If I went the Mamiya route, which model would give me the best bang for buck?
I have and have had the C330, C220, and C3. The C330 is my go to camera at the moment. You should be able to get one (body only) for about $200, sometimes less if you're patient. Add in a lens, and you'll be another $100 in.
The C220 is more reasonable, as it isn't as feature-rich as the C330. You should be able to get one with lens for <$200 in very good condition.
The C3/C2 are older, and not as expensive. Easily grab a body and lens for <$150.
On any of them, if you're getting a body and lens together, the condition of the lens is going to matter. It seems there are tons of the Mamiya TLR lenses with separation between the elements, and to get a clean one can raise the price significantly. Ignore the 'Blue Dot' lenses, unless it's a great deal. Any improvement with the blue dot (of which many argue there is little to no difference), isn't (IMO) worth the premium they seem to get. I have both blue dot and non blue dot 80mm's, and I see no difference.
I have lenses with and without the separation, and other then some loss of contrast, I don't have a problem using them. Some are prett ratty looking, but work just fine. Hey, I'm cheap, what can I say.
As for which one, here's my comparison of the 3 listed, which may or may not help you decide. If it was me though, I'd go with a C330.
The C330 is the newest (barring the C330F and C330S) of the bunch (1969-1974), with the C220 about the same vintage (1968-somewhere about 1974). The C3 was from '62-'65, and the C33 from '65-'69.
The C330 has auto cocking of the shutter when you advance the film. That is a huge plus, as it's one less step to deal with.
Both the C3 and C220 are two-step; wind film, cock shutter.
The C330 has 2 shutter releases, one on the side of the bellows carraige, and one on the front bottom right of the body. Makes a difference when the bellows is extended.
The C330 has a shutter lock. Accidental tripping of the shutter can occur with the 2 shutter releases when in the bag or just during handling.
The C330 and C220 have a two-step process to release the lens. The C3 is a 3 step.
The C330 has interchangeable focusing screens. The other two do not.
The C220 does not have foam for the focusing screen, it has shims. The C330 has foam that almost always by now is deteriorated and needs replacing. It's easy and cheap to do, but advantage goes to the C220 there. I did have to re-calibrate the focus on my C220, and used paper shims to do it. Seems to have worked fine.
The C330 has a better reminder system as to what film is loaded. I always forget what's in there after a day or two.
The C220 has a crappy single/multi exposure knob. On my example, it was so 'loose' it had to be taped in the 'single' mode to prevent unwanted multiple exposures. The C330 has a sturdier 'knob', and stays put.
The C330 has a removable back, which would allow you to shoot sheet film, but other then a few APUG'ers, I doubt that's really important anymore.
Probably the biggest difference with the C330 is the parallax compensation indicator. It's a bar that moves down from the top in the viewfinder to let you know where the new top of the image will be based on the lens you're using, and the distance to your subject. This is adjusted by a dial on the side that you select the lens you are using, and it takes care of the rest.
On the others, the ground glass has 2 lines. What you have to do is focus, then look at the side of the body, follow a line for your mounted lens, and where that line hits the main body, it will tell you approximately what line in the VF will be the top of the image. In other words, it's more then just a guesstimation, but not much better. You also have to do essentially the same thing for the exposure bellows compensation, whereas on the C330, it's in the VF and the parallax compensation flag is also the guide for the exp comp. Much easier, even though I'm making it sound more difficult.
I also noticed that on the C3, film winding is more than one 360° crank, and then you have to back up to fold over the crank to fit back in it's nest. The C220/C330 are both 360°, and you're there.
Those are the differences that I noticed, that I felt were significant to me. Some of them my not be significant to you or others though.
One other thing you'll hear about the Mamiya system is the weight. Yes, it is heavier then the Yashica/Minolta/Rollei's, but it really isn't that heavy. I like the weight of the cameras, as I feel it makes them more stable hand-held. I also like the beefiness of them. I (you) can easily shoot at 1/30, and I've had 50/50 success at 1/15 on the Mamiya. On my Yashica, I found 1/30 was doable, but not always successful.
The worst part about the Mamiya system is finding a good bag for them. They are fairly large, (about 5"x5"x7" (approx)), and finding a good bag has been my challenge since using the system. The plus side is the lenses are small, and don't take up much room in the bag.
I'm sure there are other things, pluses and minuses, with each one, and I hope someone else will chime in with their favorite and least favorite differences. But, if you can swing it, I'd go for the C330 with the 80mm 2.8, and maybe grab some other lenses when you can.
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