Kowa's modular 6x6 SLR — leaf-shutter lenses, interchangeable backs, full flash sync, 1974.
The Kowa Super 66 is a mid-1970s medium-format SLR, the most developed body in Kowa's square-format line. Unlike the earlier Kowa Six, it added interchangeable film backs, bringing the modular magazine approach of the Hasselblad and Bronica systems to Kowa's leaf-shutter lenses.
It is a medium-format (6x6) SLR producing a 56x56mm square frame on 120 or 220 film through interchangeable film backs, a change from the fixed-body Kowa Six. It uses leaf shutters built into each lens for flash sync at all speeds and takes interchangeable waist-level or prism finders and focusing screens on the Kowa Six bayonet mount. There is no built-in meter.
The addition of interchangeable backs made the Super 66 more flexible for studio and portrait photographers who wanted to change film stock mid-session within a leaf-shutter square-format system. It keeps the full flash sync and lens range of the Kowa line while adding modular convenience.
Test each lens leaf shutter for accurate speeds, and check the interchangeable film backs, their seals, and the dark slide for light leaks. Inspect the film-wind mechanism, a Kowa weak point, along with the mirror, screen, and waist-level finder mirror. Confirm foam seals in body and backs have not perished, since Kowa parts support is limited.