Jonesing for a Mamiya C33

Nokton48 · Oct 14, 2023

Nice C2 Awty. My fave Mamyflex!

Mamyflex 180mm Hartblei Stovepipe Paramender StarD by Nokton48, on Flickr

My knock around camera very stealthy. Mamiyaflex C2 with 180mm lens, original Mamiya Hood, Hartblei K88 Stovpipe and Paramender. Mounted on StarD tripod very lightweight but sturdy. A Workin' Man's Camera LOL The front of the 180 was schmushed, so cut strips of Hollywood Gaffer Tape and taped the filters on, good as new to me. The screws in the Paramender were stripped out, so I glued them back in place with JBWELD. Also good as new, like the patina

Sirius Glass · Oct 14, 2023

Nokton48 said:
Nice C2 Awty. My fave Mamyflex!

Mamyflex 180mm Hartblei Stovepipe Paramender StarD by Nokton48, on Flickr

My knock around camera very stealthy. Mamiyaflex C2 with 180mm lens, original Mamiya Hood, Hartblei K88 Stovpipe and Paramender. Mounted on StarD tripod very lightweight but sturdy. A Workin' Man's Camera LOL The front of the 180 was schmushed, so cut strips of Hollywood Gaffer Tape and taped the filters on, good as new to me.

Now you have the camera of your dreams with the necessary accessories. I cound that the Paramender was quite useful for closeup photography with the Mamiya C series TLRs.

chuckroast · Oct 14, 2023

Nokton48 said:
Nice C2 Awty. My fave Mamyflex!

Mamyflex 180mm Hartblei Stovepipe Paramender StarD by Nokton48, on Flickr

My knock around camera very stealthy. Mamiyaflex C2 with 180mm lens, original Mamiya Hood, Hartblei K88 Stovpipe and Paramender. Mounted on StarD tripod very lightweight but sturdy. A Workin' Man's Camera LOL The front of the 180 was schmushed, so cut strips of Hollywood Gaffer Tape and taped the filters on, good as new to me. The screws in the Paramender were stripped out, so I glued them back in place with JBWELD. Also good as new, like the patina

I have owned and/or used pretty much every camera in this family from the Mamiyaflex to the C330. They are wonderful machines, particularly for situations like weddings where you don't want the finder to go dark during exposure. I just sold the last of mine - a really nice C220 with a bagful of lenses to a couple of buyers. I hated to see it go, but my Hasselblad serves me better these days.

But whatever these cameras are ... they are not "stealthy"

bluechromis · Oct 14, 2023

Nokton48 said:
For TLR Mamiflex portraiture you have a full range of lenses available. Of course you need the 80mm, that came with my camera. But I was careful to pick up my most useful portrait lens with this camera, which is the 105mm. Just a bit longer slightly less foreshortening, very flattering yet still up close. I went for the black deluxe Blue Dot version this time, with the DOF scales and adjustable iris in the viewing lens. With just these two lenses I can do 100% of what I want to do with these two 1960s era cameras.

Really this is what I will use in the studio

In looking at color and black and white 16x20s and 20x24s (and thousands of proofs) I have NEVER seen any appreciable difference between the silver and black lenses. This go round I choose the more modern black lenses. At one time I had multiple copies of just about every lens they made from 65mm to 250mm.

I should get my C22 from Japan the middle of November.

I think the DS 105 is a fine lens, a gem of the Mamiya TLR family. It has very nice bokeh. It's heliar design affords a very smooth transition from the the in-focus to the out-of-focus regions.

bluechromis · Oct 14, 2023

Scott_PdP said:
I'm looking for a magnifying hood like that one. Do you wear eyeglasses? Is it heavy or just bulky?

I wear glasses and have no problems using the magnifying hood. I find it is the best viewer for ensuring a precise focus. It is heavier than the WLF, but lighter than the prism finder.

Sirius Glass · Oct 14, 2023

chuckroast said:
I have owned and/or used pretty much every camera in this family from the Mamiyaflex to the C330. They are wonderful machines, particularly for situations like weddings where you don't want the finder to go dark during exposure. I just sold the last of mine - a really nice C220 with a bagful of lenses to a couple of buyers. I hated to see it go, but my Hasselblad serves me better these days.

But whatever these cameras are ... they are not "stealthy"

I too moved from the Mamiya C300 to Hasselblad and never looked back.

Nokton48 · Oct 15, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
I too moved from the Mamiya C300 to Hasselblad and never looked back.

I find both systems to be equally useful, for completely different reasons. I too had multiples of everything Mamiya ever made; then I traded it all in and moved to Hasselblad. Now I have slowly rebuilt my Mamy system, I have exactly what I have always wanted now.
I've been told by other photographers "Wowza what an ugly camera". That's why I think it's stealthy; it gets ignored in use.

Nokton48 · Oct 15, 2023

6x6 TLR Shooting Bank by Nokton48, on Flickr

Multiple Bodies, not multiple Film Backs.

Sirius Glass · Oct 15, 2023

Nokton48 said:
I find both systems to be equally useful, for completely different reasons. I too had multiples of everything Mamiya ever made; then I traded it all in and moved to Hasselblad. Now I have slowly rebuilt my Mamy system, I have exactly what I have always wanted now.
I've been told by other photographers "Wowza what an ugly camera". That's why I think it's stealthy; it gets ignored in use.

I never considered the Mamiya C Series ugly. It was the first big advance in TLR cameras in decades with the flexibility of interchangeable lenses. I had an early version of the lenses which meant flipping the camera from side to side because the shutter speed was on one side and the aperture on the other. I found that fiddly. While that was later improved, I love using the EV system of the Hasselblad and wish other cameras had the EV system too. Also I prefer the less bulk of the Hasselblad and other SLRs as well as the ability to preview the actual depth of field. Still as a whole the Mamiya C Series is a great leap forward from the Rollei TLRs that require wearing three cameras instead of carrying to pair of lenses.

Sirius Glass · Oct 15, 2023

Nokton48 said:
6x6 TLR Shooting Bank by Nokton48, on Flickr

Do you have enough TLRs yet?

Nokton48 · Oct 15, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
Do you have enough TLRs yet?

Yep. In the studio it's the 5x7 Sinar Norma tricked out with Norma Twin Lens Accessories. With 4x5 Sinar Reflex Magnifier, with 4x5 Reducing Backs, it becomes a 4x5 REFLEX Twin Lens. These were used by "Glamour Hollywood" Photographers, I've seen similar cameras sold on Ebay. Once set up it becomes very speedy to operate. Also you can see the strobe "flash" for a micro second on the screen. A sort of "chimping the image" with this camera. This one I leave set up all the time. Building up this unit and lenses has been an interesting sub-hobby. Right now I have 30+ matching lens pairs for this one, from 100mm to 520mm.

So Yeah I have enough TLRs.

5x7 TLR Norma 360 Componon Peco Studio Stand by Nokton48, on Flickr

Steven Lee · Oct 15, 2023

I am a hopeless Hasselblad fanboy, but I will never let go of my Mamiya TLR kit. First of all, it is too inexpensive to be sold. Second, the TLR shooting experience is different and I often crave it. The Mamiya serves as the camera for rough shooting conditions when I'm too chicken to risk the Hassy. Besides, there are things the Mamiya can do that the Hasselblad cannot: closeup shooting, better handholdability, and it is surprisingly disarming to strangers. I can get anyone I want to pose for me with my C330. Hasselblad appears to be more intimidating.

As a result, my ratio of Mamiya:Hasselblad shots is 3:7.

The only criticism I have is that some lenses are prone to flare, notably the 55mm.

Jonesing for a Mamiya C33

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