Mamiya medium format RB67, RZ67, C330, C220 and 645: which one suits you?
Share
Cover image: Eusebius, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Mamiya stands in the shadow of the better-known names. Anyone talking about medium format is usually talking about Hasselblad or Rolleiflex, and overlooks the fact that the Japanese manufacturer has no reason to hide from either of them. On top of that comes something that makes things even more confusing for beginners: Mamiya didn't build one medium format camera, but four complete systems that share little beyond the name.
So it's no wonder that newcomers are at a loss at first. Type “Mamiya” into the classifieds and you get all four served up in a jumble, with prices between 150 and 2.000 euros and no hint at all as to how they actually differ. That is exactly what this guide sorts out, without declaring any of them the winner, because the four systems were built for very different people.
A word about ourselves, right up front: We make accessories for these cameras, that is caps, adapters, lens hoods and spare parts, and so we have a financial interest in which camera you buy. That's why the most important sentence of this article is at the beginning and not in the small print: for many beginners the RB67 is the right choice, precisely because it works without a battery. It needs no adapter, no cell, nothing from us. If you end up with it by the end of this article, we've done our job right.
Table of contents
- The four Mamiya worlds at a glance
- What really differs between the models
- Which Mamiya keeps working without a battery?
- Lenses: four mounts, three shutter generations
- Backs, magazines and viewfinders
- Buying checklist and what the systems cost in 2026
- Digitizing 6x7
1. The four Mamiya worlds at a glance
All four systems expose the same 120 roll film, but what they make of it is so different that this alone settles half the buying decision: it determines how many frames fit on a roll and how heavy the whole thing ends up.
RB67: the brick
Mamiya RB67 with the 90 mm Sekor. Photo from our own stock.
Introduced in 1970 and built until 2010: a cube with a bellows at the front and a magazine at the back that can be rotated by 90 degrees, so that portrait and landscape formats are possible without tilting the camera. That is exactly what RB stands for, short for Revolving Back. The shutters sit in the lenses and are cocked via a lever on the body; there is no electronics anywhere. With the 90 mm lens and 120 magazine it comes to around 2,7 kilos, which also makes clear what it was built for: not for a stroll, but for the tripod.
RZ67: the modernised version
Mamiya RZ67. Photo from our own stock.
Introduced in 1982 as a follow-up, with the same principle, the same format and the same operating logic, but with a plastic body over a metal frame, electronically controlled shutters and a data path from the lens to the body. This makes aperture priority possible via the metering prism, as well as half steps on the shutter speeds. With the 110 mm and a back it weighs around 2,4 kilos, so noticeably, but not dramatically, less than the RB67.
C220 and C330: the twin-lens cameras with interchangeable lenses
Mamiya C330 Professional with the 55 mm lens pair and prism attached. Photo from our own stock.
There were many twin-lens reflex cameras, but ones with interchangeable lenses came almost exclusively from Mamiya, the only others being the Koni-Omegaflex and the Contaflex, and both are rare. On the C series the lens pair comes off as a single unit, and because focusing is done by moving the entire front panel forward on a bellows, the camera gets closer to the subject than any Rolleiflex: with the 80 mm lens down to about 30 centimetres. The format is 6x6, and the weight is around 1,7 kilos for the C330 and a good half kilo less for the C220.
645: the compact system
Mamiya 645 with the 80 mm Sekor and waist-level finder. Photo from our own stock.
Built from 1975, with a focal-plane shutter in the body, lenses without their own shutter, interchangeable finders and, from the second generation onwards, interchangeable backs. A 645 Pro with the 80 mm, a back and the metering prism weighs around 1,55 kilos, and that is the class in which medium format stops being a transport problem. In return, at 6x4,5 cm the negative is the smallest of the four, but that is still roughly two and a half times the size of a 35 mm frame.
| System | Format | Frames per 120 roll | Weight ready to shoot | Battery required? | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB67 | 6x7 (also 6x6, 6x4,5, 6x8) | 10 | approx. 2,7 kg | no | Studio, tripod, portrait |
| RZ67 | 6x7 (also 6x4,5) | 10 | approx. 2,4 kg | yes (4LR44) | Studio with aperture priority |
| C330 / C220 | 6x6 | 12 | 1,7 kg / approx. 1,3 kg | no | Reportage, close-up, manual operation |
| 645 | 6x4,5 | 15 to 16 | approx. 1,3 to 1,6 kg | yes (4LR44 or AA) | on the go, many frames per roll |
Think in frames per roll, not in centimetres. The difference between 10 and 16 frames per film sounds small, but it makes a big difference in everyday use. A weekend with the RB67 quickly adds up to five rolls and therefore fifty frames, while the same amount of film in the 645 gives you eighty. If you develop your films yourself, you notice the difference in the time spent in the darkroom, and if you send them to a lab, you notice it on the bill.
The short German version on video
If you want to know how the brick feels in your hand before you spend 600 euros: ARS Analog has presented the RB67 Pro S in detail in German, including the question of whether it is the cheaper Hasselblad alternative.
Video: “Mamiya RB 67 | The great Hasselblad alternative”, channel ARS Analog
And the Mamiya 7? And the Press?
Two more Mamiya families keep turning up in searches but don't belong in this comparison, because they aren't SLRs.
The Mamiya 7 and 7II from 1995 and 1999 respectively are rangefinder cameras for 6x7: light, quiet and with lenses that rank among the best ever designed for medium format, and priced accordingly. There is no mirror, no bellows and no interchangeable backs, but the whole thing stays under one kilo. If you want the format but still want to go hiking, that's where you end up. The Mamiya 6 is the 6x6 counterpart with a collapsible lens barrel.
Mamiya Press, Super 23 and Universal, on the other hand, are press cameras from the sixties with a rangefinder, interchangeable lenses and roll film or Polaroid backs. They are robust, heavy and dirt cheap compared to everything else here, but they come with their own world of accessories that you first have to get to know.
2. What really differs between the models
Within each family there are three to seven variants, and the differences are rarely dramatic. A few of them, however, decide whether a lens fits or whether a crumbling light seal ruins your film. Here are the points that actually matter when buying.
RB67: Professional, Pro-S, Pro-SD
The first RB67 from 1970 can do everything the later ones can; it merely lacks the safety nets: no focus lock and no double exposure prevention. The Pro-S from 1974 adds both and is the version you will most often come across on the used market. The real leap comes with the Pro-SD from 1990, whose mount measures 61 instead of 54 millimetres, whose backs do without foam light seals, and which is the only body that works with the system's two late arrivals, namely the 500 mm APO and the 75 mm Shift.
When searching for lenses, there is one thing above all you need to remember: the newer K/L lenses fit all three bodies. On the Pro and the Pro-S they mount directly; on the Pro-SD a ring on the back of the lens has to be removed. Conversely, the restriction only applies to the two L lenses mentioned above.
RZ67: Pro, Pro II, Pro IID
Thirteen years separate the first and second versions, and you barely notice it. The Pro from 1982 has the electronic shutter from 8 s to 1/400 s in full stops. The Pro II from 1993 adds a fine focus knob on the right of the focusing unit, half stops for the shutter speeds and aperture priority with the metering prism. The Pro IID from 2004 comes with a built-in interface for digital backs, and if you shoot film, you pay for it without getting anything in return, and significantly so, as the price comparison further down shows.
So anyone buying an RZ67 usually buys a Pro or a Pro II, and for close-up work the fine focus of the Pro II is the most noticeable argument for the newer one.
C series: two lines, not one sequence
Photo: DANYvanvee, public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The C series runs from 1956 to 1994 and splits in the mid-sixties into two parallel lines that exist side by side until the end:
- The simple line: Mamiyaflex C, C2, C3, C22, then C220 (1968) and C220f (1982). Film is advanced with a knob, the shutter is cocked separately by hand, and the focusing screen cannot be changed.
- The comfortable line: C33, then C330 (1969), C330f (1972) and C330s (1983). Here you get a crank instead of the knob, the shutter is cocked as you advance the film, and on top of that there is a double exposure lock, an automatic parallax indicator in the viewfinder and a pointer that also shows the exposure compensation factor for close-ups. Focusing screens are interchangeable.
Needing two actions instead of one on the C220 is no big deal in everyday use, but the missing double exposure lock is more of an issue. In return, it is around half a kilo lighter (the body without lens weighs about 1.050 grams) and usually considerably cheaper. The parallax pointer of the C330 becomes valuable exactly when you extend the bellows, in other words in the discipline that is the whole reason people buy this camera.
Video: “Mamiya C330 compared to a Mamiya C220”, channel Romping Bronco. Both cameras side by side, handling compared directly.
645: first generation metal, second generation modular
Photo: Jacopo188, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The first generation, with the M645 from 1975, the M645 1000S from 1976 and the M645J from 1979, is made entirely of metal, which makes it compact and well sealed. It does not have interchangeable backs, however, only removable film inserts, so you can preload two inserts but cannot switch film type in the middle of a roll. Compared to the M645, the 1000S adds 1/1000 s, a self-timer and the depth of field preview button, making it clearly the better choice within the first generation, while the J is the stripped-down version without mirror lock-up.
Photo: Eric Gaba (Sting), CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The second generation, with the 645 Super from 1985, the 645 Pro from 1993 and the 645 Pro TL from 1997, has a plastic shell on a metal frame and true interchangeable backs with dark slides. This is what turns the system into what built its reputation: body, finder, back and grip can be combined freely. The only real difference between the Pro and the Pro TL is TTL flash metering with compatible Metz units. The 645E from 2000 is the budget version with a fixed metering prism and a fixed film compartment, so it is light and affordable, but lacks the modularity that is otherwise the reason to come here.
Video: “Mamiya 645 Super, Pro and Pro TL cameras”, channel Jonathan Harris at Worldwide Camera Exchange. The three second-generation bodies explained side by side.
The autofocus models from 1999 onwards, that is the 645AF, AFD, AFD II, AFD III, DF and DF+, are a chapter of their own. They do accept the old lenses, but only meter with them at working aperture, and today their value lies mainly in the fact that Phase One digital backs fit them. For getting started with film, they are the wrong turn.
| Model | Years of production | Format | Shutter | Interchangeable back | What matters most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB67 Professional | from 1970 | 6x7 | leaf shutter in the lens, 1 s–1/400 s + T | yes, rotating | no focus lock or double exposure prevention |
| RB67 Pro-S | from 1974 | 6x7 | as above | yes, rotating | the best-selling version, a solid standard |
| RB67 Pro-SD | from 1990 | 6x7 | as above | yes, rotating | 61 mm bayonet, film backs without foam seals |
| RZ67 Pro | from 1982 | 6x7 | electronic in the lens, 8 s–1/400 s | yes, rotating | lighter than the RB, but battery-dependent |
| RZ67 Pro II | from 1993 | 6x7 | as above, half stops | yes, rotating | fine focusing on the bellows, aperture priority |
| RZ67 Pro IID | from 2004 | 6x7 | same as Pro II | yes, rotating | interface for digital backs |
| C220 / C220f | 1968 / 1982 | 6x6 | in the lens, up to 1/400 s or 1/500 s depending on generation | no | lightweight, affordable, shutter cocked by hand |
| C330 / f / s | 1969 / 1972 / 1983 | 6x6 | as above | no | crank, automatic shutter cocking, parallax indicator |
| M645 / 1000S / J | 1975 / 1976 / 1979 | 6x4,5 | focal-plane shutter in the body, up to 1/500 or 1/1000 s | no, film inserts only | all-metal, compact, film not interchangeable |
| 645 Super / Pro / Pro TL | 1985 / 1993 / 1997 | 6x4,5 | focal-plane shutter in the body, up to 1/1000 s | yes | fully modular, Pro TL also with TTL flash |
| 645E | from 2000 | 6x4,5 | as above | no | lightweight budget version, fixed viewfinder |
If you want to dig deeper: the English-language Wikipedia covers the model histories cleanly and with sources: RB67, RZ67, C series and 645. For the C series, the system overview by Thomas Eisl is also worth a look, as it goes through all bodies and lenses along with their compatibilities. And the original manuals are all available at Butkus, free of charge and with a request for a small donation to the operator.
3. Which Mamiya keeps working without a battery?
Photo: THomas Hebert, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This is where the four systems differ the most, and most buying guides overlook it, because you only notice it once you are out in the field and nothing works anymore.
| System | Without a battery | What this means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| RB67 (all) | keeps working fully | No battery compartment on the body. Shutter, film advance, mirror, all mechanical. Only motorized backs and metering finders need power. |
| C220 / C330 (all) | keeps working fully | No battery compartment either. Only the CdS-Porrofinder needs power, if you use it. |
| RZ67 (all) | stops working except for one emergency speed | Electronic shutter. If the cell dies, you are left with a mechanical emergency speed of 1/400 s, enough to save a roll in bright light, nothing more. |
| 645 manual focus | stops working completely | Electronically controlled focal plane shutter with no mechanical fallback. A dead cell means: no picture. |
This is a genuine selling point, not a minor detail. If you shoot outdoors in winter, if you rarely shoot and the camera then sits in a cupboard for months, or if you simply don't want one more thing that can run flat, an RB67 or a C330 will serve you well. Neither earns us a sale, because there simply is no battery adapter for them.
Which cell goes into which model is listed in full on our battery overview for Mamiya, together with the matching adapter and the original manual for each model. The short version: the RZ67 Pro, Pro II and Pro IID, like all manual 645s, i.e. the 1000S, J, Super, Pro, Pro TL and E, run on a 4LR44 or 4SR44, and therefore all on the same 6-volt cell. The autofocus models need a 2CR5 (645AF) or six AA cells (AFD family), and the Mamiya 7 and 7II also use the 4LR44.
If you've ended up with one of the 4LR44 models, you have two options. The original cell is available as a block battery, but it's expensive and not available everywhere. Four ordinary SR44 or LR44 button cells deliver the same 6 volts once they sit in a fitted sleeve: silver oxide (SR44) holds its voltage more steadily, which benefits the light meter and shutter speeds, while alkaline (LR44) can be picked up at any drugstore in a pinch.
V28PX battery adapter, for RZ67, 645 and Mamiya 7 (EUR 19,95) · Cold shoe with spirit level for the side accessory shoe (EUR 24,95)
Metering without a built-in light meter
The flip side of being battery-free is that the RB67 and the C series don't meter anything in the body. You have three options for that. An external handheld light meter is the most accurate and works on any camera. A metering finder, the CdS prism for the RB, the CdS Porrofinder for the C, meters through the lens, costs between 60 and 250 euros used and then needs an LR44 after all. And then there's the route many TLR users actually take: the light meter app on your phone, mechanically clamped to the camera.
Video: “The best light meter hack for the Mamiya C330”, our own channel Ausgeknipst. Thirty seconds in which the C330's side accessory shoe finally becomes useful.
One more piece of context: why old light meters often misread with modern cells has to do with mercury, and we have a dedicated article on that: Power supply problems and solutions for analogue cameras. For the Mamiya models in this article, however, that doesn't matter, because they were designed from the outset for 6-volt cells that are still available unchanged today.
4. Lenses: four mounts, three shutter generations
This is where the most common bad investment happens when getting into Mamiya. The four systems don't share a single lens, and within the C series not even caps and filters fit from one lens to the next. A few basic rules will save you expensive mistakes.
RB67: Sekor C and K/L
Photo: Vitaly baranov, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Each RB lens carries its own mechanical leaf shutter with a speed ring; it is cocked on the body and fired either on the body or directly on the lens. The older Sekor C lenses are good, while the later K/L lenses are optically identical to the RZ designs and often cheaper than their RZ siblings.
The rule to remember only works in one direction: RB lenses work on the RZ67, in what's called L mode, because they control their own shutter speed, but RZ lenses don't work on the RB67. They lack the mechanical speed ring, because the shutter speed is handled by the electronics of the RZ body. So if you have both systems in mind, buy RB glass.
RZ67: Sekor Z
Electronic leaf shutter in the lens, with the speed set on the body. The range runs from the 37 mm fisheye to 500 mm, and the 110 mm f/2,8 is the smallest and fastest of the line and is considered the system's portrait lens. For landscapes, many reach for the 50 mm or 65 mm, both of which come in a later version with a floating element that improves noticeably at close range.
With the C series, the shutter comes with the lens
Photo: pluzz, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The viewing and taking lenses sit on a shared board and come off as a pair, while a flap inside the body keeps light from reaching the film as you do it, so you can swap lenses mid-roll. There were seven focal lengths: 55, 65, 80, 105, 135, 180 and 250 mm.
The shutters came in three generations, and more depends on that than just the fastest speed:
- First chrome series, Seikosha-MX: 1 s to 1/400 s.
- Second chrome series, Seikosha-S: 1 s to 1/500 s plus B.
- Black series, Seiko, the most recent, with larger front diameters.
Chrome and black have different diameters, and that is the most common return we see in the Mamiya section. A lens cap or filter adapter that fits a black 80 mm f/2,8 won't fit the Seikosha version of the same lens, because the barrel there is narrower. On top of that, not every lens cocks automatically on every body. So before you order accessories, check whether your lens is chrome or black and which shutter name is written on the front ring.
Double caps for the black Sekor (55, 80, 105 D/DS, 135 mm) (EUR 19,95) · Double caps for the Seikosha versions (80 mm, 105 mm) (EUR 25,95) · Clamp-on lens hood for C330 and C220 (55 to 250 mm) (from EUR 29,95) · Prism adapter: Kiev-88 finder on C330 and C220 (EUR 39,95)
645: focal-plane shutter in the body, with one catch for flash
On the 645, the shutter sits in the body and the lenses are pure optics, which makes them lighter and cheaper but brings one problem: the first generation only syncs flash up to 1/60 s. If you want to use fill flash outdoors, you need one of the few lenses with a built-in leaf shutter, which sync up to 1/500 s, have their own flash connection and require the body shutter to be set to 1/30 s or slower.
The abbreviations on the lenses are quickly explained: C stands for multi-coated on all manual 645 lenses, N for the newer design from the second body generation onward, and A or APO for apochromatic designs. All manual lenses fit all manual bodies and also the autofocus bodies, where they work with stop-down metering.
What lenses really cost in 2026: A spot check of the Kamerastore inventory in August 2026, meaning inspected gear with a warranty, turns up 168 euros for the 80 mm f/2,8 Sekor C for the 645, 417 euros for the 110 mm f/2,8 Sekor C, 129 to 139 euros for the 127 mm f/3,8 Sekor C for the RB and 179 to 249 euros for the 180 mm f/4,5 from the same line. Among the RZ lenses, the 180 mm f/4,5 Sekor Z goes for 174 to 275 euros, while the sought-after 110 mm f/2,8 Sekor Z W sits at 519 to 799 euros. Buying privately on Kleinanzeigen and eBay, you typically pay thirty to forty percent less, but without inspection and without a right of return.
By the way, the best overview for getting started with the C series is an English video: Dan Bullman goes through the operation, lens changes and close-up range of the C330 in one go.
Video: “MAMIYA C330 Review and Tutorial, The Most Versatile TLR of All-Time”, channel Dan Bullman Photography
5. Backs, magazines and finders
Photo: Vitaly baranov, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Interchangeable magazines are the argument medium format makes against 35 mm, because you can switch from black and white to color mid-roll without sacrificing the film. But the four Mamiya systems don't share this ability equally.
| System | Available backs | Change mid-roll? | Typical weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| RB67 | 6x7, 6x6, 6x4,5, 6x8, 70 mm, Polaroid, motor backs | yes, with dark slide | foam seals on the Pro and Pro-S backs deteriorate |
| RZ67 | 6x7, 6x4,5, Polaroid, Quadra 72 (4x5), RB backs via G adapter | yes, with dark slide | comparatively few; the II backs have a second frame counter |
| C220 / C330 | no interchangeable backs, but a removable back plate for sheet film | no | pressure plate must be switched over for 220 film |
| 645, 1st generation | film inserts only (120 and 220) | no | inserts are often sold separately and are then hard to find |
| 645, 2nd generation | true backs for 120 and 220, Polaroid | yes, with dark slide | dark slide is often missing on used units |
The most important sentence in this table is in the first row. RB67 magazines of the Pro and Pro-S generation seal with foam, and foam from the seventies has turned to crumbs by now. If a cheap RB offer delivers streaky negatives, that is almost always the reason and almost never the camera, while the Pro-SD magazines solved the problem by design. How to replace a seal yourself is explained in our guide to replacing light seals.
Video: “How to load and unload a Mamiya RB67 back/film magazine”, channel Valentin Ahles Photography. Loading is almost identical on the RB and RZ.
The finder is the cheapest route to more comfort
All four systems accept different finders, and the standard one supplied is almost always the waist-level finder, which shows a laterally reversed image but is light and bright. Beyond that there are magnifying hood finders (chimney), prisms and metering prisms. In terms of price, this is the cheapest lever in the whole system: at Kamerastore in August 2026 a CdS prism cost 61 euros, a PD prism 72 euros and a chimney finder 112 euros, and only the FE701-AE prism for the RZ67 cost 239 euros.
There is a special route for the C series. The original Porrofinder is rare and expensive, while TTL prisms for the Kiev 88 are available in large numbers. With the right adapter they fit the C330 and C220, and they bring along exposure metering that these cameras never had from the factory.
Changing formats and the 35 mm trick
On the RB67 and RZ67 you can switch to 16 shots per roll with a 6x4,5 magazine. There is a catch with the RB67, though, because the finder still shows the full 6x7 field, so you compose blind at the edges. The remedy is finder masks that are placed on the focusing screen.
The other route goes in the opposite direction: 35 mm film in a medium format camera. Because the film gate is wider than 35 mm film, the perforation is exposed as well, and the result is a panoramic format with visible sprocket holes, for which you would otherwise have to buy a dedicated camera.
Finder mask 6x4,5 for the RB67 (EUR 24,95) · 35 mm film in a 120 magazine: panorama with perforation (EUR 19,95) · Magazine cover RB67, protects the sealing surfaces in your bag (EUR 34,95) · Magazine cover RZ67 Pro and Pro II (EUR 24,95)
6. Buying checklist and what the systems cost in 2026
Photo: Rémi Kaupp, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. This is how far the bellows of a C series camera extends, and this is exactly the state you should check when buying.
Three of the four systems focus via a bellows, and all four work with shutters that may be fifty years old. The following list is sorted by frequency, so what is most likely to be broken comes first.
- Shine a light through the bellows in the dark. Extend the bellows fully, hold a flashlight inside, turn the lights off, and every point of light in the folds is a hole. This applies equally to the RB67, RZ67 and the C series, and it can be repaired, but it is not something you want to discover only once you are home.
- Listen to the shutter at all speeds. Leaf shutters gum up with age. One second must run audibly and 1/400 s must snap; if the blade sticks at the long speeds or stays open altogether, a cleaning is due. On the RZ67, insert a 4LR44 first, otherwise you are only testing the emergency speed.
- Check the aperture blades for oil. An oil film on the blades will sooner or later make the shutter sluggish, and you can recognise it as a sheen when you look through the lens against the light.
- Take the magazines seriously. Is the dark slide included, does the counter work cleanly and reset when opened? With the RB67 Pro and Pro-S, there is also the question of the foam seals. A used magazine costs 225 to 330 euros, which with some offers makes it worth more than half the camera.
- Check the lens against the sky. Look for haze, fungus and separated cement between the elements. Dust is harmless, fungus is not.
- Foam on the mirror box and under the focusing screen. If it decomposes, the crumbs end up on the mirror and in the finder.
- With the RB and RZ: Does the Revolving Adapter turn smoothly? It has to click noticeably into place in both landscape and portrait orientation, and the frame lines in the viewfinder have to move along with it.
- With the C series: Do both lenses show the same thing? Focus on a subject and check whether the distance scale looks plausible, because the viewing and taking lenses are matched to each other at the factory, and a single swapped lens can throw that off. Also test whether the light baffle closes properly when you change lenses.
- With the 645: Bring a battery. Without a cell you can't test anything at all on a 645, and slipping a 4LR44 for two euros into your pocket before spending 400 euros is the cheapest insurance in this article.
- Count what's included. Waist-level finder, body cap, lens cap, crank or grip, dark slide: bought separately, that quickly adds up to a hundred euros or more.
What it costs: a snapshot
Prices for used medium format vary widely, so instead of a made-up range, here is a dated look into the stock of a dealer that inspects its gear. All figures come from the listings at Kamerastore in August 2026, meaning inspected gear with a warranty and therefore the upper end of the market.
| Item | Price (August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Mamiyaflex C2 / C3 / C33 (early TLR, body with lens) | 115 to 194 EUR |
| Mamiya C330 Professional S | 599 EUR |
| RB67 Professional + waist-level finder | 599 to 644 EUR |
| RB67 Pro-SD + waist-level finder | 979 to 1.049 EUR |
| RB67 Pro-S + 6x7 back + waist-level finder | 1.099 EUR |
| RB67 Pro-S + 90 mm + back + waist-level finder | 1.299 EUR |
| RZ67 Professional + film back + waist-level finder | 1.196 EUR |
| RZ67 Professional II + waist-level finder | 1.218 EUR |
| RZ67 Pro IID + waist-level finder | 1.929 to 1.948 EUR |
| Mamiya M645 Super (body) | 499 EUR |
| 645 Pro + film back + 80 mm + AE prism + grip | 1.416 EUR |
| RB67 6x7 roll film back (Pro / Pro-S) | 249 / 329 EUR |
| RZ67 6x7 roll film back (Pro / Pro II) | 225 / 279 to 299 EUR |
| Finders: CdS prism / PD prism / chimney / FE701 AE | 61 / 72 / 112 / 239 EUR |
The difference between the Pro IID and the Pro II is just under 700 euros for a digital interface, and if you shoot film, you get exactly nothing for it. The same logic applies one level down: around 400 euros separate an RB67 Professional from 1970 and a Pro-SD from 1990, and the extra cost is worth it if you want the backs without foam seals, not because the old camera takes worse pictures.
Privately, i.e. via Kleinanzeigen or eBay, prices are in our experience thirty to forty percent lower, but you buy untested. We have written up how to approach a private used purchase systematically in a separate article: Buying a used film camera: where to look, what to check, what to pay.
If something is broken after all
Leaf shutters and bellows are craftsmanship, not electronics, which is why much of it can be repaired, and at prices that are proportionate to the value of the camera. We maintain an overview of repair workshops in Germany and internationally that you can filter by distance. And before you send a camera in for a full overhaul, read our article Does every “broken” film camera need a CLA?, because the problem is often smaller than the cost estimate.
Two honest outside opinions
In his video, Willem Verbeeck explains why the RZ67 is the best medium format camera for him, and also points out where it gets annoying in everyday use.
Video: “The Best Medium Format Film Camera, Mamiya RZ67 Review”, channel Willem Verbeeck
And if you want to know what it feels like to start with the 645 when you have never shot film before: Baris Yener documented exactly that in German, with an M645 and a film that no longer exists today.
Video: “Shooting film for the first time, Mamiya M645 + Fuji PRO 400H review”, channel Baris Yener
The short answer to “so which one?”
| If this sounds like you | Take | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You shoot on a tripod, portraits or still life, and want the largest possible negative for the lowest price | RB67 Professional or Pro-S | cheapest true 6x7 entry point, no electronics, no battery |
| You want 6x7 and aperture priority, work in the studio and rarely carry the camera far | RZ67 Pro or Pro II | faster handling, half stops, AE prism; battery required |
| You shoot handheld, want to get close and like square images | C330 (or C220 if light weight and low price matter) | Interchangeable lenses on a TLR, bellows for close-ups, no power needed |
| You want to take medium format with you, many shots per roll and a body that feels familiar | 645 Super, Pro or Pro TL | lightest system, modular, 15 to 16 shots per roll |
| You want 6x7 and to go hiking, and money is not the issue | Mamiya 7 or 7II | under one kilo, outstanding lenses, but no mirror, no close focusing |
7. Digitizing 6x7
A 6x7 negative has roughly four and a half times the area of a 35mm frame, and that is exactly why people put up with these cameras in the first place. Whether any of that advantage actually makes it to the end result, however, is only decided when you digitize.
There are three ways to go. The lab scans your film along with developing it, usually on a Noritsu or Frontier, and for most people this is the best starting point, because nothing is added apart from the surcharge; which lab delivers what is listed in our overview of film labs in German-speaking countries. A flatbed scanner with a transparency unit is the slow but inexpensive way. And photographing the film with a digital camera is now the fastest way and superior in resolution, provided the film lies flat.
With 120 film, everything hinges on exactly that, because a 61,5 millimeter wide strip curls more than a 35mm strip, and every bit of curvature costs sharpness at the edges. How the various holders solve this problem is something we measured in a dedicated comparison, including the competition: Film Scanner Comparison 2026: Negative Supply, Valoi, pixl-latr and others at a glance. And if you want to know how such a setup is put together in the first place, this video shows the complete process.
Video: “Complete DSLR Film Scanning Setup: Copy Stand, Film Holders & Light Source Explained”, our own channel Ausgeknipst
Film Scanner Set for 120, 6x4,5 to 6x9, without glass (from EUR 54,95) · Developing reel for 70 mm film (RB67 long magazines) (EUR 44,95)
If you are still at the film stage and not yet at the camera: which 120 film is good for what is covered in Buying analog film, which film, which ISO, which format.
Conclusion
If you have read this far and are still undecided, a single question will help: Do you want to carry the camera or set it up? If you set it up, take an RB67 and never get annoyed by a dead battery; if you carry it, take a 645 or a C220 and never get annoyed by the weight. The RZ67 is the right answer for anyone who works in the studio and actually uses aperture priority, and the C330 for anyone who wants to get close and is happy to push two lenses through the bayonet at once to do so.
You can't go far wrong with any of them, because with all four the negative is large enough to see the difference from 35mm right away.
Read on and ask further
Hands-on reports that go deeper than any buying guide: Anton McCloud on the search for the perfect 6x6 at 35mmc, the complete RZ67 system overview at EMULSIVE, the C220 in a long-term test at 50mmF2, the RB67 versus RZ67 comparison from Brooklyn Film Camera and the 1000S at Beyond the Aperture. If you have a specific question about a model, r/AnalogCommunity is the place where someone will answer the fastest.
And finally, a word on our own behalf: which battery your model needs is listed on our battery overview for Mamiya, and if you are not sure which set suits you for digitizing, the Film Scanner Finder answers that in three questions.