So I just got a Mamiya 220

<p>What can I expect from this beast it has the 105mm lens on it. do all Mamiya TLR lens fit on it? as I have seen many for cheap on fleabay. I already have a brighter screen for it I had made for another camera but I think it will fit.</p>

<p>Do all Mamiya TLR lens fit on it? They sure do. </p>

<p>It's a great camera....enjoy!</p>

<p>For practical purposes, all Mamiya TLR lenses fit on all Mamiya TLRs. (I believe the only exception is if you go back to 1950s lenses, made for the original Mamiya C I think, but you are unlikely to see those.)</p>

<p>Your 105 is an excellent lens-- 4/3 tessar design, and you're only using the central sweet spot on a 6 x 6 frame. In the less likely event it says 'D' or 'DS' on the lens face, it is an even better 5/3 pentac/heliar design. Best source of information is Graham Patterson's comprehensive Mamiya TLR site. </p>

<p>Son of a gun it says D on it. And to think the whole thing cost just $135.00</p>

<p>It's a nice camera, very easy to handle and not quiet a 'beast' despite it's size. I would almost say sexy ;)<br>

It's rather lightweight and you can hold it with a single hand. A really lovely piece of technology.<br>

On mine the light seals went into goo, what's quite strange as they where new when I bought the camera. I think it may have happened by the exposure of to the sun in Spain... but it's not a specially important thing as I have replacement (just being lazy lately).</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Well mine came with a nice hand grip so I called it a beast as It is much larger than my other TLRs but then again I use a Kiev 88 with a left hand grip that I modified from a Hassy grip. I am waiting to find a Gowenflex 4x5 TLR as i can get roll film in 4x5 from a friend... LOL</p>

<p>I used to love that camera and lens. The 105mm "D" was sharper, according to Modern Photography's tests, than the 80mm lens normally supplied with the camera. As I recall. the best were the 55mm, 65mm, 105mm, and 180mm, with the 80, 135, and 250 lagging somewhat behind. I had the 65, 105 and 180 and took some of my favorite landscapes with them.<br>

Here's a couple of negatives that I copied with a D90 and Nikon 50mm lens on extension tubes, reversed in Photoshop, etc.</p><div></div>

<p>I think it will be fine and my V700 will handle it and I also have an Omega D 4x5 enlarger that will deal with them.</p>

<p>That was taken with the 105mm lens, and under a microscope you can see the actual leaves on that little bit of feathery treetop protruding above the treeline a bit right of center, and that was handheld at 1/60th and f4 on Plus-X.<br>

This one was taken with the 180mm, exposure unrecorded.</p><div></div>

<p>I think I got a good deal.. thanks</p>

<p>Drool...</p>

<p>What a steal! What great shots by Lewis!</p>

<p>Whatta lucky guy.</p>

<p>Yep and don't drool it gets in the ground glass.....</p>

<p>I would love to have a drum scan of that negative or even from my V700.</p>

<p>Great stuff, Lewis. My first medium-format "pro" camera was the C330 with a full lens kit, and it served me well until the RB67 arrived. But those lenses were great; the 180mm, in particular, was one of the sharpest lenses I've owned, and a great length for portraits. I like the moodiness of your first pic; I have a photographer friend who does landscape only when the sun isn't shining, and I have strong leanings in that direction...</p>

<p>Larry.... you got an excellent deal! The 80mm f/2.8 blue dot is another excellent lens. I've got the 65mm as well... it's a little soft but usually sells for quite cheap considering that the 55mm is the one people spend the cash on. If you've got the grip and the WLF, you have all the assessories you need. Don't be suckered into the porrofinder... it's exceptionally dim and bulky with a tiny eyepiece... also, holding a Mamiya TLR at eye-level for extended periods takes muscles I simply don't have. You can do great close-ups once you get used to the scale on the ground-glass. Mamiya double-purposed the exposure compensation numbers for close-ups, so the exposure compensation numbers also represent where to line up the top of the frame in the viewfinder. This is still one of my favorite cameras of anything I've owned, a sheer pleasure to shoot with!</p>

<p>Well Patrick I am glad and if I was not wanting to be dead from a sinus head ache I would be in total joy</p>

<p>What a lucky guy.. a "D" lens to boot!! I'm very impressed with the negs photographed from a digital camera and reversed.<br>

Incredible. I bet if there were optical prints made they must be..incredible. I hope you can get similar result from your Mamiya and I hope you feel better soon!!</p>

 

<p>Larry, congrats on your 'new' C220. It's going to be a performer!</p>

<p>-John</p>

<p>Thank you for the compliments on the pictures!</p>

<p>Les - I don't own a scanner, but I once paid a pro lab $15 for a scan and $10 more for a CD of that scan, of a negative from a Pentax 6x7. It was supposedly a 16 megabyte scan but I was sorely disappointed, having recently copied the same neg with a 3mp P&S which got nearly the same amount of detail!!! With my D90 or Fuji S3 and the normal Nikon 50mm 1.8 AIS on extension tubes, I get results good enough for 11x14 prints.<br>

I'd get a scanner if I could afford it, especially since I've gotten allergic to the fumes of the fixer . . .<br>

I'll post one more shot from that camera, actually two shots stitched in Photoshop Elements 6 of a scene of Jenny Lake and Teewinot Mt. in Grand Teton NP. These were taken with the 65mm Mamiya lens, without any idea that years later I would be able to combine them. That lens seemed very sharp to me, but if I remember correctly the 55mm tested sharper. Couldn't afford it at the time. Loved the 180mm, too. Had to sell the whole kit to pay rent after I first got married.<br>

Wasn't there a version of the 105mm lens that had depth-of-field preview? Like its own diaphragm?</p><div></div>

<p>The 220 fits this forum charter, but you might find more info related to the Mamiya TLRs on the Medium Format forum.<br>

The 105D is a pretty good lens. At least my copy is. I also have very sharp 80 and 135 samples. In my case the 65mm is the softest, but others have said good things about it. All are the black shutter versions.<br>

You might want to check focus through the viewfinder vs. the taking lens. Any of the Mamiya TLRs might have light seals that are going bad. There's a 3rd party foam kit available. Look for "Jon Goodman" and "light seal" or something like that.<br>

There's a nice summary of the system here: http://www.btinternet.com/~g.a.patterson/mfaq/m_faq-contents.html</p>

<p>Oh there is no problem there as it had a CLA and new seals put in in the last year then the owner lost interest in Film photography. Thanks for the link.</p>

<p>Way back in high school in the early '70s I traded my trusty Yashica MAT-124 (the early one without the gold trim) for a used Mamiya TLR. Not sure of the model, maybe a C or D, with a couple lenses, an 80 and 105 if I remember right. It taught me a lot, but I was never happy with the crispness of the chrome shutter lenses. I had it tested and serviced, but it was what it was. A portrait photographer probably would have loved it. I sold it quite quickly. Just a few years ago I found a 330 with newer lenses, and it's fantastic. I replaced the shot seals and am pretty sure it's one of the sharpest cameras I own. If you change the focusing screen, but sure to have the camera checked on an autocollimator (or some similar technique) to be sure the top and bottom focus agree. IMO, the Mamiya TLRs are a bit quirky, but a great and rugged piece of engineering.</p>

<p>Oh I I have replaced screens before and thanks as I know this is going to be a winner.... I replaced the screen in my Rolleicord that was built in 1958 and This is what I got from it after I got it all adjusted.<br /> <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3603531274_c96ae6fbb2_o.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="1215" /></p>

<p>Full Size and not auto shrunk<br>

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3603531274_c96ae6fbb2_o.jpg</p>

<p>It looks like you can see the actual thread count in the fabric of that flag!</p>