Data sheet: Miranda Auto 50 mm f/1.4

Pekka Buttler, 02/2026

Specifications

The table below summarises the lens’ key specifications (measurements based on pictured sample):

Brand:	Miranda	Lens name	1:1.4 f=50mm Auto
Focal length(s)1	50 mm	Angle-of-view2	47 °
Maximum Aperture	f/1.4	In Production	1966–72 (all versions) 1968–72 (without aperture coupling arm)
Lens mount (this lens)	Miranda	Mount subtype	Auto aperture but no aperture coupling
Length3	50,9 mm	Diameter4	60,1 mm
Filter ring diameter	46 mm	Weight	301 grams
Lens element count	8	Lens group count	6
Aperture blades (S/R/C)5	6 S	Focus throw	255 °
Minimum focusing distance (measured)	41 cms	Maximum magnification (measured )	1:6,1
Has manual aperture ring	YES	Has Manual focus ring	YES
Aperture mechanism type	Automatic	Aperture click stops 6	1.4-2-2.8-4-5.6-8-11-16

Further notes:

• Miranda was – in its heyday – an advanced Japanese camera manufacturer. You can read more about Miranda camera in the JAPB company profile on Miranda camera.
• Miranda introduced its first f/1.4 lens in 1966 in tandem with its flagship camera the Sensorex. Two years later Miranda introduced a version of that 50/1.4 lens that had received a minor exterior redesign and without the external aperture coupling arm that the Automex–Sensorex series of cameras used. The pictured sample is one of the later series.
• This early version of the Auto Miranda 50 mm f/1.4 is not your run-of-the-mill fast fifty⁷ as it has two characteristics that stand out from the competition. First, this is one of only a very few 50/1.4 SLR lenses that have a smaller than 49 mm filter thread. Second, whereas most legacy-era fast fifties use a 6 or 7 element design, this lens uses a highly symmetrical⁸ 8 elements in 6 groups design.
• This lens’ aperture stop-down is handled by a lever at the base of the mount and there is also a button on the lens (near the mount) that facilitates stop-down for depth-of-field preview.

• Importantly, Miranda was a camera manufacturer and not a lens manufacturer. This mean that from early on, Miranda cameras came equipped with various brands of lenses, including some rather prominent manufacturers such as Kowa and Zunow.
• Lenses branded as “Miranda” or “Soligor Miranda” were not manufactured by Miranda, but were sourced from other manufacturers and branded ‘Miranda’. Most often these lenses were sourced from Miranda’s long-time partner (and later: owner) Soligor (Allied Impex Corporation). Hence, the actual manufacturer of “Miranda” lenses is most often impossible to discern with certainty.

Versions/variants

Since 1966, there has been some progression in the ‘Miranda’ fast fifty lenses. The versions are enumerated below.

	Years	Aperture stop-down	Supports open-aperture metering	Intended for use with	Optical recipe	Filter mm	MFD	Notes
Miranda Auto 50/1.4 for Sensorex	1966-72	lever in mount	With external aperture communication arm	automex, automex II, automex III, Sensorex, Sensorex-C, Sensorex II	8 elements in 6 groups	46	0,43
Miranda Auto 50/1.4 for Sensomat	1968-72	lever in mount	Not	F, FM, G / GT, Fv / FvT, Sensomat, Sensomat RE, Sensomat RS	8 elements in 6 groups	46	0,43
Miranda E Auto 50/1.4	1972–?	lever in mount	With lever in mount	Auto Sensorex EE, dx-3, RE-2, EE-2	7 elements in 5 groups	52	0,43
Miranda Auto 50/1.4 for Sensorex	1972-?	lever in mount	With external aperture communication arm	automex, automex II, automex III, Sensorex, Sensorex-C, Sensorex II	7 elements in 5 groups	52	0,43	9
Miranda EC Auto 50/1.4	1974	lever in mount	With lever in mount	Auto Sensorex EE, dx-3, RE-2, EE-2	7 elements in 5 groups	49	0,43

Adapting

This lens cannot be used natively on any current SLR or dSLRs. To use it in its native environment, you will need a Miranda Camera film body. While this lens will mount on any Miranda camera that uses the Miranda mount, its automatic aperture stop-down will work only on Miranda bodies after the Miranda F (launched 1963).

Thanks to being a fully manual lens (manual aperture, manual focus), the lens can be adapted to all mirrorless cameras using a suitable adapter. However, Miranda adapters are not as easily available as adapters for many other legacy era camera mounts, nor is there a wide variety of specialist adapters.

Using Canon FD lenses on dSLRs is a theoretical possibility. Thanks to the relatively short flange focal distance of the Miranda mount (at 41,5 mm, clearly shorter than that of any full-frame dSLR mount), any adapter will necessitate some corrective optics to achieve infinity focus.

Footnotes

1. Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’. ↩︎
2. Picture angle is given in degrees and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
   > 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
   70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
   50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
   40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
   20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
   10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
   5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
   < 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens ↩︎
3. Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at its shortest. ↩︎
4. Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers. ↩︎
5. S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures. ↩︎
6. Numbers equal aperture values on aperture ring; • intermediate click; – no intermediate click. ↩︎
7. The later versions were very much more like the competition. ↩︎
8. Also the early version of the Asahi Super Takumar 50/1.4 is known for having 8 elements, but that 8 elements in 6 groups design uses a triplet and is therefore significantly different. ↩︎
9. The “Miranda Auto 50/1.4 For Sensorex II” replaces its predecessor – the “Miranda Auto 50/1.4 For Sensorex” These lenses differ fundamentally in that the newer version has a different optical recipe (7e/5g instead of 8e/6g) and is also considerably lighter (345 grams vs. 450 grams) ↩︎