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.
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The Mamiya/Sekor 1000 R (~1980) is a late-production M42-mount 35mm SLR and one of the final cameras Mamiya produced in the M42 screw-mount format before the company transitioned its consumer 35mm line entirely to the proprietary CS bayonet mount. Compared to the earlier MSX 1000 (1974), the 1000 R is lighter and somewhat trimmer in its body proportions — the result of design refinement over the intervening years rather than any radical re-engineering. The shutter is electronic, vertical-metal-blade, running to 1/1000s. Metering is TTL stop-down center-weighted CdS, simplified from the dual spot/average system of the MSX 1000 to a single center-weighted mode. Exposure is manual throughout; there is no aperture-priority or program mode.
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.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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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
Mamiya's last M42 manual-exposure SLR: a leaner, lighter update on the MSX 1000 line, introduced around 1980.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | M42 screw |
| Years | ~1980 - ~1982 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s, electronic vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL stop-down center-weighted CdS |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | ~610 g |
| Battery | 2x SR44 (no mechanical fallback) |
The Mamiya/Sekor 1000 R appeared around 1980, at a point when the M42 screw mount had been commercially superseded as a premium standard by the Pentax K, Canon FD, Nikon F, and Olympus OM bayonet systems. M42 bodies were by this time positioned exclusively at the budget and entry-level tier, and Mamiya's decision to continue M42 production into the early 1980s was likely driven by export markets — particularly the UK and parts of continental Europe — where M42 cameras and lenses retained a practical user base.
The "Sekor" branding in the model name reflects Mamiya's earlier export naming convention: Mamiya cameras sold internationally had frequently appeared under the "Mamiya/Sekor" trade name since the M42 DTL era of the late 1960s, used to distinguish the company's interchangeable-lens SLR line from its medium-format products. By 1980, the Sekor designation was becoming vestigial, but it persisted on export-market bodies.
The 1000 R sits at the end of Mamiya's M42 development arc:
Production ended around 1982 as Mamiya consolidated its consumer 35mm output around the CS-mount ZM Quartz and ZE-series bodies.
The 1000 R is not a landmark camera. Its significance is positional: it is the last M42 SLR Mamiya produced, and as such it closes a lineage that began in 1968 with the 1000 DTL. For collectors working through Mamiya's complete M42 history, the 1000 R is the final chapter. For practical M42 shooters, it offers a lightweight, reasonably well-made body with access to the full M42 lens ecosystem, at prices that are lower than more recognized M42 cameras like the Pentax Spotmatic F or the Fujica ST901.
The simplification from dual spot/average metering to single center-weighted metering represents a step backward in versatility from the MSX 1000, but center-weighted metering is adequate for most general-purpose shooting and is arguably more intuitive for photographers who do not need the precision of spot metering.
M42 screw mount. Metering is stop-down: press the stop-down lever, read the match-needle, shoot. No open-aperture metering is supported with any lens.
Practical pairings:
No dedicated accessories (motor drive, data back, winder) are documented for the 1000 R.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Mamiya Sekor 1000 R
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