Most artists say, “to know what you can create, first you must know what you have.”
I take that to heart when it comes to photography, I must learn about the gear I will be using for each photo session I have. In this case I will be talking about one of the most recent cameras I purchased, the Mamiya RB67 Pro S.
Here we have a medium format film camera that was used by professionals in the mid 70s that offered unique features that other cameras did not have. This camera is not one to take out on a daily stroll for street photography, no, weighing 6lb it was mainly used for studio work or landscapes on a tripod. With its weight in the balance, you could not easily tilt the camera over to go from landscape to portrait orientation. So to solve that problem, other cameras like Hasselblad 500 series only shot square images and Pentax 67 only shot landscapes, but Mamiya had something genius in mind by being able to rotate the film back to portrait orientation without having to rotate the whole camera. Genius! This made it easier to take portraits and landscapes with a simple rotation of the film back, hence called RB (rotating back). That is by far the greatest unique feature of this camera series.
The body of this camera is very simple with a crank mirror lock and focusing nods on both sides of the camera. Which I found very useful to focus with either hand while handholding the camera. And the accordion focusing of this camera gives you a smoothing focus throw with a fine-tuning feel when locking-in to your subject using the waist level viewfinder. That is another lovely feature I enjoy of these types of cameras, the large viewfinder that has a clear view of your subject and makes it easier to compose your shot in any lighting condition.
What can I say about the lenses of this camera? They are beautiful and have a distinct look and bokeh to them. I currently have a 90mm f/3.8 and 150mm f/4.5 which may seem like telephoto lenses but they would be equivalent to 45mm and 85mm on a 35mm/Full Frame. And these lenses don't have the fastest shutter at 1/400th of a second, but being leaf shutters you can sync your flashes and strobes at 1/400th without any issues, at any shutter speed for that matter.
Now to talk about film. This is where each artist has its own style and preference. I have been using Ilford HP5 400 black and white film and love the results, having a fine grain and great contrast control, but I will be switching to Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 black and white film which has a finer grain and can deliver great whites and deeper blacks with a broad range of gray tones. I am not saying this might be the switch for you, you must experiment with different films to fit your style and need. And remember there is also a verity of color film as well to consider.
This is just my 2 cents about this amazing camera, the Mamiya RB67. I may still have a lot to learn about this camera and I know it will be a great journey creating and growing as an artist as I do so.
Thank you for your time. If you are ever in the area, lets grab some coffee and take our cameras out for a spin around town.
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