Mamiya's flagship 6x6 TLR — interchangeable-lens C330, paired leaf-shutter lenses, bellows focus, 1969.
The Mamiya C330 is a medium-format twin-lens reflex from Mamiya and the flagship of the interchangeable-lens C-series from the late 1960s. It succeeded the C33 and added conveniences such as automatic parallax indication and a crank film advance, becoming the professional standard of the Mamiya TLR range.
It is a twin-lens reflex shooting 6x6cm square frames on 120 roll film, twelve per roll, and can also take 220 film. It takes interchangeable paired lenses on the Mamiya C bayonet, with taking and viewing lenses changed together and each lens carrying its own leaf shutter. Focusing is by a bellows moving the lens board for 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 C330 suits portrait, landscape, studio and general medium-format work where lens changes, close focusing and parallax correction matter. The crank advance and finder features aid handling. The camera is heavy and large, and each additional focal length is a bulky paired unit to carry.
On a used C330, 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 crank film-wind and counter, and inspect the ground glass for brightness and the focus travel for smoothness.