Mamiya RZ67 vs RB67 - Which one should YOU buy?

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My Bag Company:

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Gear I use:
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MUSIC:
The music in this video was all sourced from Musicbed -

[Necroblob]

Worth noting that the RZ works without a battery if you use RB lenses. It's kinda both a mechanical and an electronic camera in one.

[seventhirtytwo]

I had the honour to own an Rb67 Pro SD for a period of time earlier in the year. It was my first ever real-deal medium format and I had done so much research on its pros and cons of it. Let me tell you, people, this camera is UNPARALLELED. Using this camera and looking at the images it creates is nothing short of enchanting. If there is even a small desire that you would want to buy this camera do it, you won't regret it. I had even taken it with me around my city and let me tell you the back/neck pain was worth it, not only for the muscles but for the pictures too! I will say that I (very sadly) had to pass the tank on for a 645 Pro TL, but I know that in the future I will be owning another RB, it's just a camera that can't be matched, dare I say even by the RZ.

[Edregawg]

i have had my rb67 for 2 years now and man I fell in love with it the day i saw it and i will never let this camera leave my collection!! its amazing!

[nickkoby]

To anyone reading, please consider the range of air temperature that you will be shooting in before investing in both of these cameras. I have personally had trouble with the film backs locking up in not terribly cold circumstances (5-2 degrees centigrade), it's common knowledge that film cameras are at disadvantage in the cold but I've found the Rb and Rz are especially bad in these conditions if you live in a cold climate plan on this camera as a summer rig.
-NK

[Jayysam]

Very helpful video, I think the price and mechanical operation of the rb is a huge selling point, the rz definitely looks nicer though.

[xTiteux]

if the rotating back of the rb is a bit sticky, u can easily disassemble the rotating mechanism.
give it a good clean and a little amount of grease. it makes the feeling of this cam much more pleasing

[Nolan_Jpeg]

Just picked up a RB67 in tokyo the other day and a few rolls of gold 200 and i’m so excited to look at my photos when i get back🖤

[victorcapacetejr]

Literally just got my RB PRO S in the mail this week! Everything you touched base on is exactly why I went with the RB. Love the vidz!

[MarcusOringer]

The cinematography in this video is amazing as always. Love the colors

[CalumetVideo]

Thanks Willem for the video. A great comparison between the RB/RZ. I had thought about getting a RB or RZ. However, for field use, I find that the Mamiya C330 and Bronica SQ-A works great for me. I have a 4x5 with 6x9 rollback which works if I need a larger neg.

[ChrisTopheRaz]

4:24 there are some cases in which refined is great. Hasselblad, and Leica are both infamous for this. I personally don’t feel that way with Mamiya but maybe that’s because I have a lot of experience with the RB 67. I personally like the look and feel of the RB over the RZ by far.

[ads]

Wow, this took me back! I had a Mamiya RZ67 Pro II back in the late 90s (when I was probably the same age as you), and I absolutely loved it. The richness of colour and tone you could get out of Fujichrome Asita, Velvia and Provia was just outstanding. I still haven't come across anything in the digital world that can match it (at least, not at a price the standard consumer can afford). Glad to see you enjoying these amazing cameras!

[markgarcia]

Always will be a 6x6 guy. Smaller MF cameras, more are mechanical. I love my Rolleiflex 2.8 & Hasselblad 500cm

[ShelleyAnnM]

Nice. I got the RZ67 pro II and love it!

[itzyamancam]

Just finished my RB67 kit an I’m beyond excited to make some work with it!

[nicolasalvarado]

Got the notification, and clicked right away! Looking forward to seeing how great this video is going to be.

[Musa-Moses]

I thought about upgrading my RB to an RZ just for the f/2.8 lens but feel like a lot of people with RZs eventually have trouble with the electric components. The f/3.8 aperture isn’t the lowest but I can’t complain. The shutter sound in itself is worth the price.

[onyourmarkphoto]

Seeing you one handle these in the video cracked me up. They are heavy! And then walking around without a hand grip or a strap made me nervous to watch! LOL. I'm an old photographer and shot the RB67 for many, many years. Studio portraits and formals at weddings. They did a great job. Incredible quality. You had to check to make sure the bayonet back holder screws weren't loose or you'd get a light leak, especially when rotating the back. You also would take the back off and fire a strobe thru the lens to make sure the sync was working correctly. You get used to the clunk, whirrrr chunk sound and when the whirrr didn't sound right you checked your lens sync! You also had to make sure you didn't have the film winder lever set to not engage or you'd shoot multiple exposures on 1 frame until you realized it when you hadn't had to change the film in what felt like too long. (Not good at a wedding!). I have a permanently bent pink finger thanks to a tripod head not being locked down and the RB crushing my finger as it flipped down. Good memories but I prefer today's technology, weight, and autofocus! Thanks for the video Willem. It's nice to see these are still appreciated.

[PhilippHofmann]

In the moment you talk about that these cameras were made for studio use, you with your work and style show how nice it is to brake the classic rules and show the people how nice the world looks through a medium size film camera. Great

[MarkHinderliter]

Thanks Willem! I went with the RB67 because it makes up for me not using my kettle bells. =P

Really though I love it, though I've found that there is a bit of voodoo that goes on where scenes look magical in the pop up finder but the photo ends up being the morning after, "what was I thinking?" I was all set to go back to street photography like I did years ago, even bought a new Ricoh GRiii, then I chanced across your videos and here I am lugging around a medium format cinder block.

I do enjoy your walk around and road trip videos and I like the idea that photography can be (relatively) simple and enjoyable...not counting the one challenge you can't buy your way around, composition.