, but produced for only a short period before the entire M42 platform was retired by the industry.
The RT-1 is the most capable M42-mount camera Mamiya produced, and for users of M42 lenses it represents the practical ceiling of the Mamiya M42 system. Aperture-priority exposure - setting the aperture on the lens and allowing the camera to select shutter speed - was the dominant automation mode of the late 1970s and remains practical for general photography. The electronic shutter's 1/1000s ceiling is sufficient for most subjects, though not competitive with the 1/2000s or 1/4000s available in contemporaries such as the Fujica ST 901 or Pentax LX.
The RT-1's chief appeal today is as a capable, low-cost body for the large installed base of M42 lenses. It supports stop-down metering with any M42 glass, and its aperture-priority mode works correctly with Mamiya's own M42 Sekor lenses that carry the automatic aperture linkage pin.
The RT-1 accepts all M42 screw-mount lenses. With Mamiya's own M42 Sekor lenses carrying the auto diaphragm pin, full-aperture-priority operation is available. With third-party M42 glass (Takumar, Flektogon, Helios, Jupiter, Industar, Carl Zeiss Jena M42 series), stop-down metering is used. No dedicated winder or motor drive was produced for the RT-1. Standard M42 extension tubes and bellows are compatible for close-focus work.
Notable compatible M42 lens families:
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 RT-1
Image coming soon