Mamiya C330 Review
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- Опубликовано: 25 июн 2024
- In this episode, Jules and I review the Mamiya C330, one of the few 6x6 medium format twin-lens reflex cameras with interchangeable lenses and bellows focusing true close-ups. The C330 was first released in 1969 and then updated as Professional F in 1972 and the Professional S - which we have here - in 1983.
In order to test the camera properly, we took it out on a Sunday morning photo walk shooting Kodak Portra 160 and Ilford Pan F. All films were developed and scanned by the amazing Carmencita Lab in Valencia this time. I can highly recommend their service.
Gear used:
Mamiya C330 Professional S with
55mm f/4.5
80mm f/2.8
180mm f/4.5
Films used:
Kodak Portra 160
Ilford Pan F
Scan & Dev:
Carmencita Film Lab (carmencitafilmlab.com)
If you'd like to get in touch or see some early behind the scenes footage, find me on Instagram: / analog_insights
Another advantage to the Mamiya that doesn’t often get mentioned is that if a Rollei or a Yashica Mat are mounted on a tripod, you need to remove them first before landing film as the film door wraps around the bottom of the camera. The Mamiya doesn’t do this, so loading film while mounted on a tripod is not a problem.
I just obtained this C330 with several lenses. Excellent video. Thank you
RS. Canada
Glad you enjoyed it. Have fun with this wonderful kit.
Finally! you reviewed a camera that i own and can afford.
Great video. I bought my C330 F with 2 sets of lenses from another great "analog" youtuber - Ed Pavez. It is a great beast of a camera, absolutely love it.
I have the Mamiya professional C330f with a metered porroflex 65 mm and 80 mm lenses.
A beautiful beast that I love.
Excellent overview... And a very attractive production. Thank you
I have sold nearly all my cameras but the c330 is one I still enjoy and have kept. I use the 55mm and it's by far my favourite set up. It has quirks but it has a soul.
You should have a look at the C220. It takes the same lenses as the c330 but is a bit smaller and weighs a heap less. The only real downside is that the film wind and shutter cock are two separate actions, not like the one crank action on the c330. It's really a great camera for shooting street. People either don't realise you are taking their photo, or do but are happy for you to take their photo as you're making them feel special. :)
I’m lucky enough to have both. I agree about the simplicity of the C220. I find that if I haven’t used the 330 in I while I need to think more , recovering my muscle memory until I can shoot easily and reliably.
Max, I have been watching your channel for the last 3 months. I can tell that you are a man of good taste.Recently, I just went back to analog and decided to go with the C330. What a beautiful object this is. Thank you for playing a part with my final decision.
The Mamiya C330 is an absolute beast! It is not perfect but its pretty darn close. Its detractors have always been its size and weight but that is a small sacrifice to have to endure because what you get with the C330 makes it worth it. From wide angle to moderate telephoto the lenses are very good. Outdoor portraits with flash is where this camera really shines! Close ups are a breeze thanks to the bellows focusing. Overall, I think it was a fantastic camera the gave the TLR shooter a highly workable professional tool that makes one proud to own.
Bradley Zimmerman yer people think it’s a lard ass , but the rolli 2.8 comes in at 1.4kg .. only .3/.4 LG’s lighter , puts things into perspective really
I had one or two since a teenager in 1971. The advantages of 'reflex' focusing without Mirror Slap, and the square format allows you to compose 'portrait' or 'landscape' instantly without flipping the camera. I had all the lenses and accessories . . . fitted case. Sold it when switched to digital. I still have two 4x5 cameras, two 'pancake' 6x9's (one with a rangefinder), and a 1930's 6x4.5 folder that slips into my pocket.
Reviews like this tend to raise prices, so, thank you (sort of: not) Max / Jules / Greg for this one :-D
The Mamyia C series (there's also a C220 with less features) always was my favorite over any Rolleiflex or Yashica TLR because of the interchangeable lens system and a comprehensive accessory program.
It was nearly perfect for theater / classical concert shootings because there's no mirror movement. The only noise will be caused by advancing the film and cogging the shutter - this seems to be controllable.
These Mamyia are true work horses, and I'd love to see more of them "in production" rather than stored in the shelves of all those collectors who won't take advantage of this unique system but rather soak up the market for rare accessory ot spare parts just to own (but not use) them.
Max, another great Review, from Analog Insights. I do follow your Channel since a few years, never stopped shooting Film, even it was less then digital, but never had given it up since the 80s. Much thanks to you, Jules and Greg, and everyone inside this circle, and watching these HQ Reviews here every couple weeks or months, Film is alive, and i love to shoot it, it does give me something emotional, i can't describe, which is being missed, missing much from just a digital File onto the Memorycard. Peace.
Fantastic images - like always - and another camera to dream of...
Another beautiful video. However, you and your associates are such gifted photographers that you could take magnificent shots with a Kodak Brownie. Please stay safe during this perilous time.
I had one, with the 55, 80, and 180 , with an L-grip and a right-angle finder. I loved it. For me, it was my 120 option. How I enjoyed looking at 120 color transparencies on a light table. I sold it to someone who wanted to become a professional photographer - I hope he did well, and hope he enjoyed the camera. I didn't mind the weight - the trade-off was interchangeable lenses. I think the Mamiya C-330 system was high-quality, well-made, and pro level. Why did I part with it? I upgraded my 35 mm system to "new" Nikon FEs and A1s optics.
I can still hear the Mamiya-Sekor shutter "Ting".
Excellent photos! Thanks for the review!
I have this camera as well as the Rolleicord, Rolleiflex and YashicaMat 124G. All of these are great TLR’s. The Mamiya C330 has the advantage with interchangeable lenses. In my experience, image quality is on par with Rolleiflex.
I would like to thank you for posting the C330 review video!
I have been using this camera for a long time.
The lens I especially like is the 65mm F3.5.
You used the Blue-dot 80mm in this video, but I like the Chrome 80mm.
Thank you so much for showing us great videos!
I liked my 330f, but needed an SLR and sold the outfit to help pay for an RB67. That was about 40 years ago and I still use it,but I miss the 330f. Great review!
I had a C-330, 55mm, 80mm, 135mm and 250mm lenses for it back in the 70's. It was a real workhorse.
Wonderful video as always. I love this channel!
Thanks a lot for your kind feedback. I really appreciate it.
Great shots from both of you, I'm impressed.
Recently bought a C330f after getting a bit bored with 35mm. I just love the images this camera produces and I love the square format, many years ago I had a Minolta Autocord and a Pentacon 6. HP5+ at box with Rodinal, superb. Great review, thank you.
I really enjoy photos you did! Also great review, keep it up 👍
Another great review Max.
Excellent video as always. Cheers!
Hi Max & Jules, great video on an camera I've had for a long time. Bought my first C330f in 1981, still using it. From 1985 to 1995 used it for wedding photography. It was mainly mounted on a tripod as weddings were a bit more of a formal affair back then. Very fair review, it is heavy but very well made, can take a lot of punishment and the lenses are good. Biggest plus for me was the straight film path rather than the Rollei's L shaped film path. With the C330 on a tripod the film could be changed in seconds.
I used these to shoot weddings years ago. Still have them and the lenses. Great cameras.
Nice video, thank you!
Just one thing: it's not true that you cannot focus to infinite with shorter or longer lenses than the 80.
The lenses were designed so that Infinite Focusing was always possible with any lens.
The only caveat is that not always infinite was achieved by retracting the bellow completely.
You can see the infinite marker in the scale for all the focal lengths.
Thanks so much for your comment and the correction. Really appreciate it!
Just ordered a C33 with the 65 and 135 lenses last week. Very excited to go shoot with it after seeing your excellent images!
Richard Stroffolino That 135 is absolutely amazing.
Great video! The C330 was the first medium format camera I bought and I still have and use it! Over that time I’ve had a Hasselblad that came and went, as well as a Plaubel Makina. Haha. The other two cameras arguably had better lenses, but I enjoy the experience of shooting the C330 the most!
Thanks Max!
I love my C330f. I have the 85, 65, and 200 lenses. Great camera.
Nice review as always! The music was very nice too
My Pentax 6x7 is jealous, great video.
Hi, Max/Jules great video as always!
Just for clarification, you say there is a parallax compensation dial on the side at 4:10, but you show footage of the focusing scale for the lens. The parallax compensation dial is changed by turning the outer ring of the locking dial at 3:26 and lining up the red notch with the focal length. I understand that you don't want to show b-roll twice but it's a little confusing saying one thing showing another. Great video as always from a Mamiya C330 owner.
Thanks for your comment and pointing this out, Nathan. This was my (Max) fault as I wasn't a hundred percent sure which is which when editing. Of course, thinking about it for a second or looking it up would have helped. Sorry about that and thanks for the clarification. :)
Very interesting video. All the best !
Great camera. A true tank
Had this back in the 90s when I was shooting weddings. Even with just the 80mm it was a great camera. I am looking at one for my fine art work. Great images and thanks for sharing!
Thanks for a great video.
Wonderful pictures. I own this camera and I've made also a few episodes of vlog with Mamiza C330. Incredible camera for the price.
Very informative and cleanly described
Max, Great Camera' as a portrait and wedding photographer back in the early sixties I used the Rolleiflex and I like that camera a lot , the only thing is I had to carry four of them because of being a fixed lens' then in the 70's I stated using the Hasselblad along with the Mamiya C220/ C330 and out of all the many cameras that I used I preferred the Mamiya C330f it never let me down; thank you for bring back the memories ' wish I'd had kept them. Cheers.
i have a C33 and love it! I have only the 80mm . I just recently bought a Porrofinder.
Viewfinder: I have the Yashica D as well as the Mamiyas C330 and C220. The Yashica's viewfinder is dim enough that I have significant problems nailing focus with it. The Mamiyas are very easy by comparison - much brighter. Although the prism finder is dark enough to be a real problem. My favourite hood is the chimney type magnifying finder with an extra loupe built in which is raised to the eye by turning a knob - That finder is light-weight and makes it really easy to get critical focus.
I own a C330f and a new, never-used C330s along with the last 220 and all the lens sets. Love this boat anchor.
Thank you for this interesting video. Like a lot of the commentators, I have a C330 which I love. Also worth mentioning, is the fantastic build quality of these cameras. They are very study and appear to have been designed for extensive and heavy use.
Great review of excellent camera!!!
Nice review. Would love to try this camera one of these days
I had a C330 ProF and all the lenses. I loved it. The square format is my favorite of the formats. Like an idiot I got rid of it about 10 years ago. I still kick myself for doing that. Luckily I kept my Hasselblad 500C
Great review and video, as always! I’ve been GASsing over one of these for some time. Might have to bite the bullet.
I have the 330 Pro F and it is my favorite studio camera and if it wasn't so bulky and heavy, I would use it outdoors. For outdoors I prefer the Rolleiflex. After seeing your images though I'm inspired to try it outdoors.
I regret not buying this when they were still in production. ♡
Awesome video, I have this same camera with 80mm, 105mm and the 180mm. This is a camera that I won't sell, the images that come out of it are really nice. Just need to get the 65mm for shooting cars.
Prices have skyrocketed on Ebay
so happy for this video guys! thank you. I am currently in huge debate on wether its aTLR in this c330f...or modular 6x7...possibly the RB for the revolving back. this help me toward the TLR no question
We've just dig this camera out of storage and are learning to use it again.
I once owned a C220 and thought it was a really neat camera. I don't recall which lens came with it but I can say definitively that it was not nearly as sharp as the YashicaMat 124G that I used to have. That thing was amazing, but I didn't realize how amazing it was until I got rid of it.
Liking the lock down hairstyle Dude :)
One other accessory you might mention is the Paramender. This is an attachment used on a tripod that moves the entire camera so that the taking lens moves into the position of the viewing lens. Very useful when doing close up work and framing is critical. Nice video, as usual.
I have a C220 which I have owned for close to 15 years (almost sold it a few times). You really have to slow down to work with these cameras. To get the best out of these I would recommend a tripod and a shutter release cable.
Taking price, interchangeable lenses, close focusing, build quality and sharpness of the lenses into account, there is nothing in medium format to match the c330 IMO.
A great breakdown of real world shooting by Analogue Insights as usual, entertaining and informative with a touch of class.
Thanks so much for your kind words and feedback. I really appreciate it.
Much more convenient to use nad carry then hassel on the street, because it's vertical construction... sharp lenses, much faster focusing than hassel... leaf shuter is super silent, hassel is much more noisy...
Try Mamiya C220f, a have one for 5years already and it great! same lenses but body is more Simple nad less heavy :)
Good review. You should be able to lock the back by twisting the little button that is used for opening the back.
It would have been nice to see some portraits with this camera.
Good review. Too bad you didn’t have the 105mm DS to test that is considered better than the 80mm. It’s funny to hear people luring at the RZ67 while ignoring that camera because of its weight. By the way it’s heavy but not using a strap doesn’t help 🙂
Other version may be much cheaper, but there is nothing "budget" about a nice condition 330. The early lenses are reputed to be of lesser optical quality than the later black mount versions. Their prices reflect that prejudice. While almost any camera can be hauled around and shot handheld is you have the strength and will, Remember that these Mamiya TLRs were designed and intended to be shot in a studio. They present a serious weight penalty for their lens interchange capacity, apart from having to ranch the separate lens sets.
Great camera, the lenses are easy to CLA by yourself and everything is almost dirt cheap.
Like others I own one of these, great to see it reviewed. One point, I find that the viewing and composing experience is superior to, for example, the Rolleicord.
Your videos are utter pleasure to watch. Is there anything quite so delightful, and legal too?!
A huge disadvantage of the C-330 is the inability to stop down the viewing lens to check depth of field. I had a Mamiya 645 single lens reflex, which was well balanced, far easier to use, easier to change lenses (one lens, not two)--and had film cartridges you could preload for fast film changes. I loved mine. As easy to use as any 35mm SLR, but with superior results.
You can stop down the 105mm viewing lens. You just have to remember to transfer what you choose on the viewing lens to the taking one.
A classic Camera
Excellent video I have the mamiya c3 which is also a Great camera.
What metering did you use?.
Thanks for your comment. We metered according to the sunny 16 rule and played it by ear.
I m sodisfight with this camera,I sould be bay .Nice video good
Explain.
Bedankt
Thanks so much. 🙏🏻
Here is one thing I could add regarding the setting of shutter speed and aperture: You are correct, it is not as convenient as it is in a Rolleiflex or Yashica Mat 124. But, there is one big advantage in the way Mamiya designed it. And I have to admit I didn't even notice it until I started seriously using the "sunny 16" method: The shutter speed and aperture rings can be grasped and turned together with one single move, and since their click stops are spaced equally, and the orientation is such that when the shutter speed is increased, then turning the aperture ring in the same direction results in an increase in aperture. So, you could for example set your aperture and shutter speed as suggested by the sunny 16 rule by simply turning either the sutter speed ring, or the aperture ring, until the two desired numbers are next to each other. Then you grasp both rings together (which is quite easy because the aperture ring is slightly smaller than the shutter speed ring), and turn them together until your desired shutter speed or aperture is at the index mark. This will not change the exposure setting. No more counting of click stops. It cannot get easier than that!
Last year I bought a C330 with all(!) lenses and finders + a modified c220 with a 6x7 back for $700. I use it probably equally as much as my Hasselblad. Really looking forward to bring it outside when the weather gets warmer and more dry.
Greetings from Norway
I have one of these.
The quality you get when adding a tripod is so staggering I had to change my way of shooting to include that tool and can't really shoot without a tripod anymore. I had to adapt but the result is unreal. I really encourage any C330 user to shoot with a tripod in every situation, even if it requires a more restrictive type of photography and subjects.
Why? Can you explain me?
@@endlessrain6412 Just because it provides the stability I could never get from just holding the camera in my hands. Putting it on a tripod or any kind of support (table, floor...) allows a 0 vibration shot that makes a huge difference at the end.
Were you shooting the Portra at box speed?
Does anyone know if i really have to use the parallex correction plate when shooting with the 65mm?
Thank you for the interesting video - I am quite convinced about it - do you know any reseller where attempt for a try in search . thanks .
Have you tried multiple exposure with this camera?
55mm is not very wide if that is the widest available. My Pentax 6x7 has a 45mm which would be about like a 40mm on a 6x6. I do also have a C330S but cannot find it since a house move :-( it must be in a box somewhere.
@10:20 - why??
Das ist ja mal der HAMMER! Danke!
Wow i was just looking at TLRs on Ebay last night lol Did Amazon paid you to put this Video in 24 hours?????????
👍👍👍
Not withstanding the weight, considering the film loading process is same as Rolleiflex T and Yashica Mat, how this camera fares against those?
As mentioned, the C330's biggest advantage are the interchangeable lenses. But the Yashica Mat 124G is significantly smaller and lighter which I personally prefer for photo walks. For studio use, the C330 is probably better suited.
@@AnalogInsights I have all three, I was excited when I bought it, somehow I never felt like using it even indoors, in tripod also, as I found Rollei gives me a better output compared to Mamiya as well as Yashica. I believe personal choice
Probably a stupid question, but I’ll ask it anyway. What would be a good analogue entry camera system for a digital shooter looking to try out film photography? Let’s assume the budget is limited. Would the C330 be a good entry system?
Neil Barrett Not a stupid question at all. Thanks for your comment. If you’re just starting out with film and don’t want to break the bank, consider shooting 35mm first. Here, I can recommend simple SLRs such as the Olympus OM-1 or Pentax K1000 or Minolta SRT 100X. These are great places to start and learn. I personally always recommend to not save money on film though. Purchase proper pro films such as Ilford’s black and white films or Kodak’s Portra to get an understanding of the possibilities of film and how the material behaves early on. If you prefer to start out with medium format right away, I would recommend the Yashica Mat 124 G. Hope this helps.
Analog Insights Cheers guys. Super helpful. I’ll give your suggestions some thought. Leaning toward medium format. Thanks again.
Oh my god this is so painful to watch, I just missed on one in local classifieds for a beautiful price... I am so stupid for not getting it.
Though the Mamiya's appear to have professional qualities, the lens of even a Rolleicord lll (1956), with Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar is much better. Sorry, the Mamiya's 220 and 330 offer a lot of mechanical extras, but it is the quality of the print that really matters in the end.
My professional verdict: even a Rolleicord with Xenar 3,5/75 mm gives much, much better results, let alone a Rolleicord with Zeiss optics.
Alright, alright, I’ll shoot some more 120 through my C330 instead of investing in a 4x5 system (for now!) 😸
Hi Max, Can you please review the Canon EOS 5, I am very interested in this camera, and believe that every amateur photographer And the Your fan club want. Thank you. (I am Thai, follow you every video.)
In my opinion the C3 is better than the C330. Is lighter and smaller. Shutter is independent from the film and I prefer it. C3 is cheaper and nicer than the C330 and finally the older lens are so beautiful. Go to the C3 is more convenient.
corona has your hair stylist locked down. 😜
I've watch 2 minutes in and can tell you that handholding one especially for tele lens isn't going to give you the sharpness you want from medium format. Stick it on a tripod. Another tip is to get a split prism viewfinder screen. So much easier to focus than stock one.
little to much echo on the voice
Stopped at the the first 'without further adoooooooooo'. sorry. No further adooooos for me.
Bye snowflake.