f3.5 and 135mm f4.5 – but over
the decades the system expanded
and eventually spanned 55mm to
250mm. The earliest lenses had
leaf shutters with a speed range of
1-1/400 second while, from 1960
onwards, the top shutter speed
became 1/500 second. Many of
the model updates along the way
were quite minor so here’s the
Mamiya TLR chronology with only
the major upgrades noted. Flex C2
(1958, focusing knobs both sides),
C3 (1962, crank handle for film
advance), C33 (1965, self-cocking
shutter), C22 (1966), C220 (1968,
lighter weight version of the C22),C330 (1969, lighter weight version
of the C33 with interchangeable
focusing screens), C330f (1982,
single-action focusing hood), C220f
(1982, single-action focusing hood)
and C330S (1983, last of the line,
larger focusing knobs and more
rugged film transport). Production
of the C330S ended in 1994 while
the C220f soldiered on for another
year, finishing in1995 and ending
47 years of Mamiya TLRs.
From 1962 to the early 1990s,
Mamiya also offered a series of
6x9cm format press cameras, with
the Press Super 23 model from
1967 having tilt/swing adjustmentsvia rear bellows, provisions
for fitting a wide selection of
interchangeable film backs and,
of course, interchangeable leaf-
shutter lenses focused via a
rangefinder and with automatic
parallax correction.
The last-of-the-line Universal
model dropped the rear bellows,
but could be fitted with rollfilm
magazines for 6x7cm or 6x9cm
frames, a sheet film holder or a
Polaroid instant print pack back
(incidentally, it was also marketed
as the Polaroid 600SE). The
Universal was launched in 1969,
but stayed in production until 1991.Reflex Action
In 1961 Mamiya launched its first
35mm SLR model, the Prismat NP,
which was available with either a
Canon 50mm f1.9 standard lens
or a Mamiya-Sekor 58mm f1.7. By
now, J Osawa was distributing
Mamiya’s cameras in Japan and
also Canon’s, so the co-operation
likely came about this way.
Incidentally, Mamiya subsequently
built a version of the NP for Nikon- with an F mount fitting – which
became the Nikkorex F, launched
in 1962.
Later in 1961 Mamiya
introduced the Prismat PH which,
MAMiyA M645
Launched in 1975, the Mamiya M645 was the world’s first
6x4.5cm SLR camera.MAMiyA M645 1000S
The M645 1000S variant increased the top shutter speed to
1/1000 second with film advance via a crank handle rather
than just a knob.MAMiyA M645 + 500MM MiRRoR
Mamiya put a lot of effort into lens systems for all its formats.
The M645’s line-up was eventually quite extensive and included
a 500mm mirror telephoto.MAMiyA ZE & ZE-2
Mamiya’s ZE series 35mm SLRs introduced the concept of an all-
electronic lens mount so information such as focal length could be
relayed to the camera body. Both the ZE and ZE-2 launched during 1980.62
CLASSICS MaMiya
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