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 Petri MF-1 is a manual-exposure 35mm SLR introduced by Petri Camera Co., Ltd. in the late 1970s, likely around 1977. It was positioned as the manual-focus, manual-exposure sibling to the aperture-priority FA-1, using the same Petri bayonet mount that replaced the earlier breech-lock system of the FT-series. The MF-1 uses TTL center-weighted silicon metering to inform exposure but leaves all shutter and aperture decisions to the photographer. The shutter is a vertical-travel metal focal-plane unit running from 1s to 1/1000s with X-sync at 1/125s.
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.
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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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Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
Petri's late-70s manual-only SLR -- a stripped-back body on the new bayonet mount as the company faltered.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Petri bayonet |
| Year | ~1977 |
| Shutter | Vertical metal focal-plane, 1s -- 1/1000s + B |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted silicon |
| Modes | Manual only |
| ISO range | 25 -- 1600 |
| Battery | 2x AA (required for meter) |
| Viewfinder | Pentaprism, split-prism + microprism ring |
Petri Camera had spent the 1960s and early 1970s competing in the mid-range SLR market with the Flex V, Flex 7, and FT-series, all using a breech-lock mount that was mechanically distinctive but proprietary. As the Japanese industry moved toward true bayonet mounts and automatic exposure in the mid-1970s, Petri responded by introducing a new bayonet mount and a pair of bodies: the manual-only MF-1 and the aperture-priority FA-1.
The decision to break mount compatibility with the existing FT-series lens base was commercially risky and likely accelerated the company's decline. Petri filed for bankruptcy in 1977; subsequent production of the MF-1 and FA-1 occurred under uncertain circumstances -- possibly through a successor entity or licensee arrangements. The MF-1's exact production volume is not documented.
The MF-1 is a minor camera in the broader SLR history but occupies a specific niche as a late Petri bayonet-mount body with a pure manual-exposure specification. Where the FA-1 chased the then-dominant AE trend, the MF-1 offered a simpler, less electronically dependent option -- though the battery dependency for metering meant the simplification was partial. For collectors completing a Petri SLR sequence, the MF-1 and FA-1 together represent the final generation of the Petri SLR line.
The camera demonstrates a pattern common among smaller Japanese makers in the late 1970s: introducing a new mount system and body family too late to build meaningful market share before the window closed.
The MF-1 uses the Petri bayonet mount, which is not compatible with the earlier Petri breech-lock lenses. Native Petri bayonet glass includes a 50mm f/1.7 and 50mm f/2 standard lens, a 28mm f/2.8 wide-angle, and a ~135mm f/2.8 short telephoto. Third-party support for the Petri bayonet mount was essentially nonexistent. Standard Petri-branded flash units attach via the hot shoe; the camera accepts standard PC-sync cables.
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 →Petri MF-1
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