Mamiya RB67 Pro-S
Want one? Heres the rub...
By Simon White
This camera has been called the workhorse of the photographic industry for many years with good reason. It has often been linked as guilty by assumption, with studio work, product and commercial photography only; due to it's robust size and weight. The idea that this camera is unweildly outside the studio invironment is only true for those perhaps not prepared to utilize this baby to it's fullest potential. That and they might lack moral fibre and upper body strength!
I bought this beast as new a few years back from a Studio Portrait photographer with 40 years in the business. The camera came with a f3.8 127mm Mamiya Sekor lens, 120 roll film holder, pop up view finder with a 2+ diopter and a speed grip for hand holding with top mounted hotshoe.
My 35mm outfit barely gets a look in anymore because I always hike this beast everywhere I go. The big neg in 6x7 is so impressive that I have become totally absorbed by the MF culture and approach. I had a vision for larger formats that my 35mm images were not able to provide in results. So when I took my RB into the mountains and rainsforests shooting waterfalls and coastal scenics, what I got back in E6 jumped off the light box in a way I had never seen before. I was sold!
Don't be told that this camera isn't meant for outdoor work or landscapes, this camera is a standard in the Landscape and Scenic photographic culture. If weight is an issue for you and you can't stomach anything heavier than a 35mm camera then the Rb may not be for you. The RZ is a little lighter but then you have other issues of a non mechanical nature to deal with.
The RB67 Pro-S has a series of locking features which prevent you from making accidental exposures. You have a bellows system for focussing which allows a macro function with nearly all lenses. For more details on these features I recommend you go to www.mamiya.com and download a manual in PDF. This camera was ten years old when I bought it and it has behaved flawlessly since then, with nary a hickup. Shutter speeds may be a little on the slow side for some at 1/400th to 1 sec; but I have never needed anything above 1/125 for what I do anyway.
If you are buying a new RB67 in the Pro-SD area then you are in for some fine lenses. In the past there were some manufacture tolerance issues with a couple of the old C and non C lenses. Some people called them soft and others got a sharp optic. Those days are over and the new lenses, particularly the 50mm, which suffered the worst reputation over the years are now top quality and in line with the new design KL lenses. Some people still complain about lack of edge to edge sharpness regarding 50mm 4.5 lenses, but many have failed to understand over even operate the fine focus ring which controls critical DOF.
...Getting the most out of your 50mm...
There are a couple of lens' in the Mamiya RB family which require you to manually adjust the select focus ring on the lens itself to correct for critical depth of field.
As with a standard lens, adjust focussing by turning the focussing knob on the camera body. Merely turning the floating ring will not produce accurate focussing. Next, read the distance to subject, set the distance scale of the floating ring to the cener index mark (red dot), and then take a picture. Floating ring may be set either before or after focussing. When turning the floating ring, a portion of the lens system is shifted to the front and rear; however, no variations can be observed on the ground glass focussing screen.
When placing emphasis on spur of the moment snaps, set the infinity mark (red) of the floating ring to the center index mark (red)when the distance to subject is from infinity to 7ft (2 metres).If the distance to subject is less than the above a sufficiently sharp image can be attained merely by setting 3.3ft/1m (red) to the index. In the case of close up photography nearer than 3.3ft, set the floating ring to 3.3ft then stop down the lens as much as possible. Distance to subject implies the distance from film place to subject.
Notes for those looking to buy with the aim of Studio and Commercial work...
RB67 Pro-S and 127mm f3.8C
You can easily shoot portraits with this lens but if you want to go for a longer focal length then you can. There are some lenses that are softer than others so depending on your purposes, when buying, be aware and try them out first as this could be just what you want or not the thing at all.
I would suggest two lenses to begin with, but if you can only afford one, then you can't go wrong with the 127mm which ought to come stock with an Rb. You have a choice of view finders which range from the pop up viewer or the PD Prism. With the pop up finder you have a choice of plastic diopters which serve to magnify the image on the glass. If you are mainly doing commercial and portraiture you won't need to worry about the PD Prism which comes in either a plain standard or you can get a metered prism which requires a battery. You may well want the L grip which I myself have, this can come in handy when you want to move around and shoot freestyle without the tripod limiting your movements. The L grip has a hotshoe on the top for the flashmount and this works very well.
Next thing you might need for portraits and commercial work is a Polaroid back which will allow you to pack mount polaroid film for proofing purposes, pretty important for this line of work. I do allot of landscape, nature, scenic and night photography and I'm getting one for myself so I can expand into studio work and the like. The Pola back is a very valuable tool indeed. If you get the RB67 Pro-S it is recommended you get yourself an excellent dedicated flash meter. What you choose is up to you but I would highly recommend something like the Sekonic Flashmaster L-358. I use this meter regularly and you couldn't want much more from a meter, particularly for studio work. Get a solid tripod, you're going to need one with an RB.
Finally you may want to pick up a twin cable release for mirror up photography with this camera, this will give you greater control over the sharpness of your work and allow you to get the most out of your photography.
The Rb67 is a beast of a camera but it is also an incredibly reliable camera which after 12 years of service has only needed the seals in the back and the body done once. I drag this thing allover gods creation and with no need for batteries and total manual operation it has yet to let me down or fall short of my greater expectations. More than that, this camera is just plain fun to own and run. You'll get ten shots from any roll of 120 film and with a couple of backs and perhaps a 220 RFH you could be using two different types of film in any location and shooting 30. The RB stands for revolving back and on location this is a godsend which takes you from vertical imaging to horizontal in a second flat!
If you want to get into Medium Format you might as well be a maneater and grab an RB. If you liked this review or want to discuss any of the above feel free to contact me at psi_fan@yahoo.com
Kind Regards, Simon White
|
