Plaubel Makina 67. Uses 120 film and produces ten 6x7cm exposures per roll. Equipped with a Nikkor 80mm f2.8 lens with 6 elements in 4 groups, this is a lightweight and compact medium-format camera. When folded, the body is only 56mm thick, slim enough to slip into an everyday bag.
Focusing is by rangefinder, offering a very different and enjoyable shooting experience from an SLR. A built-in exposure meter is also provided. Metering can be activated at any time by pressing the small button on the back of the body near the film advance lever. The rangefinder window indicates the metering area. The exposure meter uses two LR44 batteries. Filter size is 58mm.
Plaubel was originally a prestigious German camera manufacturer. After the brand had become dormant, the name was acquired by Japanese camera retailer Camera no Doi, leading to its revival in 1979. The camera itself was designed by Konica, while a Nikkor lens was chosen at the request of the company president.
With its refined design, excellent usability, and the fine rendering of the Nikkor lens, the popularity of the Makina series continues to grow year by year.
There are some minor signs of wear around the strap lugs and the bottom plate, but overall the camera shows relatively little use. Considering that Makina cameras were often heavily used as practical working cameras, this example remains in good cosmetic condition. There are also no cracks in the body, an issue occasionally seen on the Makina.
As this is a folding bellows camera, well-used examples can sometimes suffer from play in the folding struts, which may cause focusing errors. The struts on this example remain firm and secure, so it can be used with confidence.
All functions operate properly, and the exposure meter is accurate. The film advance and rangefinder focusing knob also operate smoothly. There is some light haze in the viewfinder, a common issue with the Makina 67, but visibility remains perfectly adequate for practical use.
The Nikkor 80mm lens shows very slight coating deterioration that can only be seen under a strong LED light, but this should have virtually no effect on actual photographs.
Includes the original lens hood, lens cap, a Marumi filter, and two types of original leather cases. The cap has the usual cracks often seen on these. The black leather case appears to be a somewhat uncommon version.
