Joining the 6x7 club

Just got my Mamiya RB67 Pro SD with the 127mm lens yesterday. I'm really excited about it. This is my second medium format Mamiya. I bought a M645 this time last year and really enjoy it. I wanted a camera that could do portrait layout pictures as well, which the RB67 is all about with the rotating film back.

 

Congrats on the new "baby"! :)

 

Its a wonderful camera: I regret selling mine some years ago, because now its much harder to find them in nice condition (esp the desirable Pro SD: you're fortunate indeed). I was especially fond of the RB 140mm Macro lens, it almost never left the camera (rarely swapped to the 65mm or 90mm). At the time I was more drawn to 6x6, so traded my RB67 in for a Mamiya C220 TLR outfit to complement my Haselblad. Recently I drifted back to 6x7 and 6x9 via the Mamiya Press Universal, which can use some pieces of the RB67 system.

Sweet. Though it's so often maligned in the online echo chamber as obese and awkward by non-owners/non-shooters, the big Mamiya is a charmer. Once you get down with the two-step shutter cock/film advance, you'll find it remarkably fast handling. The revolving back relieves you from a girder-like tripod since there's no portrait/landscape flip and the MLU function with a cable release on the lens kills vibration. The big VF used with the WLF magnifier deliver a beautifully clear image on the screen. Probably my most-used MF camera. Splurge on some 120 transparency film and you're gone for good.

Had the good fortune view one of these at a local camera shop (remember those ?) and for the first time I

felt my Kowa Six was rather svelte :D. Love to see a comparison photo of the Mamiya with a Bronica S2 .

Peter

Love to see a comparison photo of the Mamiya with a Bronica S2 .

 

I owned both systems, but not at the same time. The Bronica S2 definitely had its charms along with its quirks. My memory is that it was huge and heavy compared to my 'blad 500cm with Planar, with a firing sound that could break up a gang fight. When I went hunting thru my gear pic bookmarks just now I found one of the S2 next to the RB67: big as the focal-plane Bronnie was, its still dwarfed by the RB67 (see link below, photo courtesy of our esteemed ben_hutcherson).

 

There's no denying the RB67 is gigantic: the only modern roll film camera thats even bigger is the amazing but bizarre Fuji GX680 (6x8 format) which makes the RB look like a puny Hasselblad.

But the RB/RZ handholds surprisingly well if you give it a chance, with remarkably good mirror shock damping (its the Olympus OM1 of medium format). Several published comparison tests show it competes favorably with a Rolleiflex TLR down to 1/15th: staggeringly better handheld versatility than the shock-and-awe Hasselblad 500cm (which is near-hopeless below 1/125th).

 

Mamiya RB67 vs Bronica S2, previously posted by their owner ben_hutcherson (hope I'm not stepping on his toes by re-linking his photo).

Edited October 19, 2019 by orsetto

Splurge on some 120 transparency film and you're gone for good.

 

I agree about the film. I have some Provia 100 and Velvia 50 waiting to be used once I'm more confident with the camera. I'll be using Ektar 100 to start with.

Nice camera. I have the RB67 Pro with 50, 90, 180 and 360. It's a great camera that I use for landscapes mainly with some portraiture. You can see all types on my FLickr page. I really like Velvia 50 for landscapes. I tried Ektar 100, but I found the color balancing and correction more difficult when I scan. Plus, with transparency film, it's easy to know immediately which of the bracketed shots is the right one. I always bracket my exposures, use a tripod, mirror up and cable release. Enjoy your RB.

Mamiya RB67 vs Bronica S2, previously posted by their owner ben_hutcherson (hope I'm not stepping on his toes by re-linking his photo).

 

You're not stepping on my toes at all!

 

My S2a and the associated system is long gone, but one thing that sticks out to me from my memory of using it is just how heavy it is.

 

The RB lenses, particularly outside the svelte 127mm, are heavier and once you stick a 50mm or 250mm on it, it becomes unwieldy. The body itself though isn't that bad, and without checking weights I suspect that an RB67 with a 127mm isn't that much heavier than an S2a.

 

BTW, I prefer the FOV of the 90mm as a "standard" lens, but the 127mm does definitely win on size and weight.

Make sure you get the right pop-up diopter strength, that camera is harder to fine focus than its bright screen would suggest.