Am I crazy to travel with Mamiya C220?

[DougGrosjean]

I did a similar trip to New Orleans, a month before Katrina hit. Wandered around town on foot and on the trolleys. Carried a camera bag with a Rolleicord V and a Ciro-Flex in it, one with b/w and one with color. No probs.

When we rode an airboat in the pouring rain (the start of Hurricane Dennis), then I took my Olympus Stylus in a small padded fanny-pack.

Were I to do the same trip now, I'd probably take my Rolleicord, a Widelux, and the Olympus (has a nice flash, weather resistant, and a zoom). And I'd probably never have more than 2 of the 3 cameras on me, depending on the situation.

 

[r.e.]

Paris is a city of walking (and riding the Metro). Take really good shoes.

Best piece of advice in the whole thread

 

[snegron]

I think you will benifit from taking both cameras and leaving one in the hotel room as mentioned above. The smaller 35mm will be great to take daylight shots to see perspective, sort of like a practice or trial run camera. Even your digital camera could be used for this purpose. The 120 would be your "serious" camera when you want to return to a particular spot to capture the image as best as possible.

Another thing you might want to consider is the film type. Will your 120 film require refridgeration? If so, will your hotel facilitate this? Will you be travelling with large amounts of film, or will you purchase the film at your destination? Will they have the type of film you like? Nowadays 35mm film is more readily available than 120 film.

 

[kraker]

Going to Europe for the first time.
(...)
Has anyone traveled with a C220 before?

My EUR 0,02: I have traveled with a C3 before (at that time only with one lens, though, and always by car, so your considerations may be different). I know I would do it. If you don't want to take it with you on a certain day, just leave it in the hotel room or wherever it is you are staying. Bring your 35mm for these occasions.

 

[wclavey]

I am a consultant and I typically do extended projects. I did a year in London (4 weeks there, 1 week back) and a year in Korea (8 weeks there, 1 week back). I almost exclusively traveled with 2 cameras: my c220 with the 65mm, 80mm, and 180mm lenses and my Ansco Speedex folder. I used B&W exclusively in the c220 and E-6 in the folder. The folder was always with me in a small belt pack and the c220 went with me on weekends or afternoon & evening photo trips. On one trip I decided to take the Olympus kit with me to Londan rather than the MF and, while I love that camera and lenses dearly, when I look back on the boxes of slides and negatives, I wish I had take the c220 that time, too.

It is personal opinion for all of us, and mine is that I will always choose MF over 35mm, unless it is absolutely impossible. And, as a result of those experiences, it has to be pretty impossible for me not to take MF & a monopod.

 

[narsuitus]

The Mamiya 220 would not be my first choice as a travel camera. However, when I owned one, I occasionally traveled with it and a 55mm, 80mm, 180mm lens, a tripod, a hand-held light meter, and a small flash unit with a long sync cord (Vivitar 283). I used the faster 80mm lens most of the time and only switched when I needed the wide-angle or the telephoto.

Some of the things I liked about this camera were:
1. It was easy to take ground level photos.
2. It was easy to use the bellows feature to take close-ups.
3. I did not have to worry about landscape or portrait orientation.

 

[Rollei fan]

I have travelled with a C220f + 55mm, 80mm and 180 lenses, and I think that it is a good choice for a MF camera for travelling. Why?
here is why:
1. it is one of the cheapest MF cameras, so if your gear is stolen your economical loss might be a tolerable one for you
2. it looks antique enough so that a mediocre thief will think you are a poor bastard and he'll snatch the next guys Canon Ixus instead
3.C220 + 3 lenses is a light set to carry compared for instance with a Hasselblad with 50, 80 and 150mm lenses
4. C220 is a sturdy and very simple camera, hardly anything can go wrong with the camera body itself , and with 3 lenses it is very unlikely that all of them would malfunction at the same time

So take Mamiya with you, you won't regret it!

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have travelled with a C220f + 55mm, 80mm and 180 lenses, and I think that it is a good choice for a MF camera for travelling. Why?
here is why:
1. it is one of the cheapest MF cameras, so if your gear is stolen your economical loss might be a tolerable one for you
2. it looks antique enough so that a mediocre thief will think you are a poor bastard and he'll snatch the next guys Canon Ixus instead
3.C220 + 3 lenses is a light set to carry compared for instance with a Hasselblad with 50, 80 and 150mm lenses
4. C220 is a sturdy and very simple camera, hardly anything can go wrong with the camera body itself , and with 3 lenses it is very unlikely that all of them would malfunction at the same time

So take Mamiya with you, you won't regret it!

I would dump the C220 and 180 and take a C330 and a 250 myself.

Then again I do not have a 55 so I would take my 65.

Probably would be good to take a tripod, a Paraminder, ... and ... oh, yes ... film.

Steve

 

[jeanba3000]

I live in Paris and travelled in London years ago with my 6008+prism+50+80+120, wich is too heavy for me now. I bought last year a Rolleiflex 2,8F for a one month trip in Gabon and mostly the gabonese forest (see pictures here) because I didn't want to expose the fragile 6008 to humidity and recharging batteries might have been an issue, but I regret that I didn't have a tele and a wide angle. Recently I found a bargain on old Rolleiflex Wide and Tele, so I have all 3 focals available in Rollei TLR and tried them in the Alps during Christmas hollyday (here and there). I usualy take only one or two at a time because of their weight, so even if the Mamiya C is heavier than a Rolleiflex, the total with 3 lenses, wide, normal and tele, is far lighter than 3 TLR camera...

 

[Brac]

Well you asked for opinions and so here's mine. Personally I think you would be crazy to wander round London with a C220. I've owned one since 1977 from new so I'm very familiar with it. I used to use is to take photographs for a canal restoration group and the weight of it was a pain at times but at least I was mainly in the countryside so didn't experience any other hassle. As they needed black & white photos in those days the large negatives gave excellent prints.

But London is a very different kettle of fish. The camera is bulky, heavy, it's cumbersome to change lenses in a hurry and it is very very noticeable. And that is the problem because there is a real danger that you will attract attention that you would rather not receive. I wouldn't want to over-emphasise that, but it is a distinct possibility. Also a lot of people now just don't like to see cameras waved anywhere near them (or in particular their kids). So I would advise something much more discreet. If you feel 120 is essential then a wideangle Fuji 645 would be a much better choice. If you still feel you want to take the Mamiya then the 55mm lens is best and probably a 135mm for backup. If you go on the underground that can be extremely congested at busy periods so large cameras and/or camera bags make the experience even more fraught.

If you're thinking of taking a tripod be aware that in some London parks they are not allowed and generally busy London streets are no place for one.

Also the weather over here is often dull and you would probably find the best speed films to use, certainly in a city, are ISO 400.

I'm going myself to London in a few days time and will be taking a small 35mm compact or possibly a Pentax Elfino APS!

I hope you enjoy your trip but be prudent, the vast majority of people are fine but London like any other major city has its share of anti-social yobs who can make life unpleasant if they choose.

 

[Rollei fan]

In London with a Mamiya C220F:
Dead Link Removed

Of course, in any big city you have to be on your watch if you are carrying anything of value. But if you want to take a MF camera with interchangeable lenses with you, then Mamiya C220 is to my knowledge the cheapest alternative. No one gave me any trouble when shooting with a C220F during a one week trip to London 1988. Of course, there may be more hazards now... I dont know...

I have also travelled with a Fuji 645 with 45mm wideangle plus a Rolleiflex 3.5F. That is a good combination, too. But the Fuji 45mm is not as good a lens as the 55mm Sekor on the Mamiya, at least not the lens in my Fuji.
I once put some black electricians tape over the Fuji to cover the words like "Professional" etc. to avoid theft. I would recommend the same with Mamiya, too.

 

[walter23]

I've travelled with slightly smaller TLRs (rolleiflex and lubitel) and they are reasonably satisfying, but not so satisfying that I was able to resist the opportunity to pick up a fuji GS645S rangefinder last week.

 

[Richard Lupu]

I take my C330 all over and pack the 80 & 65. I would not leave home without it. I sometimes pack my tripod sometimes not but never skip out on bringing the C330.

I pack it and either a 300D or Elan7 in a Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW and am pretty much covered wherever I go. It makes for a heavy pack but it is well worth the effort, at least to me.

 

[herb]

I spent a month in India with a Mamiya 7II and three lenses, found it ok, did not like the 6x7 format.
Just got back from two weeks in France, my third trip, no big cities, just small villages, minimum walking. Had a Horseman VH R 6x9 and five lenses three film backs,plus a reflex viewer and god knows how much film. Shot 22 rolls of 120, mostly with 90mm and 65mm. Would take fewer lenses and one less film back next time.

Carried it all in a small backpack which was not a problem. I would use this rig again. I have a Hassy, glad it stayed home. For pictorials, I do not like the square format. Maybe a Fuji 690 would be a good choice.

I don't shoot 35mm anymore.

 

[MAGNAchrom]

just for kicks I spent last weekend in NYC with a Mamiya RB67 + 37mm fisheye. Yes that camera is damn heavy (compared to my Mamiya 7) but I really enjoyed limiting myself to just one lens -- it made shooting much more enjoyable.

On another occasion, I was in Italy for 8 weeks -- on the weekend I would travel with a Mamiya 7 with just a single 65mm lens. Yes it was somewhat restricting, but it made for an enjoyable trip. And I got great photos too.

My advise to you: see if you can limit things to just one lens -- probably in the 50mm to 90mm range. There is nothing lighter on the MIND than limiting oneself to one lens, regardless of which body you bring!

 

[Petzi]

I'm torn on which camera outfit to bring!! :confused: I've ruled out my 4x5 setup for sure ;-). I'm trying to decide between my manual-focus Minolta 35mm SLR setup or my Mamiya C220. I'll be focusing on B&W and I'd obviously much prefer printing the 6x6 negatives rather than 35mm!

My advice: You should bring the MF gear with 3 lenses. A good photo bag is imperative. And good footwear... For handheld shots, bring a good ASA 400 speed film. You are going to appreciate the film speed, especially if you use any b/w filters. Europe is not like Arizona.

 

[PaulT]

I've never regretted carrying the RZ.
I have only one lens and rarely find it a problem.

A twin lens is something I've never used, but why not. Size does matter when it comes to negs. I always carry a 35 as well. The small size and weight is a small price to pay for the ease and flexibility of the format.

Skip London and head North. Yorkshire and Scotland for me every time.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Having crossed the Altantic a number of times and based on experience [I always took my camera], if you do not take your cameras you will kick yourself in the butt for the rest of your life!

Is it worth the pain? No.

Worst case scenario => your camera gets lost or stolen. Result, you will buy another for less than you spent for the equipment you brought years ago [when you put it today's money].

Steve

 

[MikeM1977]

Having crossed the Altantic a number of times and based on experience [I always took my camera], if you do not take your cameras you will kick yourself in the butt for the rest of your life!

Is it worth the pain? No.

Worst case scenario => your camera gets lost or stolen. Result, you will buy another for less than you spent for the equipment you brought years ago [when you put it today's money].

Steve

Thanks for all the advice...I leave on Saturday! I'm bringing the TLR and a pocket digicam. The TLR will stay in the hotel room when I don't feel like carrying it! Taking about 15 rolls of HP5 and a few rolls of color.

I have $275 invested in my Mamiya C220 + 55mm lens + 80mm lens + 135mm lens. Not a big loss if it gets stolen . The other nice part about bringing inexpensive cameras is that I'm not gonna lug around a bulky, heavily padded camera bag. Everything is going in a small canvas shoulder bag that doesn't have any bulk. Sure, no protection, but I really don't care if it gets dinged up.

 

[cosmic]

I have the mamiya C330. Such a nice camera I will never sell.

 

[gr82bart]

Mike,

Enjoy your trip! Glad you decided to take whatever gear you decided to take! I've been to Europe 6 times (4 to the UK, 1 to France, 1 to Czech Republic) in the last year and I've taken my Hassey and 3 lenses each time in a small Lowepro backpack.

Regards, Art.

 

[bgilwee]

If your not taking your camera...there's no reason to travel

 

[Petzi]

If your not taking your camera...there's no reason to travel

Quite true.

 

[roteague]

If your not taking your camera...there's no reason to travel

Amen !!!!

 

[Petzi]

I have adjusted my signature.