Almost bought a DSLR today. Instead...

Shawn Rahman · Mar 16, 2010

bought a Pentax 67 kit! I am so excited, I can hardly wait until it arrives!

I have a great Mamiya 645 Pro TL kit, and was looking to print bigger. Thought about a mega-megapixel DSLR for about a day and a half, and then saw this great, used Pentax 67 setup and couldn't resist.

Hope to join the chorus of folks on APUG who love 6x7 within the next few days! I never would have bought this if I wasn't part of APUG. Thank you all.

Ektagraphic · Mar 16, 2010

Awesome!! Much better chose than DSLR!!!!!!!!

MattKing · Mar 16, 2010

Have fun with your 6x7 negatives. They are great to print from, and they make contact sheets really useful.

Is that big negative the reason that you posted this in the "Plate Cameras" forum ?

Matt

John Wiegerink · Mar 16, 2010

Shawn,
What did you get for a lens or lenses? I have had a very nice Pentax 67 outfit for a number of years. I, too, have a nice Mamiya M645 1000s outfit and a Hasselblad system. Plus, I have Rollei and Yashica TLR's. From my experience the Pentax glass is as good as anything out there and the 6x7 negative/chrome is a site to behold. It's a tad heavier than the Mamiya, but still pretty portable. Did yours come with the wooden grip? JohnW

Shawn Rahman · Mar 16, 2010

MattKing said:
Have fun with your 6x7 negatives. They are great to print from, and they make contact sheets really useful.

Is that big negative the reason that you posted this in the "Plate Cameras" forum ?

Matt

I was so excited to post this that I had no idea I was in the Plate Camera section. Yes, Matt, I am excited about the huge negative!

Shawn Rahman · Mar 16, 2010

John Wiegerink said:
Shawn,
What did you get for a lens or lenses? I have had a very nice Pentax 67 outfit for a number of years. I, too, have a nice Mamiya M645 1000s outfit and a Hasselblad system. Plus, I have Rollei and Yashica TLR's. From my experience the Pentax glass is as good as anything out there and the 6x7 negative/chrome is a site to behold. It's a tad heavier than the Mamiya, but still pretty portable. Did yours come with the wooden grip? JohnW

John: The kit I bought was with the 165 portrait lens. I am probably going to buy a 90 and something wider soon, and also the wooden handle because I like handholding my cameras.

I have seen a friend's 6x7 chromes made with a Plaubel Makina and a Nikkor lens, and they blew me away. I hope the Pentax glass equals those results.

Hikingman · Mar 16, 2010

You didn't, you did? Whoa, great!

BobD · Mar 16, 2010

Shawn Rahman said:
... and also the wooden handle because I like handholding my cameras.

I have the wooden handle for my P67 but, for me, it's not really something
I use for hand-holding while shooting. It's more like a handle for carrying
or for tripod use. It doesn't add anything for hand-held shooting for me.
I find the camera is fine for hand-holding without the handle, like a big
Spotmatic. A strap is nice though and does help when hand-holding.

John Wiegerink · Mar 16, 2010

Bob is right in that you can hand-hold the camera fine without the handle, but it sure makes it easier to carry around. When I first got mine I bought a nice foam neck strap. Well, unless you want to have surgery on your neck you best forget the neck strap. It's almost like tying a cement block around your neck. As for lenses? Since you have the 165mm you might want to look at the 75mm f4.5 as a very cheap second lens. I bought one used from Henry's in Toronto for around $50.00 and it's one of my sharpest lenses for the Pentax and I have six lenses. If you really want to see what this outfit will do a good tripod is almost a must. You can still handhold and get good results, but for a serious landscape a tripod is worth its weight in gold. Have fun! JohnW

domaz · Mar 17, 2010

Pentax 6x7 is the best MF system around. Seek the 90mm 2.8 lenses- it's the lightest lens available for the system and a great walk-around lens. It's also a more recent lens so no worries about getting an old version that may not have the newest coatings or be on it's way out.

whlogan · Mar 17, 2010

No on has mentioned my favorite, the 105 f 2.4! Leave us not forget that one! I don't think it can be beat for street work, landscapes, portraits and general work. Not a heavy weight, either. Will do close-ups with tubes or lenses. Give it a look and have some fun! Welcome to cider block photography!
Logan

wy2l · Mar 17, 2010

One quick suggestion: The P67 really, really likes to be attached to a tripod.
Try shooting some Delta 100 with a tripod, and look at the negative with a 20x
loupe... It's quite a combination! Kris.

John Wiegerink · Mar 17, 2010

I have the 90mm 2.8 leaf shutter lens and it's a dandy. My 75mm f4.5 in the vintage Super-Multi-Coated Takumar/6X7. If I had to chose between the two for a walk-about lens it wouldn't be a hard decision at all. The 90mm would stay home! I like the slightly wider angle of the 75mm f4.5. Not only that, it's sharper than the 90mm f2.8. It also delivers every bit as good in the contrast department too. Now, if you ask me my favorite lens in my outfit that's a different story. I'll take my late model 45mm anytime. 45mm with the 6x7 output is just stunning! Domaz is right about the Pentax 67 being the best MF around. In fact, I just stuck my "like new" Mamiya M645 1000s on the auction block as I don't need it anymore(no more weddings to back-up) and will stick to a couple of Rollei TLR's, Hasselblad outfit and this outstanding Pentax 67 system. What more could a person ask for! JohnW

Almost bought a DSLR today. Instead...

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