5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

By Adam Laws

When the executives at Fuji killed off peel-apart film it was a sad day for analogue photography. I adored my Polaroid Land Camera 195 and the beautiful muted tones of FP100c. The magic that is instant photography just made it even more special. Since its demise I’ve not had a similar shooting experience, not until I got my hands on a Makina.

Like a Polaroid Land Camera you control shutter speed and the aperture via the lens mounted controls. Focus confirmation is via a range finder patch, with focus both being ascertained slightly differently with a wheel on the Makina and a lever on the Polaroid respectively. Both systems collapse/extend the bellows and thus adjust the focal distance accordingly.

The shots represented here are from the second roll of film I shot with the Makina. The first roll being a few images of friends to test the camera. The images displayed were taken on a recent visit to the Isle of Wight with my dog Dave. Dave is a little too energetic to capture with the Makina, which lead me to take photos of the beautiful island coastline. I found shooting 6×7 landscapes slightly odd. It’s not a format I’m naturally used to, which made me second guess my compositions. Somewhat compounded due to the fact I generally shoot portraits however I loved the fully manual process and getting used to the slightly unconventional focusing.

Looking back over the shots I envisage me shooting far less 35mm over the coming months. The camera is very compact especially for medium format when totally collapsed. The rendering, depth of field and detail medium format offers is really appealing. I can’t wait to start shooting portraiture and experimenting with the camera.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/adamlawsphotography
Website: www.AdamLaws.com

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Comments

George Appletree on 5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

Comment posted: 28/11/2017

The kind of camera I always wanted to own. Strong, compact, precise. Not so far from that Mamiya (6?, 7?); I owned a body once. Really it seems brand new! Not bat for landscapes, 6x6 is more static.
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Abe on 5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

Comment posted: 28/11/2017

Thanks for sharing these! May I ask what film you used?
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Adam Laws replied:

Comment posted: 28/11/2017

Hi Abe, always a pleasure. The film used was Portra 400, overexposed by one stop. All my colour work is predominatly Portra.

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Nacho Bravo on 5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

Comment posted: 28/11/2017

very nice shots, beautiful images !!! could you tell us the aperture details of any of the images?
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Adam Laws replied:

Comment posted: 28/11/2017

Hi Nacho, I can't specifically say as I forgot my notepad on this venture. However I beleive they were all shot between F8-16 (Max aperture is F22 on the Makina). Apologies I couldn't be more precise. In the last image the long grass was very close to the lens, which has thrown it out of focus.

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NACHO BRAVO on 5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

Comment posted: 29/11/2017

Thank you !!! I just received a Makina, and I'm trying to learn a little more about the camera.
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OneCut on 5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

Comment posted: 30/11/2017

What a lens! Impressive indeed.
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jeremy north on 5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

Comment posted: 19/01/2018

Fabulous pictures Adam. The Plaubel is a camera I'd love to have. However most of them listed on ebay are in Japan so importing to the UK adds 20% to the price. Where did you find yours?
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Adam Laws replied:

Comment posted: 19/01/2018

Afternoon Jeremy, I purchased mine at Aperture Photographic in London. It had just undergone a CLA and had new light seals fitted. Total cost was £1450 for comparison.

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Plaubel Makina 67 - the Beginning and end of my Journey into Medium Format - 35mmc on 5 Frames with a Plaubel Makina 67 – By Adam Laws

Comment posted: 19/08/2018

[…] my gut feelings. That was until I met Adam Laws one day on a photo walk in London. I handled his Plaubel Makina 67 then, and told him my feelings toward it. It must have stuck with him as he gave me first refusal […]
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