RB67 or Koni Omega...

[jim_seaman]

Hello,

 

I've decided that I'd like to try 6x7 and have about $1000 to spend

on a used system. I think that I've narrowed it down to an RB67 or a

Koni Omega Rapid (100 or 200).

 

Can anyone tell me how hard an RB is to carry around and do field

work? (I normally carry around a Mamiya c330 with 3 lenses and a

meter so I'm trying to get a relative answer to that one...)

 

The Koni is attractive due to the price but an slr would be nice as

well. (I'm figuring that I could get a Koni and a couple of lenses

for about the price of an RB with a single lens, single back and a

wlf.)

 

Anyone use both cameras before that could voice some advice?

 

Thank you,

 

Jim

 

(By the way - to get an idea about what/how I shoot : the cameras

that I currently own: C330, Kiev 60, Moskva 5, Nikon F100, Pentax

K1000 and an Olympus C-4040. Primarily I shoot black and white in

medium format as I develop and print these at home and a mix of color

(print) and black and white in the 35mm's. I seem to be steering

lately towards: casual portraits, landscapes and architectural.)

[douglas_green1]

Well, here's the BAD answer - an RB67 is a BEAST for carrying around in the field. Short answer is, the Koni Omega will be far better for casual portraits, the RB67 will be far better for architechtural work, and both can do quite well at landscapes assuming that the bulk of the RB67 didn't persuade you to leave it at home.

 

BTW, I had the same dillemma, because I shoot similar subject matter. You should absolutely also consider the Pentax 67 in that mix as well

 

The way I solved it was this - I got a Pentax 67 system AND spent an additional $200 for a Koni Omega with lens and back. Be sure to get a leaf shutter lens for the P67 for any formal portrait or studio work you might wish to do with that system.

[wayne_crider4]

Jim I just picked up a RB body and am buying another kit with

lenses after coming down from 4x5. I guess it depends on

perspective cause the RB seems light and fast to me compared

to the 4x5.

 

Of the two I'd go with the RB; For the lenses and all the

accessoreies that are available. Their also very repairable. How

many people are working on Koni's? Btw, does anyone know the

Koni manufacturing time frame?

 

The RB's will also take 6x9 cut film backs and 6x8 rollfilm backs

for that little bit bigger neg. That's why I'm shooting it; In fact I

have a 6x9 Grafmatic that fits the camera. I guess it's all a matter

of what works for you; I checked out both at local camera shows

and the RB was right for me. Everything seems more available

for the RB series, and they do have a T/S lens.

[trooper]

If the portability matters, don't feel under-gunned with the KO. I regret selling my old system some years back as modern gear has given me nothing of a performance advantage and just seem to have added more things to go wrong. A stop or two from wide open and you'll fool Zeiss owners! I tried using the RB for field use and decided that if I were to carry that much bulk and appropriate tripod, I may as well perch a 4X5 on it and do it really right.

[mel_brown1]

Wayne, the KO 200 went out of production in 1977.

 

Jim, I have an RB Pro, a Pro S, a pair of KO 200s, and a C33. The latter, which I no longer use, came along first and has served me well for many years. But since I don't normally do square prints, it's really a 6x4.5 to me.

 

Then, along came first one Koni 200, then another. At less than $200, I couldn't pass up the first one. I found it to be an incredible value, and fell in love with its quiet smoothness, its ergonomics, its tank-like construction, and its precision. When another presented itself for even less money, the decision to buy was a slam dunk. I since added 60mm and 135mm lenses to the fleet, and can't bring myself to part with any of it. Their only serious limitation is that they cannot get close enough to do head shots, and can just barely do head & shoulders. Well, there are two Auto-up auxiliary lenses available, but they work only with the 90mm lens, and nobody ever says they are easy to use, so that's why I don't have one. However, the Konis are very well-suited for landscape and architectural use (though they lack movements available in LF cameras). They are also much more hand-holdable than the RBs.

 

But because I like closeups, I bought an RB67 Pro, then later, an RB67 Pro S (I also like having a backup). The first RB came with a 90mm, then I later added a 140mm macro.

 

Any RB with a lens, back and prism is heavy, so the question is whether they're worth hauling around. Depends. The prism is a huge part of the weight, so if you can forgo buying one or leave it home (or get a much lighter non-metered chimney finder instead), you may find any weight penalty to be negligible.

 

A basic RB Pro S, which I highly recommend because it has double-exposure prevention, will cost about $800 with a 90mm C lens, a WL finder and a 120 back. That will buy you about four similarly equipped KO 200s! Or, for about $1000, you can have one of each (not at all a bad solution).

[jim_seaman]

Douglas, Wayne, Craig and Mel,

 

Thanks for the info! I hadn't really thought of the Pentax before since I thought it would be out of my budget. Probably has similar handling to my kiev 60. (though, doubtless with far fewer 'issues'.)

 

Though I'm sure an RB is lighter than a 4x5, I'll bet its probably more awkward than my c330 for field work. I would imagine it gets a little front heavy when doing close work.

 

Probably the best solution is to get a koni now and one of the others later when my wife has forgotten some of my other sins. If I was primarily shooting in a studio I'd definately lean more towards the RB... I will also have to price out some of the used Pentax 6x7's as well.

 

Thank you,

 

Jim

[fpa]

Actually, that RB is probably heavier than a lot of 4x5s. I met a very nice Japanese man in Arches carrying a RB67 and a couple of lenses, and it handily outweighed my wooded monorail + film holders + 3 lenses. On the other hand, he could hand-hold his.

 

The odd-ball suggestion would be a 2x3 Graphic, Horseman, or Linhof. You'd get rangefinder focusing most of the time, ground-glass through the lens as an option, movements for focus control, and interchangeable backs. I've seen the Horsemen + a couple of lenses go for less than your target price, but admittedly they're not a common sight on the used market.