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Plaubel Makina W67

The Makina medium format rangefinder cameras of the 1970s and 1980s appear to have been designed and built by a committee. Boxy with a folding bellows and struts, a large lens, and focusing knob on top of the body, these cameras look almost like a grab bag of ideas. Ultimately, that's fairly close to the truth. The original prototypes were based on a design of a German camera from the early 20th century and with some updates from Japanese designer Yasuo Uchida, the Plaubel Makina 67 cameras meet the goal of being simple, elegant, and intuitive, while producing images that are second-to-none.

The first Plaubel Makina cameras were released in 1979, featured a Nikkor 80mm f/2.8 lens, and produced a 6x7cm image on either 120 or 220 roll film. With the success of that camera, Plaubel Makina introduced the W67 in 1981. Based on the same design and having the same features, the W67 sported a 55mm f/4.5 Nikkor lens, which roughly equates to a 28mm focal length lens on a 35mm camera. All of these Plaubel Makina 67s came with a light-meter, aperture and shutter speed controls on the lens body, and leaf shutters, which allows flash photography at any shutter speed.

Unfortunately, the Plaubel Makinas had a relatively short production run. The original bellows manufacturer had a difficult time meeting the quality standards that were required and by the time production was moved to a new factory owned by Mamiya, Mamiya was on the verge of bankruptcy. Try as they might, Plaubel Makina was not able to keep up production on the 67 models. Given their relative scarcity, these cameras can be few and far between, which leads to some fairly hefty prices in the used market. Also, users of these are generally not willing to give them up easily. If you come across one in the wild, jump at the chance to see what the fuss is all about.

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Makina W67

Have you ever seen a 6x7 camera this compact? The Plaubel Makina W67 is special in this regard, considering that its competitors are generally much bulkier. The W67 is just 3 pounds of beautiful machinery, that can even fit in one hand.

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Matchmaking Makina W67

Has your relationship with 35mm reached that point where it is time to part ways? Want a camera that will make you forget that there was ever a smaller format at all? Be careful what you wish for, because in the Plaubel Makina W67, you might just get it.

The Makina W67 is the wide angle version of the Makina 67, and like its predecessor there is a lot to like. But in the interest of brevity we are going to focus on only two of the Makina's best (in our estimation) features.⠀

The first is the lens. It has to be the lens, right? The Makina sports optics designed by Nikon with the original Makina 67 having a Nikkor 80mm f2.8 and the W67 having a wide angle - hence the "W" - Nikkor 55mm f4.5. These medium format Nikkor optics are incredible. They really are. There is no way we can fully express this, either; it is something you have to see for yourself to fully enjoy, but trust us on this. This camera has a heckuva lens on it.⠀

The second feature we like is the focusing knob. On the Makina cameras, the focusing knob is situated within the base of the wind lever, not on the lens barrel. Turning the knob extends or retracts the strut system to which the lens is mounted. The cool thing about this placement is that when you have your exposure preset, you can effectively use the camera one-handed.⠀

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Makina W67

Plaubel Makina 67 and W67

The Makina 67 and W67 are collapsible, 6x7cm format rangefinders. They are sturdily built and boast Nikkor lenses. Those of you with experience using Nikkor glass via the Bronica system know just how incredible the medium format Nikon lenses are. The 55mm Nikkor on the Makina W67 is purported to be the sharpest and most flare-free lens of its type ever made (at least to that point).

Both cameras also have built-in metering but please be advised of a delicacy here - the linkage cable between the body and lens can wear out with the repeated flexing of collapsing the bellows. Assuming that it remains connected, the meters still work wonderfully in both these cameras.

Ultimately, they are fun to use, ergonomic, they collapse flat like a book, and they produce really stellar images.

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