Mamiya

It seems clear at this point that my film camera fascination is spinning slightly out-of-control. It seems nearly justifiable that I might seek out cameras that fill a gap in the collection, like Mamiya RB67 (with its 6×7 image format), or the Mamiya Press Super 23 (with its 6×9 images). But there are already multiple 6×4.5 cameras in the house, and yet, an M645 1000S had been in the back of my mind for some time now, and one finally joined my growing family of film cameras.

One camera series that you just don’t hear much about, or see very often in North America is the Mamiya Press. Like the Mamiya RB67, the Mamiya Press cameras are big, funky, strange-looking, quirky, and a lot of fun to shoot. They also provide some really nice images. It all added-up to the camera being an ideal candidate for a comprehensive review.

I’ll caution readers that this is the longest camera review I’ve ever written, in large part because the back story is itself incredibly long. That story starts in late January 2020, but I didn’t have a fully working, usable camera in my hands until nearly four months later — mid May 2020.

One of the most glaring omissions in my camera collection was some sort of 6×7 medium format model. I’d been intrigued by what I’d heard about the Mamiya RB67, and started keeping my eyes open for one. When I saw one for sale at National Camera Exchange, I decided the time was right to jump. What I discovered in the process is without question the quirkiest camera I’ve yet had the pleasure of using.

I recently acquired (yet) another medium format camera: a Mamiya C220 TLR. It was offered on eBay (a place I normally avoid like the plague), but the fact it was fully complete — including boxes, manuals, all body and lens caps, etc. — and in great condition made it sort of a no-brainer to take the risk. I’m glad I did, because what arrived was every bit as good (or better) than the eBay listing photos. Full-form reviews on this camera are virtually non-existent, so it also seemed like a no-brainer to take a deep dive and explore its allure in detail.