Mamiya Sekor 1000 R

History

The Mamiya/Sekor 1000 R appeared around 1980, at a point when the M42 screw mount had been commercially superseded as a premium standard by the Pentax K, Canon FD, Nikon F, and Olympus OM bayonet systems.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:

• Mamiya 1000 DTL (1968) - mechanical shutter, dual TTL metering, M42
• Mamiya MSX 1000 (1974) - electronic shutter, dual spot/average CdS, M42
• Mamiya 1000 TTL (1975) - mechanical shutter, single TTL CdS, M42
• Mamiya/Sekor 1000 R (~1980) - electronic shutter, center-weighted CdS, M42, lighter body

Production ended around 1982 as Mamiya consolidated its consumer 35mm output around the CS-mount ZM Quartz and ZE-series bodies.

Why It Matters

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.

Lenses & Accessories

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:

• Mamiya-Sekor 50mm f/2 — the natural pairing for Mamiya M42 bodies; optically capable standard prime
• Asahi SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 — the widely respected M42 reference standard lens
• Meyer-Optik Domiplan 50mm f/2.8 — economical East German option with triplet rendering
• Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 or 135mm f/2.8 in M42 — third-party M42 glass for wider or longer perspectives

No dedicated accessories (motor drive, data back, winder) are documented for the 1000 R.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Export-market amateur photographers in the UK, Germany, and Japan, circa 1980-1982.
• No documented professional or notable use; the camera reached the market after M42 had ceased to be a professional standard.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Mamiya - M42 era lineage and corporate history
• Wikipedia: Mamiya - broader corporate and product context