RB67 questions?

randerson07 · Feb 6, 2009

stradibarrius said:
What do you do if you need a shutter speed faster than 400?

You use a different camera? or choose a slower speed film?

I love my RB, but havent really gotten a ton of use out of it yet. Mostly lower light stuff. I havent come to that problem yet but I have asked that question too.

largely · Feb 6, 2009

If you're going to shoot TriX out in the sun best learn about ND filters quick. They won't let you use faster shutter speeds but they will let you get proper exposures at 1/400 or slower using your choice of aperture for DOF control. If you need the faster speed for action stopping you've got the wrong camera.
Good luck,

Larry

k_jupiter · Feb 7, 2009

randerson07 said:
An AE prism will cost a bit, but a waste level should be found cheap. the standard lens for the RB is an 80 or 90mm the K/L lens are the top of the line, then the Sekor C then the Sekor.

.

Do tell... an AE prism for a rb67 Pro? I suspect it would cost a lot!

Anyhow I love all the lens on my rb, you can't go wrong. My favorite viewfinder is the chimney magnification one. It's great for hand holding those 65mm lens shots.

tim in san jose

randerson07 · Feb 7, 2009

Well im a bit confused, while there are still 3 days left in the auction, I dont see this getting over $200 http://cgi.ebay.com/Mamiya-RB67-Met...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

stradibarrius · Feb 7, 2009

On a bright sunny day or a snow scene are you saying that I either have to stack ND filters or use a different camera? Surely this camera can be used in bright sunny lighting conditions????

Steve Smith · Feb 7, 2009

On a bright sunny day using Tri-X at ISO 400 and a shutter speed of 1/400 (usually 1/500 but the RB67 doesn't have that). You would need an aperture of f16.

If your intention is to make use of larger apertures for selective focus/limited depth of field then you would be better off with a slower film.

An ISO 100 film on a bright sunny day would require f16 - 1/125 or f11 - 1/250 or f8 - 1/500 (1/400).

If you want to open up even more then an ISO 50 film like PAN F may be useful.

The comment about neutral density filters is correct but if you have lots of light available, I personally think it is better to use a slower film than to reduce the light by filtering. The advantage the RB67 has is that you can have several film backs with different films in and choose which to use based on the light conditions.

Steve.

markbarendt · Feb 7, 2009

Hi Barry,

No sweat in the sun, just use the sunny and F16 rule of thumb (or maybe sunny and F11 rule which works better for me locally) and ignore the meter reading.

EI 400 (Tri X) at F16 (F11 for me) = 1/400 shutter.

What you lose is the ability to narrow the depth of field with aperature. If you need larger apertures you'll need a slower EI film or the ND filter.

A great alternative to ND filters are red and orange filters. They pump the contrast up (make the sky darker and clouds brighter), you will need to add a filter factor to the F16 rule but that's easy.

BTW, the snow scene may fool a meter but will not fool the film, it tricks reflective meters into thinking it's too bright out and generally asks for an underexposure.

markbarendt · Feb 7, 2009

Opps...

Steve Smith · Feb 7, 2009

markbarendt said:
A great alternative to ND filters are red and orange filters. They pump the contrast up (make the sky darker and clouds brighter), you will need to add a filter factor to the F16 rule but that's easy.

Definitely.

If you have blue sky and fluffy white clouds then this is a good option.

When I use a yellow, orange or red filter I add one, two or three stops of exposure respectively.

I do this by telling the meter that I have a different film speed.

e.g. If I was using Tri-X or HP5 at ISO 400 with no filter, the meter would be set to ISO 400 as expected.

With a yellow filter, I would set the meter to ISO 200, with an orange filter I would set it to ISO 100 and with a red filter, ISO 50.

This is not the only method but is the one which works for me.

Steve.

stradibarrius · Feb 7, 2009

I have a 77mm ring for my "P" filter holder that fits my 127mm lens so I can use my filters.
Steve, what type of meter do you use?

Steve Smith · Feb 7, 2009

stradibarrius said:
Steve, what type of meter do you use?

Nothing fancy.

I have an old Zeiss Ikophot which is surprisingly accurate and a not quite so old Weston Master III which I think has been fitted with a new cell as it is also accurate.

In normal daylight when using negative film I will just use the sunny 16 rule. I only really use the meters for transparency film and for checking the accuracy of in camera meters.

Steve.

John Koehrer · Feb 7, 2009

There's a difference between an AE finder(Auto Exposure) and a metering finder.
You may find that an AE finder for the RB is a rare as a chicken lip sandwich in New York.

stradibarrius · Feb 7, 2009

Here in the south, chicken lip sandwich's are fairly common...they can be a bit tough though!

largely · Feb 7, 2009

Certainly the camera can be used in bright conditions. The problem is that TriX at iso 400 forces a very small aperture. Consider the "sunny 16" rule. It would require 1/400 @ f16 or even f22 in the snow. That leaves no latitude to open the aperture so as to soften a background and isolate the subject.
I didn't mean that you should stack ND filters but if you're going to shoot iso 400 film in bright conditions you should acquire some of them. Maybe 2x, 4x, 8x to allow aperture flexibility.
Otherwise, it may be better to consider films in the range of iso 100 or slower.

Larry

largely · Feb 7, 2009

Oops x2.
Larry

stradibarrius · Feb 7, 2009

Thanks! Just use slower film is what you are saying if I know I'm going to be shooting in bright oconditions.

Steve Smith · Feb 7, 2009

stradibarrius said:
Thanks! Just use slower film is what you are saying if I know I'm going to be shooting in bright oconditions.

Yes. To start off, stock up with some ISO 400 and ISO 100 film and that should cover most situations.

For me that would be HP5 and FP4 from Ilford. You have already suggested Tri-X as your ISO 400 film. I don't know what Kodak's ISO 100 film is as I never use Kodak for black and white.

Then just choose your film to suit conditions. Bright day = ISO 100, dull day = ISO 400.

Steve.

stradibarrius · Feb 7, 2009

I only purchased 3 rolls of the Tri-X 400 because the camera store didn't have any of the Fuji B&W's.
I have a good stock of Acros 100 in 35mm.

MattKing · Feb 7, 2009

As a lifelong fan of Kodak Plus-X (ISO 125) I'd suggest having some at hand.

(For some reason, it doesn't get the attention it should, so it is a little bit harder to find).

Any other fans here who wish to rally to the cause?

Matt

removed-user-1 · Feb 10, 2009

MattKing said:
As a lifelong fan of Kodak Plus-X (ISO 125) I'd suggest having some at hand.

(For some reason, it doesn't get the attention it should, so it is a little bit harder to find).

Any other fans here who wish to rally to the cause?

Matt

Plus-X is a great film, I agree. I used to shoot it in 35mm all the time; maybe I'll pick up some rolls of 120 Plus-X for my upcoming beach trip...

Lately I've been using either Tri-X or Ilford Pan-F in medium format.

RB67 questions?

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