Ricoh's 1988 camcorder-styled bridge SLR — fixed 35-135mm f/4.2-5.6 zoom, TTL AF, 32s-1/2000s, program shift.
The Ricoh Mirai — 'future' in Japanese — was a 1988 bridge camera, one of the first of the breed that spanned the gap between autofocus SLRs and zoom compacts. It is a fixed-lens 35mm SLR styled like a compact camcorder, developed in partnership with Olympus, whose optically similar sibling sold as the AZ-4; the angular body even appeared as a prop in the 1989 Batman film.
The fixed lens is a 35-135mm f/4.2-5.6 zoom with TTL autofocus working to 1.2m and a focus-aided macro option reaching 0.49m. Exposure is programmed with shift capability plus AE lock and exposure compensation, shutter speeds span 32s to 1/2000s, and film handling is fully motorised — the auto-rewind design even makes deliberate double exposures on a roll straightforward.
Today the Mirai is primarily a collector's and curiosity piece: bulky by compact standards, but with genuine SLR framing, a flexible zoom range and more exposure control than almost any point-and-shoot of its day. It suits photographers who enjoy odd late-80s industrial design and want a conversation piece that still takes proper photographs.
These are electronics-dense cameras approaching forty years old, so test everything: power-up, zoom drive, autofocus, shutter across speeds, LCD segments and flash. Confirm the correct battery is included or obtainable before purchase, check the grip and door plastics for cracks, and be wary of examples with sluggish motors — repairs are effectively uneconomic.