Mamiya Press Just Arrived

[MaxElmar]

Grabbed a Mamiya Press G off a "well-known auction site" for $60. Just couldn't turn it down, especially with the G back. I already have a few Graflex and Horseman film holders, and the 2x3 focusing panel from my Century Graphic fits great. This one was cheap with a slightly beat up RF housing and a "sticky shutter," which turned out to be caused by the M-X lever set to M. The old Sekosha actually works great and the 100/3.5 looks really clean.

I'm starting to modify the beast for the Horseman film holders. I really prefer 6x9 to 6x7 for landscapes... It was cheap - so I'm hacking it for fun. I could see getting rid of the bellows, chopping the RF off the top. It's a sold basis for a dedicated wide camera. Or just put a voigtlander finder on the top and shoot the thing...

I can tell you this much - the RF is not terribly useful with an RH-10 mounted on the back. Pretty dim, too. I'm spoiled by my Bessa R...

 

[oftheherd]

Congratulations of a fine camera at a great price. I am curious though, I think that is an older Super Press 23. Only the 23 had a bellows back AFIK. Some of those older ones came in a variation where it had only a Graflex back.

Even so, it should be a fine camera to use. It should also take the Graflex roll film holder. Some lenses do get a little finiky about M-X setting as they get older. Mine is over 35 years old, and now has that problem. Since I haven't been using bulb flash, I'm not worried.

I have never been in favor of chopping up these cameras, but mine is the newer Super Press 23. Yours may have been just called the Super Press, I don't recall. Still, there have been a lot of hacks with those older cameras that extended there usefulness.

 

[MaxElmar]

Thanks,

It has the bellows, but the "G" back is not removable. It has the graflok patent notice printed right on the back: "Graflok back licensed by Graflex, Inc., Rochester, NY, USA Under Us Patent #2549670, April 17, 1951 Reg. T.M. Graflex, Inc. MADE IN JAPAN"

The RF seems to work fine, so I think the Horseman modification to the back will be about far as I go chopping it. I did pop the RF cover off and straighten it out a bit.

I have my eye on a 65mm for it - but of course I'm looking for the 50mm - it seems a lot of these lenses were chopped up for 6x9 view cameras.

 

[sevo]

Thanks,

It has the bellows, but the "G" back is not removable.

If it has bellows, the back is not removable - only the Universal has the switchable back, and that did away with the bellows. Preceding models had to be ordered with either Mamiya or International back - where the former seems to have been dominant in Europe and Japan while the US had a higher frequency of International back versions.

Several Mamiya Press cameras had bellows, the Super 23 was just the last and most evolved one - if you feel the finder disappointing, it probably is no Super 23.

 

[MaxElmar]

Oh, it's no Super 23, that's certain. I'm pretty sure it's a "Press G." The finder would probably work fine if I used the Mamiya "s-shaped" backs and I could get my eye up to the finder. It doesn't help that I wear glasses, either. The RF is quite usable (and perhaps even accurate as found!) - as long as I take care to center my eye - but I can only see about half the field with my face mashed up to the film holder. I just discovered that the finder has a 150mm mask built in. No matter - I have a nice collection of CV bright line finders to use and I straightened out the shoe on the top. I figure a 28 bright line should work well with the 65mm (on 6x9), and a 50 or 40 bright line with the 100mm. I can check against the ground glass. (Man, that's handy!)

 

[sevo]

There was a rather bizarre extension eye piece to get the eye closer to the finder when using roll film backs with G back Mamiyas - essentially the same as the magnification loupe/telescope they offered for the RB67, but lacking the flip-up joint and with a 1:1 magnification factor. I've only seen one once or twice on ebay, so these may be hard to find...

 

[MaxElmar]

Thanks, Sevo! That's good information - I'll look out for one.

 

[oftheherd]

I don't know that much about other Mamiya Press cameras other than what I have read about them. But as I understand, that version of the Press was indeed sold with a back that could not be interchanged, whereas the Universal could. The Super Press 23 was also set up only for the Mamiya backs. I don't remember if I have read any concerns about newer lenses on the older versions. You might want to check that or see if someone here in RFF can tell. The 50mm is a nice lens; sharp, covers 6x9 well, and can be used with a 65mm viewfinder and 6x7 for sure, and maybe 6x9, if you happen to get a chance on a 50mm without viewfinder. In 250mm, there are two, the f/8 does not connect to the RF on any version, the 250 f/5 does. However, it is rather big and heavy. The 50mm isn't the smallest in the stable either.

All that not withstanding, I am sure you will enjoy the camera. I have enjoyed mine for about 35 years now. Great lenses and easy to use. Well, as I said, I haven't used your version, but it shouldn't be to different.

 

[SallyShears]

Chris, I assume you know what to cut to make the Horseman backs fit properly on this camera, right? If not, referencing the photo below of a Mamiya G adapter for Universal, you want the vertical bar on the left (with three screws) to be thinner. I assume the piece on the Press 23 G is similar.

Good luck with your Mamiya Press. They are terrific.

 

[MaxElmar]

Hi Sally - and thank you. I did exactly that - I removed the three screws holding the bar to left and filed about 1mm off the bottom, painted it all black and replaced. However I also found that I had to remove some material from the chrome locking bars - the ones that slide to lock the back in place. The little "ears" that stick up would hit the back before fully locking the back in place.

All that done, the Horseman backs fit perfectly. They're really nice, too. Easy loading, super smooth wind on, true 56mm x 82mm film gate. Nice form factor.

I just received a really clean 65mm + finder and we'll be trying that out. There's 50mm on the way as well. No finder with that one, but the ground glass back is my friend.

The RF is pretty accurate with the 100mm but it seems totally off with the 65. Strange, but I know the lenses are individually adjustable. I think they only way to get a functioning RF across the system is to send the whole mess in to the tech and have everything adjusted simultaneously. I'm just going to live with it for now.

 

[Mudman]

The same thing is true for my Crown Graphic, unless you set up a second set of infinity locks for the second lens.

 

[oftheherd]

...

I just received a really clean 65mm + finder and we'll be trying that out. There's 50mm on the way as well. No finder with that one, but the ground glass back is my friend.

The RF is pretty accurate with the 100mm but it seems totally off with the 65. Strange, but I know the lenses are individually adjustable. I think they only way to get a functioning RF across the system is to send the whole mess in to the tech and have everything adjusted simultaneously. I'm just going to live with it for now.

In 6x7, try the 65mm finder against the GG. I think you will find the outside areas are very close to the 50mm fov. That's what I do. I don't have 6x9 roll film backs, and on those rare times I might want to use cut film, it is 6x9 and the cut film holder has its own GG.

I am puzzled by your 65mm not focusing correctly. I wonder if it may have been reassymbled incorrectly at some point. The Mamiya Press system is different from LF and Kalart finders. All Mamiya glass except the 500 f/8 should focus OK if any do, unless there is a problem with a particular lens.

You say all lenses are individually adjustable. I had never heard that before. I guess I need to look at the lenses to see, but I don't have the problem.

 

[MaxElmar]

If you look at the back of the 65 I think you can see the locking screws and the adjustment for the RF cam. I may fool with it to see if I can get it a little closer. It was mentioned that this particular lens was last serviced by Nippon Photo in NYC - a well-respected Mamiya tech. The shutter is spot on and the focus is smooth as butter so I don't really doubt that it has been serviced in the last decade or so... but if this 65 was adjusted to a particular camera at that time, that may explain the problem.

I believe I read that the RF should be adjusted with the standard 90 or 100, then adjust the other lenses as needed. I wish I could remember where I read that - time to get a service manual!

 

[oftheherd]

Well, I don't doubt you, but as I said, I will check my lenses tonight if I get the time. Do you have a reference for talking about the adjustments?

 

[MaxElmar]

Here's the thread that references the adjustments:

http://photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/0002lR

And the relevant passage:

"Many people secured the adjuster screws, both on the cameras and on the lenses that had them - the bright folks used the appropriate Lock-Tite compound or nail polish, which are easily removed, but the idiot who previously owned my 100/2.8 used epoxy, requiring an expensive repair to render it adjustable again. DO NOT assume that any lens is set up to work with any rangefinder - Mamiya relied on adjustability, not tight manufacturing tolerances, for rangefinder accuracy. The lens someone adjusted to match the rangefinder on their Press will probably not match yours. OTOH they're so easy to adjust (at least the Super 23 and Universal) you are in a much better position to be sure your rangefinder is dead on than you are with other rangefinders."

 

[oftheherd]

Thanks MaxElmar. One is never too old to learn.

 

[oftheherd]

Well, I finally got a chance to look at one of my lenses. Now I remember having seen them. I immediately dismissed what I saw as something I would never attempt, so I guess I just forgot. I still wouldn't want to do it, but would (or at least attempt it) if I had to.