Mamiya 6 Dichroic Frame Finder Window Upgrade
Originally posted on Instagram. Notes from the repair bench, kept here as a searchable archive. View the original on Instagram
This post is on the rarest of Mamiya 6 models: the Mamiya 6 Mark II (not to be be confused with the Mamiya 6MF). As you can see in the first photo, this version has a dichroic frame finder glass similar to the Mamiya 7II. The benifit of this is that the frame lines have a yellow cast, giving a bit more contrast.
I mention that this is the rare Mamiya 6 Mark II. Actually, it is only rare because I custom made this, it is not a model that Mamiya produced. With the introduction of the Mamiya 7II, a dichroic frame finder window was added tor additional contrast. By then, the Mamiya 6 was long discontinued so no upgrade path for the window was available.
This Mamiya 6 dichroic window project started when a client called me and asked about upgrading a Mamiya 6 to this style of glass for improved contrast on the frame lines. I had never done this on the Mamiya 6 (only on the 7) so this weekend I cut and processed a dichroic window for my personal Mamiya 6 as shown in the photo.
I’ll start offering this service probably by January 2027. But, I don’t really recommend doing this to your Mamiya 6 unless you already have a broken frame line window as it is a bit of work to remove the old glass without damaging the top cover and then I have to facricate the new dichroic window. And, it does not make a huge difference in the frame lines. Photo four shows the standard lines and photo five shows the new yellow cast lines as seen through the finder. So, if I have to replace a broken window, this makes sense. Otherwise, maybe not?
