For Christmas, a family friend surprised me with a semi-rare 1982 35mm Mamiya ZE-2. They gave me 3 original lenses: 28mm f2.8, 50mm f2.0, and 80-205mm f4.5 macro… AND the original leather camera case! All it needed was some watch batteries and a photographer that remembered how to use a manual film camera to bring it back to life.
After a couple of unsuccessful attempts and wasted rolls of film, I believe I have figured this gem of an artifact out.
This camera was one of the last 2 models that the Mamiya company made in the 35mm format before declaring bankruptcy in that department and then dealing exclusively in the medium format market to this day. It was considered the best camera on the market at that time.
Here are a few shots that I took at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, SC on a sunny Sunday just for kicks and more practicing with this camera. These photos are not altered in any way… I was pretty excited to say the least.