Oh My Mamiya!
Mamiyaflex C-2 by Mamiya
By Caitlin Downs
13 June 2007
The allure of vintage cameras is pretty undeniable, but it takes dedication to pick up a stray, weather-worn camera and make it a fundamental part of your equipment ensemble. The Mamiyaflex C-2, a twin-lens reflex camera that takes medium format 120 roll film, was one of those great eBay finds that appeared to be in working order despite superficial damage. I was always fond of the great aesthetic of twin-lens cameras, so the opportunity to buy one for myself at such a great price was impossible to resist.
When I first received my Mamiyaflex, I made sure to inspect it thoroughly. I knew when buying it that the leather on the outside decayed, and was largely flaked off, which was no problem in my mind. I bought the camera with intent to use it, so I focused on inspecting the bellows, lenses, shutter release, film advance, and so forth. No light leaked in and all mechanisms were functional.
The idea of handling a camera with two lenses was intimidating until I researched the matter. A twin-lens reflex, or a TLR, is different from the more typical SLR (single-lens reflex) in that the lens used for viewing works separately from the lens used to capture the picture. So, rather than having a focal plane shutter shield the film from light, the TLR allows the leaf shutter to operate within the exposure lens. In other words, rather than using one lens and additional mechanisms to take a picture, it uses two efficient lenses to perform separate tasks in the picture taking process, and makes the process less internally complicated. Though the description still makes picture taking seem complicated, I assure you, it's not. To take a picture, all you have to do is set up the shot, set the shutter speed and aperture, cock the shutter, expose the film, and forward the frame. The camera doesn't ask questions as to why it has two lenses, it just uses them. If nothing else, take a lesson from the camera and just take pictures.
In any case, when it came time for me to test the camera, I decided to employ it on a shoot of a couple who were the subject of my current photo series. I like to shoot my subjects with both film and digital cameras, and after I was finished shooting some candid shots, I asked them to sit for a set of dramatic, low light portraits with my new, used Mamiyaflex C-2.
The portraits turned out to be spectacular. The details captured by the 6x6 cm negatives were stunning, and with the aperture stopped wide open, the pictures had really unique, shallow depth of field. The dreamy Mamiya, aged as it was, produced great work and became a staple in my portrait shoots. If you're in the market for a striking vintage twin-lens reflex camera, I'd highly recommend the Mamiyaflex or one of the kissing-cousin models, like the Rolleiflex or the Duaflex. If nothing else, you'll look really cool with those wide, double lenses swinging from your hip.
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