Used Mamiya C330F - What To Look For?

[kathleen_crane]

Hi, I just bought a used C330F on *bay and would like to know what to look for

when I receive the camera. It looks to be in great condition with the new S-

version 80mm lens with the WLF. I bought this as a complement to my Mamiya 6 so

that I can do multiple exposures and close-ups. Any hints as to how to do a

good evaluation of the camera would be helpful, since I've never used a TLR

before.

 

Thanks!

[v._b.]

One of the main things to check is the lens - especially if it's accurate at slow speeds. I have just sent back one Mamiya lens purchased on *bay - 1 sec was rather 2 sec (advertised as all speeds accurate)...

[dave_s]

Look at<A HREF="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=002AGh"> this old thread</a>, which has some good advice.<p>Focus and alignment are important, especially if you're shooting at close distances and large apertures. The easiest way to do this is to take test shots on your first roll, so that will also tell you how the film transport is working. Check the bellows for condition and leaks. I wouldn't get that excited if the shutter is running slow at 1 sec, as long as it's consistent.<p>Good camera. Congratulations.

[franklin_h1]

I just finished replacing the light seals on mine, pretty easy job with one of Jon Goodmans kits (interslice on ebay)

http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/seal/Mamiya_C330.pdf

[ian_tindale]

There was some talk about the foam holding the focusing screen - when it dissolves, it affects the positioning of the focusing screen, so that your focusing on it might be out.

 

Check that the racking in and out of the lens board doesn't feel like it has any significant 'bumps' along the way.

[golden]

the 80mm s is an excellent lens. the first thing I do when i buy a new lens is try the slow shutter speeds. i have a c330 f with 4 lenses, 65mm 80mm s 135mm, 180mm, my 2 favs are the 80 and the 180, both are very sharp, the 65 tends to flare, I like the 135 too but not as much as the other two. dont trust the distance scale on the side of the body, ive had two c330 bodies and neither scale was accurate at all. good luck

[barry_kenstler1]

Kathleen,

 

You've already gotten a bunch of good advice. I just want to say that if everything works as advertised you have a great camera with a very good lens. I moved from a C330f to an RZ Pro2 and then to digital, and I still miss using my old C330f. Many of the updated lenses performed admirably, though the wide angles and the regular 80 mm could have been better. If you are looking for a longer telephoto, the 180 super lens is excellent. I still marvel at the enlargements of images made with that lens.

 

Since you will be using your new camera for close-up photography, you'll have to deal with the parallax issues resulting from having a separate taking and viewing lens. The C330f has a red indicator bar that moves behind the focusing screen to indicated the actual top of frame. Make sure the correct lens focal length is set on the dial on the side of the camera. If this is incorrectly set, the parallax indicator will be improperly positioned.

 

Also, you might want to check the flash synchronization. The lenses have both M and X synchronization settings, and it's easy to accidentally move the sync selection from X to M, resulting in no flash exposure. I actually glued my lever in place on two lenses.

[picturesque]

Some of the things that I've dealt with on my C330f bodies.

 

Bent lensboard. The front standard jumped a "tooth", so one side of the frame was out of focus. The taking and viewing lenses were out of sync (some lenses, you can swap the front elements, others, you can't). I've never had the focus screen out of alignment problem, but many do (the sponge that holds the screen up dry up). The winding system is somewhat touchy, as well as the counter. I've had stuck shutter buttons. One other somewhat common problem (I've never had it though) is the back not closing tightly, so a roll of film just winds through without stopping.

 

The C330 is somewhat of a Rube Goldberg system so check that all the parts that need to trigger other parts work OK. If you have a good repair person, it might be worth it to have an overhaul done. Grease dries up and the light traps do harden. It is well worth it and I don't want to scare you with the above--my cameras were worked very hard, every weekend shooting weddings.

 

To check focus, you might want to make a fake "roll" of film using two old spools. The "film" would be tracing vellum, and what you do is look through the viewfinder at a target, focus, and then look through the vellum at the film plane (use a dark cloth over your head) and see if the target is still in sharp focus. Might want to locate a good Paramender for the close-ups. Multiple exposures are easy to do.

[peter_b__sydney_]

<blockquote>

<p>I've had stuck shutter buttons.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I have searched for at least an hour now for any other thread detailing a stuck shutter cocking lever & button to no avail until I saw this small sentence above !<br>

The shutter cocking lever and button on my Mamiya C330f has suddenly started to stick after I (wind on the next frame of the film then) depress it. It returns after I give it a little nudge back up. This is with or without any lens in place.<br>

Any suggestions as to how I could fix this ?</p>

[peter_b__sydney_]

<blockquote>

<p>I have searched for at least an hour now for any other thread detailing a stuck shutter cocking lever & button to no avail until I saw this small sentence above ! The shutter cocking lever and button on my Mamiya C330f has suddenly started to stick after I (wind on the next frame of the film then) depress it. It returns after I give it a little nudge back up. This is with or without any lens in place. Any suggestions as to how I could fix this ?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I managed to identify and fix the problem which I detailed <a href="http://goo.gl/Nv4wcl">here </a> http://goo.gl/Nv4wcl</p>