Mamiya Press/Universal

Mamiya Press/Universal is one of the best portable cameras. Quality at all levels.

I have had my Mamiya Press/Universal about 20 years. It is great Camera. I Photograph Places like Venice California. The camera fits in a back pack when I ride my motorcycle. Not when using 220 film when you unload the film to have developed get a film rolling bag "Changing Bag" make sure the film is rapped tight on thr spool or you may expose the film. I really enjoy my camera.

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.