Favorite Mamiya TLR

[gregg_kawakami]

<p>What is your favorite Mamiya TLR...and why? And what lens do you use the most?<br>

Mahalo,<br>

Gregg</p>

[fred_haeseker]

<p>I had a C330 with 3 lenses and many accessories, then after many years it developed film transport problems. The last local technician who worked on mechanical cameras had retired, so I did some hunting around, found a C330s body (last Mamiya TLR model) and I was back in business. The price was probably less than the cost of repair.<br>

I used a friend's C22 for a while and found it perfectly satisfactory. I suspect I'd be happy with any of the C models.</p>

 

[wogears]

<p>C330f. I'd also like a 220 body some day, because it's lighter. It also has a few features, like the auto-shutter-cock, that help me stay sane switching from the ETRS that I also love.</p>

[dave_s]

<p>I still have three of these things (C3, C33, C330f), but I practically never use them anymore. The C330f is the best of the three, but really it's just a device for holding the lens and film parallel to each other. Some folks have said they prefer the C330f to the later C330s, but I don't know their reasons.</p>

<p>I'm a normal lens kind of guy, so my favorite lens is the 105/3.5 'D' lens. This is the five-element design, ostensibly a little better corrected than the four-element plain vanilla 105, but I doubt if you'd be able to see much of a difference. </p>

<p>I used to have the 135/4.5, which is an excellent portrait lens. (I sold it, when I thought I was getting rid of my Mamiya TLR stuff.) A Mamiya TLR with a 135 or a 180 is arguably about the best medium format portrait setup available.</p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>I own 330f + 33, looked at a 220 once.<br>

I think the late collapsible WLF where the top gets covered by the flipped out loupe is a must have the earlier one with a not covering loupe can get annoying for landscape shooters. But the chimney finder is worth its bulk, every ccm it takes extra. While the finder is most important for me 330f seems obviously better since more convenient than the 33, which lacks lens cocking via film advance WA lens support with parallax indicator and the nice to have 2nd release button on the bottom of the camera body. But: missing features are less likely to break.<br>

Fav lens: 135mm (I read the black version should be better than my chrome one) next: 55mm. (*gap*) Followed by probably 250mm and 80mm I used neither of these last 2 ones much, since it is easier to cover the normal lens field with my light RF. (or your current TLR). <br>

Do some geometry exercise and figure out how the focal lengths convert into your mental 35mm realm and pick them according to your existing preferences! - I would work with an imagined 36x36mm camera at that point. </p>

[chris_waller]

<p>I have the C3, the C220 and the C330. The C330 is the most convenient, given that is combines the wind-on with shutter-cocking, but my favourite is the C220. Since I usually use them with static, or at least slow-moving, subject matter, speed of operation is not important.</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>I have a C3, a C33 and a C330 and also an original Mamiyaflex. I usually have to find the manual to work out how to open the back door as they are all different.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Not sure if mine is plain C330 or the 330s or 330f without being home to look at it. Definitely prefer the 330 series over the 220 series because of the automatic shutting cocking. Only lens I have is the 80. But at one of my first newspapers we had a half dozen or more of the camera in various models and the whole range of lenses with some duplicates. The 55 was my favorite wide angle -- the 65 wasn't really all that wide. I used the 80 for general purposes and shooting basketball courtside at the net. I also used the 180 and 250 to shoot little league baseball and high school football. Even if they weren't as long as what I'd use on a 35mm camera, the big negative let me crop in as much as I needed. <br /><br />I have both the WLF and the prism finder because I got it cheap. Picked up my camera with lens and WLF for about $75 around 10 years ago from a wedding photographer. It had been his first camera maybe 20 years before that and he was cleaning out old gear as he moved toward retirement. Still in perfect shape and just as rugged as the day it was new.<br /><br />This camera doesn't get much use now that I'm mostly digital but it still has sentimental value.</p>

[richard_]

<p>The auto parallax indicator feature in c330 is pretty nice to have for doing close-up portraits and the like, but overall I prefer the c220, mostly because of its lighter weight. I also prefer knob wind. The 80 I use the most followed by the 135(chrome). In any event, the Mamiya tlr is a great camera, imo...</p>

[rob_kenney1]

<p>have a couple Mamiyas. C33's, 330, 330f. All fantastic and not limiting my photography skills...<br>

<br />I like the 330f and 330 the best. Just lots of small improvements... The better (imo) shutter release lock and lower shutter release button option work well for me. I have the pistol grip that works with both utilizing the front release.<br>

The folding WLF on the 330f is probably a key favorite feature for me. Simple, not fiddly. The 330 works fine as well and doesn't slow me down, but it's like the later 'blad WLF - easier.<br>

LOVE fast glass, so between the 55, 80, 135, and 180 i use the 80mm 2.8 the most for lower light ability and lovely bokeh wide open. <br>

Macro like ability is fantastic. I recently used the 330 to shoot an old Rollei and love the resulting close up soft focus! The parallax indicator is genius and works better than expected (not exact).<br>

I'm a digital guy, loving these old analog cameras. I've really seen my shooting improve (less wasted shots especially), re-focusing on the basics and slowing down. A ton less post processing and time saved. <br>

You really can't go wrong with good used gear being plentiful and relatively cheap.<br>

HTH - GL!</p>

<p>Rob</p><div></div>

[mag_miksch]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"I think the late collapsible WLF where the top gets covered by the flipped out loupe is a must have the earlier one with a not covering loupe can get annoying for landscape shooters"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Same here, with the older finders I just got mirrors on the ground glass from my face.</p>

 

[john_narsuitus]

<blockquote>

<p>"What is your favorite Mamiya TLR...and why? And what lens do you use the most?"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>For years, I used the C2, C22, and C220 with 180mm f/4.5, 80mm f/2.8, and 55mm f/4.5 lenses to shoot weddings and portraits. I was very disappointed when Mamiya discontinued and abandoned the TLR.</p>