This camera is the Mamiya RB67 Professional, I purchased this particular camera from a fellow vendor (and personal friend) at the London Ontario Vintage Camera show I believe back in 2017
The Mamiya RB-67 Professional was introduced in 1970 and ran to 1974 being replaced by the Mamiya RB 67 Professional-S. The RB67 Professional the First model of the RB family and is a modular medium format SLR camera using mainly 120 and 220 film producing a native frame size of roughly 6 x 7 cm.
Being a modular the camera, it is a basic box with mirror, mirror return/ lens cocking leaver, and focusing rail that all other parts could be attached onto the camera. These separate items were focusing screens that could be swapped out, several view finders, lenses and film backs could all be interchanged.
Although quite heavy, roughly 2 kg for just the body alone it made working without a tripod difficult and so it was mainly used in studio and was the “go to” camera in the 70’s because of all the attachments it could take. The reason for the RB in its name sake refers to the Rotating Back, meaning the camera stays upright at all times and photographer would rotate the back of the camera containing the film into either the landscape or portrait orientation. The main downfall of the RB67 Professional was the lack of a warning in the view finder as which orientation the film back was in, this was rectified in the Pro-S version.
The film backs could be interchanged at any time meaning as the light changed you could pop off one film back containing a low ISO film and put on another with a higher ISO film or if you want to shoot black and white or colour those film backs will be ready to use, the use of a dark slide (a thin piece of metal) is what seals the back from light, the dark slide has to be removed before taking an image.
One notable feature is that it uses bellows for focusing, the advantage with its use of bellows allows for close focusing of subjects which would be out of range for a lens with a self containing focusing lens. Another feature is it’s use of leaf shutters in the lenses themselves, by having a leaf shutter you can use flash at any given shutter speed and are far more quiet then curtain shutters (the shutter on an RB is pretty much the only thing that’s quiet about the camera). The one major down fall of leaf shutters is that they are slower than curtain shutters in that the maximum speed of exposure is usually 1/500 of a second.
Primarily used as a studio portrait camera because of its bulk it was also used by many landscape photographers as well where the camera is mainly tripod mounted, this did not stop many photographers from going hand held, as I have done so as well.
The Specs:
Type of camera: Manual medium format single lens reflex (SLR)
Film/picture format: 120/220 film producing a 6x7cm image giving a close 4×5 aspect ratio, with adaptors and film backs 6x8cm images and 6×4.5cm images were also used.
Lens Mount: Mamiya Bayonet ring
Lenses: Manual focusing prime lenses
Shutter: Lens housed diaphragm leaf mechanical shutter, shutter speeds varied depending on lens.
Exposure metering: provided with through the lens metered prisms
Viewfinder: stock: waist level viewing hood. Metered and non-metered prisms and waist level focusing hoods were also available.
Focussing screen: Split image, interchangeable with 5 available screens
Reflex mirror: Automatic return with cocking-lever, with lock up capability
Depth-of-field preview: Yes, with use of lever on lens
Frame counter: additive type, frame number count depended on removable film back
Power source: body no, metered prisms also required batteries
Camera Back: detachable film holders (backs) film backs 6×7 and 6×4.5, Also available Polaroid Land Pack model 2 holder, and several various types of roll holders and plate holders. With the introduction of the RB-67 Pro.S more backs were developed and were backwards compatible such as the motorized film back.
Body Finish: Black