Earlier this year I picked up a new (used) Mamiya C330 medium format TLR to add to my ever growing collection of cameras. The only experience I've had with medium format film photography came from the toy cameras such as the Holga and Diana which were great cameras! The plastic lens of these cameras gave the photos a lovely soft and dreamy look that's commonly known as lomography. After having seen some fantastic photo on flickr, I leapt out of the 35mm film I was regularly shooting and jumped into shooting medium format by way of the Holga and Diana.
Having said that, these two cameras can't compare to the more professional medium format cameras such as the Mamiyas and the Hassleblads with regards to tack sharp photos. I would've been fine shooting lomo squares for a little while longer but I was inspired by my good friend Alex who owned a couple of Mamiyas and took some of my favorite photos, to take on medium format photography using more professional equipment for lack of a better description.
I recently picked up a couple of rolls of film that I had taken using the Mamiya C330 and after seeing the results, there's alot of learning and getting used to that I'd have to do. It wasn't quite as easy as I originally thought it would be. One of the mistakes that I made was loading the film improperly. Shooting 120 type medium format yields 12 frames per roll but I was getting back 10 frames per roll. I thought loading film would be similar to the Holga/Diana. I had to watch a youtube video to realize it's just a little bit more complicated. That lesson was quickly learned and I should be getting 12 frames per roll now. I also have to get used to the focusing system of the Mamiya and probably other medium format cameras should I purchase in the near future. Shooting 35mm came easy and naturally for me but the transition to using the Mamiya will take some time. Many of the photos I got back weren't as focused as I remembered taking them. Alex gave me the heads up to take my time with it which I'll do so wisely.
The more I use the Mamiya, the more I'll get used to it and hone in my skills which will produce better images down the line. Here are some of the images I took with the Mamiya. I'll regard them as test rolls :)
Having said that, these two cameras can't compare to the more professional medium format cameras such as the Mamiyas and the Hassleblads with regards to tack sharp photos. I would've been fine shooting lomo squares for a little while longer but I was inspired by my good friend Alex who owned a couple of Mamiyas and took some of my favorite photos, to take on medium format photography using more professional equipment for lack of a better description.
I recently picked up a couple of rolls of film that I had taken using the Mamiya C330 and after seeing the results, there's alot of learning and getting used to that I'd have to do. It wasn't quite as easy as I originally thought it would be. One of the mistakes that I made was loading the film improperly. Shooting 120 type medium format yields 12 frames per roll but I was getting back 10 frames per roll. I thought loading film would be similar to the Holga/Diana. I had to watch a youtube video to realize it's just a little bit more complicated. That lesson was quickly learned and I should be getting 12 frames per roll now. I also have to get used to the focusing system of the Mamiya and probably other medium format cameras should I purchase in the near future. Shooting 35mm came easy and naturally for me but the transition to using the Mamiya will take some time. Many of the photos I got back weren't as focused as I remembered taking them. Alex gave me the heads up to take my time with it which I'll do so wisely.
The more I use the Mamiya, the more I'll get used to it and hone in my skills which will produce better images down the line. Here are some of the images I took with the Mamiya. I'll regard them as test rolls :)