Rollei vs Mamiya (TLR)

[Marc B.]

"Few will call it the ultimate for everything, maybe not for anything, but it does a lot of things very well."

Mike, Well said !

[benjiboy]

There's no question that the Rollei has the reputation as a great camera with great optics. No Rollei owner every has to claim "my lenses are as good as Mamiya". If you own the Mamiya you will at some time claim, the lenses are as good as the Rollei, and you will have some photos to back that up.

Despite both being TLRs, they are really very different critters.

I've been using the Mamiya TLRs for nearly 30 years. I had a Fuji rangefinder for a few years, but outside that, the Mamiya has been the only medium format system I've every owned. Few will call it the ultimate for everything, maybe not for anything, but it does a lot of things very well.

The photographer is more important than the camera.

+1 I too have had a Mamiya C TLR system for around thirty years and it's the only medium format gear I have ever owned have never felt that not owning a Rolleiflex TLR with a fixed lens has held me back creatively, on the contrary the versatility of being able to attach a wide angle or a telephoto has enables me to take pictures that would be impossible with a Rollei, and because it has bellows the ability with the 55mm wide angle lens to shoot 1:1 life size close ups without any accessory s is unique.

[rolleiman]

I use both a Rollei "T" and a C330S. both are excellent cameras. The Rollei is a great "out and about" camera for general photography, particularly for black & white and colour neg. I prefer the C330's for colour trannie, the lenses are slightly less contrasty than the Tessar on the Rollei, making them ideal for use with Fuji Velvia or Provia, both rather punchy, contrasty films, or for portraits on any film with the 135mm lenses.