Mamiya C31962

History

The Mamiyaflex C3 arrived in 1962, four years after the C2, during a period when Mamiya was consolidating the C-series as a credible professional system. The crank advance was the headline change but the C3 also brought incremental improvements to build quality and the lens-mount interface.

By 1962 the Rolleiflex 2.8F (1960) dominated the professional TLR market, and no single-focal-length TLR could challenge Mamiya on versatility. The C3 reinforced Mamiya's position as the only practical interchangeable-lens TLR system available: a working photographer could carry one C3 body with 65mm, 80mm, and 135mm lens units and cover wide, standard, and portrait focal lengths without buying three separate cameras.

The C3 was superseded by the Mamiya C33 in 1965, which added double-exposure prevention and further ergonomic refinements. The C3 was subsequently positioned as a less expensive entry to the Mamiya TLR system, and continues to appear on the used market in reasonable supply.

Why It Matters

The Mamiyaflex C3 matters because it is the point at which the Mamiya interchangeable-lens TLR system became genuinely mature. The C2 proved the concept; the C3 made it practical for sustained professional use with its crank advance and improved fit and finish.

For today's photographers, the C3 offers the same fundamental advantage as the entire C-series: focal length choice without changing cameras. The 55mm unit gives a broader view than any fixed-lens TLR, while the 135mm or 180mm units deliver portrait compression well beyond what a Rolleiflex or Yashica-Mat could provide. The all-mechanical design, with shutter in the lens, means the body itself has few failure modes. The lens units are the consumable: each needs its own CLA if shutters have been sitting idle.

Lenses & Accessories

The C3 accepts Mamiya TLR bayonet lens units. The full system available across the C-series run includes:

• Mamiya-Sekor 55mm f/4.5 - wide-angle; for interiors, landscape, architecture
• Mamiya-Sekor 65mm f/3.5 - moderate wide
• Mamiya-Sekor 80mm f/2.8 - standard; fastest available aperture in the system
• Mamiya-Sekor 105mm f/3.5 - short telephoto; versatile portrait lens
• Mamiya-Sekor 135mm f/4.5 - telephoto; the classic portrait focal length for 6x6
• Mamiya-Sekor 180mm f/4.5 - long telephoto; subjects at distance
• Mamiya-Sekor 250mm f/6.3 - long telephoto; uncommon; bellows extension assists close focus

Accessories:

• Paramender - parallax-correction rail; mounts between tripod and camera body; shifts the camera vertically between viewing and shooting so the taking lens occupies the exact position the viewing lens had during framing
• Prism finder - for eye-level framing; adds height and weight
• Magnifying hood - replacement waist-level hood with built-in magnifier for critical focus check
• Filters - Bay II or Bay III depending on lens unit diameter

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Used by Japanese commercial and portrait photographers in the 1960s as a flexible medium-format system.
• Employed in studio portrait work where the 105mm and 135mm lens units provided flattering compression suited to the 6x6 square format.
• The broader C-series (sharing lens compatibility) was used by photographers across Asia and Europe as an affordable alternative to multi-body Hasselblad or Rolleiflex setups.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Mamiyaflex C3 - technical overview and production history