Mamiya C330

CraigH · Feb 16, 2006

I just got a Mamiya C330 & I have 2 questions. I do not see anything on the distance scale window when the bellows is retracted. It looks as if there is a silver "guard" just under the window. The scale is there. The other question involves the 180mm F4.5 lens. After struggling to get this lens on, I cannot advance the film. It seems as if the lever right net to the lens does not want to move. Can it be bent since the lens is so big?

Thank you,

Craig

Lee Shively · Feb 16, 2006

I can't help you with the 180mm but I might be of some help on the distance scale. The distance scale is dependent on the lens in use by rotating the rod to the appropriately marked lens. I don't have a camera in front of me right now and I can't visualize the exact markings. Some of the lenses read the distance at the front of the scale and some at the rear.

The silver piece moves and you read the distance on some of the lenses at the rear section of this piece. When the lens is flat against the camera body and the silver piece covers the scale, it's normal. It just means the lens is not within it's range of use. The lenses have different points of focus for infinity and minimum distances depending on the focal length.

I've never found the distance scale on these cameras to be very helpful and, as you have discovered, they are sometimes confusing.

Jerry Thirsty · Feb 16, 2006

CraigH said:
I just got a Mamiya C330 & I have 2 questions. I do not see anything on the distance scale window when the bellows is retracted. It looks as if there is a silver "guard" just under the window. The scale is there.

Sounds like there's something wrong with it. With the bellows fully back, the silver plate is supposed to slide all the way up toward the front with only the red edge showing in the window. Then as you rack the bellows out the silver plate slides toward the back until fully covering the window. Maybe it's detached?

CraigH said:
The other question involves the 180mm F4.5 lens. After struggling to get this lens on, I cannot advance the film. It seems as if the lever right net to the lens does not want to move. Can it be bent since the lens is so big?

Have you made sure the shutter cocking lever on the lens is engaged underneath the lever on the body? With the lens off the camera, can you cock the shutter manually (to eliminate the lens as the problem)? Is the silver and black dial on the side in the "Lock" position? When you flip that dial back and forth between "Lock" and "Unlock" does the diamond-shaped metal bit right under the lens mounting clamp (upper right corner of the front face) toggle back and forth?

Sounds like it may need some repairs.

Jerry

Marco Gilardetti · Feb 16, 2006

Jerry Thirsty said:
Sounds like there's something wrong with it. With the bellows fully back, the silver plate is supposed to slide all the way up toward the front with only the red edge showing in the window. Then as you rack the bellows out the silver plate slides toward the back until fully covering the window. Maybe it's detached?

That's correct. However, the gear moving the sliding silver plate is very easily disengaged when bellows are fully extended, and it's impossible to re-engage without opening the camera. This is one of the most common problems with the C330.

If I was you, I would leave it that way: it is inessential, as it is extremely imprecise even when correctly working, at a point that guessed distances work better most of the times. You may have some of your cash back if you complain with the seller, though.

About the 180mm, I second what already suggested: double check if the gear is all plugged in correctly. The shutter winding mechanism is made of three interconnecting parts: a pin on the camera front plate which engages an extension on the lens' barrel which in turn engages the cocking lever on the lens. Try to cock the lens manually without mounting it on the body, and see how the various parts should move and should interconnect.

Lee Shively · Feb 16, 2006

There is extensive information about this camera at Dead Link Removed but the site is kind of hard to navigate.

I tried to find an online manual but none of my links currently are working.

RichSBV · Feb 16, 2006

"After struggling to get this lens on" is not a good sign. It should just drop in with no 'struggle'. Look carefully at the cocking arm. The one from the camera front and the mating one from the lens. make sure they're not bound up. All the other advice above is good.

These cameras are simple to operate once you know how.

If you don't have a manual, I do have a PDF version and could e-mail it to you. It's over 3 megs and would be over 5 megs in e-mail. If you can handle it and want it, let me know...

Kobin · Feb 16, 2006

Lee,

I've had problems connecting with the Mamiya customer service site using Firefox. No probs with Internet Explorer or Safari. From there, you can select Instruction Manuals, and from a side menu, Twin Lens Reflex. That's how I downloaded my C330 manual.

K.

Kobin · Feb 16, 2006

Craig,

I've found the users forum on www.mamiya.com to be a great source of help. I suspect your film advance problem is lens-set locking related as suggested above, but certainly there must be several threads in Mamiya's forum regarding the problem.

K.

MattKing · Feb 16, 2006

Kobin:

In Firefox you need to install and use the User Agent Switcher under the Tools tab on the top menu. Just click on the Internet Explorer 6 option, refresh, and the menus should magically appear.

Matt

Kobin said:
Lee,

I've had problems connecting with the Mamiya customer service site using Firefox. No probs with Internet Explorer or Safari. From there, you can select Instruction Manuals, and from a side menu, Twin Lens Reflex. That's how I downloaded my C330 manual.

K.

eumenius · Feb 16, 2006

Oh, on my C330f I have the same issue with distance scale - the steel pin inside the camera, that should drive the silver guard plate, is broken and lost. I didn't feel that the scale is really all this important for me, so I left it without repair. My 180/4.5 goes in without a problem - I always cock the shutter before mounting the lens, though. Can you post some d%^%*$l picture of your camera and lens, so we could see what's wrong?

grahamp · Feb 16, 2006

As regards the 180mm issue: which model lens? The early ones with the Seikosha-MX shutters will have trouble on the C330 series. The cocking arm is the usual problem, since the position and angle of travel varies compared to later versions.

Seiko (black) lenses should be fine. The two long lenses (180 and 250) use a lightly sprung extension to reach the cocking and tripping levers. Generally these don't cause any problems.

Lee: There's a PDF version of the files at Dead Link Removed which might be easier to search. I might redo the FAQ, but I want to see how popular Han Verhulst's forthcoming book on the Mamiya twins turns out. It may make my pages redundant. What particular navigation issues do you have?

Lee Shively · Feb 16, 2006

I have a manual. I was trying to locate a link to help Craig.

CraigH · Feb 16, 2006

The shutter is a Seikosha-S.

Craig

grahamp · Feb 16, 2006

There are some Seikosha-S 180mm lenses that will not fit the C33/C330 model bodies. The cocking lever is in a slightly different position.

If it was just a case of the lens fitting but not cocking, there are a couple of possible fixes, but if this is one of the odd set of 180mm, it will not work.

I don't have enough serial numbers to tell for certain. If you check the Mamiya USA forum, Han Verhulst may be able to give you some measurements to confirm it. He has a stack of data I don't have.

Mamiya C330

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