Plaubel 69W ProShift is 6 x 9cm format camera with ultra-wide-angle lens fixed to, manufactured by Plaubel, W. Germany.
The most noteworthy feature of this camera is that camera movements are enabled on this in spite of 6 x 9cm format camera.

Camera movements mechanism is indispensable for such as architectural photography. But it requires heavy stuff like a large-sized tripod and a large-format camera which has bellows fixed between lens and the camera body. This, Plaubel 69W ProShift decreases labor carrying a large camera, tripod and all that stuff, for it is at the weight of 1600 grams that can be carried out rather easily, and its body shape is designed to make it easier to hold with hands.

The lens fixed to the camera is "Schneider Super Angulon f5.6/47mm".
This lens is multi-coated, and consists of four-group, eight-element lens. And image circle of this is 123 mm. Converting this lens into the one for a 35mm camera, the focal length of 47mm is about as well as that of 21mm.
On camera movements, the lens (lensboard) can be shifted up to 13mm - optical axis of 15 deg. - to the left, and risen up to 15mm - optical axis of 17.5 deg., and the sport finder (and also the optical direct-view finder when attached to the camera) couples with lens movements and conpensates visual field.

In the optical direct-view finder, there is the Albada bright frame. It shows parallax correction mark for closer distance, and also compensated visual field for camera movements.
Film transportation is by two-stroke winding of the film wind lever with double-exposure prevention.
This camera adopted the roll film holder for "Mamiya Press", which has grip on its side, and the shutter release button and the film wind lever are also on it. The shape of this grip is designed very well so that it makes it possible to photograph with this camera without using a tripod.

The shutter employed in the lens is Copal #0 of which flash synchronizes all the shutter speeds.
The actual picture size of this camera is 56 x 83 mm. Eight exposures can be taken on 120 roll film and 16 exposures on 220 roll film.
In addition, levels are built in for the vertical and the horizontal.

Utilizing ultra-wide-angle lens, together with camera movements which requires a full length of image circle decrease the light at each end of a picture. To solve this problem, Plaubel provided "Center Filter" which decreases the light in the center of a picture to balance the light overall. The filter diameter of this is 52mm, but using other filter attached to this when working on camera movements vignets a picture due to its frame. So the adapter ring "AR-1" was belong to this to extend the filter diameter from 52mm to 77mm.

Well then, let's take a look at it.


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