Mamiya's flagship 6x6 TLR — interchangeable-lens C33, paired leaf-shutter lenses, bellows focus, 1965.
The Mamiya C33 is a medium-format twin-lens reflex from Mamiya and a flagship of the interchangeable-lens C-series in the mid-1960s. It added features over the earlier C3, including a revised film-wind and finder, and stood as the professional model of the range before the later C330.
It is a twin-lens reflex shooting 6x6cm square frames on 120 roll film, twelve per roll. It takes interchangeable paired lenses on the Mamiya C bayonet, with the taking and viewing lenses changed together and each lens carrying its own leaf shutter. Focusing is by a bellows moving the lens board, allowing close focusing, and composition is through a waist-level finder on the ground-glass screen, with interchangeable finders available.
The C-series is the interchangeable-lens professional TLR, and the C33 suits portrait, landscape, studio and general medium-format work where changing focal length and close focusing matter. The bellows and paired-lens system give flexibility beyond a fixed-lens TLR. The camera is heavy and large, and each additional focal length is a bulky paired unit to carry.
On a used C33, check the taking and viewing lenses separately for haze, fungus and separation, and confirm the lens-lock and mount hold the paired lens firmly. Extend the bellows fully and inspect for pinholes and light leaks. Test each lens's leaf shutter and aperture, verify the film-wind and counter, and inspect the ground glass for brightness and the focus travel for smoothness.