A set of test images shot on a Mamiya C330 TLR with HP5+ film. These are from a few rolls taken to test out the camera and 80mm lens, in anticipation of a longer term project, for which I wanted a higher resolution camera that could conceivably be used without a tripod and which was not prohibitively expensive. The C-series TLRs with leaf shutter lenses and lack of a flappy mirror are a good candidate for this, and more versatile than TLRs such as the Rolleiflex thanks to the ability to mount different lenses.

So far the results look promising, but I need more time to get used to the camera’s handling. There are many many parts that move on the front of the camera, and I find it very easy to discover that a finger is blocking something or inadvertently tripping the shutter (fortunately, there is a shutter lock!).

Unfortunately, the first films were badly damaged when loading on the spirals for processing. Working in a confined dark bag at high temperature meant that sweat dampened the film and reels, making loading the film on the reels near impossible. In the end I had to leave the films in the bag overnight to dry before re-attempting the load. Another problem that I need to solve is the scanning, as using glass sheets to hold the film flat means a lot of work to patch up dust and fluff on the scans…