Happy SUNday! – Mamiya TLRs

April 16, 2023April 16, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A few snips from a Mamiya brochure dated June 1985. If you’ve ever considered getting into medium-format photography then I highly recommend checking out the cameras offered by Mamiya – my personal favorite is the Mamiya C33.

Although I’m a big fan of Yashica’s TLRs they lack the one thing that the Mamiyas can do – interchangeable lenses!

The C220 is the slightly less expensive cousin to the very capable C330.

Great shot! So 1980s! I love the Honda motorcycle thrown in for detail and depth.

Often the C220 can be found for far less than the C330 making it the better choice. However, a well-maintained Yashica EM or Yashica D can deliver medium-format photographers a better value over the bigger and generally more expensive Mamiyas.

My Mamiya C33. It’s built like a tank and weighs only slightly less (just kidding). Don’t overlook this model when chasing a solid medium-format (6×6 cm) film camera (also known as 2 1/4 x 2 1/4) that uses 120 roll films. This one was made in June 1969.

Shown with Mamiya-Sekor f3.5 105mm lenses. Seiko shutter up to 1/500th of a second. Unique bellows for a TLR, the 105mm lens had a close focus of about 16 inches with the bellows fully extended.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! – Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Happy SUNday! – Mamiya first pics

May 29, 2022May 29, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My new to me Mamiya C33 has been a joy to use. It’s everything I expected it to be and more. Here are a few pics from my first roll of film (Fujicolor PRO 400H). These are medium resolution scans from the lab and they’ve been kindly enhanced by my good friend Paul Sokk (www.yashicatlr.com) since I don’t have a decent photo editing program. Having said that, these images are presented uncropped in their original 6 x 6 cm format.

My Mamiya C33 (1969) with Mamiya-Sekor f3.5 105mm lenses and Seiko shutter. The top lens is the viewing lens and the bottom is the taking lens. Mamiya “matches” the lenses (maybe from the same batch).

Mamiya TLRs feature the ability to interchange lenses from 55mm to 250mm.

A snip from the Mamiya C33 instruction booklet dated from 1969.

Not an exciting pic but it does show the exposed roll neatly tucked into the upper film chamber. The new roll of 120 film is loaded into the bottom chamber. Of note, the Mamiya C series features a direct and flat film path across the pressure plate.

I’m very happy that the camera is in excellent working condition and that the lenses are crystal clear. All 12 exposures came out so I hadn’t forgotten how to use a light meter. I’ll scan the negatives myself once I get them from the lab and post those scans here. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

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Mamiya C33 TLR – 1969

May 14, 2022May 14, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

1969 was a great year, I went on my first date, we landed on the moon, the NY Mets won their first World Series and this wonderful camera from Mamiya was made.

Mamiya C33 twin-lens reflex camera with Mamiya-Sekor f3.5 105mm lens.

As it turns out, the little gold two-letter round stickers on most Mamiya cameras and lenses are date codes. Apparently not much can be gained by looking at Mamiya’s serial numbers but the date code stickers will tell the year and month according to Bill Rogers who is a Mamiya repair technician. His post about the stickers can be found at https://mamiyarepair.com/mamiya-production-date-codes/ – awesome info!

If you own Mamiya equipment (beyond their 35mm cameras and lenses) the stickers should be on almost all lenses and camera bodies (unless they’ve fallen off or were removed). You can just barely see the sticker on the side of the top lens in the picture above. In my case, the sticker is ‘IE’ which decodes to 1969 May. The body date sticker will be in the film chamber. Mine is ‘IF’ which decodes to 1969 May. If you read Bill Rogers’ site you’ll discover the secret to dating your photo gear. Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai – Chris