Thank you very much for all your help. Helped a lot.
None of them are ideal for what you want to do. Candid shots — if by candid you mean adults and kids moving/running around and you with them — is already a challenge with a waist-level finder, it would be even more so with a chimney (had one with the RB67 and found it worked best when using a tripod).
Perhaps I was not accurate enough and need to clarify a bit on my usage. I do not really expect to make candid shots of the running kid with these manual focus 67 cameras. My wife would pose for me to take portaits though. She is a great model. What I need is a camera which I can walk around and easy enough to shoot with. I do not know whether the RZ67 with chimney finder is too big and heavy for that. But its AE capability attract me a lot compared to the P6x7. That is why I cannot decide.
Bronica GS-1 with the AE finder. 100mm f3.5. Lightweight (for 6x7), technologically the most modern.
Unfortunately, Bronica GS1 does not have a 2.8 lens.
Buy a 4x5 press camera. Go big or go home.
Initially, I did think about a 4x5. But then I went home whining about the cost of sheet film.
Two points that others may have missed: you can put a motor drive on an RZ;
This is another plus for the RZ67 indeed, but I am afraid the motor drive will add even more weight on the already monstrous RZ67, doesn't it?
I prefer the RB over the RZed. No batteries required.
1. You're missing the Mamiya RB67
I passed the RB67 since it does not have AE.
Given your preference for WLF, maybe a 6x6 camera with WLF, such as a 6x6 slr, or the Mamiya TLR, or a fixed lens TLR (Rolleiflex/cord, Yashica, Minolta, etc) would scratch the itch and also be easier to carry around.
I have an Autocord and I love the WLF. But to me 6x6 is closer to 645 than 67.
Since you already have the P645, there's also an adapter to mount P67 lenses on it.
You've already got a Pentax so if you're happy with that, why buy into a new system and ethos?
Though I have a 645N, I don't really care to have a compatible 67 system, since I have an extensive 645N system already and I do not see a benefit using a manual focus 6x7 lens on the 645N. So in this sense, both RZ67 and P6x7 are on the same starting line.
I know they don't make your budget limit.... but I loved the Mamiya 6, used the Mamiya 7 for 6 months and didn't care for the bulk since it didn't collapse like the Mamiya 6. The Fuji GW 670/80/90 are great bang for the buck. Another camera w a stellar lens is the Plaubel 67/670.... but again outside your set budget.
Both cameras are beasts and not ideal for the kind of shots you want to make. Or you might consider upping your budget for a 6x7 rangefinder from Mamiya (a lot more) or the Plaubel Makina 67 (fixed lens).
Also missing the Mamiya 7 and 7II. Probably the best of the lot.
I would suggest you stick with 135 and 645 — formats you are familiar with.
For sure the Mamiya 7 and Makina are awesome cameras. But in the 67 realm all cameras are manual focus, so they will never be my everyday go to cameras compared to my 645N or 135. But I already gave up on 4x5, and would die if I missed out 67 this time. A compromise is not spending too much on it, that's why the budget constraint. I understand that both the RZ67 and P6x7 are big and heavy, and they are prone to failure, but it is like picking the fastest sprinter among Sumo wrestlers. I work with what I have given the budget.
Mamiya Press with 6X7 back, 90mm or Universal with 6X7 back and 100, either 2.8 or 3.4.
Koni~Omega Rapid sounds like you are chambering a Shell….
The Press cameras do not have internal meter, do they? That's a nogo for me. The only thing I don't like about my Autocord is I need to use an external meter.
