darin_cozine Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I'm getting used to holding my Broica S.. I am thinking about moving up to 6x7 format though and was wondering if the Mamiya RB67 is portable enough to use for street photography. i.e. holding without a tripod. Also, how much vibration does the mirror cause?Let me know what you think. Keep in mind I'm not a big guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_haykin Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 You can hand-hold an 8x10 if you can manage it, and vibration shouldn't be much of a problem above 1/30th of a second. IF you can hold it steady. Still, it may not be the best camera for casual street shooting, unless you mean static subject matter. For grab shots, I prefer a smaller camera with a fast lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Darin- I've owned RBs and RZs and I wouldn't advise handholding an RB except when shooting flash in dark places and or when shooting at a 250th or a 400th. The RB is not a "street" camera and the same is true of RZs. For street shooting, I'd recommend a Mamiya 7 or 7II. They have leaf shutters, no mirrors, are relatively light weight and handle like big Leica M cameras. The best MF street rig I could think of would be a Mamiya 7 or 7II with a 43mm. The advantages with this ultrawide lens being better DOF and you can crop off what you don't want and still have acres of negative to work from. The 43mm M7 lens is a Biogon design like the Hasselblad SWC and is simply the best ultrawide lens I've ever used. In fact, the great photojournalist and Ford White House Photographer David Hume Kennerly just did a book with Mamiya 7IIs using entirely or almost entirely the 43mm: http://www.kennerly.com/fineart/gallery.php?page=pdj Regards, E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_s1 Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Yes. I have done it myself. Your keepers will be directly proportional to the common sense techniques you use for steady photography. For street photography?...Just don't be surprised if your candids all result with the same surprised/inquisitive facial expression that says, "What the hell is that thing?" Hard to be "Stealthy" with a camera that is the size of the actual stealth bomber:-) Go out with it and have some fun! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_. Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 boy, it weighs about two heavy bricks combined and you have to be a terminator to even pick up that thing. For street, try Mamiya 7II, Bronica 645RF or, my pick, Fuji GW670 or 690. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_seaman Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Darin, You can hand hold an rb67. If you are going to attempt it, I recommend the left-hand grip. Unfortunately this will add to the bulk of the camera. In this configuration sort of resembles (in size, weight and general appearance) some sort gattling gun... :) I shoot hand held a lot of the time in the studio with flash for portraits. I honestly don't use this camera that much out of the studio because I have another that is much better suited for field work. I use my Koni-Omega Rapid 100 for amost all my field work. Its MUCH cheaper than a Mamiya 7 and is said to produce similar results. Its also heavier and larger than the 7. It is lighter and slightly smaller than my Nikon F4s though... The Koni has produced the sharpest images of any camera I have ever used. I have the 58mm and 90mm and got the camera, both lenses, (both camera and lenses had been cla'd very recently), a sunpak flash, a gossen lunapro f light meter with spot attachment, a nice Tenba bag, and several accessories for about $500. Cheaper than my rb, one lens and a single shade! The koni is unique to the cameras I have known in that depressing the shutter release forces the film plain flat before it releases the shutter. This results in pretty consistent focus across the frame. It also has automatic paralex compensation in the viewfinder. It is a leaf shutter design so flash is synced at all speeds. Anyway, I got on a tangent! Yes, you can hand hold the rb but you will likely create a spectacle on a standard street corner. :) Good luck, Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 IMHO, if you can hand-hold an RB67 with consistent good results, and no physical discomfort, you should run for Governor of California. However, when used on a Monopod or Tripod, the RB67 capable of giving very high quality results. BTW, I find that the RZ67 is quite hand-holdable when using the Left-hand L-shaped grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 A lot of people would find it hard to lift an RB67, never mind using it hand-held. Just about any 67 alternative would be easier. Keeping a 67 slr reliably steady is going to need shutter speeds of 1/60 or faster. This means that mirror slap isn't much of an issue, but it will mean that you have to use faster film or sacrifice depth of field , either of which might negate the advantage of moving to the bigger format. A Mamiya 7 rangefinder will be easier to hand-hold (down to 1/15 for me) but at the cost of loss of precise control over framing and depth of field. Take your choice-both routes have advantages and problems. There are people who work this way very well, but many others that would frankly be better off with an autofocus 35mm slr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berj_bannayan Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I do handhold my RB67 from time to time. I can do it but not for too long -- my back starts to hurt. One of these days I'm going to invest in the bracket and see how that helps. Recently I did a 4 day, 50 km trip into Killarney provincial park. Since my tripod weighs about 12 pounds and my camera about 8 I decided to just take my camera (god my feet hurt at the end of that trip). I hand-held most of my shots, rested the camera on some rocks on others. Some of the ones with slow shutter speeds of course turned out a bit blurry but others were tack sharp. I won't say it's the optimal way of using the camera but one can do it. Berj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heller_harris Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Isn't there a two-handed grip for that? Get thee to the gym... <br><br> Heller<br> <a href="http://www.hollywoodscriptanalysis.com">www.HollywoodScriptAnalysis.com</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne_crider4 Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I shoot mine on a monopod when I want to go light, and only for static subject matter. I don't see it as a street camera. For the money consider someting else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin_cozine Posted October 22, 2003 Author Share Posted October 22, 2003 Thanks for the info everyone. My Bronica S is a pretty hefty camera.. so I think that the Mamiya RB wont be too much of a transiton. I've been using my Bronica on a monopod lately, and it really does make noticable improvement in stability. FYI, I like the idea of the Mamiya 7 but its out of my price range. When I get the RB, if I dont like it I will sell it and get a Pentax 67. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascal_miele Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Here in France many photographer use RB for wedding photo, with and without tripod. I know a photographer specialized in climbing who use a RB...yes in mountains, suspended to the rocks !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vatovec Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 YES I CAN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_hancock Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 I've been hand holding an RB for 15 years shooting weddings and outside portraits. I wouldn't use any other camera. I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king_fung1 Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Come on! Why don't you gugs switch to Hasselblad cameras, they are much lighter and produce great pictures with their great German-made Zeiss lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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