New to me RB67. Questions.

egdinger · May 18, 2006

So my new to me RB67 Pro-S showed up today from KEH. For Bargin this looks pretty dang good! Except that the arrow that shows where to place the "start" line on the film is missing. Did any backs come like this, or has it worn off with use?

Second, I can't quite get the finder off, I'm pressing the button and it doesn't want to release, any tricks?

I'm also in need of strap, I've heard good things about optech, and wondering if their super pro design B, is the right one and a good choice? Also I don't have the lens cap for my 90 f/3.8C. Any recomended choices?

Also the DOF scale on the lens (90mm), it doesn't change anything, or need to be set. It's just there to inform you if you choose to use it?

Travis Nunn · May 18, 2006

To get the finder off the body, in addition to pressing the release button, you must push the nameplate to the right.

I use the OpTech USA strap and I like it and yes, the B-design is the correct one.

You can get a lens cap from B&H for less than $10.

I have Pro S backs for mine and both of them have the arrow to allign with the film.

The DOF scale doesn't change anything, its just a reference.

timd · May 18, 2006

I've never seen a back without a start mark, but it's only painted on, so it's possible it will have worn away/been chipped off. As you look down from the top of the reel, it should be at about 4/5 o'clock.

The finder is pretty stiff - if you've got the release button pressed, the nameplate needs a good hard shove to the left (lens away from you). Once it's moved about 5mm, it unlocks the finder and it just pops off backwards. But it takes some shoving - or you could always bash it with a back ;-)

Not sure about the DOF scale - isn't this the floating element at the front??

juan · May 18, 2006

The guide mark is just very slightly clockwise of the pin you push down to insert the film. If your mark has worn away, I'd think aligning on the pin would work just fine.

You don't say which finder you have, but I'll assume it's the waist level one. You don't need to push the button to get the finder off - just move the nameplate towards the side away from the film advance lever. The button is for raising the magnifier inside the finder.
juan

Travis Nunn · May 18, 2006

juan said:
...You don't say which finder you have, but I'll assume it's the waist level one. You don't need to push the button to get the finder off - just move the nameplate towards the side away from the film advance lever. The button is for raising the magnifier inside the finder.
juan

There is a button on the nameplate that needs to be pressed right under the Y and A of Mamiya. He's not talking about the button on the WLF that raises the magnifer.

juan · May 18, 2006

Must be different than mine, then. I have no button under the Y and A - only the sliding nameplate.
juan

egdinger · May 18, 2006

Thanks for all the anwsers. They really help.

Tim, I thought that the scale was for a floating element too, but the 90mm doesn't have one. Thats why I was asking.

Now does anyone have any ideas what to do with the darkslide when shooting handheld? I find the place provided doesn't hold it very well.

timd · May 18, 2006

Ah - I've got the KL version, which does. My mistake.

The ProSD backs have a slide holder which works perfectly, but more often than not it goes in a back pocket and gets sat on :-(

juan · May 18, 2006

egdinger said:
Now does anyone have any ideas what to do with the darkslide when shooting handheld? I find the place provided doesn't hold it very well.

I hold the darkslide in my left hand as I cup the camera. I use the neck strap to hold most of the camera's weight and use my hands to hold it steady.
juan

Travis Nunn · May 18, 2006

Darkslide usually goes in a pocket. The "convenient holder" for it on the side of the body doesn't really seem too convenient to me.

David Brown · May 18, 2006

Maybe this will help:

http://www.mamiya.com/assets/pdfs/6x7/RB67_Pro-S_v7.PDF#search='mamiya%20rb67%20manual

(When in doubt, read the instructions.)

kwmullet · May 19, 2006

t_nunn said:
Darkslide usually goes in a pocket. The "convenient holder" for it on the side of the body doesn't really seem too convenient to me.

I've had mine a week (I got pretty much the same rig from KEH) and already I've misplaced my darkslide.

Convenient holder on the left side of the body?? OhMiGosh... if I hadn't known to look, I would have never seen that there. Hopefully I can find it so I can have a less losslikely place to put it.

[cool! I found my darkslide in a bookcase, wedged between Czerny's The School of Velocity For the Piano and Mozart's Concerto No. 23 in A Minor.
The darkslide does fit sorta loose in there, but it looks like it might do the trick. Thanks!]

For me, there's two fumblefinger issues I'm having to deal with. First is that I too-frequently nudge the rotating back just enough out of kilter so the shutter doesn't fire. I have to just learn to keep my hands way away from the back when composing. Second, I just got my Wonderful Multi-Grip yesterday, and it vastly improves handholdability. It does greatly increase the footprint of the shutter release at the bottom of the body, and more than once, I've been adjusting the lens and have fired the shutter with the heel of my hand.

Just newbie stuff to get around. I'm shooting the birthday party of of my 4-year old son's schoolmate's tomorrow, so we'll see how well I can do with The Big Beast in reportage mode, chasing 4- and 5-year olds around in the park.

-KwM-

Papa Tango · May 21, 2006

fabulous!!!

Just got mine a week ago, and am totally infatuated with this machine! I have never had a camera that was so well engineered for flexibility and style. Yes, it is heavy, but with a grip it does remarkable handheld without problem even at 1/30 sec. I cant stop running film though it....

The bummer I have found so far is the ProS film backs. Unlike the ProSD back of which I only have one of, the darkslide does not lock into position when the back is removed from the camera. I have exposed several frames so far by grabbing the back the wrong way from the camera bag, or in my rear pocket. The situation has been remedied by cinching down the slide with a velcro strap when it is out of the camera.

I cannot say enough about this beast. At this moment, neither 35 or 4x5 is even anywhere in my thought process. It is not difficult at all to see why this camera became the standard for professional studio and assignment photographers.

Travis Nunn · May 21, 2006

Patrick, on both of my ProS backs the darkslide does lock into place when the back isn't on the camera.

Papa Tango · May 21, 2006

t_nunn said:
Patrick, on both of my ProS backs the darkslide does lock into place when the back isn't on the camera.

Hmmm... My camera came with one ProSD back. It locks the darkslide quite handy. I have three others, 2 120 & 1 220. They were all bought from Shutterblade, and were in quite good condition except for needing the gummy seals replaced. That was a fairly easy job.

But, none of the three will the darkslide lock into place. The slide itself has notches on both sides midway to accomplish this, but I can find no mechanism in the shell that would engage these notches. They have not been modified, and I just dissasembled one and there never was any place for such a thing to exist. ??????????

Travis Nunn · May 21, 2006

The only thing I can think is that they are not ProS backs. Do they say "ProS" on the back itself? I don't mean to sound like a smarta** so please don't take it that way.

Here's a couple of pictures that shows the locking mechanism on my backs. The circled areas are where you can disengage the darkslide.

Papa Tango · May 21, 2006

Must be Pro

Nope. I think that you have hit it. The grip face to the darkslide reads "ProS", but the actual shell does not have the actuator lever shown in your photos. My guess then is that my backs are from an earlier "Pro" series, and simply have the later model darkslides in them because they were from a well used professional lot that the slides got mixed up amongst a bunch of backs.

Solves that riddle, and the velcro strap is still the solution for me!

Papa Tango · May 21, 2006

and another thing...

While we are on the topic of RB intracies, here is one about the lens. On both the 180mm & 90mm C's that I have, there is an adjustable depth of field scale. I had heard about a "floating element" that required fine tuning for a good focus.

When I got the lenses, it was necessary to unscrew the front and rear elements to clean dust and atmospheric haze accumulation out of the inside faces. When they were apart I took note that the internal slip ring for the scale simply rotated around in the barrel, and did not engage any part of the elements. Matter of fact, they are screwed in quite solidly.

What's up with this aperature ring thing, and what exactly is a floating element, and what lenses have it?

Travis Nunn · May 21, 2006

To be honest, I've never bothered with the depth of field scale. Also, there is nothing in my owner's manual that mentions a floating element (all of my lenses are C lenses)and I'd never heard of it until this thread. Timd earlier in this thread mentioned that he has a KL lens and his does have the floating element.

Papa Tango · May 21, 2006

Maybe 150mm

Travis, there is a 150mm portrait C that may use something like this, I dont know. What I do know is that for the first roll I was very fastidious about readjusting this ring. Even when my mind and eye told me it was doing nothing. Better safe than sorry, yes? Since then I have paid little attention to it and it has made no difference.

Right now, I am looking to dress this baby up in some sexy clothes. Looked at some of the kid skin coverings available at www.cameraleather.com and am torn between the Indian Red and Verdigris. Of course, this would be offset by a black krinkle finish....

haris · May 22, 2006

Pragmatist said:
Just got mine a week ago, and am totally infatuated with this machine! I have never had a camera that was so well engineered for flexibility and style. Yes, it is heavy, but with a grip it does remarkable handheld without problem even at 1/30 sec. I cant stop running film though it....

The bummer I have found so far is the ProS film backs. Unlike the ProSD back of which I only have one of, the darkslide does not lock into position when the back is removed from the camera. I have exposed several frames so far by grabbing the back the wrong way from the camera bag, or in my rear pocket. The situation has been remedied by cinching down the slide with a velcro strap when it is out of the camera.

I cannot say enough about this beast. At this moment, neither 35 or 4x5 is even anywhere in my thought process. It is not difficult at all to see why this camera became the standard for professional studio and assignment photographers.

I have two ProS backs. On one dark slide lock on its place, on other not. And it can be taken off back when back are ot on camera, and film is in back

But, on close look one darkslide is original Mamiya, and other is not. As I bought my camera kit secondhand, it is possibile that original darkslide was lost, and someone made custom replacement one. Original darkslide has two cuts on sides where locking pins goes, second darkslide doesn't have those cuts.

So, Pragmatist, maybe you have custom made, non original, replacement darkslides. If that is case, you have three solutions: 1. be carefull with yours darkslides, 2. buy original replacement darkslides, 3. ask someone (or do it yourself) to make cuts on yours darkslides as they are on original ones.

Regards.

richard littlewood · May 22, 2006

As far as I know the only lenses with floating elements in them were the 65 and 50. Incidentally does the slight barrel distortion with the 50 and 90 lenses bug anybody else?.

Travis Nunn · May 22, 2006

What exactly does the floating element do?

Marco Gilardetti · May 23, 2006

t_nunn said:
What exactly does the floating element do?

It fine-tunes the optical design by slightly moving some of the lenses/groups in respect to the others, so that by setting it you may have the lens working at 100% performance at every focusing distance.

richard littlewood said:
As far as I know the only lenses with floating elements in them were the 65 and 50. Incidentally does the slight barrel distortion with the 50 and 90 lenses bug anybody else?.

Yes, that's why I switched to the 127mm. I'm living with the 50mm, though: at such a short focal length, some drawbacks are expected. A tremendous lens indeed.

Mongo · May 23, 2006

The 140 Macro also has a floating element. It's great for sharpening up macro work, but also very useful for adding abberations to portraiture when sharpness might not be your ultimate goal. That's why I have the 140 rather than the more traditional 150 or 180...I like the control the floating element in the 140 gives me for portraits.

Be well.
Dave

New to me RB67. Questions.

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