Mamiya's interchangeable-lens 6x6 TLR — early C-series, paired leaf-shutter lenses, bellows focus, 1958.
The Mamiya C2 is a medium-format twin-lens reflex from Mamiya and an early member of the Mamiya C-series, the range that made the TLR into an interchangeable-lens system camera. Introduced in the late 1950s, the C2 established the professional-oriented Mamiya TLR approach, unusual among TLRs for allowing paired viewing and taking lenses to be swapped on the body.
It is a twin-lens reflex shooting 6x6cm square frames on 120 roll film, twelve per roll. Unlike fixed-lens TLRs it takes interchangeable paired lenses on the Mamiya C bayonet mount, so both the taking and viewing lenses are changed together as a unit. Each lens carries its own leaf shutter in the front standard. Focusing is by a bellows system moving the whole lens board, and composition is through a waist-level finder on the ground-glass screen.
The Mamiya C-series is the interchangeable-lens professional TLR, and the C2 suits portrait, landscape, studio and general medium-format work where the ability to change focal length sets it apart from fixed-lens TLRs. The bellows focusing allows close focusing beyond most TLRs. The system is heavier and larger than a typical TLR, and the paired-lens design means each focal length is a bulky unit.
When buying a used C2, check the taking and viewing lenses separately for haze, fungus and separation, and confirm the lens-lock and mount seat the paired lens securely. Inspect the bellows for pinholes and light leaks by extending them fully, since bellows are a known wear point on the C-series. Test each lens's leaf shutter and aperture, check the film-wind and counter, and inspect the ground glass for brightness and the focus mechanism for smooth travel.