How Did Mamiya Go Wrong?
Why wasn’t the XTL a resounding success? In their quest (I like that word) for the most advanced SLR of its time, Mamiya execs overlooked a few pitfalls: • The XTL was not inexpensive. In December 1971 the XTL with 55/1.4 sold for $259 — while the Nikon Ftn with 50/1.4 sold for $325, the Beseler Topcon Super D with 58/1.4 sold for $285, the Canon FTb QL with 50/1.4 sold for $265, the Pentax Spotmatic II with 50/1.4 sold for $245, and the Minolta SRT 101 with 58/1.4 sold for $239. In other words the XTL was competing in the same price range against cameras with larger systems and arguably better fit and finish — not a good idea for a newbie camera. • The biggest Achilles heel for the XTL photog is the unfortunately dim “Visual Control Center” readout for the meter and exposure information. Unfortunately the readout depends upon illumination from the viewed scene. A dark subject gives you a lights out Control Center. Due to 30% of the light thru the lens going to the metering system in
