6x6 SLR's?

[guangong]

Both the Arax 60 and the Pentacon Six are terrific cameras if you have the need to shoot a 6x6 SLR but cannot afford a Hassie. It is real hard to beat the price of a brand new Arax 60 kit, even if you are thinking of buying used.

The best part of these cameras are the lenses, and they really are not that terribly expensive either.

I still use my Pentacon Six TL fairly regular but if I were buying something today I would go for the Arax 60. Pentacon Sixes can have frame spacing problems and it can be hard to find a used one that doesn't need some repair. I had mine overhauled a few years back and now I have so much invested in it that I could never sell it for what it cost me. Therefore...I use It and get my money back that way. But the Arax 60 is brand new with a nice little warranty to go with it.

I received a Pentacon Six as a gift from the factory in early 1970s. Even then not a reliable camera. As I remember, Kowa and most other 66 SLR cameras had reliability problems. The exception was Hasselblad, which explains why it was the instrument of choice beginning with 500c. Up to then the Rolleiflex was supreme, for the same reason. If I were buying a used camera for everyday use in 66, and not for collecting or curiosity, for 66 SLR I would go with a Hasselblad or Pentax. I prefer Hassy, but that’s a question of taste.
My Fuji GF670 folder shoots both 66 and 66, doesn’t seem that heavy but compact for carrying. For reasonably priced folder I would stick with a Post war later model Super Ikonta B.

 

[Bikerider]

You can still buy used Pentacons.

The Pentacon 6, the Praktisix it's forunner and the Russian Kiev were all from the same design (with differences). They all seemed to have the same faults which happened with the wind on giving uneven spacing between frames or sometimes serious overlapping. Also there was a lever on top of the body but I am not sure what it was for, however if it was knocked or moved out of sequence to other operations it jammed the shutter/wind on. They can be fixed but it takes a good engineer to do so and get it right.

There was one other with a similar design - the Exacta 66 or was it the Exacta 6x6, I cannot remember. It was a better made and finished camera, which looked quite sleek and business like. I have only seen one (around 1996 or so) and was seriously tempted to buy it because of the plethora of very good and reasonably priced lenses made by Zeiss in Eastern Germany or even the Russian versions. I believe they had cured the wind on and shutter jamming problems, but I chose to stand back and let someone else experiment.

 

[thuggins]

Pentacon Six
Pentax 67
Kowa 6 (three versions)
Pilot 6
Super Pilot
KW Reflex Box
Great Wall DF (at least four versions)
Pentax 645 (two versions)
Exakta 66
Various Graflexes (including 6x9)
Reflex-Korelle

Off the top of my head, without mentioning the Russian stuff.

 

[k.hendrik]

That Rollei is definitely peaking my interest.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/77846450@N00/17244037329/in/dateposted-public/
happy hunting !

 

[MattKing]

That Rollei is definitely peaking my interest.

Warning - pedantry!
I believe you mean "piquing".
Pedantry warning off.

 

[Sirius Glass]

That Rollei is definitely peaking my interest.

Buy it now!