Mamiya C330F using

stark_674 · Mar 10, 2011

Hi all,

I am new here...
I am re-starting with my old analog photography passion, so I started buying some simple, essential reliable cameras: Contax RTSII, Praktica MTL3 (I love it!!), Exakta Varex IIB.
For first time I approach to MF too: I bought this week a Mamiya C330F on ebay form a APUG user!! (so.... here I am... 1st thread of my life!!!!)
Please, I would need any suggestion on how to use this camera: it seems to be heavy, do anyone has experience on handheld photography with it?
Do I have to buy a monopod or tripod to go whereever on the street and use it?
I also have a Cds porrofinder, is it a good way to start using it?
Thank you in advance, let me know how to start MF with that camera...
Bye

RPippin · Mar 10, 2011

I've had good luck shooting hand held with a cable release and a good sturdy neck strap. You can pull down a bit on the camera and use the other hand to fire the shutter. I also have a tendency to shoot stopped down, so my speeds are a bit slow. Since there is no meter on the camera, I used the "Sunny16" rule. Try shooting with something like HP5 or Foma400. The Foma film is a bit more forgiving on exposure. If you are shooting with a tripod you will have more control, so I'd pick up something. Monfroto makes a good sturdy tripod for not to much money. Also get a pan tilt head. You can get a whole assortment of lenses for the Mamiya, so you can shoot close ups or landscapes, and the lenses from Mamiya are for the most part jaw dropping sharp. Go shoot. Have fun. The square format is great.

mgb74 · Mar 10, 2011

Your 330F is a fine camera for MF photography. I would estimate that 1000s of photographers shot millions of weddings handheld with Mamiya TLRs - so handheld is definitely an option. I do find it a bit awkward to shoot handheld with prism or porofinder unless using a grip; but that's a personal opinion. RPippin's suggestion (pulling down on strap) is great with a waist level finder.

BTW, because the porrofinder is a simple mirrored finder (and not a prism), it's relatively dim compared to the prism. The prism, however, is not metered.

I would also 2nd the suggestion to find a decent, used tripod. Not for street shooting but for landscapes and portraits. The Manfrotto (which used to be branded Bogen) are generally a lot of tripod for the money; so is the Tiltall. Avoid the skinny, whippy tripods often used to pad out 35mm outfits.

With the larger negative, so problem in using 400 speed film.

stark_674 · Mar 10, 2011

I was thinking to buy a Manfrotto tripod, but really I lost myself in a lot of different models and heads.... If you have a cheap "good to start" model and head to suggest to me I will search it on ebay... Thank you so much for your replies, My first experience with a forum is becoming "addicting"... Thanks again

Rick A · Mar 10, 2011

Find a Tiltall tripod. It may seem like overkill for 35mm and medium format, but they are super sturdy and you wont need another tripod. The newer model Tiltalls have a removable leg that converts it to a monopod.

Gerald C Koch · Mar 10, 2011

Mamiya made a very sturdy hand grip for this camera. It attaches to the tripod mount and allows you to hold the camera with one hand. This allows you to use the opposite hand for other tasks. Along with the porrofinder it makes a great combination for eye level shooting.

Jeff Kubach · Mar 10, 2011

Maybe you can buy a tripod used like from KEH.

Jeff

MattKing · Mar 10, 2011

Gerald C Koch said:
Mamiya made a very sturdy hand grip for this camera. It attaches to the tripod mount and allows you to hold the camera with one hand. This allows you to use the opposite hand for other tasks. Along with the porrofinder it makes a great combination for eye level shooting.

The grip mentioned by Gerald is also designed to work with the Mamiya RB67, so if you are looking for one keep that in mind. It has a cold shoe and a trigger release on the grip.

I was in Glazer's Cameras in Seattle a few days ago, and they had two used ones for less than $20.00 each.

I'm not fond of the porrofinders, due to how dim they are, but at least yours does have a meter which helps with adjustments for close focus work.

I have and use (sometimes) a prism, which is much brighter than the porrofinder, but is also a lot heavier. I use the waist level finder more.

I've used mine since the 1970s and shot a fair number of weddings with it. So handheld is easy!

Ottrdaemmerung · Mar 10, 2011

Gerald C Koch said:
It attaches to the tripod mount and allows you to hold the camera with one hand.

If you have no other exercise equipment available, it also allows you to use your Mamiya at home or in the gym for an effective weightlifting regimen.

I love my Mamiya C3 TLR dearly and truly, but carrying it around my neck all afternoon at an outdoor festival last year nearly did me in! It should have been called the Mamiya Albatross.

RPippin · Mar 10, 2011

The old Argus 35mm were called the flying bricks, the C330 is like carrying a cinderblock around your neck. Still love mine and carry it with me everywhere.

MattKing · Mar 10, 2011

For comparison ...

Canon 10D (heresy, I know!) with 28-90mm kit lens and BG-ED3 (?) battery grip - 1540 grams.

Mamiya C330 with 65mm lens and waist level finder (no grip though) - 1780 grams.

Now if you wish to make the comparison with my 35mm film equipment ...

vpwphoto · Mar 10, 2011

Get a bogan hex plate tripod block, and attach a length of chain small gauge chain (the stuff for window weights works well) 3-5 feet.

Step on chain with foot and pull up gently... really steadies the camera... sort of a reverse mono-pod plus it stores in your pocket and weighs not much.

tessar · Mar 10, 2011

Hello stark: the Mamiya C330 is a great camera. I've been using one for years. If you want to do close-ups, a Paramender is essential (compensates for the distance between the viewing and taking lenses); also, lens hoods are a good idea because the front elements of the lenses are almost not recessed at all. Graham Patterson's site has all the information you'll ever need on the Mamiya TLRs:
Dead Link Removed

Sethasaurus · Mar 18, 2011

Gerald C Koch said:
Mamiya made a very sturdy hand grip for this camera. It attaches to the tripod mount and allows you to hold the camera with one hand. This allows you to use the opposite hand for other tasks. Along with the porrofinder it makes a great combination for eye level shooting.

Did they make it reversible so you can work out your left arm when the right gets tired?

Mark Fisher · Mar 18, 2011

I used to use a C220 and the thing I liked best about it is how lightweight the system is. If you have 3 lenses and a body, it is really a pretty small, light kit. Plus, you don't need a very heavy tripod. I used a Bogen 3001 and it was way more than that camera demanded. You never tilt it on its side, you don't need it to be very high given the height of the camera and there is no moving mirror so a pretty light tripod and head works fine.

2F/2F · Mar 18, 2011

I shoot one very often hand held (though it is a C220, not a C330). They are great cameras. You chose well. I think it is the best all-around TLR camera system ever made. You don't need a tripod or monopod, at least not much more than you would normally need one in any situation; in other words, it all depends on the light. They work very well hand held, though you might prefer a waist level finder as opposed to the prism, as it will be brighter, hence easier to focus. If you want to use a tripod and focus on close objects, you'll want a Paramender.

Gerald C Koch · Mar 18, 2011

Sethasaurus said:
Did they make it reversible so you can work out your left arm when the right gets tired?

The grip is designed for use with the left hand. It has indentations for the fingers and they would be facing the palm if the grip were reversed. Not as comfortable but it could work.

agfarapid · Mar 19, 2011

stark_674 said:
Hi all,

I am new here...
I am re-starting with my old analog photography passion, so I started buying some simple, essential reliable cameras: Contax RTSII, Praktica MTL3 (I love it!!), Exakta Varex IIB.
For first time I approach to MF too: I bought this week a Mamiya C330F on ebay form a APUG user!! (so.... here I am... 1st thread of my life!!!!)
Please, I would need any suggestion on how to use this camera: it seems to be heavy, do anyone has experience on handheld photography with it?
Do I have to buy a monopod or tripod to go whereever on the street and use it?
I also have a Cds porrofinder, is it a good way to start using it?
Thank you in advance, let me know how to start MF with that camera...
Bye

Congratulations with you purchases. I've used a Mamiya C33 for the past couple of years, almost never using a tripod. My secret--get hold of a good "L" grip and a strong shoulder strap. When street shooting, I walk with the camera on my shoulder but I switch to the hand grip when actually composing and framing my photos. A fast film (Tmax 400 or Foma 400) is helpful to keep your shutter speeds high, reducing camera shake. Use the waist level finder, it's brighter and makes the camera much easier to use than with the Porrofinder or prism. You'll also get great candids as well using the waist level--somehow, it makes you less obvious and people don't realize that your taking their picture. It's actually a pretty fast handling camera once you get used to it.

MattKing · Mar 19, 2011

I find that the grip, in conjunction with a waist level finder and a comfortable neck strap which is adjusted quite short, makes for a very usable and surprisingly comfortable camera.

Mike Wilde · Mar 21, 2011

Sethasaurus said:
Did they make it reversible so you can work out your left arm when the right gets tired?

You can reverse the bakelite parts on the steel frame to convert it, but for the 330 the film advance crank interferes if it is on the right. plus the shutter release is usually set with the right hand.

benjiboy · Mar 21, 2011

Gerald C Koch said:
The grip is designed for use with the left hand. It has indentations for the fingers and they would be facing the palm if the grip were reversed. Not as comfortable but it could work.

No sorry it wouldn't, I just tried it with mine the trigger release wouldn't operate the shutter release the wrong way round, and the film was impossible to wind with the crank.

grahamp · Mar 21, 2011

There are a number of grips that will work with the TLRs. The basic L grip, ones that have a trigger that works with the C330 series chin release (and a cable release version for C220/C33 and earlier). Some RB and M645 grips will also fit (the twin studs and tripod mount are common across many of the Mamiya reflex cameras). I have used an M645 electronic release grip on a C330 (though without the shutter release).

A right-hand grip is going to get in the way of the film advance.

Even with the L grip, I find it helps to partially support the camera with the right hand. Apart from focusing, this is convenient for the shutter releases.

Mamiya C330F using

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