Oh Man! Plaubel Makina III! Back to RF.

Makina II with new 7.3cm Orthar correct vintage Sweet 7.3 Finder by Nokton48, on Flickr

New to me 7.3cm Plaubel Orthar Makina II vintage. Looks marvelous and sharp at infinity. Looking forward to shooting film with this. As a bonus, the "Mittel" medium yellow Makina Filter I have, fits this directly. So Happy Happy with WA Makinas. Black Olde 7.3 Supplemental Finder looks brand new. Glass appears perfect.
 
SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

New to me 7.3cm Plaubel Orthar on my Makina II, with Makina 7.3cm Black Finder. Looks sharp on the glass, can't wait to shoot some film. I played with all the controls, it's performing perfectly. Using the Makina II is a hoot, and I've always wanted the 7.3cm lens, you don't see many of them, this one came to me from Poland. This will make a great carryin' around camera, very compact when folded down. I also have a 7.3 for my IIIR, it's fun to use also. I think the Black Professional Finish makes it stealthy. Silver was available for hobbyists.

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr


Plaubel Makina II Body, with Groundglass Back with Hood. Three correct original lenses. Far left the 7.3cm f6.8 Orthar, then the 100mm F2.9 Orthometar. On the far right, the 21cm F6.8. Black Finder Masks II vintage 7.3cm left, and 21cm right. So a fairly complete set ready to use. Great for carryin' around.
 
I've been having a shoot-out between my Makina II, and Makina IIIR, both with the 7.3cm Orthars. Wide angle comparison F22 with Mittel Plaubel Yellow Filters. Two frames each, Full Sun Day, 1/200 at F22, for a direct comparison. Kentmere 400 120 pushed to EI 800. I think these will make nice 5x7 RC prints. I expect the Orthars will be excellent.
 
Very interesting old Plaubel Makina!

The Plaubel Makina 67 I bought shortly before the holidays is at the shop awaiting its full service and viewfinder/rangefinder repair. (Some element of the viewfinder became loose and jumped out of position during shipment ... I decided to have it repaired rather than just return it. And of course, that takes some time...)

I'm looking forward to using it, it's been a while since I worked with 6x7 negatives. 🙂

G
 
Thanks Godfrey! Olde Makinas are to me like medium format Barnack Leica class. Same type of shooting buzz in the larger format. The Reporter's Camera! "The Rolls Royce of Photography" according to their old adverts. Quirky and a blast to shoot.

HOLY GRAIL 150mm Voigtlander 15cm F4.5 Apo Lanthar Plaubel Maxiflex Auto Aperture by Nokton48, on Flickr

This for me is like finding the HOLY GRAIL of Plaubel Makiflex; I purchased a decent set (just teeniest bit of edge seperation dreaded) LANTHANIUM elements or some such. I've seen a few over the decades, Ken Ruth (famous repair Guy) warned me over very long phone conversation. He got a Maki Apo Lanthar all the way from MILAN to California; he couldn't fix it! He told me to BEWARE seperation in the 15cm Apo Lanthar. This one will not affect optical performance at all I believe. I'll get a Medium Yellow Filter and Rubber Hood to finish this. I bought the cells for 225BP, in a Linhof Compur I put on a Norma board. Recently I purchased this Auto Aperture marked F5.5, I have no idea what it fit. Well it seems to be VERY similar to the Linhof Compur in terms of construction. The image at infinity on the Auto Makiflex is razor acute sharp on the glass, it appears a perfect match. The F/Stop Band will need to be re-calibrated, that's doable. So HAPPY I bought this for a great deal. This is Uber Rare and Fully Functional.
 
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Leitz Tiltall Machined to fit Makina IIIR perfectly by Nokton48, on Flickr

I used my machinist's band saw to cut the home made mounting plate, epoxied together many decades ago. Now it perfectly fits getting my fingers to the wind knob of my Plaubel Makina IIIR with 7.3cm Wide Orthar. With Makina Ground glass and a good Loupe, I can use it like a Mini View Camera, uber light weight, I can carry it around with one hand, without any straining. Deploys solidly, just add Prontor Cable Release and it's all original. Hooray, with good tripod I can test lenses with confidence. Fun ahead.
 
7.3cm Makina IIIR Star D Prontor Cable Release Leitz Ball Head by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is extremely portable Makina IIIR 7.3 Wide Angle Leitz Ball Head Star D LIGHTWEIGHT tripod. I can carry this around all day, and set it up quickly with great ease. The Long Prontor Cable Release finishes this off. Great for testing the different lenses I have in the field, it's better with a tripod. With this one I even snap on an Olde Hippy Guitar Strap, and I can sling it all day that way (and I have). BTW the Orthar 7.3 is an optic that holds it's own with some others I own. A very sharp lens indeed.
 
StarD Tripod Makina II 7.3 cm Orthar HP5+ 800 by Nokton48, on Flickr

The Makina II in Black is kinda Stealthy, HP5+ pushed to 800, 7.3cm Orthar WA. The Makina Tripod Adapter FITS the Makina II, it's a revelation. With tripod socket adapters, the camera now beautifully fits the UBER lightweight StarD, a copy of my heavier Olde Leitz Tiltall tripods. Super easy to carry around with one hand, then deploy for rock solid shooting, as long as you don't bump or jar it. Great for field shooting at low shutter speeds.

Plaubel Makina used to call this "The World's Smallest View Camera."
 
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New Way to carry my Makina II 100mm 7.3cm 210 lenses Backs Extras by Nokton48, on Flickr

I've always like this Swedish Medical Bag, bought at local Army Navy Store. 4x5 Tenba Back is perfect size to fit the Makina III with 7.3cm Orthar, bag also fits the 100mm, and the 21cm. Plus Makina 6.5x9cm Roll Holder, and Extras. Nicely padded and now no more bruises from carrying around the Makina III in this bag, nicely padded and protected. Domke Postal Strap necessary, this is a small heavy stealth bag, great for shooting. My entire Makina II System fits in this medical bag.
 
Plaubel Makina II 21cm Telephoto Hyperfocused Kentmere Push 800 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Plaubel Makina II with 21cm Makina II Telephoto, focused per the instructions from Plaubel (translated from German). Yellow Plaubel Filter and Plaubel Lens Hood. Viewfinder fitted with Makina II Black 21cm Mask. Kentmere EI 800, processed to EI 1600. 5x7 Silver Print on Arista #2 RC, developed in Ansco 130 1:3. Nex7 50mm Zeiss Touit, Broncolor Impact Strobes at 45 degrees camera left and right. Polarizer on Touit, and on the strobes as well.
 
Plaubel Makina II 7.3cm Orthar Hyperfocused HP5 Push 800 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Plaubel Makina II 7.3cm Orthar Hyperfocused HP5 Push 800 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Plaubel Makina II 7.3cm Orthar Hyperfocused HP5 Push 800 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr


Plaubel Makina II with 7.3cm Orthar Wide Angle, hyperfocal sharp per the Plaubel DOF tables. Ilford 120 HP5+ EI 800, pushed in D23 1:1 to EI 1600. Plaubel Yellow Filter. Exposure was bracketed. 5x7 Arista #2 RC silver paper, print processed in Ansco 130 at 1;3. Sony Nex7 50mm Zeiss Touit, Broncolor Impact Polarized strobes, Polarizer on the lens.
 
Hi Dan, I have makinas III and IIs but doesn't understand superiority of model III, IIs has a pratical flash connection and a self timer, the III ask for a scarce flash adapter I ever haven't seen 🙂
 
Hi Mauro,

Now I have a II from 1930 and a IIIR from 1958. I have the strobe connector for the IIIR, I have used this camera in my studio with big electronic flash. For carry in around, I prefer my II and have all three original lenses for it. Not too much to carry around with three 6.5x9cm film backs. My III fell to the floor and bent the scissors :/


Didn't the IIS have some kind of twist-lock lens on/off? Do you have to buy special lenses for that?

All Makinas are Beautiful for what they are.
 
Makina III Foma 200 6x9 cut film by Nokton48, on Flickr

Makina III Foma 200 6x9 cut film. The Makina Sheet Film Holders are HEAVY. But they don't take up much room, just weigh a TON. The other plus is that it makes the form of the Makina MUCH smaller. Turns it into a camera when folded up, will fit in your jacket pocket. I am starting to shoot 6.5x9cm sheet film again, Lucky for me I have about fifty of the Makina Holders.
 
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