Mamiya RB67, 90mm lens, 250mm lens, Prism finder, 120 back - worth?

6Speed · Jul 6, 2006

I have a friend who is willing to sell me one of his Mamiya MF cameras with 2 lenses (90mm and 250mm), 120 back and a prism finder. The camera is in good condition, bellows look great, and the body itself has very little wear. I'm not sure how old it is, but I think he told me he bought it used 20 years ago.

Anyway, I'm going to run a few rolls through it this weekend and then get back to him on whether I want to buy it. He's asking 400.00. How good of a deal is this?

markc · Jul 7, 2006

I don't know what it's worth, but it's a killer studio camera. Some people use it for a walk about, but it's kind of heavy and bulky. I'd pick it over a 645 for studio work any day.

6Speed · Jul 7, 2006

Yeah, that is what I'm going to use it for, mostly. And yes, it is extremely heavy!

Soocom1 · Jul 7, 2006

I have one of those monsters, and can tell you GET IT!!!

One of the most desirable cameras being used right now in the Med. format world (outside of the Blad H2) are the Mamiya RB/RZ series. The concept of the bellows with the rotating back is fantastic. You will want to get the following lenses if you do:
127mm (good for portrait and product photography) and a 150mm Soft Focus (with discs). This is a fantastic lens for the wedding photographers. I have a 127, and 180mm lenses, and they work great for what I do. In time you can also look into a digital back for it. Sinar, Megavision, Phase one, etc. (some are running under $2000 on ebay. Yes they are 6mp and under, but you gotta start somewhere.)
Keep in mind that the RB lenses can be used on an RZ, but not the other way around. (Auto focus). If it is not an RB Pro, you can put any 120 RB/RB pro back on it. But certain accessories for the RB Pro will NOT work on the original RB 67. If you go for landscape or Architectural, get a 90mm as well. The 50, and 65 mm are limited in thier use. The 250 is good for limited wild life, but are good at events. You will need a 1/4 - 3/4 adapter for the tripod mounting stud if one is not already in place.

Have fun!

6Speed · Jul 7, 2006

Soocom1 said:
I have one of those monsters, and can tell you GET IT!!!

One of the most desirable cameras being used right now in the Med. format world (outside of the Blad H2) are the Mamiya RB/RZ series. The concept of the bellows with the rotating back is fantastic. You will want to get the following lenses if you do:
127mm (good for portrait and product photography) and a 150mm Soft Focus (with discs). This is a fantastic lens for the wedding photographers. I have a 127, and 180mm lenses, and they work great for what I do. In time you can also look into a digital back for it. Sinar, Megavision, Phase one, etc. (some are running under $2000 on ebay. Yes they are 6mp and under, but you gotta start somewhere.)
Keep in mind that the RB lenses can be used on an RZ, but not the other way around. (Auto focus). If it is not an RB Pro, you can put any 120 RB/RB pro back on it. But certain accessories for the RB Pro will NOT work on the original RB 67. If you go for landscape or Architectural, get a 90mm as well. The 50, and 65 mm are limited in thier use. The 250 is good for limited wild life, but are good at events. You will need a 1/4 - 3/4 adapter for the tripod mounting stud if one is not already in place.

Have fun!

Hi Soocom, thanks for the reply. So I really don't need the 250mm lens? I was thinking I wouldn't use it much. I'll ask him how much he'd knock off if I just got the camera, 90mm lens and prism finder. What would be a good deal on this camera?

markc · Jul 8, 2006

Wouldn't the 250 fall on the long side of usable portrait range? I think that's somewhere around 140mm on a 35mm camera. Of course you'd need the room to use it...

Soocom1 · Jul 10, 2006

With the RB 67, the 90 mm is an approx equivalent to a 35-45 mm in 35mm format. The 90, 127 and 150 is what I would recommend for most shots. The 250mm will be useful for long range stuff. But if you are doing landscape, stick with the wider lenses 65-90mm will do fine.
The 127 is an approx. 58mm equivalent. Perfect for portraits and product.