- The all-purpose camera... does everything well, except sports or fastly-moving subjects. (But then pros DID use Mamiya TLR cameras for sports back in the early 60s)
- Very steady for low shutter speeds, if you use the hand grip. Two shutter release button for cancelling out shutter button jerk (the BEST feature of this camera, imo)
- Zero shutter lag
- Very silent for a medium-format camera
- Bright viewfinder
- Fairly quick operation (for a medium-format camera)
- Allows you to attach color filters or very dark ND filters without impairing viewfinder image (IMPORTANT!)
- Good image quality (which is what you would expect from a MF camera)
- Inexpensive lenses
- You can see the image while the shutter stays open; which is extremely useful for portrait shots
- Film easy to load (for a 120-film camera)
- Flash sync at all speeds
- Repairman-friendly in every sense, easy to calibrate
- Paralax correction built in
- Rugged
- Fairly comprehensive lens range
- Macro and double-exposure are easy to achieve

- Achieving perfect focus takes time when indoors
- No hot shoe
- No extreme wideangle lenses available
- Camera does not sit upright when having the hand grip attached
- You MUST read the manual and know the camera by heart -- otherwise the interlocks will drive you crazy, preventing you from shooting at a crucial moment.

This camera says "professional" at the bottom and it really deserves the label. A real workhorse of photography. Mamiya is definitely the most pro-oriented of the japanese brands. When inside the studio, the Mamiya RB67 is king. When you got to go outside of the studio, the C330 (or the M645) are kings.

The C330 is wonderful for portraits, where it excels. It is also very good for double exposures and very slow shutter speeds. It is also comfortable for landscape shooting. It is good for macro if you have the Paramender. I like the square format, but i will also draw some crop marks on the viewfinder for when i want to print to 8x10" and similar sizes.

This camera, for actual practical purposes, is above the Rolleiflex in every sense. Yes, a Sonnar-equipped Rolleiflex will score higher in lines-per-mm compared to a Mamiya with the 80mm lens, but there is more to image quality: color rendition and bokeh are smooth on the Mamiya-Sekor lens. Sharpness is good enough. If you're not getting good enough results, then the camera (or lenses) need focus calibration -- something easy to do for a technician; these cameras were MADE to be serviced easily.

I have already described the strengths, but to put it more simply, let's compare two top cameras:
- a pro MF SLR like the Mamiya RB67
- a pro MF TLR like the Mamiya C330

While the RB67 will always have a better lens lineup and the convenience of interchangeable backs and diverse film formats, the C330 is smaller, lighter, have much less shutter lag, and allows you to see the image while shooting.

Weight: NOT as heavy as people think; you can walk with it around the streets with a 80mm lens attached without suffering too much.

Customer Service

Any camera tech can service these cameras

Similar Products Used:

RB67, Mamiya C2, Rolleiflex, all sorts of 35mm cameras

Nearly everything.

nearly nothing

I have been a professional wedding and portrait photographer for 40 years and up to 8 years ago, when I went digital, I had always used Mamiya C220 and C330 cameras. The main reason for my loyalty was that the twin lens Mamiyas were always completely reliable. In My 32 years of using these cameras on a daily basis, I have only had to have a lens repaired once and that was to simply replace the plastic tab on the taking lens that allows me to change apertures. These are fantasticly durable machines with very good lenses ( not of Rollei caliber, but still very good ). They are simple to use and eternally repairable. What else could a professional photographer want? These cameras certainly aren't sexy to look at, but after a long marriage, it's more important to be in love with them. You can't go wrong with these wonderful cameras.

Customer Service

never really needed

Similar Products Used:

Rolleiflex E3, Yashicamat

Practical design, robust.
Excellent optics
Wide range of well-designed accessories
Bellows for extreme close ups (nearly 1:1 macro using the 55mm lens).


C2: extremely simple and reliable design.
C330: well thought-out improvements to the original C-series design, particularly the parallax and exposure-correction indicators which correctly indicate compensations for the range of lenses.

C2: only one: frame-advance lever can be inadvertently triggered when winding the focus knob. This causes the frame spacing to be messed up.

C330: no real weakness except greater complexity of interlocks. These interlocks are, though, well designed and valuable, once learned. Fortunately C330 manuals are available freely on the internet, and should be read scrupulously to make the most of this extremely versatile camera.

I bought a Mamiya C2 in April and C330 in December, and have used them with Mamiya-Sekor 180mm Super, 80mm, 65mm and (briefly, before its iris diaphragm stuck permanently) a 105mm lens, and both waist-level and pentaprism finders.
Both cameras a solid and practical. I haven't noticed weight to be a problem (although getting used to waist-level finders, after 40 years of Pentax Spotmatic and K1000) gave me a sore neck at first. With Op-Tech straps weight is genuinely unimportant even with the 180mm lens and pentaprism mounted.
Both cameras have given me superb images and are a pleasure to use.

C2 with 105mm lens cost £100; C330 without lens cost £125.
Separate lenses typically £100 to $140

Customer Service

Returned one faulty second-hand lens to Fford Photographic, who initially repaired then replaced it speedily.

Similar Products Used:

many other cameras, but typically SLRs, particularly Pentax Spotmatic and K1000

Good quality standard 80mm lens with quiet Seiko shutter system. Well built and quirky. Available at good prices but need to have a look at it first. Has a lot of accessories to make the camera more versatile for different types of photography. Cheaper then a twin lens Rollie.

Not for sports and fast work. Parallax on lens due to the 5cm distance between taking lens and viewing lens. Light tight lining on the rear lid deteriorates but is relatively easy to renew. Lenses can suffer from mould and other types of decay.

The Mamiya C330f or C330s is a delightful camera to use when working slowly and thoughtfully. Sparkling results from modern day films and recent blue dot lenses. I use the 80mm lens the most and it yields beautiful results in colour and black and white. Always gets a good reception from the sitter! Sometimes it is better to use it on a tripod.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

None.

-Interchangeable lenses, all leaf shuttered: great for flash
-Less expensive than Rolleiflex or any other MF SLR
-Good flexability
-Lenses yield good quality

-Large and heavy compared to a fixed lensed TLR
-Safeties and interlocks makes for a complicated TLR compard to others
-Use of a bellows cleaver way to keep lenses fairly small, but over time can tear if treated roughly
-Lenses good, but cannot compare to Zeiss or Schneider optics when blown up to and past 16x20... and lets face it, to be able to do so is the reason for MF, otherwise a good 35 will give excellent 11x14s

This is going to be different from the other reviews. I started out in medium format with an old Rolleiflex C I gont in '73. The reuslts so amazied me that I used it in tandem with 35mm. A tele Rolleflex came next then a wide mutar on the C for wider shots. Landscapes, weddings, portraits, this was a good outfit (55, 80 and 135) to cover most assignments and the Rolleis NEVER faltered or failed. Eventually I wanted greater versatility and sold the lot and tried the Mamiya C. Bigger, heavier and far more complex than the fixed lensed Rollei, one paid a price for lens interchangability. It took good photos, the 180 super being the sharpest lens Mamiya made, but if truth be told, they were no where near a Zeiss or Schneider optic on a Rollei. C lenses were good stopped down, most usuers were very happy with 11x14s. I had 20x24s done of landscapes and there is where the Mamiya could not compete. I had a complete outfit (55, 80, 180 super, 250) I just sold on ebay This was a pain to carry around in the field along with a tripod. While the 2-Rollei +mutar combinaton was no light weight as compared to a 35 outfit, it was lighter than a C-330 and 3-4 lens outfit. I am now trying to re-acquire the same Rollie outfit I once and and foolishly sold almost 20 years ago. The Mamiya C is good, but for me, I learned the hard way the wisdom of why Rollei did NOT make interchangeable lenses.....let the SLRs do that. The TLR was ment to be light, hand-holdable and take the SHARPEST photos possible.

Customer Service

never used

Similar Products Used:

Rolleiflex C, T, tele-Rolleiflex, Bronica S2a (4 lenses) Bronica ertsi,(5 lenses)
A host of different 35mm systems.

VERY solid, though lighter in weight than older C models. Ability to change lens sets (the main strength). Large, easy to adjust controls--not fiddly. Ability to change from 120 to 220 almost instantly. Straight film patch aids flatness. Brighter screen than older C models. Ability to purchase Paramender easily for parallax correction, combined with bellows for macro-type work. One-handed hood, improvement from older models. Durability unquestioned, designed and built for professional use. Much less expensive than SLR's in this format. TLR method forces the tyro to slow down and consider technique rather than just firing away. Easily obtainable film in many emulsions. Slide quality fantastic, especially when projected as compared to 35mm. Easy servicing of individual components.

Still a relatively heavy camera, especially compared to today's plastic digitals and 35's. No auto functions--though this can be a strength also. No built-in meter, same. Can't buy film at every corner drugstore, or get it developed there, either. Only 12 exposures per 120 roll, if a heavy shooter. No film back interchangeability if that's an issue. Not necessarily bulky, but a quite different shape than SLR's or RF's.

I wrote an earlier review of the camera. After writing that one, I missed my Mamiya's, so went to EBay and bought a mint in box C220f, the last model made, and a C330s mint in box--along with a few lenses. I've discovered these later models, particularly the 220, are indeed lighter than the earlier ones I owned, much lighter than the C2 I still have. Though most of my amateur shooting is still 35 Nikon/Leica, I've rediscovered the joys of shooting MF. I still like the 6 x 6 format because I have a slide projector in this size and the slides just leap out from the screen. I'm surprised that an earlier reviewer forgot that the Rolleiflex was THE pro camera for a couple of decades. I like the transparent simplicity of the Mamiya cameras; if a lens set starts acting up you can just send that one in and keep going! I particularly enjoy the easy changeover from 120 to 220 on these cameras and like having the film reminder on the back. Compared to my older Mamiya's, they finally got modern folding hoods instead of the old two handed fold-down type. I've found the screens in these last models much brighter than my older ones, and haven't replaced them. One other thing: with the ability to change lens sets comes the incursion of dust into the body; I blow them out regularly, particularly the mirror chamber. One advantage over my Rollei cameras is the cold shoe that the Japanese put on the side. It's perfect for a very small e-flash for the occasional need, and the synch location on the viewing lens keeps the connection cord from crossing the taking lens. I enjoy these cameras more with the shorter focal length lenses. I have the 135 and it's an excellent lens, but the bellows draw is 'way out on this set making it really tough to hand-hold. I suppose parallax is a problem for some and I've just used TLR's most of my life so I automatically compensate. If I were to choose between the 220 and 330 I'd probably take the 220 for its simpler use (manual cocking, film wind knob) because speed isn't an issue with what I do. I've found the little pointer in the finder distracting on the 330 and it doesn't help me much at all. Even with my bad back, the use of modern straps such as Optech has enabled me to tromp around with one of these. For me, the experience of using the twin-lens is unique. I've never had an SLR in MF so I can't compare that. I wouldn't spend the money required for something like a Hasselblad--I'd rather spend it on film! Buy one of these, though, and you'll have a camera that'll last you as long as we're still using film.

Customer Service

Never needed any mechanical servicing except a CLA locally for one of the lens sets.

Similar Products Used:

Multiple Rollei models, both 'flex and 'cord. Prior C models. Multiple Yashica models. Meopta Flexaret. Red Chinese Seagull--the worst! Several MF folders over the past 30 years.

Very good build, very good low price, plenty in the used market, a lot of shops repair them but I have not needed any repairs.

It is a little heavy, but not a problem for a bug guy like me.

The Mamiya C330 is a fine pro. camera even in the digital age. For the quality image you get compaired to the price you pay, you cannot beat it. It is easy to use, the lenses are very good,I have a "Bright Screen" view finder on mine so it is easy to focus even in a dim Church. I have use all seven of the lenses that were made for this camera. I think the 65mm is as good as Rollei lenses.

Customer Service

Very good but ecpensive if you use Mamiya.All good at Morgantown Camera and vedio, much better prices than the factory

Similar Products Used:

Rollei 2.8, 3.5, Autocords, yashica Mats

Not very expensive, solid and reliable. it isn't that heavy and a joy to carry around. Plus the strange looks you get with it are a novelty

6x6 format has to be cropped. I like 6x7 although many people especially hasselblad users love 6x6. not alot of lens selections or accessories and Watch out for parralax

I have a c33 which is the older version. I love the camera, It is Much Much lighter than my Rb67 if you want to complain about weight lug that around. The c33 is durable, rock solid and very reliable. I have yet to have it foul up on me when I needed it the most. I have taken awsome pictures of night shots w/long exposures and they enlarge beautifully.

Customer Service

I got it used, I doubt it's still under warranty :)

Similar Products Used:

nothing except a mf slr

excellent optics extremely versatile purely mechanical extremely well made and dependable

no infinity stops

It's a great camera system. Certainly the least expensive way to get into an interchangable medium format reflex camera of real professional quality that I now of. The C220 is much lighter than the C330, and for landscapes it is just as usable. I have one of each and like them both very much. For precision close up work, however, the C330 is best. The exposure compensating indicator inthe voewfinder, letting you know how much additional exosure to give due to the bellows extension comes in very handy with close ups. Others comment that the camera is hard to hold. However, I find it rests very easily in the hands when using the waist level finder. (Yes, the C330 is heavy.) It is definitely not designed for eye level use, but cupping the camera in both hands for waist level viewing, it seems to fit very naturally and is very easy to hold. The weight is actually an advantage in some cases for a heavier camera can be a lot easier to hold steady when used as I described, than a light camera.

Customer Service

never needed any

Similar Products Used:

C220 Yashicamat 124-G

!80mm super lens. if you shoot close- ups of people this is great. it seem to be as sharp as anything out there. flash synch at all speeds at a reasonable price.

paralax, reversed viewing image, 5000lbs,

This carry is great if you accept the fact that it's enormous and weird to get used to.

Customer Service

Get a newer model like the professional F. I think They still made them up to the 80's

Similar Products Used:

mamiya rb67, mamiya 7ii,