My first Mamiya TLR: a C330f

[TheToadMen]

So, did you get the PRISM FINDER and the PISTOL GRIP, which in combination they turn the machine into an AK47 of medium format shooting?

You MUST buy them !!!

And how about buying your SECOND C330 body? You NEED a backup.

What about other Mamiyas? The RB67 might be the best medium format SLR system, and it has a lot of ACCESSORIES !!

Hah, got you there! I already bought a Mamiya RB67 with three lenses, grip and original case earlier this year.
About the rest: I'm lurking on Ebay and local auction sites ......

Edit: I'm also looking for a Mamiya 6 - the elder (with bellows from the 1950's) and the new model with collapsable 50 mm lens. Someday ...

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

You're feeding my GAS. You know that, don't you?

Paramender, Bert. Three versions to choose from. Gotta' have one for critical tripod work.



Ken

 

[Too old to care]

There was a post on the Robert Monaghan forum where a Mamiya TLR enthusiast (and, i think, author of books on the subject) claimed to have heard the Mamiya engineers tell him, directly, that "the chrome lenses were commercial formula lenses, computed for maximum resolution and contrast", while the black lenses "were recomputed to be less harsh at the request of wedding photographers, which were the main users of Mamiya TLRs at that time."

I can believe this. I only had one chrome lens, and two black (blue dot) lenses to compare, but the chrome lens from my C3 appeared to be sharper than the two black lenses on my C220 or C330. I always assumed that it was because of focusing errors with the viewfinder, but I don't know. For sure, the C3 was a better built camera, much heaver and sturdier, just lacking features like being able to use 220 film, and cocking itself

 

[TheToadMen]

Paramender, Bert. Three versions to choose from. Gotta' have one for critical tripod work.



Ken

So I need another tripod as well

 

[Sirius Glass]

Paramender, Bert. Three versions to choose from. Gotta' have one for critical tripod work.



Ken

+1

 

[Sirius Glass]

"You see, woman? It does perfectly make sense to have different types of the same lenses!!!! It's just like your shoes."

BTW: You're feeding my GAS. You know that, don't you?

Get a second C330f body so that you can shoot both black & white and color!

 

[flavio81]

Hah, got you there! I already bought a Mamiya RB67 with three lenses.

ONLY three lenses?

There are the wonderful 50mm, 65mm, 90mm, 127mm, 180mm, and 250mm lenses for a "starter" kit. So if you have three lenses, you MUST BUY three (3) more lenses.

And of course you perhaps don't have the prism finder. Or the metering chimney finder.

Or how about the wonderful Sports finder? YOU MUST BUY IT...

Of course you have a Polaroid back, right?

 

[MattKing]

So I need another tripod as well

One of the paramenders is actually a complete tripod head with built in paramender.

It is fairly rare, but it works for me really well.

 

[TheToadMen]

ONLY three lenses?

There are the wonderful 50mm, 65mm, 90mm, 127mm, 180mm, and 250mm lenses for a "starter" kit. So if you have three lenses, you MUST BUY three (3) more lenses.

And of course you perhaps don't have the prism finder. Or the metering chimney finder.

Or how about the wonderful Sports finder? YOU MUST BUY IT...

Of course you have a Polaroid back, right?

 

[TheToadMen]

ONLY three lenses?

There are the wonderful 50mm, 65mm, 90mm, 127mm, 180mm, and 250mm lenses for a "starter" kit. So if you have three lenses, you MUST BUY three (3) more lenses.

Now you did it - well, actually I did it - but you made me do it ...
I found me a nice MAMIYA RB67 SEKOR-C 3,8/127 lens today in Germany and it is on its way to me.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists) and it came with four (not three) lenses:
- lens Mamiya Sekor C 1:4.5 f=50 mm No. 27227
- lens Mamiya Sekor C 1:3.8 f=90 mm No. 84967
- lens Mamiya Sekor 1:4.5 f=180 mm No. No. 20030 (not a "C" lens)
- lens Mamiya Sekor C 1:6.3 f=360 mm No. 43374

I saw several very good images made with a RB67 and the 127 mm lens really stood out (to me). So it was on my watch list and now I found a decent one. The 65 mm lens will follow sometimes too, I guess. The 250 mm probably not. I'm not a "tele guy" so there is (to me) no gap between 180 mm and 360 mm. And there is a good chance I might even sell the 360 mm lens.

At the moment I'm having a rather bussy period at work: we're having elections on March 18th. After that I hope to get me some days off with good weather and go out shooting with (there was a url link here which no longer exists)and my new C330f.

 

[EdColorado]

Interesting comments here on the chrome vs black lens characteristics. Very interesting to me as I have a C330 with a black 80mm lens and recently was given an 80 and 135mm set both in chrome. I'd figured on selling the 80mm chrome but now I'm thinking I need to go out and shoot some direct comparison shots and see whats what. Lots going on here at the moment so it might take me a while, but once done I'll post results here.

 

[flavio81]

I saw several very good images made with a RB67 and the 127 mm lens really stood out (to me). So it was on my watch list and now I found a decent one.

Well done... Now you see that the Dark Force of the GAS is the nicest side of the Force.
I find the 127mm similar to the focal length i like the most, which is about 57-65mm (in 35mm equivalent terms.) A similar lens is the 105mm for the mamiya TLRs; for me it works very nice for portraits while easier to use than a longer focal length lens.

he 65 mm lens will follow sometimes too, I guess. The 250 mm probably not. I'm not a "tele guy" so there is (to me) no gap between 180 mm and 360 mm. And there is a good chance I might even sell the 360 mm lens.

Don't fool yourself. You know that you WANT the 250mm lens as well...

 

[TheToadMen]

Well done... Now you see that the Dark Force of the GAS is the nicest side of the Force.
(...)
Don't fool yourself. You know that you WANT the 250mm lens as well...

I'm more a of a Trekkie so you won't catch me with your Dark Force stuff: I can resist it easily ....

But seriously, I hardly ever use tele on my Nikon's or Leica cameras. I even have a beautiful Bronica 200 mm lens for the SQ system for several years now and didn't use it once. A 135 mm is tele enough for the 6x6 format, thank you. 28 - 55 mm is my favorite range in 135 format and once in a while a 85 mm lens.

 

[TheToadMen]

Interesting comments here on the chrome vs black lens characteristics. Very interesting to me as I have a C330 with a black 80mm lens and recently was given an 80 and 135mm set both in chrome. I'd figured on selling the 80mm chrome but now I'm thinking I need to go out and shoot some direct comparison shots and see whats what. Lots going on here at the moment so it might take me a while, but once done I'll post results here.

Please do! It would be nice to know if you could see any difference in results.

 

[flavio81]

But seriously, I hardly ever use tele on my Nikon's or Leica cameras. I even have a beautiful Bronica 200 mm lens for the SQ system for several years now and didn't use it once. .

That is explained easily: You didn't use it because you know that Zenzanon medium format lenses are second-rate compared to Nikkor, Mamiya-Sekor, Carl Zeiss, and Zeiss Jena medium format lenses!! (Evil laugh)

A 135 mm is tele enough for the 6x6 format, thank you. 28 - 55 mm is my favorite range in 135 format and once in a while a 85 mm lens.

You have not yet tasted the delights of a 200/2.8 or 200/4.0 lens on a 35mm camera. Oh, how it turns an average-looking girl into a supermodel!! You know you want to try it. Be it Canon, Nikon, Minolta... hey, even Pentax makes good 200mm lenses! (More evil laughter)

You will buy it, pretty soon. Resistance is futile.

 

[TheToadMen]

I had the good fortune to be able to spend a whole day wandering in the fields, so I brought the C330f and made a test run. It's a beautiful camera to work with and it handles easily. The 80 mm is a fine lens, but I do need a bit more wide angle, so I'll keep an eye open for a decent 65 mm lens. I think I'll replace all the light seals too since they are getting very old.

I exposed a roll of Fomapan 100, Portra 160 and Provia 100F on several subjects as a test in the city and in the field. I'll send the film off to a decent lab to get it developed. Tried using the parallax correction, bellow extension correction, impact of flare (no hood), etc. too.

I also got the 135 mm lens today in the mail. It looks very nice and the shutter seems to be in good working order too.

Conclusion this far: a beautiful camera, not too heavy, works easily, will need a 65 mm also - it's a keeper

 

[Sirius Glass]

If I remember correctly the 55mm lens is lighter than the 65mm lens. I found that the 65mm lens was so close to the 80mm lens, the 65mm lens rarely got used.

 

[benjiboy]

Don't forget Bert when changing lenses to make sure you set the parallax correction knob on the cameras left side to the correct lens focal length for the lens you are about to fit.

 

[TheToadMen]

GAS update

I found me some more lenses ...

A 55 mm, 105 mm and 180 mm. All are in the mail right now from England and Holland.
Still on the lookout for a decent (like new) 65 mm. Still not temped to get me a 250 mm though (unless very, very cheap).

I got my first two films developed (shot with 80 mm). Hope to scan some negs this weekend.

Some photos from the ads:

(55 mm)

(105 mm)

(135 mm)

(180 mm)

 

[Rick A]

If you bought a 55, forget the 65, they are too close in perspective to make any difference. I had both and preferred the 55, you can really get in close with it. I would have liked to have had the 105 for my normal lens, I used my 135 for portraits and did a couple architectures with it, stunning performer(chrome).

 

[TheToadMen]

If you bought a 55, forget the 65, they are too close in perspective to make any difference. I had both and preferred the 55, you can really get in close with it.

You're absolutely right, but if the price is right ... GAS !!

 

[MattKing]

If you bought a 55, forget the 65, they are too close in perspective to make any difference. I had both and preferred the 55, you can really get in close with it. I would have liked to have had the 105 for my normal lens, I used my 135 for portraits and did a couple architectures with it, stunning performer(chrome).

As you may have already figured out, my recommendations are exactly the opposite .

I use my 65mm lens as my "normal" lens, and sold my 45mm.

But I totally agree about 135mm - although mine is a blue-dot black model.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

This is why I just went ahead and purchased a nice example of each of the seven lenses. The kit is then complete. No second guessing. No missed opportunities. That's what real GAS is all about.



Of all the MF system cameras out there, lenses for the Mamiya TLR series are just about the least expensive. Very high quality samples can be had for small fractions of the cost of lenses in other 120 cameras. And to be perfectly honest, to date I've already used each of those lenses at some point.

I last used the 55mm along a highway when I wanted to fill the frame with a subject, but still show the larger environment around that subject in the background.

And I last used the 65mm indoors where I was limited to standing in a single spot and the 55mm was just too wide and the 80mm just too narrow.

It really is a fine system. Even the 250mm is a pretty darn good performer.

I've used that one for an across-the-street storefront window of a local tattoo parlor. Their colorful neon signage and window decorations are just killer. Each of the other lenses would have had me standing somewhere in the middle of a busy street. Glad I had the 250 (and a tripod).

Ken

 

[Rick A]

Example of the chrome 135 hand held with 100 speed film: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)
And 180 chrome hand held with 100 speed: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[TheToadMen]

I met the guy selling the chrome 105 mm today. The shutter was slow and didn't close at all @ 1 to 1/8 seconds.
So I didn't buy it.

Thus still looking for a 65 and 105 mm lens. The 55 and the 180 mm are still in the mail.
This weekend I'll test my 135 mm lens.