Are Mamiya TLR 'blue dot' lenses any better than earlier lenses?

Joel Pickford · Jan 18, 2022

Are so called 'blue dot' Mamiya TLR lenses really any better than earlier black finish lenses?

I am looking to put a simple Mamiya C330 Pro kit together for street photography and portraits:

-C330f or pro body (not quite sure of the difference between f and Pro)

-Waist level finder

-55mm f/4.5 lens

-105mm f/3.5 lens

-Mamiya lens shades, if I can find them (if not, what do you recommend?)

Possible accessories:

-Chimney magnifier hood

-Mamiya grip with shutter release

There are quite a few fairly clean C330 Pros on eBay, many with 105mm blue dot lenses. There are a few with blue dot 55mm lenses. Others have non-blue dot lenses. Should I hold out for the blue dot lenses?

If anyone has ever bought these cameras from Japanese sellers on eBay, how much are the import duties? It looks like I could get the C330 body and two lenses and maybe some of the other stuff, all for under $1,000. How much duty should I expect to pay?

Thanks in advance!

MattKing · Jan 18, 2022

The blue dot lenses are the last ones, have the most advanced coatings and the most modern shutters.
The coating differences may not be large.
The oldest shutters are a bit harder to find parts for.

grahamp · Jan 18, 2022

The blue dot (actually an infill on the end of the shutter cocking lever) indicates that the Seiko shutter is late production. It is the only external difference between the black Seiko shutters. Some years back Mamiya USA said that they no longer had parts for the early Seikos, which sort of started the craze for the blue dot units. Given the age of the Mamiya TLR equipment, wear and tear is probably more important.

Coatings seem to have changed more with the introduction of a lens than purely time, but without production information there is only visual examination of exemplars to judge. If you want the 'best' coatings, go for a camera that was in production in the 1980's or later. I say 'best' because comparing the TLR lenses to say the Mamiya 6, the TLR lenses have a softer more 'plastic' rendition, while the M6 lenses have really crisp edge definition.

If the 105mm is important, be aware that the 105 D and 105 DS differ in optical formula from the earlier 105, and need a different scale rod for C330/f/s bodies (if scale focus is critical - and the scales are not that accurate).

Simple 46mm and 49mm lens shades work. Finding the right depth and spread takes a bit of experimentation. The Mamiya slip on hoods do need slim mount filters if you are going to use filters and hoods together. Screw in hoods avoid that problem.

All the later Mamiya TLR bodies have 'Professional' on the front, even the simpler C220. The 'f' or 's' and some body features separate the later two versions from the first C330.

The 55mm might be a bit wide for street use. The 105 should be fine for general use and portraits, but again might be a little short for tight head shots.

Sirius Glass · Jan 18, 2022

grahamp said:
The blue dot (actually an infill on the end of the shutter cocking lever) indicates that the Seiko shutter is late production. It is the only external difference between the black Seiko shutters. Some years back Mamiya USA said that they no longer had parts for the early Seikos, which sort of started the craze for the blue dot units. Given the age of the Mamiya TLR equipment, wear and tear is probably more important.

Coatings seem to have changed more with the introduction of a lens than purely time, but without production information there is only visual examination of exemplars to judge. If you want the 'best' coatings, go for a camera that was in production in the 1980's or later. I say 'best' because comparing the TLR lenses to say the Mamiya 6, the TLR lenses have a softer more 'plastic' rendition, while the M6 lenses have really crisp edge definition.

If the 105mm is important, be aware that the 105 D and 105 DS differ in optical formula from the earlier 105, and need a different scale rod for C330/f/s bodies (if scale focus is critical - and the scales are not that accurate).

Simple 46mm and 49mm lens shades work. Finding the right depth and spread takes a bit of experimentation. The Mamiya slip on hoods do need slim mount filters if you are going to use filters and hoods together. Screw in hoods avoid that problem.

All the later Mamiya TLR bodies have 'Professional' on the front, even the simpler C220. The 'f' or 's' and some body features separate the later two versions from the first C330.

The 55mm might be a bit wide for street use. The 105 should be fine for general use and portraits, but again might be a little short for tight head shots.

I found the 65mm too close to the 80mm lens and thought the 55mm and 80mm combination good. In fact I like the 50mm and 80mm combination great for traveling in Europe with the Hasselblad. Both the Mamiya Cxx and Hasselblad have the same square format.

halfaman · Jan 19, 2022

I saw a comparison of different versions of the 80mm f/2.8 (chrome, black, blue dot) and all of them were equally sharp with some minor differences in color and contrast.

RalphLambrecht · Jan 19, 2022

Joel Pickford said:
Are so called 'blue dot' Mamiya TLR lenses really any better than earlier black finish lenses?

I am looking to put a simple Mamiya C330 Pro kit together for street photography and portraits:

-C330f or pro body (not quite sure of the difference between f and Pro)

-Waist level finder

-55mm f/4.5 lens

-105mm f/3.5 lens

-Mamiya lens shades, if I can find them (if not, what do you recommend?)

Possible accessories:

-Chimney magnifier hood

-Mamiya grip with shutter release

There are quite a few fairly clean C330 Pros on eBay, many with 105mm blue dot lenses. There are a few with blue dot 55mm lenses. Others have non-blue dot lenses. Should I hold out for the blue dot lenses?

If anyone has ever bought these cameras from Japanese sellers on eBay, how much are the import duties? It looks like I could get the C330 body and two lenses and maybe some of the other stuff, all for under $1,000. How much duty should I expect to pay?

Thanks in advance!

all Mamiya lenses, I've ever tried' were excellent.

NB23 · Jan 19, 2022

The 65mm is also a very good lens

RalphLambrecht · Jan 19, 2022

NB23 said:
The 65mm is also a very good lens

I've never seen a bad Mamiya lens.

Mamiya_Repair · Jan 19, 2022

Some time ago I did an IG post regarding some of the differences of the Mamiya 80mm TLR lenses (including the so called "blue dot" lenses) with info from factory documents:

grat · Jan 20, 2022

RalphLambrecht said:
I've never seen a bad Mamiya lens.

I've got a 135mm lens set that's hideously etched by fungus. Does that count?

Sirius Glass · Jan 20, 2022

grat said:
I've got a 135mm lens set that's hideously etched by fungus. Does that count?

Do you invite women over to see your etchings?

grat · Jan 20, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Do you invite women over to see your etchings?

No. Would be better than telling them I'm a fungi, though.

c t b · Jan 31, 2022

I belive the cult price tag wont justify the utility difference for most people

flavio81 · Jan 31, 2022

The blue dot only means an upgraded internal shutter design. Nothing else.

Coatings are simple on most of those Mamiya lenses except maybe the 105 D and DS and perhaps the late late late late 80mm f2.8.

I would be much more worried about the physical condition of the lens than about any silly dot on the shutter. If the mounting plate is bent, bye bye focus accuracy. If the lens has been disassembled (and not put together well), bye bye focus accuracy too.

Are Mamiya TLR 'blue dot' lenses any better than earlier lenses?

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency