All Pentax 67 and 67 II bodies MLU?

marcmarc · Aug 15, 2011

Hi Everyone,
Another quick question. Do the Pentax 67 and 67 II have MLU as standard? If I'm correct it's the older Pentax 6x7 that may or may not have MLU. I'm thinking of picking up a 67 (instead of a 67 II) and just want to know if I have to look for one with MLU or if they were standard on this model. Thanks,
Marc

coigach · Aug 15, 2011

marcmarc said:
Hi Everyone,
Another quick question. Do the Pentax 67 and 67 II have MLU as standard? If I'm correct it's the older Pentax 6x7 that may or may not have MLU. I'm thinking of picking up a 67 (instead of a 67 II) and just want to know if I have to look for one with MLU or if they were standard on this model. Thanks,
Marc

I'm a P67II owner. Off the top of my head, I know that the P67II has MLU, and I think some of the later P67's do, but not the earlier ones. I'm sure a bit of googling will clarify this.

I use my P67II for landscapes, the MLU is an essential in my opinion...

Smudger · Aug 15, 2011

I can tell you for sure that early P6x7's did not, but later in the series they did. and all later models.
You can tell for sure by looking for the switch. Viewed from the front,the body should have an unlabelled ,vertical slide switch on the left side of the extended lump which holds the lens bayonet.
It is as essential as the safety catch on a firearm IMHO.
It uses battery power when used,so bear that in mind if you activate it.

ChuckP · Aug 15, 2011

All 67's have MLU. Check out:http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?AsahiPentax67.html~mainFrame
One of many sites on the camera.

Rick A · Aug 15, 2011

ChuckP said:
All 67's have MLU. Check out:http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?AsahiPentax67.html~mainFrame
One of many sites on the camera.

After reading the link, the earliest models did not have MLU, that was one of the first mods on the 67. The correct answer is, NO not all Pentax 67's have MLU.

BobD · Aug 15, 2011

I think what the OP is asking is about the cameras marked "6X7" vs "67" vs "67 II" and his statement is correct. Only the earliest of the cameras marked "6X7" are without lockup. But, all the cameras marked "67" and all marked "67 II" do have lockup.

In other words, the name changed from "6X7" to "67" after the addition of the lockup feature to the "6X7."

toro_mike · Aug 15, 2011

My 6x7 does have lock-up...

BobD said:
I think what the OP is asking is about the cameras marked "6X7" vs "67" vs "67 II" and his statement is correct. Only the earliest of the cameras marked "6X7" are without lockup. But, all the cameras marked "67" and all marked "67 II" do have lockup.

In other words, the name changed from "6X7" to "67" after the addition of the lockup feature to the "6X7."

I have one marked 6x7 and it DOES have lock-up, so that's not a great indicator either. The best advice for the OP is to look for the mirror lockup switch!

bblhed · Aug 15, 2011

You don't need MUL unless you are doing really long exposures. Even then all it does is help save on the battery life..

oldlincoln · Aug 15, 2011

ALL marked "67" are MLU. Some marked "6X7" are MLU, some are not. on the 6X7, look for the MLU lever an the 67 and 67II, don't bother. The Pentax site cited earlier has the S/N point where MLU was added to the 6X7 body.
IMHO, the mirror lockup will do some good whenever it is used at whatever shutterspeed. With practice it can even be used handheld.

coigach · Aug 15, 2011

bblhed said:
You don't need MUL unless you are doing really long exposures. Even then all it does is help save on the battery life..

I disagree.

The shutter slap is like a cannon firing! Real potential for vibration shake.

Try using any of the longer lenses on the P67 and see how you get on without MLU .

My 300mm is tripod mounted with a quality ballhead, used with cable release and MLU for landscapes. Even then, never used over f8 as images can often be slightly soft when used with slow transparency film.

John Koehrer · Aug 15, 2011

oldlincoln said:
ALL Pentax site cited earlier has the S/N point where MLU was added to the 6X7 body.

It also said that SN was NOT an accurate indicator. Older cameras could be modified by Pentax.

BobD · Aug 15, 2011

toro_mike said:
I have one marked 6x7 and it DOES have lock-up, so that's not a great indicator either. The best advice for the OP is to look for the mirror lockup switch!

Read my post again. The part that says that some "6X7" cameras do have lockup. Thanks.

marcmarc · Aug 16, 2011

Even though I plan using this hand held most of the time, with standard and wide angle lenses, having MLU for those occasions where I will use a tripod is a plus. I noticed that KEH doesn't indicate if the 67 and 67 II bodies they offer have MLU or not, so yes, one would presume they all have this feature.

tih · Aug 16, 2011

There's another good reason for choosing a body with MLU. My local Pentax tech tells me that there were other, internal, changes to the 6x7 at the same time, and that you can basically forget having a 6x7 without MLU properly serviced today. The parts just aren't available. The newer version, with MLU, has the internal workings that were carried forward until sufficiently recently that parts can still be had.

Smudger · Aug 16, 2011

Well,you do need ML if you want sharp exposures in the critical band , which on this camera,would be in the 1/60 to 1second range. Or even faster speeds if you use longer than normal lenses.
And "save the battery"? - the battery is essential because it holds the magnet for the second curtain open when you use MLU.
I refer only to 1st generation models,of which I have extensive experience.
If you are into long exposures (many minutes,hours) look elsewhere, or learn the " Lock open on B,and use your hat"technique, which places no demand on the battery.

All Pentax 67 and 67 II bodies MLU?

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