After many years wanting to try medium format photography, I finally was able to get my first medium format camera, a Mamiya RB67.
With only ten exposures available on a roll, and viewing objects in reverse, using this camera is certainly a great tool to force me slow down and work extra hard on the composition. I was inspired to get this camera after interacting with photography Richard Frost, whose work you can admire on this link:https://www.flickr.com/photos/150772945@N05/
I shot the first set of images with the RB67 on Ilford FP4 Plus 125, the only 120 film that was available at my local camera store selling on single units.
My experience operating the camera was quite exciting and fun. Before taking the camera for a photo walk through the woods and a nearby park, I made sure to watch some instructional videos on youtube and read the manual which came along with my purchase. There are a few things about the camera itself that I yet don't understand that relate to making double exposures, mirror lockups and close focusing, but I'm sure it will all start making sense as I progress with the camera.
For all intended purposes I felt quite comfortable operating the camera from the start. I've got to admit that viewing through the viewfinder has been my most favorite thing about the camera; the brightness, the sense of dimensionality as I operated the focusing nob blew my mind and being able to focus at such close range is also quite amazing.
Attached are some of my favorite pictures taken I shot with my Mamiya RB67, as I continue using this camera I plan to experiment more with exposure compensation. One thing I’m sure I’m going to do with my next roll is to have a notepad nearby to take notes; I can now realize how important that is when shooting with this type of setup.
I shot this with the bellows fully extended, I measured all my exposures for ambient daylight, but now I see that when it comes to brighter areas a spot better is the way to go.
I shot this to test the close focusing on the camera; I was very impressed with how it looks on the viewfinder. It’s a shame the final result did not give me all the intricate textures that caught me eye in this shot.
This is probably my best shot from all ten exposures. This picture was taken using the sunny 16 rule. Luckily it was a bright sunny day, and I had good contrast between the grassy ground and trees.
This shot didn’t quite match what I saw on camera, but I enjoy how sharp the plant base looks.