 The Mamiya RB67 Pro SD 52 of 54 people found this review helpful.
My first RB67 was the Pro (made from 1970 to 1974); it says "PROFESSIONAL" on the sides. Later, I upgrade to an RB67 ProS (1974 to 1990); it says "PROFESSIONAL S" on the sides and “ProS” on front. I think the S is for Super. Finally, I got an RB67 ProSD (1990 to present); it says "PROFESSIONAL SD" on the sides and “ProSD” on front. I think SD stands for Super Deluxe.
All of these are mechanical 6cm by 7cm SLR's. I collected 5 lenses for it (50, 65, 90, 180 and 250mm). Some say it is too heavy. With 5 lenses and a 2 metal/wood Mamiya cases to carry it all, it is not something to haul around the San Antonio River Walk, even with wheels. (Been there; done that.) Actually, that would have been fine, had I not been going with my family. If you like to shoot alone, the weight can be worked around. My Nikon F4S with the 50mm f1.4 AF weighs as much as the RB with film back and no lens.
The RB stands for Rotating Back, and it is great. I enjoy the RB67 ProSD, but if you have a high serial number (C500000 or higher) Pro S body that still has great light seals, you don’t need the Pro SD. The ProSD will cost you more to use (an adapter ring for each lens for $10 to $15 each here on eBay) than the Pro S. Trouble is, if you can get a newer body, especially one lightly used, wouldn’t you? I did.
The Pro S and Pro SD are improved bodies that work with Pro S and Pro SD roll film backs to prevent you from accidental double exposure. You don’t have that if you use a Pro body or Pro film back in any combination. ProSD backs (say "ProSD" on hinged side) are the nicest. ProS backs say "ProS" on back. Replace any old Pro backs (have a white/red dot in window opposite side from film crank on top) with newer ones, ProSD if you can.
The nicest add-on for me was the metered chimney finder ($85-$100 on eBay; it acts more like a spot meter than the metered prism and has an adjustable diopter built in -- sweet). It let me lay down my handheld meter. After that, the Pro SD motorized film back (~$180 to 200 on eBay; it eliminates the second cranking action to advance the film, works with 120 and 220 film and runs on 4 AA cells). This is a one piece unit, unlike the ProS motorized back.
These are solid, trouble free cameras. They can break, but rarely do. What a way to move into medium format! Buy it on eBay! Save money! He who is patient can find a deal. Make a spreadsheet of all the parts and pieces, find the average price (of working items in great condition). Then you'll know a bargain when you find it. DON'T go wild bidding against a bidder with 0 feedbacks! If you are the second place bidder, you may get it when the newbee fails to pay for what he went bidding on.
Beware, if you get too good a deal. A frustrated seller may pack it poorly. It's happened to me more than once. In such a case, you can add a "great packing cash bonus" to the purchased price to encourage him to pack it well. Use the last line before the total in the purchase form, before you sign in to PayPal or else make it payable after receipt of safely shipped items. It beats returning or keeping a beat up camera from an unhappy seller. And get PayPal Verified! Don’t loose out on a good deal because you didn’t get this done!
Last, buy from sellers who have a return policy, and you won't get burned. Most sellers are honest, but in my hundreds of purchases, I met a few liars too. Learn how to open a dispute before eBay if you meet one. Good luck. Luck favors the smart bidder!
Review ID: 10000000002115449  Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our guidelines, it will be posted within 24 hours. You cannot vote on the helpfulness of a review you wrote. Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later.  Mamiya RB67 Lenses, past to present 18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
I want to tell you about the different models of lenses made by Mamiya for their RB67. I bought my first RB in Japan in 1973 in the US Air Force. It was the original “Professional” model and it came with a 90mm Mamiya Sekor lens. This is different then a Mamiya Sekor “C” lens or a Mamiya Sekor “K/L” lens.
The original 90mm lens had a funnel shape to the front of the lens barrel. It had a single half-wavelength anti-reflective coating on each side of each glass element. There was also an “NB” model which was produced briefly in 1974, just before the most common “C” model came out. This “C” is in green paint, on the ring that holds the front glass element in the lens, and it tells you that in this lens, each glass element is multi-coated. The “C” 90mm lenses have a straight lens barrel and were made for the Pro S camera which came out at the same time. Multi-coating improves the contrast in the image a lens produces. To learn how coatings work, read this informative page: http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-166.html
The “K/L” lenses were designed for the RB67 Pro SD. They are improved versions from the “C” model. Go to www.Mamiya.com, and look up the RB67 Pro SD, lenses. Most of them are K/L style. The 50mm C lens was never improved upon, and is the current production lens, as is the 37mm C Fish Eye and the 150mm Variable Soft-Focus. If you want to collect an RB system with great eBay prices, learn the Mamiya site! Knowledge is Power, they say. It sure helps you know if you are bidding on a terribly badly described item.
The lenses are interchangeable between the three body models, except the 75mm Shift and the 500mm APO which will only mount on a Pro SD. Newer lenses will cost you more than the older ones here on eBay, most of the time. There is a deal for any eBayer who works hard. When you search for an item, if you use RB67, you will not find an item advertised as an RB 67. The space in the middle matters! If you want the best deal, look for every item under the key word “Mamiya”. At this moment that search brings up 1737 items spread over the next 10 days, most over the next 7. If you see an item titled, “Mamiya Sekor 50mm lens”, you may find a standard lens for an old 35mm camera that is worth $25, or a super-wide angle “C” lens for an RB67 that is worth $330. Maybe 2 other bidders will find it and bid. It will sell for less than usual, because it was poorly described. Not every seller knows to use “K/L” when they sell the newest lens either.
I once bought a very nice RB67 Pro SD with 90mm L and 180mm K/L lenses for less than I should have paid here on eBay. The seller was not familiar with the product; she was selling it for a lady she knew. Her title mentioned neither Pro SD nor K/L lenses. An astute buyer who is willing to look at every item and who can recognize the difference in lens style can find a bargain! I have also seen 2 zero feedback bidders drive the final price on an old original Professional model with a pre-C lens like I bought in 1973 higher than what I paid for the Pro SD and 90mm L and 180mm K/L lenses mentioned above. I don't know if the seller ever got paid, or if he had to re-list it and sell it again.
Mamiya’s site is a bonanza, with free many user manuals. More are hidden in places like the User’s Forum. Download them, read them and learn. If you don’t know your subject, you can miss out. Good hunting.
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