Mamiya MSX 500 (1974)

Name: Mamiya MSX 500
Brand: Mamiya

The Mamiya MSX 500 is a 35mm SLR released in May 1974. It belongs to the MSX series, which brought Mamiya back to the 42mm threaded lens mount after the DTL and Auto XTL lines. It was positioned as a successor to both, and it shared its instruction manual with the higher-spec MSX 1000. The original English manual ran 34 pages and dates to about 1974. A 35-page French reprint is the version most commonly circulated online.

The camera uses a modified M42 screw mount. It allows full-aperture metering with Mamiya/Sekor MSX lenses and still takes classic M42 lenses. Metering is behind-the-lens, spot-reading and full-aperture, with a needle visible in the viewfinder. Shutter speeds run from 1 second to 1/500 plus Bulb, with a sync speed of 1/60. Film speed range is ISO 25-800. The typical kit lens was a 50mm f/2. Original price at release was around $350. CameraHub lists the marketed period as 1974-1978.

Documentation on this model is mixed. There are no complete original specifications in the archive, and production-year claims conflict slightly: some sources say 1974, Collectiblend says 1975. The sources agree that it was a handsome, well-regarded camera of its era, and that it shares a family with the MSX 1000 and DSX 1000.

Known specifications

Type: 35mm SLR, M42 screw mount (modified for full-aperture metering with Mamiya lenses)
Metering: TTL spot, full-aperture, needle in viewfinder
Shutter: 1 sec – 1/500 + Bulb; sync at 1/60
Film speed: ISO 25–800
Typical lens: Mamiya/Sekor 50mm f/2
Release: May 1974; original price around $350