Black and white Photography Plaubel Makina 67 Review

1/12/12 10:34 PM

black and white photography by rob gardiner.

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Plaubel Makina 67 Review

When I purchased a Plaubel Makina 67, it was done so on something of a whim. Id been shooting exclusively with a Leica M6 TTL, which I value for its compactness, legendary low light optics, and simple all-manual controls. But I realised that there are times when the Leica M6 was the wrong tool for what I was shooting. While one day I might be shooting in a swirling mass of thousands of people, the next day Id be standing knee deep in snow in Central Park with not a soul in sight. Maybe I should use a different camera for each job? It was then that I discovered the Plaubel Makina 67. HISTORY The German Plaubel corporation was bought by a Kisoi Doi, a Japanese businessman, in the late 1970s. With a long history of medium format cameras, Plaubel introduced the Plaubel Makina 67 in 1979. There are conflicting reports on where the cameras were actually made, but it seems they were actually made in Japan, perhaps by Mamiya. They were made for less than ten years, but a 670 version, a tilt-and-shift 6x9 version, and a wide-angle W67 version were also released. Solid but elegant, with superb optics, they have been popular ever since. THE CAMERA The Plaubel Makina 67 is a medium format rangefinder camera, made in the 1980s. It is equipped with a high quality Japanesemade Nikon Nikkor 80mm lens with a continuous aperture range of f/2.8 to f/22. It is a folding camera, meaning that the lens is ordinarily retracted when not in use and must be unfolded to take photographs. It takes ten 6x7 photographs on 120 roll film. Shutter speeds available are 1/500th of a second through to one second, plus a bulb setting. Focus is from 1 metre to infinity. A ten degree spotmeter is integrated into the rangefinder. A hotshoe, tripod mount, and cable release socket are included.

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Black and white Photography Plaubel Makina 67 Review

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OPERATION The camera is unfolded by pressing a red button on the front of the camera with the left index finger which releases the lens board. It is rangefinder focused, an image from the rangefinder is super-imposed on the viewfinder image and the focus wheel rotated until the two images align. The focus wheel is around the shutter button on the top right and is usually operated with the thumb. Film advance, shutter release, and metering is also achieved with the thumb. All very ergonomic up to this point. The shutter speed and aperture selection, however, is not so intuitive to control. Selections are made by rotating two wheels around the front of the lens. The shutter speed ring is moved with the left thumb and the aperture with the left index finger. It takes some getting used to. Loading and unloading is simple and common to most roll film rangefinders. OPTICS Great optical performance is the crucial factor in any camera purchase and the Plaubel Makina 67 does not disappoint. The lens is a multicoated 80mm (equivalent to around 50mm on 35mm systems) f/2.8-f/22 lens consisting of six elements in four groups. Ive found the optics to be as contrasty as most of my Leica lenses, though I havent tested this scientifically. Other users have measured resolution at around 76 lp/mm which places it ahead of many current day lenses. I tend to fall asleep when reading MTF results and value my naked eyes subjective opinion more than any published number. I regularly shoot with the lens fully open to f/2.8 and the resolution even at this point is remarkable. For the bokeh afficionados out there, you will not be disappointed. Out of focus areas are rendered very pleasantly with no hard edges or halos. METERING Metering functionality is basic. A button on the back of the camera, at the top right below the shutter button, activates the meter. A circle in the viewfinder indicates correct exposure. A circle and a + or means that the exposure is half a stop over- or under-exposed, respectively. The + or on its own says that you are at least a full stop out with the exposure. All this, of course, with the understanding that correct exposure means 17% gray. The meter is a 10 degree spot meter, meaning it reports on the light reflected from a 10 degree wedge in front of the camera. By all accounts the meter is very accurate. In my experience it works well, but the spot is too large to rely on in all circumstances. I find myself using a handheld 1 degree spot meter more than I would if the camera was equipped with a smaller 5 degree spot meter. LAZY TONGS

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Black and white Photography Plaubel Makina 67 Review

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The Plaubel Makina is notorious for a design defect in the lazy tongs or scissor struts that extend the lens board when the camera is unfolded. Each time the camera is folded or unfolded the tongs open or close. The problem is that the electrics for the metering and the shutter release are in the bundle of wires that run underneath the struts. Every time the camera is opened or closed the wires flex and gradually over time they become fatigued. While the defect is often described as a reason not to purchase the camera, my opinion is that if you find a camera with a working meter and shutter and no physical signs of deterioration on the tongs then it is not an issue at all. There is no consensus on if it is a problem if you have a camera that is opened and closed carefully and never exposed to weather. But if your camera does fail in this way, the repair work is a matter of complex disassembly and reassembly. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE For a medium format camera the Plaubel is light, quiet, small, has fast and accurate optics, and an inbuilt meter. My shooting style is probably not typical. I rarely shoot more than a roll of film on any given day, and do not often shoot more than a couple of frames of any subject, so the ten frame limit of 120 roll film is not a minus at all. I develop my own film and have the ability to scan 6x7 negatives but if you are a rapid shooter with a Velvia-loaded autofocus camera, maybe the Plaubel Makina 67 is not for you.

Above, an example of the resolution you can achieve. This was a handheld outdoor photograph of a poster exposed for 1/125 second on Kodak Tri-X. The photograph on left is the whole negative, the photograph on the right is a crop. The red rectangles show the area enlarged. For those interested in more examples, please see the following photographs with which I used the Plaubel Makina 67 to take. Flatiron Building in Snow Central Park Bow Bridge Three Strangers on 42nd Street Tree, New York Coney Island Sea MODELS

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Black and white Photography Plaubel Makina 67 Review

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Plaubel Makina 67: As described in this review. Plaubel Makina W67: Same as 67! version, but with 55mm Nikkor lens. Plaubel Makina 670: Same as 67! version, but can take 220 roll film (twenty 6x7 shots instead of ten) as well as 120 roll film. It also has a grip texture. ACCESSORIES Not many accessories specific to this camera were released. A screw in lens-hood is available. I find myself using the hood not so much for flare control, but keeping rain and snow out. PRICE As the camera is popular with collectors as well as users, there is a large price range depending on condition. Expect to pay anywhere from US$800 to US$1700 for the Plaubel Makina 67 model. The 670 models attracts a premium of at least US$100 which I would argue is not worth the price. SPECIFICATIONS AND TECHNICAL DATA Camera Type: 6x7 rangefinder roll film camera with leaf shutter and folding lazy-tongs system Picture size: 56mm x 69mm Film Type: No. 120 roll film, 10 exposures Lens: 80mm Nikkor F/2.8, 6 elements in 4 components, multicoated, angle of view 59 degrees. Filter thread M58 x 0.75 Aperture: F/2.8 to f/22, continuously adjustable Shutter: Copal leaf shutter, special No. 0 size. Mechanically controlled shutter speeds B and 1 to 1/500 second Synchronisation: X synchronised at all settings Bright-frame view- and rangefinder: Luminous bright-frame finder with built-in coupled rangefinder and automatic parallax compensation. Base length 63mm. Focusing: Lazy-tongs system with large focusing knob on camera body. Distance scale: On focusing knob, in metres (white): infinity, ten, 5, 3, 2, 1.5, 1.2, 1m; Exposure meter: Built-in silicon cell, coupled with shutter speed, aperture and ASA settings, measuring field in center of finder field, LED signals. Film speed range: 25-1600 ASA (15-33 DIN) Power Supply: Two 1.5 volt silver oxide batteries Metering key: Key for exposure meter and automatic battery test Film Transport: Rapid winding lever, tensions shutter and advances film. Singlestroke 185 degrees. Frame counter: Automatic frame counter Size: 162mm wide, 115mm high, 56.5mm deep (closed) and 113mm deep (open). Weight: 1280grams Comments are closed.
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Black and white Photography Plaubel Makina 67 Review

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Welcome This weblog is a place for me to share my black and white photography as I produce it, share interesting websites as I come across them, and publish other news of photographic interest. You can read my collection of journal entries at the weblog, or browse my portfolio.
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