TLR ????

[Mike Wilde]

There is a hand grip available for the 220/330 that screws onto the bottom, and makes the camera a good deal easier to handle and carry.

Yes, it is a heavy camera, but I find the clarity and size of the film negatives it yields worth it.

[jerry lebens]

I'd doubt that the C330 is heavier than the Hasselblad (or an SLR with a big zoom for that matter)

I also find it a little more awkward to use the 'Blad on a neck strap because of the way it hangs, with the lens pointing down at the ground. With the Mamiya you can walk about and look down into the viewfinder effortlessly, with the 'Blad' you have to twist the camera up into position to look. Moreover, since the waist level finder of the Mamiya is, in effect, protected by the camera body, you can walk about with it in the up position. With the 'Blad' the finder sticks out in front, if you don't hold the body up, and consequently it's much more prone to damage.

Regards
Jerry

[Thingy]

The Mamiya C330f was the first proper MF camera I owned too (after a Box Brownie) and is an excellent and VERY robust camera. If you manage to buy the paramender for it it is excellent for close-up photography. With the exposure factor indicator in the viewfinder, calculating correct exposure variation with extended bellows is also a doddle.

I had a paramender type 2 which was very easy to use.

[stark_674]

Do you mean that using a paramender and a tripod I can see in the waist exactly what I'll obtain in the film without considering the red line of the parallax compensation?
Can you suggest to me a cheap but good for the use tripod to buy?

[benjiboy]

Yes, the Paramender raises the camera the exact distance between the viewing and taking lens so you compose the picture on the viewing screen then raise the camera on the paramender and then you make the exposure .

P.S. if you have a red line on the screen of a C330F it's telling you the lens is unlocked,. the moving parallax/ exposure correction line is black.

[MattKing]

I've owned a Mamiya C330 since the 1970s. I've shot a significant number of weddings with it, using a neck strap, a grip and, mostly, a prism finder.

I use it mostly now with a waist level finder, because the view is brighter, and the camera is lighter.

I also own and use a Mamiya 645 SLR and Mamiya 6x7 SLR. Each has its advantages.

The C330 may be largish and heavyish with one lens, but if you compare it with other systems with two or three lenses, comparatively it seems to get smaller and lighter .

The lenses for the Mamiya TLRs are relatively small and light. My favorite kit (body, 65mm and 135mm) is very compact.

One of the advantages of the Mamiya TLRs as compared to the 645 SLRs is that you never have to flip the camera on its side. This makes use with a tripod very easy, and really expands the number of suitable tripod heads.

TLRs are great to use with filters - even heavy filtration (such as used with near infra-red sensitive films) doesn't impair viewing, because you are viewing through a different lens.

The leaf shutters on the Mamiya TLRs lenses are great if you use fill flash.