Mamiya C330 Query

SodaAnt · Jul 4, 2023

After years of shooting only digital and sitting in front of a Photoshop screen, I realized the most fun I’ve had in photography was working in the darkroom.

I sold all my film gear years ago and am starting from scratch. Since I did lots of 35mm back in the day, I’d like to reboot my interest in film with a MF camera. The MF camera I always lusted after as a teen was the Mamiya TLRs. They seem to be readily available at reasonable prices on eBay, so I’m tempted to grab one. Most seem to be from Japanese sellers—any caveats to buying from Japan (I’m in the U.S.)?

What model(s) of C330 should I focus on in my search? Any gotchas I should be aware of when perusing eBay listings? Will one of these typically require a CLA before use? Are there techs in the U.S. who still service these?

BTW, my photography interest is landscape.

juan · Jul 4, 2023

I always look at keh.com and usedphotopro.com before ebay. They give descriptions and ratings you can count on. Otherwise, buying from Japan needs the same cautions as buying from a US seller. Investigate as well as you can.

markjwyatt · Jul 4, 2023

I use the C330f and C220f. C220f is the last of the C220 series, but does not include a crank for winding film (e.g., just a knob). Other than that it is fine. The C330 series ended with a C330s, which may be worth looking for. I see KEH has late model C330 & 220 cameras in Excellent condition for reasonable prices (given the conditions and warranty).

Mamiya C330 S Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Medium Format Camera Body with Waist Level Finder

Mamiya C330 S Medium Format TLR Camera Body With Waistlevel Finder

www.keh.com

Lenses too

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MattKing · Jul 5, 2023

The main accessories - in particular the lenses - are interchangeable between the three versions of the C330. The biggest exception is probably the focusing screens.
My C330 was the demonstrator at the camera store I was working in in the late 1970s. It is still going strong.
The best reference I've found is Graham Patterson's Mamiya TLR system summary, which can be found here:
grahamp.dotinthelandscape.org/mfaq/index.html
And if you have any questions about it, he posts here regularly under the screen name @grahamp .
A self portrait, with my prism finder equipped C330:

Bill Burk · Jul 5, 2023

I’ve got the repair manual. It’s quite thorough.

SodaAnt · Jul 5, 2023

The repair manual comes in a can?

Tel · Jul 5, 2023

Bill Rogers, aka mamiyarepair.com is a member here.

SodaAnt · Jul 5, 2023

juan said:
I always look at keh.com and usedphotopro.com before ebay. They give descriptions and ratings you can count on. Otherwise, buying from Japan needs the same cautions as buying from a US seller. Investigate as well as you can.

I’ve used KEH before and don’t really care for them that much. Their stock on things like a C330 tends to be low and their listings show a stock photo, not photos of the actual camera. So they might have a camera in stock listed as Ex+ condition, but without photos, it’s still a crapshoot.

Another peeve with KEH: for a company selling cameras, the stock photos for their listings are ridiculously low-res.

Usedphotopro.com typically has even fewer listings for cameras I’m interested in than KEH.

SodaAnt · Jul 5, 2023

Since I’m not invested in lenses or accessories for any MF system yet, I’m also thinking about getting an RB67 Pro SD. Anything to watch out for when shopping for one of those?

skylight1b · Jul 5, 2023

I ended up buying both a C330 and C300f here, but I have seen them come up in a handful of places online in the US. While the C330s is the newest variation, one thing to note is that the strap connection is different than the others. It's a lug mount rather a standard loop that you can thread a strap end through.

Some that I have seen for sale right now:
B&H Photo - C330s
Catlabs - C330f
Film Supply Club - C330s

Edited: Forgot the two at Blue Moon Camera - C330 and the other here

Cholentpot · Jul 5, 2023

I've been using a C3 and C33 for the past year. They're undervalued on the used market. I think they're not hip enough. Of my collection of TLRs they're the most capable and affordable currently.

SodaAnt · Jul 5, 2023

What is the deal with "blue dot" lenses? I see that term in eBay listings.

chuckroast · Jul 5, 2023

SodaAnt said:
After years of shooting only digital and sitting in front of a Photoshop screen, I realized the most fun I’ve had in photography was working in the darkroom.

I sold all my film gear years ago and am starting from scratch. Since I did lots of 35mm back in the day, I’d like to reboot my interest in film with a MF camera. The MF camera I always lusted after as a teen was the Mamiya TLRs. They seem to be readily available at reasonable prices on eBay, so I’m tempted to grab one. Most seem to be from Japanese sellers—any caveats to buying from Japan (I’m in the U.S.)?

What model(s) of C330 should I focus on in my search? Any gotchas I should be aware of when perusing eBay listings? Will one of these typically require a CLA before use? Are there techs in the U.S. who still service these?

BTW, my photography interest is landscape.

I have owned many of these cameras in a variety of vintages. Frankly, unless you can get a super clean low mileage 330F or 330S, I'd stay away from them. Many of these cameras were used for weddings and portraits and they have a ton of wear on them. What I have seen is that this translates into the autococking mechanism getting grumpy.

So, I finally settled on a late model 220, because I can remember to crank the camera and cock the shutter manually.

MattKing · Jul 5, 2023

SodaAnt said:
What is the deal with "blue dot" lenses? I see that term in eBay listings.

The blue dot lenses are the latest versions.
In some cases, that means updated optical construction or coatings.
But most important, it means that the shutters are both younger - meaning potentially less worn - and a bit easier to get serviced.
And "blue dot" refers to the dot/label at the end of the cocking arm - seen here in an image taken from KEH's listings:

btaylor · Jul 5, 2023

I liked my 330S. There’s a lot to like about these cameras: very quiet, no vibration, simple and robust mechanicals, flash sync at all shutter speeds, good lenses, perhaps best of all very affordable! No wonder they were workhorses of the wedding Photog business. Find a nice clean one and you should be happy if you like TLR’s- I do.

markjwyatt · Jul 5, 2023

SodaAnt said:
Since I’m not invested in lenses or accessories for any MF system yet, I’m also thinking about getting an RB67 Pro SD. Anything to watch out for when shopping for one of those?

The RB67 is more of a tripod/studio camera, while the TLRs are quite hand holdable; though not featherweights. It depends on what you want to do with the camera.

SodaAnt · Jul 6, 2023

markjwyatt said:
The RB67 is more of a tripod/studio camera, while the TLRs are quite hand holdable; though not featherweights. It depends on what you want to do with the camera.

Mostly landscape photography on a tripod out in the field. I’m 6’5” 250 lbs and do weight training daily, so I’m not concerned about the weight of the gear.

chuckroast · Jul 6, 2023

SodaAnt said:
Mostly landscape photography on a tripod out in the field. I’m 6’5” 250 lbs and do weight training daily, so I’m not concerned about the weight of the gear.

Have you considered a 4x5 field/view camera?

markjwyatt · Jul 6, 2023

SodaAnt said:
Mostly landscape photography on a tripod out in the field. I’m 6’5” 250 lbs and do weight training daily, so I’m not concerned about the weight of the gear.

chuckroast said:
Have you considered a 4x5 field/view camera?

That makes a lot of sense if that is where you are. Lot of field/view cameras have roll film backs also if you want to shoot 6x9.

SodaAnt · Jul 6, 2023

chuckroast said:
Have you considered a 4x5 field/view camera?

I’ve considered that, but I don’t have a 4x5 enlarger so I’d be restricted to contact prints. I could use a roll film back with the 4x5 camera, but for the work I do I don’t really need camera movements, so the added bulk of the 4x5 probably isn’t worth it over a MF rig. If I were doing architecture, that would be a different story.

Steven Lee · Jul 6, 2023

SodaAnt said:
What model(s) of C330 should I focus on in my search?

I'd go for a C330f. It is newer than the classic C330 and comes with a nicer WLF, but more common than the even newer C330s which is hard to find some parts for, namely the focusing screens and WLF magnifiers with non-standard diopter ratings.

bluechromis · Jul 6, 2023

I like my C330 f. I have heard people say that the later S model is less likely to develop frame spacing issues. One nice thing about a TLR is that the filter is only on the taking lens. I have found that with an SLR, focusing through even an orange filter is more difficult, and with an IR filter or strong ND filter, it is impossible. So I wind up having to take the filters on and off when setting up a new shot. They do have those hinged filter adapters. The design of the Mamiya C series keeps the film very flat, in part because it travels a straight path, unlike cameras where it goes on a "U" shaped path. It doesn't matter how good a camera's lenses are, if the film isn't flat, IQ will degrade. People have raised questions even about the vaunted Ziess 645's ability to keep film flat. With prices going up, I think the C series is still a comparatively good value. If you were to use one hand-held much, I would recommend a side handle grip. It makes it much more nimble.

250swb · Jul 6, 2023

SodaAnt said:
Mostly landscape photography on a tripod out in the field. I’m 6’5” 250 lbs and do weight training daily, so I’m not concerned about the weight of the gear.

Ansel Adams used a mule train to achieve the same thing, only it costs less to feed a mule

Grim Tuesday · Jul 6, 2023

skylight1b said:
I ended up buying both a C330 and C300f here, but I have seen them come up in a handful of places online in the US. While the C330s is the newest variation, one thing to note is that the strap connection is different than the others. It's a lug mount rather a standard loop that you can thread a strap end through.

Some that I have seen for sale right now:
B&H Photo - C330s
Catlabs - C330f
Film Supply Club - C330s

Edited: Forgot the two at Blue Moon Camera - C330 and the other here

These are all wildly overpriced for Mamiya C series cameras, even as prices have been increasing lately. One thing OP should know is that there is very little that can go wrong on these cameras, so even cosmetically beat ones can perform very well. Even tears in the outer bellows are not a problem, as there is also a second layer of inner bellows for the taking lens. Not many people know this and you can get a great deal if you do.

A few other notes: All the accessories can be mixed and matched, so the C330s WLF could be put onto an original C3. The depth of field indicator on the C330 breaks very easily and is essentially useless even when it's working, so feel free to get one with a broken one. I think the blue dot lenses are 100% hype, I have a old style chrome 80mm that I liked better in comparison to the blue dot, so I sold the blue dot. I think some design compromises were made in these lenses to keep the front element size small enough to pack two into the front standard so close together. While I really do like the 80 and 180mm super, I was not impressed by the other focal lengths I've owned (105mm new design, 65mm). The coatings used on all the lenses are so-so, leading to relatively low contrast pictures. You can use this to your advantage if you want. Ergonomics with the 180mm are kind of ridiculous.

bluechromis · Jul 6, 2023

Re: service needed for Mamiya C: Most cameras of that age will need seals replaced if they haven't been. There are also seals under the viewfinder that deteriorate. Frequently leaf shutters will become less accurate over time and especially may not be able to attain the fastest speeds. Some people would say the best thing is to live with these changed shutter speeds because trying to adjust them may cause more problems. We need to test the shutters to find out what the real speeds are, but then can work okay.

Mamiya C330 Query

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