Pentax 67 vs Mamiya RB

[john_bower1]

<p>I'm thinking of upgrading my Mamiya 645E and am leaning toward a Pentax 67. But I'm thinking I should also consider a Mamiya RB, so what are the comparative pluses and minuses?<br>

I always use a spot meter, so a manual camera is fine, and I always use a tripod. It would be used for field work (abandoned buildings and vehicles, cemetery statues, etc). I'd need a shift lens, a normal lens (a zoom lens in the normal range would be nice), and a telephoto in the 300mm range.<br>

Thanks</p>

[brucecahn]

<p>The Pentax is more difficult to load. The RB is heavier. The Pentax is easier to handle but it is hard to hand hold because it has a kick. The RB is hard to hold also. The lenses on my RB are the later, K L lenses. They are sharper than the lenses on my old Pentax, but In fairness to Pentax they did upgrade the lenses later. I have not used their later lenses. If you get an RB, get the Pro S D version, which is the last one made. Another desirable feature of the Mamiya is the easily revolving back. The Pentax has to be held sideways to get a vertical picture, which on a tripod slows you down quite a bit. </p>

[ed_farmer]

<p>I have shot with the RB for 15 years or so. I only used the Pentax a little bit. But, in my opinion, the RB is the easier camera to handle. You are not going to get a medium range zoon for either. The only zoom for the RB is the 100-200. I have never used it or heard good things about it! The lenses do reach to the 360mm. <br>

You will find many more lenses and bodies for the RB on the used market. It was always a much lager seller. This may or may not play into your plans.</p>

[joseph_dickerson]

<p>John, </p>

<p>I made my living for 20+ years with Mamiya RBs. Used them for weddings, I'm a masochist I guess, portraits, and a lot of my commercial shooting. Still have one and I'll never part with it.<br>

But, when I quit the studio stuff and started doing free lance shooting, mostly nature, scenics, travel, historic architecture, etc., I found the RB to be very awkward. I then got into the Pentax 67 system and love it. I wouldn't use it for weddings and portraits, but it's superior to the RB for field work in my opinion.<br>

The newer P67 lenses are better than the older ones, but the older lenses weren't that bad. As far a zooms are concerned Pentax has two, 55-90mm and 90-180mm if I remember correctly, do a search for Pentax 67 lenses and you'll find a web site with information on every lens Pentax has offered. It includes info on which were re-designed optically when updated to the new style. Some, the 135mm macro for one, were not. The new 200mm and 300mm EDIF are awesome. I use the 75mm shift lens a lot and it's a fine lens.<br>

Also, check out the work of James Kay, or Tom Mackie. If you do a google search for Pentax 67 photos, you find some great samples of what the system can do.<br>

The vertical/horizontal thing is no big deal if you use Kirk "L" plates and a decent ball head. By the way, the shutter vibe thing is largely overstated. It exists, but with good technique it's not a big problem.<br>

One last point, I have both P-67 and P-67II bodies and find that both metered prisms are very accurate. I rarely use a hand-held meter with either 67 camera.<br>

Oh yeah, the prices on used P-67, and RB 67 for that matter, are incredibly low. Have fun!</p>

<p>Joe D.</p>

[chrise_boris]

<p>John<br /> Joseph is right about the 'shutter vibe thing' with the P67, it's very exaggerated. I would think twice about getting the zooms for the P67. They're heavy and slow compared to the primes. I have the 45 (late), 55 (late), 75 (old) and 90 (old). The 45 and 90 are really small, only the old 75 is a bit heavy. The old 90 is a lovely and sharp lens with excellent <a href="http://cceder.com/turkey/urfa_03.html">bokeh</a> at f2.8 and the 105mm has very creamy bokeh. With the 55-100mm zoom you will be restricted to f4.5, which is a limitation if you like bokeh. The 45mm and 55mm are both excellent, the 55mm a little sharper and the 45mm showing more color fringing in certain conditions although not really a problem. Most images on my <a href="http://cceder.com/index.html">website</a> were taken with those two lenses. Otherwise the 55-100 zoom is a very good and sharp lens. <a href="http://www.pbase.com/hwatt/transient_light">Ian Cameroon</a> , a very good Scottish landscape photographer, shot most of his work with the zooms. I also have the late 200mm lens which is an excellent lens, especially for macro with extension tubes. I can't really agree with Bruce about film loading being difficult with the P67. I find the Pentax 645 difficult to load, a lot trickier than the 67. Here is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmJHVVaWRBg">video tutorial</a> for loading the P67! Compared to the Mamiya I can't say much. The Mamiya is more versatile as I understand it with bellows focusing and film backs of various formats which can be changed mid roll but also quite a lot heavier than the P67. With the waistlevel finder the Pentax 67 with normal lens weighs no more than the Pentax 645 with a normal lens!<br /> Chris</p>

[jeff_drew4]

<p>I've used both brands over a couple decades . . .both companies produced fine rigs! That said, I prefer the workflow and costs associated with the P67 system. The Mamiya lenses were excellent and most of the Pentax lenses are also. I have been very happy with the 45mm, 75mm, 90mm, 135mm macro, 165mm (2), 200mm, and 300mm. I also use a 1.4x extender occasionally, very sharp! The Mamiya offers more film back options than the P67, and Pentax can fit some custom backs from 3rd party vendors. Personally, I find the P67 and P645 film loading no particular challenge and prefer the P67 film plane as being very flat which contributes to sharpness. I grew up loading TLRs, so rollfilm & I go "way back!" On the plus side, the P67 lenses fit the P645 and work fine . . . and K-mount 35mm bodies and Pentax DSLRs. Adding the Pentax adapters really leverages the investment over a long term. So the same lenses can fill multiple formats rather easily. Here is another idea; swings 'n' tilts! I think you can get adapters for Mamiya and Pentax to add shift via bellows & lenses. I use a set for the Pentax and even have some adapted enlarging lenses for macro work. This rig also fits the Kmount & digital options. I mostly use hand-held meters with the tripod mounted P67 but found the P67 was easier to handle than the RB. Really Right Stuff and others make brackets that allow change from horizontal to vertical. My Gitzo head shifts & holds the body horizontal to vertical with no problem. I kind of rattled on - sorry! Both systems have pluses & minuses, so figure your budget & workflow preferences and dive in!</p>

[john_bower1]

<p>Thanks so much for the well-thought-out replies.<br>

Excellent food for thought!<br>

John</p>