Mamiya Press 6x9

[Malcolm Lozada]

Ihave always wanted a Mamiya Press Super 23. It is such an ungainly looking camera that it is beautiful in a flawed way. There are bits sticking out at all angles which makes it a wonder that this ever works to make photographs. Then in use, I find that it does everything it can to make me earn the result. But what a result!

This camera has so many functions which operate totally independently. For a press photographer in the late 1960s, I am sure they would get used to it and operate the camera with muscle memory. Using it myself now, over 50 years later, I have to think every step through and run a mental checklist. So much so, that for the first time I have added a new section in a review, the Camera Hurt Locker. This will cover all ways this camera can hurt you.

A considerable plus is that the Super 23 immerses you into the process. So much so, that once you have it set up, with the handle, it is actually quite convenient to carry and use. Grant you, not tourist type convenient, but if you were a press photographer, I could see many worse options for that period.

At the end, the results are what counts. I have other 69 cameras, some which produce excellent quality, and I can say the Mamiya Press lenses are no slouch. Seeing the large negatives pulled out of the sleeve after picking them up from the lab is a very cathartic experience. It is no wonder these lenses have become the default option not just the new breed of medium format 3D printed cameras but they are also a good option for 45 in many cases. The image circle in some of them covers this format. The 65mm seems to be a particular favourite.

Mamiya is quite an interesting camera company which was founded in 1940 in Tokyo. The founders Mamiya Seiichi (whom the company was named after) and Sugawara Tsunejirō initially called it Mamiya Kōki Seisakusho which translates to Mamiya Optical Works). Mamiya was the camera engineer, and Sugawara was the investor and took the managing director role.

The first camera produced was the Mamiya Six (not to be confused with the modern Mamiya 6). It is a 66 folding camera, with focusing achieved through the movement of the film plane. There were quite a few variations of that camera manufactured until well into the 1950s. Even World War II did not disrupt the company, as they were the first company to receive an order from Central Purchasing Office of SCAP in Japan in 1946.

Eight years after the company was formed Mamiya introduced the next camera, a 66 twin lens reflex (TLR), the Mamiyaflex. Also, in 1948 the 35mm rangefinder, the Mamiya 35, was released followed closely the following year with the Mamiya 16 subminiature camera.

These cameras were the mainstay until 1957 when the now iconic Mamiya C3, a 66 TLR with interchangeable lenses replaced the Mamiyaflex. In that year the Mamiya Magazine 35 was also introduced, a camera with interchangeable backs. As innovative as that sounds, it did not meet much success.

The Press range does seem to take its design cues from the Linhof Technika Press camera range. The previous year the Nikon F had hit the market, and press photography was starting the transition away from large format press cameras. Like Linhof, Mamiya may have been hedging its bets on a transitional medium format period, or even higher quality option, with convenience of roll film camera.

The original Mamiya press was produced until 1967, with minor variations including the Press G in 1963 which incorporated the Graflex back system. This included the Press 23 and Press Standard camera. Another unique feature was the rear bellows and accessory locking struts.

Another iteration was released in 1969, the Universal. This model used updated film backs but removed the rear bellows. It could accept the Graflex backs, but also the Rand Polaroid backs. This also enabled the cross branding with the Polaroid 600SE. Mamiya did after all have a history of manufacturing for other companies (including the Nikon Nikkorex F SLR).

From 1970, Mamiya established itself as primarily a medium format camera manufacturer. With the advantage of manufacturing most of the components in-house it became a mainstay of the studio and wedding industry, especially with the RB67, M645, RZ67, M645 Super SLR series.

Some specialty cameras came a bit later in 1989 with the Mamiya 6 and in 1995 the Mamiya 7 (which is my all-time favourite camera). After that the digital backs started to appear in the late 1990s and Mamiya started the journey into the digital age, collaborating with Leaf imaging. This eventuated with the camera business sold to Cosmo Digital Imaging.

The lens mount is a unique Mamiya Press breech lock mount. The lenses themselves each have a Seikosha leaf shutter. The shutter release is on the lens and can vary in location. The camera is designed to be used with a left-hand grip, which incorporates a remote shutter release button. The handle is connected to the shutter release on lens by a remote cable.

The handle also has a strap on it for better holding and it is attached to the body via a screw mechanism. Both the body and the handle have cold shoes attached at the top. On the right side of the camera is also a bracket for a flash gun.

The back of the camera has a switch at the top which allows you to select the viewfinder frame lines between 100mm, 150mm and 250mm. The viewfinder has parallax compensation and incorporates a circular rangefinder patch. Nice little touch is that it actually tells you which focal length it is set to in the viewfinder.

Film is loaded in the right-hand side and threaded to the left into a take up spool. The frame advance lever is on the right-hand side and uses quite a complicated mechanism to pull the film from the left-hand side. A film advance lock has to be flicked to allow the film to advance.

A dark slide has to be removed before shooting or inserted before changing lenses. Neither the film advance or the dark slide are interlocked with the shutter release, so care is required to avoid shooting double exposures or a blank frame.

Four locking knobs around the sides of the camera allow the back to be pulled out and the bellows to be extended. This can be used in conjunction with the ground glass attachment for some tilt and shift and even close focus for still life.

I only have a couple of lenses for the Mamiya Press system. It fits into my usual mode of shooting of a wide and normal lens. To be honest, I cannot see myself using this camera with a telephoto, so I am quite happy with this combination.

The 100mm lens on 69 format translates to roughly 44mm in the 35mm format. The Mamiya-Sekor 100mm f/3.5, specifically the black version (it makes a difference in which one it is) is a Tesser type lens with 4 elements in 3 groups. Like all Press lenses it has a leaf shutter. It has 55mm filter thread.

Interesting feature on this lens is that it collapses and when collapsed the lens allows it to focus on infinity with the bellows extended. It also saves space but that is not the primary reason. If the lens is not extended, the focus will not be correct when using it without the bellows extended. All other non collapsible lenses will only focus close with the bellows extended. The rangefinder will not focus correctly with the bellows extended.

The Mamiya-Sekor Seikosha 65mm f/6.3 is a sought after lens, but not necessarily only because it is a wonderfully sharp lens, it is adapted to a new breed of 3D printed cameras. 65mm is equivalent to roughly 28mm in 35mm terms.

The lens itself is a Topogon type lens, with 4 elements in 4 groups. It is much more compact than the 100mm and does not require collapsing. The widest aperture at 6.3 is not that fast, but this is a lens unlikely to be used for bokeh shots.

This is a camera that is not meant for the faint hearted. It can hurt you in the most painful way. Not specifically physically, though there is enough weight and sharp corners on this camera it can do some damage.

No, this camera hurts a photographer when they are shooting or even when they process or pick up their film. The worst part is for many of these you would not know it until then and it is usually too late to do anything about it. So, without further ado, these are some of the ways it can get you, and most have happened to me.

When the camera arrived, I was really stoked. Not only do I love and collect Mamiya cameras, this was something left field compared to what I already had. Inspecting the camera I did notice that the viewfinder had some fungus in it. Luckily it had come from a reputable Japanese seller and they apologised for missing that and refunded an appropriate amount to have it cleaned out. A clean and service later, and this camera has been in tip top shape since then.

I had known the Mamiya Press cameras are a little complex to use, so I was prepared the first time I took it out. Or so I thought. After a day in the park with my son, Alec, and shooting for a few hours I was feeling quite pleased. On the way back to the car I suddenly had a thought, I could not remember taking out the dark slide while shooting, but I could not be 100% sure.

The next roll was a lot more successful. I joined a friend for some scenic shooting along Sydney harbour. Apart from one accidental double exposure, it came out wonderfully. Seeing the results, especially from the 65mm, in a huge 69 frame it took quite a lot of the sting out of it.

The 65mm f/6.3 lens is the money. This lens is pretty much sharp all around from f/6.3 wide open, but f/8 is totally complete. Exposure is also fairly consistent across the frame with only a part stop in at f/8. I love using this lens, the external viewfinder that is required is absolute pleasure to look through. It really immerses you into the scene. The results from this lens are nothing short of superb.

Speaking of viewfinders, the integrated viewfinder is really nice and clear to look through. I have since taken this camera to both city street photography and also at the beach. Basically, using it as a press camera rather than on a tripod. There a distinct neutral density type of affect in the viewfinder, which helps make the frame lines nice and clear. Even in bright sunlight.

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