Most reliable 6X7 system?

[moto-uno]

Possibly a little late to the game , any use of " RB67" in a search engine should keep you reading into summer ! Peter

 

[narsuitus]

I have used the Fuji 6x7cm rangefinder and RB67 SLR cameras. Neither require batteries, both are well made, and both have been very reliable. However, since the Fuji has fewer moving parts, I consider it to be more reliable.

The only 6x7 I have used that I consider more reliable is a 6x7 pinhole camera.


Medium Format by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[warden]

Did the OP find a camera yet? He asked for advice in 2013.

 

[mshchem]

Did the OP find a camera yet? He asked for advice in 2013.

He's glued to the screen!

 

[DREW WILEY]

It's a time exposure.

 

[mawz]

You want reliable and 6x7?

Goodman Zone 2.0

Nothing to go wrong, it's literally a light-tight box that you mount the lens and back to. Just print a replacement part if you break it. Cheap too, especially if you print it yourself.

Takes Mamiya Press lenses by default, which are pretty reliable and use quality shutters (which of course will need service)

 

[Don_ih]

Did the OP find a camera yet? He asked for advice in 2013.

He hasn't "been seen" in 4 years. Probably bought another Pentax.

 

[Neil Poulsen]

The owner of our local Advance Camera Repair steered me away from RZ cameras towards the RB67. He said from his experiences fixing them, the RB cameras are much more reliable.

Given their simplicity, I would think that Mamiya Press cameras would also be very reliable. Their lenses are like large format lenses, which last forever, and it's easy enough to adjust their focusing mechanism. By comparison, RB systems, while likely reliable, are much more complicated.

 

[Donald Qualls]

The owner of our local Advance Camera Repair steered me away from RZ cameras towards the RB67. He said from his experiences fixing them, the RB cameras are much more reliable.

Given their simplicity, I would think that Mamiya Press cameras would also be very reliable. Their lenses are like large format lenses, which last forever, and it's easy enough to adjust their focusing mechanism. By comparison, RB systems, while likely reliable, are much more complicated.

I'd agree, not to mention you have even more format versatility with the Mamiya Press system -- 6x9 is included. All a question of whether you like rangefinders or SLRs. Mamiya Press is a lot lighter, too, BTW.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

My RZ67 is in the shop now, waiting for an estimate on the repair. I LOVE the optics for it, and the overall operation. I do hope the quote comes back at a reasonable price. While not a 6x7, my Rolleiflexes, once serviced, have been drop-dead reliable.

 

[Neil Grant]

Did the OP find a camera yet? He asked for advice in 2013.

- at least with eight years of lapsed time we will have a better idea of which is the most reliable 6x7 camera.

 

[villagephotog]

Given their simplicity, I would think that Mamiya Press cameras would also be very reliable. Their lenses are like large format lenses, which last forever, and it's easy enough to adjust their focusing mechanism.

I have a Mamiya Universal, four lenses, four backs, and various other doodads. Overall, I agree that the system is pretty reliable -- it's quite simple and built very sturdily. However, age and time demand their due.

I've had minor issues with one lens and moderate issues with another. My 6x7 back, which seemed lightly used when I bought it, crapped out entirely a dozen rolls in. There have been a few other relatively minor things. I'm not arguing that the system is fragile -- it certainly isn't -- but it's also definitely not immune to the wear and tear camera gear can accumulate over decades, despite being a family of pretty beastly metal contraptions.

I'd agree, not to mention you have even more format versatility with the Mamiya Press system -- 6x9 is included.

It is amazingly versatile with regard to formats from 645 to 6x9. I even have a 6x8 setup for my Universal, using the G-adapter and the 6x8 back for the RB67. Easy. Works like a charm.

Versatile in lots of other ways, too, much more than we generally think of for rangefinder designs. I sometimes like to imagine the sort of generalist professional photographer who would have made full use of this system in, say, 1967, from shooting events with roll film, to architecture with sheet film, to portraits, to macro shots of small objects, to copying artwork, etc.