Mamiya C330

UPDATED 4th November 2009

A kind contribution to the Mamiya page by photographer Clayton Cubitt of one of his portraits:

‘George Pitts and his sacred object’ by Clayton Cubitt Image © Calyton James Cubitt

A few words on the Mamiya C330 for the many connoisseurs of this twin lens reflex medium format film camera.
One of the cameras I work with is a Mamiya C330f so I’ll use that camera as the basis for this article.

In 1940 Tsunejiro Sugawara and Seichi Mamiya founded Mamiya, the camera company.

The S and M symbol (above) was designed by students from the Japan Fine Arts School in 1940 (ref: http://herron.50megs.com/history.htm)

Mamiya C330 range of cameras was introduced in 1969. The C330f was manufactured in 1972.

The Mamiya C330f

Looking down at the view on the focusing screen you will see a back to front image brought to you by the top ‘viewing’ lens. The image you shoot will be captured by the lower ‘taking’ lens. The image is square and the film is 6cm x 6cm (2 1/4″ square). The 80mm lens is the standard lens for this format. It takes a little getting used to composing a photograph when the image is back to front. Looking down onto the viewfinder is also quite a different feel to looking ahead as with a 35mm camera.

The (Checked Screen) screen marked with a grid (sits above the focusing screen) and assists in keeping the scene level when composing an image, especially for architectural photography. There are a variety of different screens.

There are two wheels/knobs for focusing the camera, one of which has a tensioning lever. The lever tightens the focusing mechanism and is useful for fine tuning focusing.

Focusing is best done with the pop-up magnifying glass fitted inside the hood. Ease of focusing varies across the range of lenses being more difficult with the wide angle 55mm lens.

Top view without the collapsible focusing hood. Sliding out the small lever seen on the left hand side , allows the removable of the top unit. It is then possible to change the focusing screen. The digits on the screen work in tandem with a marker showing the amount of extra exposure required due to bellows extension. (The marker comes down as the bellows are extended during focusing.)

focusing hood (off the camera)

A magnifying glass pops-up to help focus the camera.

Part of the front flips down to allow the hood to be used as a sports finder.

Bottom of the hood, showing an interchangeable screen which sits above the focusing screen.

When a lens is placed on the camera the dial is turned to ‘LOCK’. When changing a lens the dial is set to ‘UNLOCK’, a catch is released that allows the lens to be changed, and a red flag can be seen on the focusing screen which indicates the lens needs to be locked in.
The dial on the outer edge is set to the focal length of the lens being used. It must be set correctly to show the parallax and exposure factor indicators. A pointer appear on the focusing screen which indicates the top of the frame. This occurs at close distances and the compensation is due to the ‘viewing’ lens being 5cm apart from the ‘taking’ lens. As the camera comes closer to the subject the indicator also shows the exposure factor due to the bellows being extended. You have to increase the exposure to allow for the fact that distance from the taking lens to the film is being increased.

The counter sets itself to 0 when the film is wound on and the camera is ready to shoot. 120 film gives 12 exposures on 6×6  format camera. Once the 12th exposure is made the the film is automatically wound onto the take up spool.

The chrome slider ‘L’ locks and unlocks the shutter release mechanism. The dial to the left is set for ’single’ and ‘multiple’ exposures on one frame.

Indicator showing pressure plate set for 120 film. Can also be set for 220 film. This is also a holder where the type of film being used can be noted, useful once the camera back is closed!

The camera body:

-Focusing is smooth via two round knobs on either side of the body, good for left/right handed use. There is a tensioner on the left hand side. The viewfinder image varies for the different lenses. The 80mm viewing lens is quite clear. In low light the outer part of the image can be a little dark. The focusing mechanism is based on a rack and pinion system.
The bellows system allows the lenses to be used for close-up work.
-no mirror flips up when an exposure is made so the camera operates as silently as a Leica rangefinder

The Mamiya C330 takes a selection of interchangeable lenses.

55mm f4.5 wide: not an easy lens to focus!
80mm f2.8 blue dot: Is the lens I use the most. The blue dot means it is fitted with the latest of the two Seiko shutters fitted in the all black lenses. It gives crispy sharp images and gives great results with colour transparency film.

105mm f3.5 DS: has a depth of field preview on the viewing lens.

135mm f4.5: Great portrait lens. Produces a pleasant bokeh for head or head and shoulders portrait. (The portrait below of Lee Harwood was taken on this lens.)

180mm f4.5 Super: doesn’t require long bellows extension as it is a ‘telephoto’ lens as opposed to being a ‘long lens’.

serial numbers
Seiko shutter is mechanical and very quiet.
Seiko lens history

Parallax
Lens cases
Lens hoods
Lens cap

Focusing screens There are 7 different types of focusing screen made of acrylic resin. They are: Type A: Matte. Type A2: Matte for wide angle lens. Type B: Rangefinder Spot 4º. Type B2: Rangefinder Spot 6º. Type C: Microprism. Type D: Cross Hair. Type E: Rangefinder Spot/Microprism.

Paramender Model 2
The paramender is used to compensate for parallax due to the 50mm distance between the viewing lens and the picture taking lens. Parallax ocurs when photographing close to the subject. The red marker appears in the focusing screen and that denotes the top of the frame. It is fitted to the camera and then mounted on a tripod. Works best when photographing still objects but can be used when photographing people. (Photo to follow)

CdS Magnifying Hood provides through the lens spot metering and also a larger image in the viewfinder. It runs on two 1.5 Volt batteries. (Using lower voltage batteries will give the wrong meter reading.) (Photo to follow)

(Some guy had a magnifying hood made which is a Hassleblad/Mamiya hybrid! Hassleblad glass.. assume it’s the only one of its kind.)

Filters

The common filter size is 49mm, and the one that’s difficult to find filters for is 46mm. You can buy a step-up ring which converts the 46mm to 49mm. I think there are other step-up also.

Flash
There are two flash synchronisation settings. They are X and M. It is best to leave the marker pointing to X, which is for synching to electronic flash. The flash will synch at any shutter speed. The flash cord fits into the socket on each lens. The flashgun can be attached to the left side of the camera body or to the top of the pistol grip. Might be a tad heavy depending on the size of your flashgun.
The ‘V’ setting

Loading film: is best done in subdued light. Make sure the film is firm tension and flat. With a bit of practice it is easy enough to feed the film into the take up spool. Light pressure on the take up spool as you wind it on until the ‘START’ markers appear, which line up with the two red dots on the camera body.
The backing paper faces you as you feed the film on to the take up spool!

I use transparency film Fuji Provia 100F and Fuji Velvia. There is little margin of error when using slide film.

Porofinder:

Light meter: Unless you are using a metered hood, a handheld meter is required for taking exposure readings. For portraiture and near distance incident readings work well. For longer distances a spot meter is needed. A meter on a 35mm camera can be used. (I use a Sekonic and Minlota meter… more to come…) Use the same meter all the time. Get used to the reading that it gives. I prefer incident light reading whenever I can work with them. Brackeing with transparency film is usual. With time, you can get the metering right first time!

Cable release
The cable release screws into the chrome shutter release button which protrudes at the bottom of the body.

Pistol grips: There are at least 5 main models. I use one which enables me to release the shutter via the grip, it is right-handed. (It can also be used with the Mamiya RB). The camera feels more stable with the grip, freeing up one hand for focusing.

Tripod: Doesn’t need a heavy duty tripod. Does need a good tripod for close-up macro shots. The camera only feels heavy after carrying for a while!

Camera case:

Leather case for Mamiya C330

Bottom of case with tripod mount and catch

Detail of stitching on leather case

The Mamiya leather case, I believe, is a rarity. This one is black with a nice texture. All the spaces exist for accessing the controls on a C330f. Not sure if this one fits all models. When the front part of the case is removed the tripod mount can be used with the case still on the body.

Mamiya Manual and other printed literature, will scan some of this stuff and put it on the blog…
Balsam defects
Lens mould

Light tight seals decay over time

They should be cleaned, and is relatively easily replaced at most independent camera shops.
I have removed the seal with lighter fluid, can take quite a while to clear.
You can buy one sided sticky rubbery/spongy material (don’t know what it’s called) which does the job.  If you leave the seal decaying then it will spread around the inside of the camera as it’s quite sticky.

Other Mamiya information:
Links

Mamiya

Scanning images: I shoot mainly colour transparency or black and white films. I use a Nikon Super Coolscan 8000ED which scans 35mm and 120 film. It’s a very good quality scanner. Drum scanning or professional photo lab scans may be a better option. It depends on your requirements and budget and final usage.

Portrait of Lee Harwood – Poet shot on Mamiya with 135mm lens. The image on the left is the one featuring on this blog… perhaps it is too sharp! The image on the right is going to be published and I have prepared it as a softer image more in keeping with what I wanted from the image from a film perspective. There is a great emphasis on sharpness in the digital debate that other ‘qualities’ are forgotten. The rest is up to the viewer.
Depending on my mood the outcome varies. Photoshop, digital manipulation, allows many variables to be changed in an instance! Quite often, returning to an image I will change it and produce another version.
The ‘bokeh’ feels good with the shallow depth of field.

…any questions, suggestions, please let me know.

Portrait shot on Mamiya C330 with 80mm lens in available light (mid ’80s). (The scan is a touch on the dark side!)

The original portrait was shot on the Mamiya with my 80mm lens (probably f8 or f11), and scanned on a Nikon 8000 Super Coolscan. The following two details were taken from a 26Mb tiff which would print at 10 x 10 inches at 300dpi. They were cropped out of the image as 500 x 500 pixel square portions and then downsized to 72 dpi to display here. A small amount of sharpening was added.

Details from 10″ x 10″ file

A recent photograph shot on the 80mm lens, Provia 100F slide film.

All text and photographs 2008-2009 ©Bip Mistry unless otherwise credited.

Camera Equipment For Sale – Mamiya C330 and lenses:

Mamiya 80mm (blue dot) lens for Mamiya C330 twin lens etc range of cameras. Black.

Mamiya 135mm lens for Mamiya C330 twin lens etc range of cameras. Black.

Mamiya C330 body

Minamata by W. Eugene Smith and Aileen M. Smith: First Edition, hardback. Excellent condition.

Email me if interested: bipmistry@gmail.com

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Dear Bip Mistry,

I just wanted to extend a warm thank you for your blog post regarding
your immaculate Mamiya C330.

I have been using my own C33 for many year, received from a retired
professional who used his C330 full time, his backup C33 was in 100%
mint, unused condition when I received it, along with the majority of
its accessories. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the original “Mamiya
C-Professional” hard case lined with red velvet like texture, it’s
quite a rare sight that you might be interested in. I have only seen
2-3 surface on e-bay over the past 4 years, and never again in person.
Same thing goes for the Chimney finder which I’ve been trying to get a
hold of for years now. On top, I noticed you had the Mamiya leather
case. I’ve tried finding that too- the only 2 things to complete 100%
all accessories and lenses to this camera ever made. I’m hoping one
day they will surface.

I has always wondered the origins of the “SM” Logo over the years, and
have always assumed it was for Sekor+Mamiya, but realized that it was
actually Tsunejiro Sugawara and Seichi Mamiya. I had never known, and
the fact that you traced down where it was produced at the school of
fine arts is pretty incredible. Thanks for sharing.

Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for sharing, and showing your
Mamiya camera, a rare sight on the internet today. Seems this camera
and its system is long forgotten by gear-heads obsessed with the
latest and greatest in digital cameras.

May the world of photography bless you for years to come with your C330.

Regards,
Evans Rousseau.

www.bipmistry.com

The Mamiya brand name on the back of the leather case