Mamiya C220 Pro TLR

[Robert Ross]

Hi All

Just purchased a Mamiya C220 Professional TLR with the 2:8 lens /80mm set.. on my lunch break today. Sourced it from CraigsList, seller happened to be in Phila,Pa today..less than 10 miles from my home.

It has black body lens, not silver, the glass is good, no issues. Was sold without shades or filters. Has commercial handle for camera and flash unit.

Shutter speeds are good, aperture settings smooth, all the hardware is present and functional. Body is exceptionally clean..inside and out. Purchased for 75.00..seems fair to me.

It is big and heavy..my kind of camera for TLR.

Needs cleanup and a test roll of 120!!!!

Robert

[daveh]

I look forward to seeing the results. The Mamiya always looked a professional outfit: solidly built.

[Rachel]

I used a C330 for a while but it was so heavy. I didn't use it much and sold it and the lenses. Beautifully built though.

[casualcollector]

Nice cameras but it seems they had their foibles. I've not owned any but several photographer acquaintances had concurring opinions. Heavy and a bit labor intensive to use as on most you had to cock the shutter separately from advancing the film. They also went to the repair shop regularly. A local repair man (when I lived in New England) commented that Mamiya TLRs and Hasselblads were the backbone of his business through the 80s and early 90s. As wedding photogs shifted to 35mm his medium format repair volume dwindled.

Mamiya must have had a highly trained and skilled labor force. Their DTL cameras were a bit complex, the XTL more so, then there were the RB and RZ cameras!

[Deleted]

I had a C330 (brand new) Loved the camera but the normal lens that came with it was a little soft. Don't know if it was that way with all lenses of that model or I just had a bad one. I had a WA lens originally used with a C220 that was really sharp on the C330.

[Rachel]

Wayne, I have read that the original Mamiya TLR lenses were really sharp but as most professional users used them for portraiture where sharpness was a disadvantage, the newer ones were softer. It's probably just myth but there you go .....