Related Links:
Plaubel related posts on Medium Format Digest
Plaubel Makina III Manual (courtesy of Richard Urmonas) [5/2002]

The 6x9cm Plaubel Makina III folding camera dates from 1949-53 from the German firm of Plaubel & Co. (Frankfurt). The coupled rangefinder and rim-set (older) compur shutter offers a range of shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/200th second. The lens is typically an anticomar 100mm f/2.9 lens. Current used prices are often $300 and up.

This is quite a nice Plaubel Makina Model III with normal groundglass back ( for exposures each 6 x 9cm); camera has Anticomar f/2.9 lens in Compur shutter and also includes an original 35mm film accessory rollback (inlcuded also is the correct mask for viewfinder while using 35mm).

From: "Luigi Albertini" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Makina 67
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998

I own a Makina 67 that I heavely used in the mid 70s. It traveled long distances, mainly in Latin America, where dust is rather abundant, roads are miserable, etc. It gave excellent results, never showing any sign of weakness.

I turned to other systems and a few months ago I took it out from the vault since I wanted to start using it again. Immediately I faced trouble. The opening of the battery compartment broke. I took the camera to a very good and reliable expert (I live in Rome, Italy) who did quite a good job. But then something else did not work and that took almost two complete days to be recovered. The wire linking the battery to the photo cell unsoldered. the connection was broken. Now this wire runs along the folding system and each time one pulls out the lens it faces an extension followed by a compression when the lens is folded back. To repair the damage, almost the whole of the camera had to be dismounted.

I decided to sell the camera, but a few days later I thought that I would have been sorry. Luckily I managed to buy it back!

As a conclusion I will say that the exposing system is weak and cannot withstand a very heavy and prolonged use. But this is not essential, from my point of vew, since one can use an exposure meter and still take advantage of the extraordinary quality of the Nikon lens and rely on a rather steady focusing system and accurate shutter. Bonne chance!

Luigi

Some notes from another Plaubel camera offered for sale on Ebay:

Late model Plaubel Makina IIIR. Good condition 10cm Plaubel Anticomar f2.9 lens. Camera has modern flash sync. All shutter speeds works fine. 6x9 and cut film holder w/groundglass. Bellows is intact but could use some TLC. Included is the original leather Makina case and oxiliary filters

Tele-Makinar 190/4.8 Lens (with box)

Photo Courtesy of Gunnar Buettner ([email protected])



[Ed.note: thanks to Gunnar for supplying this info; unfortunately, only the last of the 
photos (above) made it..] 
Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 
From: Gunnar Buettner [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Plaubel Makina IIs

Hi,

I would like to make a small contribution to your nice and informative
pages, namely the Plaubel Makina IIs, as I think it might be interesting
for others. In short, buyers should look for:

- all speeds of Compur shutter working (slow speeds, self timer); note
please: highest speed has to be set before cocking the shutter! For T, B
the shutter does not have to be cocked, just press release button.
Otherwise shutter might be damaged!
- holes in the bellows, especially at edges
- film advance. Check if the cogs on the advance knob are not broken,
check light seals (often can be repaired easily with silk ribbon)
- bent struts

> Makina IIs is a very well thought-out strut folding press camera for
> medium format with a coupled rangefinder for the normal lens and
> semi-coupled for the tele. A first version was made in 1936. All
> Makinas were constructed by owner of Plaubel, Goetz Schrader in the
> 30s. Post-war IIs (ca. 1948-50) has a rudimentary flash connection
> which was replaced on the later model, the III and IIIr, by a special
> connector for the so-called Makiblitz. Shown here is the post-war
> version.
>
> [Image]  Plaubel folds up quite flat without film back. Camera has
> tripod sockets on side and bottom of body.
>
> [Image]  Unfolded IIs with Anticomar 100/2.9 normal lens
> (Tessar-type). The big round knob to the right is for focusing. Top
> left is so-called Newton viewfinder. Wide open, the normal lens
> produces very soft images, a great effect if you like it. Pictures in
> my experience are very vivid due to the soft fall-off of
> depth-of-field. At f/8 images become crispy. Plaubel introduced
> another normal with the Makina III, the 100/4.2 which was supposed for
> journalistic work.
>
> [Image]  Fully extended camera with sun shade and opened groundglass.
> Visible on the body is the tiny handle which was replaced on later
> model by a metal device on the lens board. Behind it is the lock for
> the groundglass.

> [Image]  Top-mounted Rangefinder. While the screw on the right holds
> the name plate, left one can be used to adjust the rangefinder,
> something that can be easily done with a groundglass or architects
> paper. Below the right RF window (right of bellows) you can find the
> serial number.
>
> [Image]  Newton finder and rangefinder. I have no specs about the
> rangefinder but it uses a slightly magnified superimposed two color
> image. The rangefinder eye piece on this camera might not be original
> as the manual describes a telescopic type. The viewfinder has a small
> disc which you can move up and down for parallax compensation. Very
> convenient in use (at least for me).
>
>
> [Image]  Under the viewfinder on top of lens board is the focusing
> scale for the normal lens. The scale shows a hyperfocal mark between
> endless and 10m. The manual informs you that you can achieve the best
> DOF between f/6-12 at this mark. Struts on IIs and later models have a
> second mould for the struds to engage using the wide angle, as marked
>Ww for German Weitwinkel (= wide angle). Wide angle is not
> RF-coupled. Flat knob in the middle (another one is on the bottom of
> the lens board): Press them to move the struds to the Ww position or
> to fold/ unfold the camera. Camera has to be set at infinity before
> folding to prevent bending of the struts. Better fold slowly. Far
> right is the shutter release, marked A for German Ausloeser.

> Besides cable release thread.
>
> [Image]  Sports finder on lens board. Right top is the shutter cock
> lever, marked S for Spanner. The small knob marked V for
> Vorlaufwerk, a not very commonly used word anymore for the self
> timer. Cock the shutter once, press the self timer button and repeat
> cocking. Self timer cannot be used on shutter positions T, B and
> 1/200th!
>
>
> [Image]  Compur I shutter. Camera is very silent, shutter sound is
> like a Rollei 35, perhaps just one octave below. The IIs was the first
> medium format camera to have the lens mounted in front of the shutter
> (from 1936 on), as far as I know. Lenses on the older Makina II came
> in two parts which you had to mount before and behind the shutter.
> There is a thread on the inside lens board of this camera, so I wonder
> if it might take the older lenses aswell? Makina I did not have
> interchangeable lenses. Lenses are mounted by half a turn clockwise.
> Now this is where the s in the IIs comes from:
> Schnellwechselfassung (something sporty like rapid interchange
> mount). Speeds include T, B to 1s-1/200th. Later IIIr (=Rapid) had
> 1/400th. As you can interchange film backs it is not that limiting as
> it sounds. There was a focal plane shutter available that went up to
> 1/1000th (hard to find today).  As it was placed between body and film
> back you could not use the rangefinder anymore. Speeds are changed
> steplessly by rotating the
                             R-marked ring. T is used for groundglass
> focusing or time exposures or whatever you like: Press release button
> once and the shutter opens, second time for closing it. However,
> shutter cannot be cocked on positions T, B  be careful! This may ruin
> the mechanism! Just depress the shutter release. To use 1/200th,
> change the ring to desired position before cocking the shutter!
>
> [Image]  Mounted sun shade and close-up device T 1,5. Both can be used
> on all lenses. T 1,5 covers roughly the range between 1,2m and 65cm on
> the normal lens. There were other close-up devices available (DIN up
> to 45cm, R 0,1 for 1:1 on normals and wide angle) aswell as all kind
> of filters. To mount them on the sun shade just open it and screw it
> in.
>
> [Image]  Plaubel with 120 rollfilm back for 6,5x9cm. There was a mask
> for 6x4,5cm available and backs for 6x6cm or 35mm. Film backs are
> provided with dark slides. Knob on the right is for advancing the
> film. Left knob is film counter and locks after each frame
> (hopefully). You have to manually set it to the first frame. For the
> 6x4,5cm mask, turn to the mark between the numbers. Wind the film with
> open back until the first bit of exposable material appears on the
> side of the take up spool. Then set to zero and wind just before
> exposure to first frame. As films today are thinner it might turn out
> useful to put a little paper around the take up spool before inserting
> the film. This might help preventing overlapping frames. When camera
> is folded up, the dark slide should be inserted or a cap on the lens
> to prevent fogging (says the manual).
>
>
> [Image]  Wide angle Orthar 73/6.8 with 72 degrees fo view (Topogon
> design). Not fully free of distortion it shows even alumination and is
> very sharp, to me a fine performer. Wide angle has to be scale-focused
> or used with groundglass:
                             The wide angle abstains from coupling to
> the rangefinder as for total control over distortions for
> architectural images the use of a groundglass is indispensable
> (Plaubel booklet 1953). Other lenses available for Makina I*/s/r  were
> the Tele-Makinar 190/4.8 (with box):

> [Image]

> It can be used with the rangefinder in the normal position. After
> focusing you have to adjust the scale on the lens barrel in addition.
> Plaubel called this
                      semi-automatic coupled. Shown here ist the
> uncoated pre-war design, which has three elements (post-war has four).
> If not exposed exactly it might show vignetting, colors are fine. Two
> teles for the Makina II were available, the 210/6.3and f/5.4. These
> tele lenses are hard to find today. All post war lenses were coated.
>
> I owe lots of these information to Ms. Pichotka, many thanks. More
> information on IIIr can be found here
> http://www.cosmonet.org/camera/makina_e.htm.

Information, photos and advice for loading the camera with film can be
seen here

http://www.mediakyoto.com/camerashopper/cla_came_e/plaubel_makina_e/index_e.html

> As you can see from these pictures I am really in love with this
> camera. I am not a collector and I enjoy taking pictures regularly
> with it. So far, no problem has occured. I hope this mail was not to
> long. Take care
>
> Gunnar Buettner, Hamburg, Germany