Thoughts on the Plaubel Makina 67

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f.hayek

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I've always been long considering one but am concerned about all the reports about failing light meters, bellows and overall fragility. It's almost 50 years old now. Is my caution unfounded or valid? Stay away or take the leap?
 
I've had several. None had problems except for the first one which was bought used and had pinholes in the bellows. The 670 corrected the pathway for the meter wiring as well as beefing up the film transport system. The lens is truly spectacular, capable of brilliant results. For all the things i appreciated (including the closed size) I never cared for the handling. For me it felt awkward....like a big Rollei 35... compared to my favourite at the opposite end of the spectrum... the 'new' Mamiya 6. Either has become an expensive proposition.IMG_6412.JPG
 
Would love to find a 670. Rare as hen's teeth. Mysterious Japanese vendors on the auction site seem to have a few, but I've been told many of the sellers are actually Mainland Chinese operating out of Japan.
 
f.hayek said:
Would love to find a 670. Rare as hen's teeth. Mysterious Japanese vendors on the auction site seem to have a few, but I've been told many of the sellers are actually Mainland Chinese operating out of Japan.
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I'm not sure what difference it makes. They would have to comply with Japanese immigration and business laws. I have never had any issues with Japanese Ebay camera sellers.... as well as Japanese camera shops when i lived or visited there. Best selection of older cameras anywhere in the world. Paris' Blvd Beaumarchais pales by comparison.
 
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A heads-up given to my by an old hand at Adorama. He said he trusted most sellers in the past but in recent years got burned himself as the condition of items on the auction site were exaggerated. Some of his contacts in Japan informed him of the sea change among vendors and to beware of the smaller resellers without any provenance. That’s all.
 
f.hayek said:
A heads-up given to my by an old hand at Adorama. He said he trusted most sellers in the past but in recent years got burned himself as the condition of items on the auction site were exaggerated. Some of his contacts in Japan informed him of the sea change among vendors and to beware of the smaller resellers without any provenance. That’s all.
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"Sellers without provenance" absolutely that goes without saying. Ebay is a huge market. I most often look for sellers i know and have dealt with. I've always had great results with Irohas Camera, who i've bought a number of items from, as well as Japan_Fun_Camera. In general though the Japanese sellers provide lots of good photos and deliver shockingly quickly. I did buy one old black Pentax that didn't work properly on arrival and the seller refunded the cost...so i got the camera for the cost of shipping...and after a CLA it's a charm.
 
Have used 67, 670 and W67 in the past and absolutely love the optics. I never had a meter failure and on one of the four I used over time, only had the 67 have film advance problems with spacing. At one time, I traveled with a 670, a W67 (with the magical 65mm Nikkor) and a Pentax 6x7 with a 165mm Takumar as my traveling kit. Service of the Plaubel Makina was pricey ($250, then to even look at it) and had limited availability. The Mamiya 6 of later vintage also had film advance problems and whereas the Mamiya 6mf did not. I would not hesitate to use the Mamiya again, and actually prefer them, for handling, but oh, the magic of the 80mm f2.8 Nikkor!
 
I once bought a 67 which I regrettably sold because of a cloudy viewfinder - I should just have sent it to Plaubel DE when they were still operating a service counter. A few years ago I purchased a 670 which I find nicer to hold; the ribbed surface makes a difference. The awkwardness to carry it and the weight of it go away once you look at the scans/prints.

If it's useful I found the meter on both the 67 and the 670 to be accurate to a point that I longer bother to meter externally. Enjoy if you do decide to purchase it!
 
I have owned the 67 and the W67. The Makinas make nice looking images, are way more robust than they are given credit for, and because they are mostly all mechanical, will probably run forever. I found the accessories grip to be very beneficial.
I was never blown away by the 55mm in the W67, but the 80mm is a very nice lens. Never had a lick of trouble with the meter nor film advance.
I sold them both because, even though they are compact for medium format cameras, they are not as compact as a Leica For travel. I later had seller’s remorse, bought another 67, and ended up selling that one within a month. I had been right the first time, I guess.
 
I bought a W67 probably 15-16 years ago from Frank Marshman back when he had a walk-in stop in Harrisonburg Virginia -- I believe it was a consignment. His main advice was to release/fold out and store/fold in the lens gently, and to be sure to set the focus at infinity prior to folding in the lens when done shooting. I guess some folks find it cool to push the folding-standard release button and let the lens flop into open position, then let it flop back into the camera when done -- cool like flicking a balisong knife. The result may be damaged to the folding parts and especially the flexible cables. Avoid doing that, take that extra 1/2 second to be gentle with the camera, and it will perform well for years. I have found it to be a great travel camera, and the 55mm does all that I could hope for. I've also found the meter actually useful, though one has to adjust for backlighting etc -- it's not a spot meter per se. All in all, two thumbs up.
 
Reading Trask's reply, 'Palermo Shooting' comes to mind - for those who have seen it. If not I recommend it (along with any of Wim Wenders's work).

In that movie, Campino (playing the main character) uses the Makina 67 in a way that won't really extend the camera's lifetime; but it's exactly what I should do to get more photos; i.e. use it more instead of treating it like some sort of precious object - it is expensive, mind!.
 
Awkward handling aside (changing the thin ISO ring without much of a grip is a challenge, plus when the lens is extended the Makina 67 is a bit cumbersome to hold), its a fantastic performer. The lens is stellar, and the meter is excellent. I read somewhere about having the focus on infinity while opening/closing the lens a while back too, and stick to that. I may have been guilty of letting the bellows close and open by tilting the camera a few times, I guess I should be careful about that too. Plus is once you close the lens, its form factor is very conducive to travel.
 
Hi all,

Just registered here as I am about to purchase a Makina 67 or 670 from Japan via Ebay.
I like the cleaner design of the 67 better than that of the 670. But then I am thinking of the enhancements that were introduced with the 670. Difficult choice.
One thing has puzzled me: some of the 670s offered by Japanese sellers are one stroke winding cameras (visible in the videos they posted and confirmed by the seller)while everyone here in Europe says that one of the significant mechanical improvements of the 670 over the 67 is its more robust double stroke winding.
Is it possible that early 670s, possibly only sold in Japan, are single stroke? Or are they possibly offering cameras made up from parts from 67s and 670s as mix and mingle?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Best regards,
Erik
 
The videos simply show the stroke action and not the number of actuations necessary to advance the film one frame. The mechanism of the 670 was improved and designed to be more durable by utilizing the double stroke and stressing the gears less. The double-stroke is the hallmark differentiation from the 67 (itself a design extrapolation from an earlier Agfa 35mm camera). The elegance of the smooth case and cleaner lines of the 67 belies its slipperiness when held. The 670 is newer and the meter wiring less prone to sudden breakage because the “lazy tongs” reportedly kept clear of the wiring harness. YMMV, as always.
 
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Thank you for your feedback but the videos for two 670s clearly showed a single stroke wind only which they performed in order to cock the shutter and then show the actual shutter release to demonstrate that the shutter speeds look plausible. And the seller confirmed single stroke winding expressly in their feedback to my question.

Hence my confusion around these 670s.
 
Strange, though plausible. As you mentioned, when Mamiya took over the manufacturing, they used existing parts from Plaubel to create new cameras. That someone might have canibalized the outer case of an irreparable 670 to use with an existing 67 is also possible.
 
Thank you very much. Then I think the primary improvement from my perspective does not hold for these particular samples of 670s. Then I might as well order a 67 which I prefer for its more simplistic design language.
 
Be aware that the 670 is significantly (at least to me) heavier than the 67. I believe this is related with the newer exterior surface requiring more metal.
 
Interesting aspect, thank you. I looked up the weights: 1280g vs 1370g. I think I could live with both. Both of course heavy around the neck over time.
 
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