which is more portable? 500cm vs c330

[Dikaiosune01]

Ive been wrestling with this question for the longest time. In the perfect world i wouldnt have to choose and get both. With a little luck ill stir a hornets nest with a healthy discussion.

I also welcome other suggestions. things im looking for with my camera, 50mm and 80mm focal lengths, waist level viewfinders and square 6x6 format.

In your opinion, which is easier to carry around? With film and lenses? It will be used mostly for travel when my 4x5 is too big.

Thanks

 

[Sirius Glass]

A Hasselblad with a 250mm, 350mm or 500mm lens and a 2X extender.

Steve

 

[bdial]

A C330 is't much smaller than a folding 4x5.
IMO a Hasselblad with the two lenses you mention would be easier to carry around than a c330.

 

[Dikaiosune01]

Steve, I wanted you to know that your message with your signature put a huge smile on my face. Back to the issue; your bias is obvious, but both of you appear to be correct.

 

[Mark Fisher]

I've had both (Hassy currently) and a C220 kit. The mamiya kit is definitely easier because the second lens weighs almost nothing and takes little space. If you want to cut the weight, though, definitely consider the C220 instead of the C220.

 

[LudditeJay]

I owned a 500cm with a silver 50/4 and I found that combo heavier, noisier, and more cumbersome to carry around then my current C220 and 80/2.8.

I tried out a C330 with an 80/2.8, shot a roll through it, before finding my C220 and the extra weight made it also cumbersome to carry around. I much prefer my C220. The C220 is not much different in exterior dimensions to the C330, but I guess because of the extra weight it made it feel larger when in reality it is only slightly smaller in each dimension.

I ended up returning the 500cm after about a week, purchased from KEH, as I liked the C220 more. The 500cm I received also had light leak issues. If you purchase a 500cm buy it from a photographer that has used it regularly or from a place with a return policy. However, I hear it is a simple enough fix if you do get a bad one.

 

[ArtTwisted]

TLR's , including the one you mentioned, are smaller then Hasselblads, and are easier to find space for in the travel bag in my opinion as they are quite compact shapes with not much producing. They are not MUCH smaller then the Hassy though. if you dont care between the two, and dont need the features of the SLR then in my opinion the TLR is much more hand holdable (no mirror slap) and as quiet as can be for a camera, which makes it a great travel camera.

 

[williamtheis]

ever consider a Rolleiflex? no interchangeable lens but great photos, small, quiet

 

[Rick A]

For street shooting its my C-220 over my C-330. I packed Kowa Super 66's for a long time, and The Hassy isn't any treat for me. I much prefer TLR's to SLR medium formats. They are immensly quieter and I like not loosing the view when the shutter trips, making for a faster second shot..

 

[John Koehrer]

I don't think there's much difference in size. Neither camera is lightweight.
It will come down to how you like the handling of the device.
The Hasselblad is a much more elegant design with no sharp corners. The focus uses a helical and the camera hangs lens down when carried on a strap.
A majority of the weight is in the lens/shutter bits.

The Mamiya TLR's have a more crude,industrial look to them. Flat planes and sharp corners with a rack and pinion focus. It hangs lens forward when on a strap. I think Mamiya has fewer operating idiosyncrasies than the Hasselblad.

 

[Barry S]

I've used the Hasselblad V system for a long time and recently got into the Mamiya TLR system. Both are great systems with high quality mechanicals, good optics, and extensive accessories. If you're carrying around a camera body and a bunch of lenses, the Mamiya system will be smaller and lighter. For the camera and 1-2 lenses, the differences in weight and bulk are marginal, with the Hasselblad lenses taking more space.

I've been delighted with the Mamiya TLRs and currently have both the C33 and C330 cameras. The C33 is heavier, but beautifully made camera with no plastic parts--I think it's my favorite of the line because of the design, solid build, and auto shutter cocking (absent on the lighter C2xx cameras). However, they're all nice cameras--and the lenses are available at a fraction of the price of the Hasselblad glass. The Hasselblad Zeiss lenses are better performers in absolute terms--especially wide-open and to the far corners of the frame. In practice, the Mamiya lenses are excellent--especially if you stop down a bit. You also gain 1-2 stops by the ability to shoot the TLR more easily at lower shutter speeds.

Try a Mamiya TLR first and see if it meets your needs. If you're happy, you'll have saved a lot of money.

 

[MattKing]

For a 2 or 3 lens kit, the Mamiya is definitely easier to pack.

I have both a C330 and C220 body. The C330 is faster to operate, while the C220 is lighter and slightly smaller.

I note that you are thinking of 50mm and 80mm lenses. The widest Mamiya C lens is 55mm, and at f/4.5 it isn't particularly fast.

My preferred travel kit with the Mamiya TLRs is a two lens kit - 65mm and 135 mm.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Mamiya TLR kit will be much less expensive, if that's a criterion for you.

I have a 55-105-135-180 C330 kit, and my problem was to find a bag for it. In a way, since Hassy lenses are larger, they're more similar to 35mm/DLSR-size zoom lenses. In contrast, the Mamiya lenses being of a much different format required me to do some creative work with the padding of my backpack.

Look at your available backpack options. Being light is not the only value of a package: being tight is another.

 

[2F/2F]

I find both of these systems relatively easy to carry. The Hasselblad seems more streamlined, due to it's shape. However, the Mamiya C system is not difficult to carry.

The real difference is that one is a TLR and one is an SLR with exchangeable magazines. The SLR with backs will be more versatile when traveling. Say you want to take a picture in color and black and white, or on any other two different films, or give different frames different developments. The Hassy is the camera, IMO.

This being said, I have done quite a lot of traveling and hiking with my C series cameras.

 

[Barry S]

The Hassy film magazines can be useful, but they come with a price. The complex mechanisms of the magazines are more prone to problems--generally frame spacing issues. I've had a brand new back develop spacing issues for no discernible reason. The film path of the Hassy magazines also puts a bend in the film if it sits in the magazine. The Mamiyas have a nice straight film path. I'm sure the Hassy magazines were indispensable for pro's on assignment, but they seem a little less useful for art photography use.

 

[Dr.Pain-MD]

I own a Mamiya C-33 (which I am trying to sell right now) and have very briefly handled a Hassy 500C. In terms of portability, I would definitely go with the Hassy because the Mamiya is huge and its awkward shape does not help (the main problem being the protruding focusing wheels). They are both great cameras with their respective pros and cons, but the Hassy wins the portability battle IMO.

 

[Wishy]

Having used both a russian hassie clone (Similar in size and weight), an SL66 and a C220...

C220
- Advantages
Mirror slap
Will take a battering. they were ugly when they came out the factory, most are more ugly now. You bash a hasselblad and you feel bad, you bash a mamiya and "that's what it was built for"
Is fairly easy to repair
Bellows focus, allows you to get closer
- Disadvantages
Lens quality, IMHO, isn't up to that of the Zeiss lenses. That said they're a lot cheaper
This can be mitigated a little with a hood, but these make the mamiya system more bulky
Parallax. I find I have a lower hit rate than on an SLR, as I can see exactly where things are
Ability to change backs is handy

 

[agfarapid]

I've been using a C33 with 2 lens for street & landscape for the past 2 years. Great results, fun to use. Just got a user 500c today and will be using that too. Some observations: The hasselblad is a lot smaller than I thought and seems a bit lighter than my C33. Much brighter viewing screen, seems faster handling. I've been using a lot of Mamiya glass recently (RB, 645 & C33) and have been pretty happy. Curious as to how the 80 2.8 Planar compares. I'll post some frames in the next few days.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I find both of these systems relatively easy to carry. The Hasselblad seems more streamlined, due to it's shape. However, the Mamiya C system is not difficult to carry.

The real difference is that one is a TLR and one is an SLR with exchangeable magazines. The SLR with backs will be more versatile when traveling. Say you want to take a picture in color and black and white, or on any other two different films, or give different frames different developments. The Hassy is the camera, IMO.

This being said, I have done quite a lot of traveling and hiking with my C series cameras.

I have had both. I found that handling the C330 was clumsy. The 65mm and 80mm automatically cocked with the winder; the 250mm lens did not. I did not like the lack of ergomatics. I dumped it with the lenses and almost every accessory for it to buy the Hasselblad and I never looked back.

Reference someone else's previous post: I have had a few Hasselblad backs that had spacing problems and the Hasselblad technician at Samys adjusted them while I waited at no charge. Does anyone want to blame the Hasselblad for their having problem loading 120 on to development reel? Maybe blame Hasselblad for slowing down the rotation rate of the Earth?

 

[olwick]

I know you mentioned the WLF, but if you're traveling a lot you might consider the Mamiya 6. Stunning lenses and super light/portable.

 

[Eric Rose]

I've used both systems and settled on the Blad. Especially for traveling, which I did a lot of with my Blad system. If weight was going to be an issue I used the wlf rather than my 45 degree metered head. For travel I packed a 50mm, 80mm and 150mm plus 3 backs and a 2X converter for the Blad.

I found that the C330 was just to clunky and prone to this or that going wonky for my style of shooting.

 

[c6h6o3]

Since you've found almost as many opinions on this matter as there are posters, and no clear consensus as to the relative advantages of size and weight, why not just choose the rig that you find easier to use? After all the whole purpose of transporting it anywhere is to take pictures with it when you get there.

 

[jeffreyg]

It wasn't mentioned where the travel is to, what subject matter is of interest and how the equipment is to be carried. Personally, I use Hasselblads and take the 50FLE, 150 and a 2x and carry all plus a Gortex shell in a camera backpack. I pack a daypack in my checked luggage and use that if in a city to keep weight and size down. I like to have each of the lenses on a separate body using the same film in both so there is no need for switching lenses. The 2x is for out in the countryside. I have an 80, 250 and 350 and extension tubes but would only take one or more of them if I knew I would really have the need. The other stuff is heavy enough as it is.


http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[jerry lebens]

I've got my 500cm and C220 in front of me now, both fitted with an 80mm lenses (the 'blad with a chrome T*). With the 500cm sitting on it's base and the C220 lying on it's back, side by side, the Mamiya is approx 2cm wider than the 'blad (due to the focus wheels) and about 1cm higher - the lens sticks out more than the wlf. The Mamiya is 100gm heavier than the 'blad, too. So, whoever said the Mamiya was smaller was wrong. However, the difference isn't huge.

I have a chrome 50mm Distagon, too, which weighs very nearly 1kg but I don't have a Mamiya 50mm to compare it with. From memory, I'd guess that the Mamiya 50mm is slightly larger and quite possibly heavier.

Given the choice of camera, I'd say it depends what you want to do with it and price - the size/weight differences aren't vast. Personally, I tend to use the Mamiya for personal B&W stuff that doesn't need to be quite as precise as commercial work, which is usually shot on transparency. The 'blad allows me to run two backs at once as well as use polaroid (again, an absolute must for commercial applications).
Of course, as soon as I add an extra back or a polaroid back to my kit the 'blad starts to be a bulkier, heavier, option. It does have other advantages, though, such as the excellent dof scale and the useful ability to lock exposure values in step, enabling me to riff through various exposure combinations more quickly.

Prior to weighing the Mamiya, I'd have guessed it was lighter but it doesn't make me like it any less. It's less temperamental than the Hasselblad because the mechanism is simpler, I've never needed to fix anything on the Mamiya. The Hasselblad, on the other hand needs regular servicing, otherwise things tend to go wrong ; only last week I had a back jam. Luckily I had the Mamiya with me just in case...

Regards
Jerry

 

[segedi]

I took a mamiya RZ67 out to the garden this morning, with metered prism and the winder... What a beast. Tripod was a necessity. Some shoot handheld buy I find it too much for me!

Then grabbed a Hasselblad 503CW with winder and metered prism. Easily handheld. What a compact system. With the manual winder and waist level, it is lighter still! Will be taking it to a wedding(I'm the best man, not the pro) for some shots end of the month and know it packs well, works well and will be perfect.

Have you decided on anything yet?