Jul 26, 2010

Circus Willy Hagenbeck - Heidelberg, Germany, March 1977 (Mamiya C330f)

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It is rather hot, I've been maybe drinking too much beer and wine, but if memory still serves me any good, the first Medium Format camera that I have ever owned and used, was the Mamiya C330f (6x6), with two distinct lenses. Please, don't ask me about which ones, I could almost declare that the 180mm was one of them...
Beeing a fine camera, with fine lenses, I believe that I was not yet mature for this, somewhat heavy and cumbersome, TLR (Twin Lens Reflex): I sold it again after a short time.
Oddly enough, I would later on fall deeply in love (up until today) with other TLR cameras: the wonderful and elegant Rolleiflex!
Honesty makes me concede, that the Mamiya has some "advantages" over the Rollei: interchangeable lenses, 120 and 220 film capability, focusing bellows for easy close-up photography...
But, like everything else in life, chemistry sometimes doesn't work...







These are the first "serious" square format photographs that I ever took of a circus (another long-lasting photographic love of mine): Circus Wylly Hagenbeck, pictured in Heidelberg, Germany, on the 2nd of March, 1977 (Shit, time flies!).


Can you dig it? The film was still Ilford HP-4! (Yes, FOUR!).
I developed it in Tetenal Emofin, and the negatives are a little thin for my taste...
What should I care, these are "historic" images (well, at least for me...), nice to look at on a hot summer night.
Who cares if they are not so good-looking?

I still had (and have) a loooooong way to go...


Camera: Mamiya C330f (6x6 TLR)
Ilford HP-4, developed in Tetenal Emofin.
Circus Wylly Hagenbeck, Heidelberg, BRD, 1977

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2 comments:

  1. Funny I also had a Mamiya for weddings, I think I had the 80mm and a 135mm? Anyhow I liked the close focus and the parallax correction, nice for close-ups but it too surprised me how heavy these cameras are compared to a Rollei. I ended up using a 2,8F and then a 'blad.
    Regards
    Mark

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  2. Hi Mark,
    Happy to hear from you again!
    yes, I think that we both are from the same kind of breed, we breath and eat photography on a similar way...
    Like I said, chemestry doesn't always work...
    Rollei and 'blad (film) forever!!!
    Cheers,
    Rui

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