Mamiya C220: An Analogue Giant

If my house was on fire and I had to save one thing (other than my wife and child, as they do slightly trump everything) then I am about 99% sure it would be my Millennium Falcon from when I was a kid. If I could save two things then the second would be my Mamiya C220.

image from www.schnittbildindikator.de

DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUH So speaketh zarathesua starts up in the back ground as I open the doors of my camera cabinet, the light bounces off the metallic trim. At twice the size of the Lubitel this camera stands like a giant obelisk in my camera cabinet. Its two lenses gleam and shimmer like two brooding pools of oil “Good morning Dave” utters the Mamiya monosyllabically. Ok the last bit has gone too far, I mean my name is Matt for starters. But like the film 2001 the Mamiya C22O is epic.

Blue Danube is now playing in my head and the Mamiya is floating round a white room, the light glints off the metallic letters at the top of the camera Mamyia C220 it shines with a wink. A female flight attendants hand reaches and lightly picks the camera out of the air she hands it to me, I look up and see Jennifer Bloody Aniston as she says “Pay attention here comes the science bit”

The white room suddenly stops and I am presented with a power point presentation
The Mamiya C220 can shoot from f2.8 up to f32
The Mamiya C220 can take either 120 or 220 film
The Mamiya C220 can be set to either shoot single or multi images
(I start to panic)
The Mamiya C220 can shoot from a bulb setting to 1/500
(I can’t take this anymore)
The Mamiya C220 has a hot shoe
(I frantically start pulling cables out of the computer and projector)
The Mamiya C220 (the computers voice starts to slow and drain) has a daisy daisy
I breathe easy again back in my white floaty room. Its not that I don’t like the science bit, not that I am not utterly impressed with the science; but I find that the science of the Mamiya C220 interrupts the sheer elegant beauty of the camera.

This is an incredible camera. It out shoots and out performs everything in my collection. It captures subtle tones with ease and is incredibly user friendly. I always take this camera when I go on pro shoots. This is for two reasons firstly I am an analogue junkie. Secondly when I produce this camera I always find my client looks at it with slight awe. And rightly so.

Now I go back to my 2001 fantasy and watch Jennifer Aniston get sucked out of an airlock.

written by mattcharnock on 2009-08-29 #gear #medium-format #120 #review #square #epic #mattcharnock #mamiya #tones