Plaubel Makina W67 basic questions

[Rik]

I have the possibility to buy a Plaubel Makina W67, so with the 55mm lens. I do not know much (anything..) about this camera, except the very limited information I can find on the net.
My questions are:
- what should I look for when buying the camera? I have read about the wires for the meter going wrong, but I'm not too concerned about the meter working as I can always use an external one.
- are there any user and repair manuals available on the net? I could not find anything.
- any guidance as to how much a service (CLA) will cost, assuming there are no major issues with the camera?

thanks for your help.

 

[Gipsy]

Pay close attention to the bellows and scissors. Rotten bellows are expensive to fix and sloppy scissors indication heavy use. Bent and straighten scissors may indicate a dropped or abused camera.

 

[mdelevie]

First of all, it's a great camera. Really! I'm still holding out for the W670, but that's because I like to shoot 220 film.

You should make sure the meter works. It's easy, just a few steps:

1) extend the lens board.
2) point it at something bright
3) press the little button on the back, you'll get a ">" or a "O" or a "<" indication for exposure
4) move the aperture and shutter speed settings. the exposure indication should change

Make sure to put the focus back on infinity before you collapse the bellows.

Did I mention it's a great camera?

Mark

 

[Plungefrog]

I would agree with all the comments above.I had one a few years back.It's a nice camera with a great lens.I seriously regret selling it! Find a good one and hang on to it!

 

[Rik]

Well, I bought a W67, it came with an original lens cap and a user manual. I ran a film though it and it looks fine to me. The meter works, and the rangefinder seems ok as well. I will probably still send it in for a CLA, spoke to the people at Plaubel, they are very kind and helpful.
I paid about US$ 290 for it, so it seems a good deal for me.
Thanks for the very useful information

 

[mdelevie]

Rik:

Go immediately to the lottery office and buy yourself a lottery ticket. Oh, wait, you already hit the jackpot with that Plaubel W67. 🙂

That's not a good deal, it's a spectacular deal. Considering everything works, you've just paid around 1/5 what the camera can sell for.

Be sure to move the focus back to infinity before collapsing the bellows. Infinity is the shortest lens distance, and the extra extension of the lazy tongs when you're close-focused does violence to the wiring harness upon folding. Your metering runs via those wires, and as well, the shutter is cocked and released by cables that run through the lazy tongs system.

Actually, the best thing you can do w/r/t longevity is NOT fold the camera at all. If you don't mind just leaving the bellows extended, that's preferable. The other thing that will help is to shoot the thing regularly. It's a mechanical shutter, sitting around doesn't improve it.

Best of luck, post some photos when you get a chance. I'm green with envy, but happy that you got such a great camera for so little money.

Mark

 

[Jim Watts]

$290 is an incredible deal. Dealer secondhand prices in the UK for the W67 are more than $1600. I sold my 67 (80mm version) to a dealer in part exchange for an R-D1 and got $1,300, but could not be parted from my W67 (55mm version).

Problems to look for are:
Corroded battery contacts.
Range finder going out of adjustment - As Mark says I also suggest always returning focus to infinity setting before closing as forcing the bellows closed while focussed closer can cause this and the one below (more a problem with the longer bellows of the 67/670 than the W).
It is fairly easy to snap the linkage between the shutter and its release if forcing the lazy tong bellows (again more of a problem on 67).
Check the foam light trap is not becoming 'sticky' and breaking up. Its fairly common on Plaubels of this age.

I'm sure you will enjoy this excellent camera.