40
F I L M S TA RS
ALL PICTURES © JOHN WADE
R e fl e x
action
John Wade gives us a peek into the
wonderful world of roll fi lm SLRs
I
n the world of fi lm photography, when it comes to picture
quality, one truth is universal: a good big one will always
beat a good little one. The ‘little one’ in question here
is 35mm – the fi lm size that dominated camera design
from 1925 right up until the digital age. The ‘big one’ is roll fi lm, in
the shape of the 120 size still available today. But don’t think that
means having to forsake single lens refl exes (SLRs) to use creaky
old folding cameras. A good number of SLRs were made for 120
fi lm. Today, highly specifi ed, beautifully made, second-hand roll fi lm
refl exes can be bought for a fraction of the cost of a modern DSLR.
To get an idea of how a 120 roll fi lm refl ex works, let’s take an
overview of one of the best.Testbench ROLL FILM SLRS
Breaking down the Mamiya RB67.
Left to right: 120 roll film back, cut film
holder, body and bellows (showing the
focusing scale for different focal lengths),
and standard lens. Metered prism and
waist-level viewfinders are shown aboveThe RB67 is
usually found
with its
waist-level
finder