Thinking about getting another MF camera

[greg_hairston]

<p>I currently have a Bronica S2. I was looking at adding to this system but it is heavy and awkward to use. My local shop has a Mamiya C33 for a decent price with a three lens kit. Do I stay with the S2 and just add to that or do I go with the TLR. I like to do street shooting and architecture. I also do landscapes. I do not have that much experience with film. I shot two rolls with the bronica and I love it. Another option is to go with a different system all together. I heard the C330 is lighter that the 33. Does anyone know how much lighter? Just looking for input.</p>

[garyowen]

<p>I've been shooting with the Mamiya 3 Series since 1959 and I've never had a good reason to want to get rid of one. Great camera and a three lense deal really makes it sweet!</p>

[garyowen]

<p>I've been shooting with the Mamiya 3 Series since 1959 and I've never had a good reason to want to get rid of one. Great camera and a three lense deal really makes it sweet!</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Neither. Get a Bronica SQ-A, Ai or B outfit. Light, cheap, good glass, full system.</p>

[mike_earussi1]

<p>The smallest, lightest, fastest, most compact and easiest to use MF slr system is the Pentax 645.<br>

The most compact, lightest weight and highest quality is the Mamiya 7 system, provided money is no object and it fits your shooting style.</p>

[jean_yves_mead]

Nope - for 'smallest, lightest, ..., most compact' the Mamiya manual-focus 645 system beats the Pentax by a nose since you can substitute a folding waist-level finder for the eye-level prism, and can omit the power winder.

 

Not that either is particularly onerous to carry; and both are superb camera systems.

[marc_batters]

<p>Check "Graham Patterson's," extensive Mamiya TLR site. <br>

There, you will find just about any-and-all answers to your C-series, TLR system/accessory questions.</p>

<p>http://www.gapatterson.com/grahamp/mamiyamisc/index.html<br>

http://www.btinternet.com/~g.a.patterson/mfaq/m_faq-mamiya.html</p>

 

[jon_porter2]

<p>I second Louis' suggestion. The Bronica SQ series are wonderful cameras with an excellent accessory grip for handheld shooting. And prices are painfully low (for sellers) now. I have an SQ-B with the 65mm, 80mm and 110mm lenses and absolutely love it. I also have the Bronica ETR-Si with four lenses, but prefer the SQ-B.<br>

Buying the Mamiya C33 will just be replacing one 40-year-old camera with another.</p>

[chris_waller]

<p>I have two C3s and a C330. There might well be a difference in weight but I have never noticed it. One on my C3s has the prism finder which is sometimes useful though it adds considerably to the weight. If the price is right I'd buy it anyway. I just love the Mamiya TLRs.</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>C220 body alone = 1440 grams<br>

C330 body alone = 1430 grams<br>

C33 body (with finder) > 2000 grams.<br>

80mm lens set = 300 grams<br>

Do you want to do portrait and landscape orientations both? Many cameras are egregiously awkward when lain on their side.<br>

My light weight 'pocket' 645 camera is a Mamiya M645 1000S. For use with my pickup truck (humor), I use a Mamiya RB67 which has that grand ability to rotate the film back, for me a great thing. It's heavy but I find it not awkward, but then I'm doing landscapes and such, not street shooting.<br>

Jim</p>

[jim_peterson2]

<p>The SQ-A (or other SQ versions) is a great option if you want 6x6 format. Add the AE prism finder and speed grip and it functions a lot like an SLR. Choose the WLF and manual crank and it suddenly feels quite retro!<br>

If you don't mind sizing down to 645 there are many more options. The Bronica ETR is quite similar to the SQ-A but if you want pure ease of use without all the modular stuff the best SLR option is the Pentax 645n (just my opinion of course!). It will most definitely help you take great photos.<br>

If you really want something light weight there is the rangefinder option but as mentioned above these tend to get pricey.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I think Mamiya TLRs are like Marmite, you either love them or totally loathe them. I'll admit to being a loather, and I'll explain why: Firstly they're big and stupidly heavy for the functionality they offer. Secondly they have all of the disadvantages of a reversed, parallax prone TLR waist-level finder with none of the advantages of being discrete to use. Thirdly the Mamiya lenses for them aren't in the same league as the Rolleiflex Planar. Lastly, if you want lens interchangeability then an SLR design makes much more sense.</p>

<p>OK, the S2 is a bit old and lenses in good condition are getting harder to find, but then bits for the Mamiya Cxxx series aren't exactly common either.</p>

<p>Greg, decide on a camera system and stick with it for a while. Having put two rolls of film through the S2 hardly even makes for a test run. You'll almost certainly have got some camera shake on those first shots if you didn't use a decent tripod. A waist-level finder has some advantage for street photography, but only if the camera isn't glistening with chrome (S2) or the size of two house bricks (C33). Neither camera is quick and nimble to use and they certainly wouldn't be my first choice for candid or street shooting.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Add the AE prism finder and speed grip and it functions a lot like an SLR.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Errm, the SQA <em>is</em> an SLR, whether you add anything to it or not!</p>

[jim_bielecki1]

<blockquote>

<p>C220 body alone = 1440 grams<br />C330 body alone = 1430 grams</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Not true. A C220 body weighs 1,150 grams while the C330 weighs 1,465 grams.</p>

<p>Or, the C220 is more than a pound lighter than the C330.</p>

[greg_hairston]

<p>Being new to MF cameras I think I will stick with my S2 for a while. I would like to get the 50 or 40mm lens but I will wait a while on it. Quick question. WLF seems a little dim and the mirror has some specs on it. Is it ok to clean the mirror and if so how and with what. Also is it ok to clean the in box side of the viewfinder.</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>I stand corrected. My notes were in error; the C220 data must have included a lens.<br>

This AM I went next door & weighed my neighbor's C220 body = 1150 grams.<br>

His C330 body weighs in at exactly 1430 grams.</p>

<p>But that's only 280 grams lighter. (0.62 pounds)<br>

Jim</p>

[harry_templeton]

<p>Be careful with the screen of the WLF and don't use any type of fluid on it. i know photographers who used lens cleaning fluid and it stained the focusing screen for good. A brush and a blower should work, just be REALLY gentle. that worked for my Rolleiflex, brightened it up a bit and got rid of a lot of the specks in the screen. <br>

The mirror i haven't had to clean yet, so don't quote me for advice on it. But I'm pretty sure its a similar process to cleaning a lens. On my 35mm cameras i just use a blower and don't touch it with anything, but those are a lot smaller.<br>

You should probably get a second opinion from someone more familiar with <em>your</em> system, Ive only ever used the rolleiflex TLRs</p>

[donbright]

<p>Have you considered a Pentax 6711, with a couple of lenses? I've used one for several years, and it has always delivered. Its light, and easy to maneuver for a Medium format camera. Because it resembles a 35 mm SLR, there are certain circles that seem to compare it to the nimbleness of a 35 mm SLR, and thats just non-sense. The 6711 does handle well. I use it on a tripod elusively, so to me handles well means the ability to operate smoothly, and change lenses with fluidity. </p>

[donbright]

<p>The weight of a Pentax 6711 is at, 1210 grams, 42.7 oz, 2.7 lbs.</p>

[ondebanks]

<blockquote>

<p>I use it on a tripod elusively</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Hey Don, I presume you meant exclusively? I had a mental image of you as a ninja photographer...you never see Don but somehow he arrives, sets up his 67II and gets the shots, before slipping away undetected! ;)</p>

<p>Yeah, the Pentax 67...excellent, fast lenses, big 6x7 quality, and good handling. Yet it doesn't seem to get a lot of consideration these days; I think a lot of people are put off by the fixed film back and the slow flash sync. But it's probably a good "street" camera as far as medium format goes, relatively inconspicuous (I used the word advisedly) because it at least <em>looks</em> like a "normal" (D)SLR. And I've seen fantastic landscape results from it.</p>

<p> </p>

[donbright]

<p>Yes, Sorry, I meant exclusively. </p>

[donbright]

<p>Another point. To me, the Pentax 6711 camera, is a special purpose camera targeted for landscapes. When you discard the flash sync feature, 30th is unusable in my view, discard the mirror size, that has a considerable slap when used, whether constant, or mirror up, the lightness, ease of use, makes it a devise that travels well on the trail, from one landscape op to the next. If a camera has a mirror in it, I don't particularly care what the design character is like, the mirror box, the lens rear element, the film plane, or sensor plane, the purpose of projecting an image circle on that plane is the function aspect of the machine. I use the Pentax 6711,"Exclusively," on a tripod. That tripod happens to be heavy for the purpose of controlling vibration emitted by the shutter in this camera. "Sweat equity," for the purpose of making big pictures. As for the Un-removable back, there are 10 exposures available with 6x7, in the field, in the process of bracketing, averaging 3, in the real world, the roll in use evaporates pretty quickly. Deciding whether color or B+W isn't a obsticle. I have never felt pinned to a particular film type, yearning for another film back.</p>