My first Mamiya TLR: a C330f

[TheToadMen]

In portraiture getting the human facial features the right size scale and proportion to each other is very important and using either a too short or too long focal length lens will distort that relationship and make the nose too big with a wide angle or standard lens used too close, or the face too flat with a too long telephoto one, generally in 35mm photography the ideal portrait focal length is around 85/90/100 and in medium format around 150/180.
I find with the Mamiya C lenses for portraiture I prefer using the 135mm lenses indoors where space is restricted and the 180mm outdoors.
http://mcpactions.com/2010/07/21/the-ideal-focal-length-for-portraiture-a-photographers-experiment/

I get it. Thanks for the clarification! (English is not my native language so I wasn't sure at first).

 

[miha]

Any lens of any focal length will give you huge nose and tiny ears two feet from a person s face. Stay far enough, crop if necessary as every lens (fish-eyes excluded) produces the same rectilinear central perspective.

 

[benjiboy]

A pleasure Bert.

 

[adelorenzo]

I was recently given one of these with the 80mm lens, my first TLR. It's a great camera, really enjoying shooting with it.

 

[benjiboy]

Any lens of any focal length will give you huge nose and tiny ears two feet from a person s face. Stay far enough, crop if necessary as every lens (fish-eyes excluded) produces the sake rectilinear central perspective.

When we are discussing specifically portrait lenses for the Mamiya C system it is implicit in my understanding we are talking about normal portrait distances not "two feet" we are all aware that wide angle and telephoto lenses used at grossly incorrect distances cause distortion.
your advice about cropping if you need to maintain the maximum quality in your work isn't of much use especially if you are shooting colour slides or having your work commercially processed, and the whole idea of having interchangeable lens cameras is to avoid having to resort to this.

 

[TheToadMen]

Received the 55 mm today. Beautiful lens, shutter very accurate. Only one minor cleaning mark on the taking lens (as advertised).

Hopefully we have some nice weather this weekend so I can go out and play with the 55 and 135 mm.

Bert from Holland
http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl

 

[TheToadMen]

First scans (with simple old scanner) of my first shots with the Mamiya C330f and the 80 mm lens.

Fuji Provia 160 (in C-41):

(self portrait)

(old grave in the woods)

Fomapan 100 (in Ilford DD-X):

(focussing at 2 inch, handheld, testing parallax)

(as close as 1 inch, handheld, testing parallax)

 

[TheToadMen]

Fomapan 100 (in Ilford DD-X):


(sun from the left)

(almost straight into the sun, no lens hood)

(sun in my back)

 

[TheToadMen]

Fomapan 100 (in Ilford DD-X):

(in the shadow of a building)

Kodak Portra 160 (in C-41):

 

[pbromaghin]

Looks like a lot of fun!

 

[TheToadMen]

Fuji Provia 100F (RDPIII in E6):

(double exposure is still possible)

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

(focussing at 2 inch, handheld, testing parallax)
(as close as 1 inch, handheld, testing parallax)

I'm curious. I've not yet attempted any close-ups with my C330S. Do you find the little parallax bar in the viewfinder to be accurate? Or were you using a paramender?

Ken

 

[TheToadMen]

I'm curious. I've not yet attempted any close-ups with my C330S. Do you find the little parallax bar in the viewfinder to be accurate? Or were you using a paramender?

Ken

I don't have the paramender so I used the "little parallax bar in the viewfinder". I made only a few shots, but I guess it is trustworthy.
I would use it again for close-up photography anytime.

 

[TheToadMen]

Looks like a lot of fun!

It certainly was! And it will be this weekend testing my 55 mm and 135 (if the weather permits).

 

[MattKing]

I'm curious. I've not yet attempted any close-ups with my C330S. Do you find the little parallax bar in the viewfinder to be accurate? Or were you using a paramender?

Ken

To both Ken and Bert.

In addition to the assistance from the parallax bar, you might be amazed at how accurate you can be when you just raise the entire camera the necessary 50mm/2 inch distance between the centres of the taking and viewing lenses..

Either handheld or on a tripod.

 

[benjiboy]

I'm curious. I've not yet attempted any close-ups with my C330S. Do you find the little parallax bar in the viewfinder to be accurate? Or were you using a paramender?

Ken

It isn't accurate with the wide angle lenses which are the best lenses to shoot close ups with, there is a engraved transparent parallax correction plate for the 55 and 65mm lenses that fits under the focusing hood to give the correct exposure increases for the bellows extension at close distances http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mamiya-Para...CLOSE-FOCUS-AIDE-EXPOSURE-GUIDE-/231289223620. you can get 1:1 life-size images with the 55mm lenses

 

[pbromaghin]

It isn't accurate with the wide angle lenses which are the best lenses to shoot close ups with, there is a engraved transparent parallax correction plate for the 55 and 65mm lenses that fits under the focusing hood to give the correct exposure increases for the bellows extension at close distances http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mamiya-Para...CLOSE-FOCUS-AIDE-EXPOSURE-GUIDE-/231289223620. you can get 1:1 life-size images with the 55mm lenses

On the C33 the lens selector dial for the parallax correction doesn't go below 80 mm. Does the C330 use such a dial?

 

[TheToadMen]

On the C33 the lens selector dial for the parallax correction doesn't go below 80 mm. Does the C330 use such a dial?

Yes, there's a setting for 55 and 65 mm as well.

 

[TheToadMen]

Fomapan 100 (in Ilford DD-X):

(sun from the left)

(almost straight into the sun, no lens hood)

(sun in my back)

It seems the pictures won't show? Retry:

Fomapan 100 (in Ilford DD-X):

(sun from the left)

(almost straight into the sun, no lens hood)

(sun in my back)

 

[adelorenzo]

I took my 330 on a four-day ski trip last weekend:

https://adelorenzo.exposure.co/cottonwood-trail

 

[TheToadMen]

I took my 330 on a four-day ski trip last weekend:

https://adelorenzo.exposure.co/cottonwood-trail

Wow, that was quite some trip! Some nice images too. Like this beautiful B&W scenery: https://adelorenzo.exposure.co/cottonwood-trail#view:kqvgt63bg6lp7gb9jtyy1rb1u5j3jtt9y19d

BTW: don't you love the Fuji NPH400? What a wonderful film it is.

 

[adelorenzo]

Thanks Bert! I haven't had that Mamiya long but I'm already enjoying it a lot.

Yes the NPH is great stuff. I was given a few pro packs of 220 that expired in 2005, I used a bunch to shoot a friend's wedding and then used the rest of my supply on this trip. I wanted to shoot 220 so I didn't have to re-load as often.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

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.

Not only that, señor, for the RB67 there is also the wonderful 140/4.5 C Macro.

 

[EdColorado]

Not only that, señor, for the RB67 there is also the wonderful 140/4.5 C Macro.

And don't forget the 37mm. An amazing piece of glass in the right circumstances.