TLR Newbie (Mamiya C330F) - Exposure Comp & Parallax Correction Questions!

Hi All!

I'm a newbie to TLR's - purchased a mint condition Mamiya C330F w/ 80mm yeserday and want to fire off some pics but need clarification on a couple things first which I hope you all can help with.

1) Bellows Extention Factor?
I believe when I extend the lens when focusing, the focal length increases which in turn effects exposure? -- please correct me if wrong -- anyway, there is a distance scale on the side of camera.. how does this work? I rotated scale to display 80mm numbers (the focal length of lens I have fitted), I read the manual which states to read the numbers in the window.. but I'm not too sure what those figures mean & how to use it.


2) Parallax Correction
OK.. so I set the parralax correction dial on side of camera to 80mm. When I take a wide picture this correction doesn't matter. But again if I try and focus on something that causes the lens to extend, then this 'parallax' correction line appears on the left my viewfinder.. so is that line the new *TOP* of my frame?? I also read in the manual that the numbers the line corresponds to the amount i need to compensate exposure with. ie. my external light meter measures 1/60 @ F8.. so the line falls on 2, does that mean my correct exposure is now 1/60 @ F5.6? If so what happens if it falls on 1.5? Does each number equate to a *full* stop?


Thanks all!

1) The scale on the side of the camera tells you nothing about bellows extension factor. For the distance scale and the 80mm lens, the index position indicates the distance between the camera and the subject focused upon (sort of, because this system for indicating distances isn't particularly accurate).

2) You are using an 80mm lens, and so you set the dial on the side of the camera to that focal length. That affects how the pointer in the viewfinder reacts when you focus. For normal distances, you won't even see it. As you focus closer with the lens, the pointer does two things:

a) it gives you a guide about how the distance between the taking and viewing lenses affects your photo. The pointer indicates the top of your image, and how much you need to correct for the parralax error;
b) as you focus closer, the ratio between the aperture and the effective focal length changes, and as a result the intensity of the light hitting the film decreases, and you need to compensate by changing the exposure. The indicator in the viewfinder indicates how much - 1.5 = 3/4 of a stop, 2 = 1 stop, 3 = 1.5 stops.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy your C330f. I've enjoyed my C330 for about 30 years.

Matt

P.S. In case you haven't seen Graham Patterson's excellent Mamiya TLR resource, here is a link:

Dead Link Removed

Graham posts here on APUG as well.

No each number is a factor. So x 2 mean twice th exposure which is 1 stop.

Mamiya also sod a device which allowed the camera to be shifted up the correct distance for close up work. A Paramender, you focussed normally then this device which sat between camera & tripod allowed you to move the camera precisely putting the taking lens in the position of the viewing/focissing lens. Harder to describe that do

In practice it's often possible to just use the centre column on your tripod, which is what I did when I shot jewellery with a C33, back in the aerly 70's. But if you're doing close portraits hand held then use the screen correction, essentially you're just tip the camera up slightly because the taking lens is a couple of inches lower.

The distance scales on the side are slightly different to my C33 but are used for calculating Depth of field and exposure factors from sets of tables that Mamiya published.

Ian

Congratulations on getting the great Mamiya C330 TLR. I have one too with several different lenses.

Here are some answers that may help you out…

Parallax Correction. Since the viewing lens is located above the taking lens, each lens provides a slightly different view. When any TLR is focused at infinity the difference is negligible. However, as you focus more closely the parallax error becomes much more of a factor. You are correct that the pointer in the viewfinder indicates the top cut-off line of what will be recorded on film.

Bellows extension factor. As you focus more closely the amount of light reaching the film is reduced. On the C-330 you know how much it is reduced by again looking at the pointer on focusing screen. If it is pointing to the number 2 you need to double the exposure time or open the aperture one stop. If it is pointing to 1.5 you should compensate for the loss of exposure by opening up the aperture one-half stop. Likewise if the pointer falls on the number 3 you should triple the exposure or open the aperture by one and a half stops.

Distance Scale. As you focus a red indicator line will appear on the left side of the focusing window. Focusing more closely will cause this line to automatically shift towards the right as the distance scale moves towards the left. The distance you are focused at is noted by where the indicator line falls on the distance scale. This is only good down to 4 feet.

Keep in mind that extending the bellows (focusing more closely) will not change the focal length of your lens… your 80mm will remain an 80mm regardless of whether you are focused at infinity or 12 inches.

Best of luck in capturing some great photos with your new camera.
Adrian

Thanks so much for the quick & helpful response guys.. really do appreciate it! I'm now thankfully alot more clear on those issues.. which is awesome! Can't wait to get out and roll out my first 120!!

Also really glad to hear you guys speak so highly of this camera. Although I‘ve always wanted a medium format/TLR, I wasn’t *really* in the market for one, but couldn’t resist this when I saw it at a used camera fair yesterday. Purchased it of a nice gentleman who bought it new (I’m 2nd owner), cosmetically it’s in priostine condition... like new, mechanically everything works & functions smoothly, orginal manual looks like it hasn't even been read! Came with 80mm 2.8 Sekor lens w/ skylight filter, additional Porrofinder & Grip Holder for $AUS280. Hope I made a good choice!? My wife was actually wondering whilst shaking her head in disbelief as to why I went to a used camera fair looking for a DSLR but came back with a brick that weighs a ton that takes film! I'm waiting to show her the pictures.. that should win her over!!

I've shot with a couple of Mamiya C330Fs for more than twenty years ryca, If you send me a personal message about anything I can help you with , I would be happy to explain it to you. The grip holder makes a big difference in the handling and you got a real bargain at the price you paid.

thanks benjiboy.. appreciate that mate. also relieved to hear the price was right.

you’re so correct about the grip holder making a difference.. i shot with it on the other day and it was fairly ergonomic. last night i had it off though, and tried shooting.. man was it hard. i kept thinking i was going to drop it! (i think a neck strap would help in that case... must get one)

If you look in the instruction book, Mamiya claim that every 24x36 m/m portion of the negatives from this camera can be enlarged to 20"x 16", although I have had some superb big enlargements from the negs,I don't know how true it is I have never tried it, but I've seen my 6x6 Fuji Velvia 100F slides taken with one of these cameras projected on a 16ft square screen, and the quality was amazing.

On earlier C-series TLRs (and on RBs and RZs), there are exposure compensation guides on the focusing scales. The later C-series cameras like yours placed the guide onto the ground glass instead. On these newer models, the parallax compensation indicator underneath the ground glass doubles as an indicator of bellows extension factor.

Re: parallax: Yes, the indicator shows where the top of the frame will be. You can raise the camera two inches or, as Ian said, tilt it upward. I prefer to do the former so as to not change the perspective of the shot. When you get used to using these cameras hand held, you may just compose using the indicator as the top of the frame in the first place, tilting down briefly to see what will be in the bottom sliver of the composition. That is what I do. On a tripod I use the Paramender.

FWIW, I have a C-33 and two C-220s, and do not have much experience with the 330 models.