Mamiya Press/Universal Review

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Mamiya Press/Universal
4.7 stars
Average rating for this product is: 4.7 out of 5

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Martin Crabtree.'s Review of Mamiya Press/Universal Medium Format Camera

13th May 2003

Overall Rating

4 stars
  • Value for money
    4 stars
Good Points

Ease of use hand held.
Speed of wind on action.
Comfortable to hold.


Bad Points

Biggish.
Not good for close-ups.
Not easy to use on tripod.


General Comments

This is a great camera for hand held medium format photography. Unlike a TLR or even an SLR with a viewing hood, you can hold it like a typical 35mm SLR or rangefinder camera which makes composing and shooting very quick - hence its description as a press camera.

A grip is provided on the left hand side of the camera which has a cable release built in. Frankly, I found the handling better with this removed and my left hand cradling the body like a 35mm camera. The shutter needs to be cocked manually and I find this easier without the grip too. It can be triggered easily by the left hand in the cradling position.

The backs are removable and come in 6x7, 6x9 and even 6x6, 6x4.5 too. It's easy to switch from one back to another mid-roll and the thumb lever wind-on is quick and positive.

The medium format negatives give crisp, grain free images from even fast films. The down side, though, is the lack of depth of field compared to 35mm cameras. Still, the leaf shutter allows quite slow speeds without camera shake compared to clunky SLRs.

Of course, a tripod can be used though the horizontal viewfinder is better suited to eye-level photography.

A very different camera from my C330, but the same quality and fun to use.

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Members' Comments onMartin Crabtree.'s Review

  • Koop on 19th Mar 2006

    I had had my Mamiya Universal camera about 20 years. Every time I use it the camera does its thing well. I have shot Bungalows in Venice Beach California I have very good results with B&W Film and Color and using a flash. Camera is hard to focus in low light but can get used to it.