Thoughts on Mamiya RB67 or RZ67

[ktmrider]

So, I am headed to Iceland in two weeks and will be carrying a Leica M9, several lenses and a tripod. Am thinking of getting a medium format for landscape and thinking of a RB/RZ.

Now I have recently been shooting with a couple 645's but if I am going MF, the 6x4.5 negative is too small. I have owned a couple Blad's in the past and wanted to try something different. I know it is large so I may just shoot the M9 for color.

Thoughts?

 

[Ronald M]

May as well go 4x5 and get a real boost. My LF kit is no bigger than my old RB.

Now that I am older, `blad is as big as I would want to travel. Honestly one brand is really all I want to use unless you have a caddy.

Reality check. Loading film holders in a motel shower. Head bumped faucet when sitting on the floor in the dark. Guess the rest.

Brought two film backs for RB to northern Wisconsin but only one dark slide. Well you can not change magazines with one slide. Half day drive to some podunk town to get one and I considered myself lucky.

Picking up used equipment just before a trip is a no no. Everyone knows that. And a RB has enough interlocks and quirks to take up two weeks.

Seriously flip the M9 over to monochrome or color as required. Rent a second M for back up. Whole thing is KISS principle.

 

[ktmrider]

Have two M2's as backup to the M9 or Leica R6.2 as third backup but it uses a different mount. Come to think of it, I carried the R6.2 five years ago on my last trip to Iceland.

 

[shimokita]

Brought two film backs for RB to northern Wisconsin but only one dark slide. ... Half day drive to some podunk town to get one and I considered myself lucky.

To my way of thinking its not a "Podunk" town if it has what you need ; ) Northern Wisconsin can be very beautiful... Former resident of N.Wisconsin...

With the RB67 it is possible to work two backs with one dark slide. The below is not the ideal situation, but its workable.

1) load film in back_A with the dark slide

2) put back_A on the camera and remove the dark slide

3) put the dark slide on back_B and load film

4) after shooting the film in back_A, roll the film forward and remove the back. With the RB67 there are two tabs that when pressed allow you to remove the back without having a dark slide.

5) put back_B on the camera and move the dark slide to back_A

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The only issue when traveling with the RB67 is the weight and the number of exposures per roll. I have three backs for mine and they get used up rather quickly. It's a lovely camera.

Casey

 

[benji77]

I use the RZ67 with the 110/2.8 (kit lens) for street and travel. Though it is clunky, the image quality is really nice and more than makes up for it. I agree that to buy this just prior to a trip not recommended, but that depends on how fast you 'get used to' the RZ67/RB for your trip. If you are confident that you will 'get the hang of it', then I'd say go for it.

If you have been considering stuff larger than 6x4.5 and do not already have 6x7, I'd say go as big as you can (4x5 or larger!). Reduce the lens for the M9 to keep it simple if you bring a RZ too.

 

[BernardL]

So, I am headed to Iceland in two weeks (...) and thinking of a RB/RZ

Taking a new-to-you camera on a distant and probably unique trip is a Bad Idea. You don't want to discover "features" of that system once you're back home and look at developed films. Or discover a weakness of that old system while on location.

 

[segedi]

If you have to take a 6x7, I wouldn't recommend the RZor RB. Maybe the Mamiya 7. More spendy but much better for travel in my opinion. An A7R II with M adapter would be nice too.

Just sold all my RZ gear. Great kit, but with the size and weight, it almost never made it out of the house.

 

[ktmrider]

Thanks for the input. It was just a passing thought.

For Iceland, I want to see how well the M9 does for color and on a tripod (never travel with one). Will keep black and white in the M2. And my second M2 is going to be used by a 20 something who is trying to figure out f stops, shutter speeds etc. The trip will be an on going photo seminar hiking around the island.

 

[LukeBanks]

I used to shoot on an RZ67 and, having been to Iceland recently, probably wouldn't recommend it. As mentioned above a Mamiya 7 would be far more portable in a place with landscapes like they have. Great camera but it weighs a ton and is a pain to lug about.