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Scoop · Joined: 01 Oct 2001 Posts: 11

Does anyone have experience using the taking (shutter) lens from the Mamiya TLR's on a Baby Graphic?

I've mounted a Mamiya 80mm on a homemade lensboard for my pre-Pacemaker Baby Speed Graphic (I have a modest home machine shop). I seem to be getting coverage across the entire groundglass as published data on the Mamiya TLR website indicates that I should.

Not an irreversible switch since I can readily remount the lens on the TLR lensboard should I ever find the need to (the lens was a duplicate). I will have to resolder the synch lead.

I hope to actually make some negatives this weekend.

No "T" setting on this lens, I'm using "B" and a rubber band to hold the shutter down when I use the groundglass. I get a fresh rubber band of exactly the right size wrapped around my newspaper each morning.

The attraction here is that some of the Mamiya TLR lenses can be had relatively inexpensively - the chrome-barrele lenses often going for well under $50 for a 80mm. At f2.8 and a slight wide angle perspective, this seems to be a dandy combination for indoor available light shooting.

The 65mm Mamiya is usually quite a bit cheaper than other lenses with adequate coverage for 6x9 cm.

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

Well the rollei used an 80mm Xenotar as did the Century Speed (albiet in a different shutter) so I don't see why it wouldn't work and if you've got the company data that says it'll cover 6x9 the I won't disagree.

I think you may be on to something.

cgoff · Joined: 24 Aug 2001 Posts: 18 Location: Connecticut

I think you're **definitely** on to something here...I've been fooling around with lenses from other types of cameras on my 3 x 4 Speed for years. For example, I mounted a 50mm lens from a 35mm Pentax on a homemade lens board, using a filter step-up ring to mount the lens, and got nice, sharp (though circular) images on 120 film that has about a 175 degree field of view with NO distortion! (This only works on Graphics with a focal-plane shutter, needless to say.)

It's been years since I used a Mamiya TLR, so I'm curious abut the rubber-band technique. Your post implies that there is no cable-release socket on the lens itself, so you can't use a locking release to hold the shutter open at B. If you post a close-up picture of the shutter tripping mechanism, maybe I can help with a doodad to let you use a release (I'm a former mechanical engineer and current tinkerer).

Again, thanks a bunch for your post...I've been looking for a modern portrait-length lens for my 2 x 3 Century, and am going to to Ebay RIGHT NOW to see if any C330 lenses of the right length are around. I'm also thinking of all those dusty TLRs sitting on the shelves in camera stores because nobody wants them...

<font>[ This Message was edited by: cgoff on 2001-10-24 11:01 ]</font>
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jdman · Joined: 13 May 2001 Posts: 302 Location: Midwest

Tonight I removed the Century 85mm lens and shutter from a Graflex 22 and installed it in one of my old Baby Speeds. Was a snap to do just cut the sync wires and made a homemade spanner and did it. Reset the infinity settings etc. Now have a 3.5 and a wider angle with alot of depth of field. How would this work for landscapes? Have I gained anything except a little fun? Russ

crazybob2525 · Joined: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 2 Location: New Jersey

OK, I'm a little late here...

I had a 180mm f/4.5 Mamiya Sekor TLR lens that had a fungus problem in the rear cells of the viewing and front cells of the taking lenses. The Seikosha shutter was also balky and I almost tossed the lens in the trash.

I happened to have a N.I.B. Prontor-S shutter in size 0 in the closet, so as an experiment, I mounted the good front and rear cells to the shuter and put the whole shebang on a lens board for a miniature Speed.

A quick calibration of the iris and it was time to shoot some 6X9...

IT WORKED GREAT! The 180 covered nicely, even with all of the front rise used. 180mm is a wonderful portrait length for 2X3.

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Bob Fowler
bob@rcfowlerphoto.com

glennfromwy · Joined: 29 Nov 2001 Posts: 903 Location: S.W. Wyoming

I have been thinking about using TLR lenses for a long time. Just never got around to doing anything about it, though. I did concoct a nifty lens swap the other day. An 80mm Volna lens from a Kiev 60 onto a 3X4 Speed. This lens is extremely sharp but the mechanics were crap. The diaphragm was sluggish. I cleaned enough grease off the blades to lube my van. Anyhoo, I fabricated an aluminum lens board and removed the stop down pin from the lens to make it manual and put 'er on the Speed.
It amazed me to see the image cover the 3X4 glass, though dim around the edges, like me. If the weather ever gets nice, I'll try it out and report back. ( It was way too big for my baby Speed, as was planned)

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Glenn

"Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

[ This Message was edited by: glennfromwy on 2004-01-16 17:03 ]

danimal · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 8:12 pm Post subject:

Hi all,

I've heard that Mamiya developed their TLR series to use their existing large format lens line. Is there any truth to that rumor? It would make sense, due to economy of scale. Also, I was told that the viewing lenses in the C-series TLRs were often rejects from the taking-lens assembly line. At any rate, that might explain why the lenses cover 2x3 so well.

Dan

RichS · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 8:17 pm Post subject:

To my limited knowledge, the tlr lenses were designed specifically for the tlr. And done very well too!

I would suppose that they cover 2x3 so well because they were designed to do exactly that! The original Mamiya C had a sheet film back available as an option. Yes, it was 2x3...

And in all probability, the viewing lenses were rejects. Why waste a prime lens just for that?

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