Any opinions on Pentax 67

[Paul Manuell]

He he ..he. Wy2l ! The Pentax67 is predestined like the one and only system for "hendheld" in larger midt format.
Try this with a Fuji GX 680.... !

But if you want real sharp pictures (P67 has "just" 1/1000sec.) you should use a tripot (above 75mm).
I made my personal experience with the 300mm in addition of Pentax excellent 2xconverter.
600mm midt format is just a nice think. But with the addition of a heavy tripot it eould have Bern nicer! [ 600mm handheld] .....and the Speer was a bit restricted from the light!

So I was " the last man standing with handheld 600mm 6x7 system at 1/250sec. - 1/350sec"
(1/500 sec was underexposure).!

with regards

PS : I wasn't. a bad idea to try out - it costs. me just 2 films....

Wtf is this midt format you keep mentioning?

 

[FujiLove]

My experience with the particular sample I have of this lens is that the yellowing can be reverted partially, but never completely. It is very clear when I change between this lens and any other that it has some yellow tint even after several days under an UV light. When printing or scaning color film it is also evident.

I cleared a couple of 105mm lenses with a cheap IKEA LED lamp that gives off a bit of UV. They were quite yellow when I bought them, but I couldn't see any evidence of it when I'd finished. Colour photos looked fine. However, it took something like seven weeks of constant illumination to sort them out.

 

[GLS]

I cleared a couple of 105mm lenses with a cheap IKEA LED lamp that gives off a bit of UV. They were quite yellow when I bought them, but I couldn't see any evidence of it when I'd finished. Colour photos looked fine. However, it took something like seven weeks of constant illumination to sort them out.

Yes I bought that same lamp for my 105mm. I think it was under the lamp for about 5 days, which got rid of all but a trace of yellowing. It is now neutral enough for any use, even with E6 colour. I suspect the last bit of yellowing is in the farther side of the element. Glass absorbs almost all low energy UV, so a more powerful UV source would probably shift it in less time. As I said though, the yellowing is now so slight as to not really be worth bothering over.

 

[trendland]

Wtf is this midt format you keep mentioning?

Paul - nothing else than P67II with original Pentax 2x extender and 300mm lens = 600mm!
But it compares with 35mm film and 300mm lens. So I tryed "handheld" just to find out what
happens.

with regards

PS : with opened lens and aperature 4.0 you may need a higher speed from the film. But I just like ISO 100 films. The second issue I didn't like in THIS shooting was "open lens" - so the min. of
5,6 (more 8.0) was required. The resume was 1/350sec...... in very sunny day...!

with regards

 

[trendland]

Do tell. My 67 kit is all of 14kg and I am no Spring chicken...

14 kg is nothing in comparison for ground training with Delta Force. There 70kg should be the task to handle. Not to forget the dificulties of the terrain....!
But for a "normal" photograper during a days shooting in the city center of a metropolis one might
feel like Delta Force after some hours.
with regards

PS : Anything less than 10kg in weight is just like "National Guard".....
But from the weight of his equipment there is a direct correlation to the cincerity of a photographers
intention. Today that's more true than ever. Exeption is " Holga Camera" of course = less weight from plastic but in general a little better in comparison to smart phone photographers.
PPS : Last person I remember a week ago was a "kind" of Art director who wanted to show the better "framing" . For demonstration of his illusion of a correct framing he was opperating with his
IPhone.!
PPS : He is still alive at this moment but he is living in danger!
PPS : Attention : To operate a smartphone in wrong situation is harmfull to superior organismen!

 

[Russ Young]

I cannot dispute other people's experience but my Pentax 67 (v. 1) system has been flawless. The body was purchased new in 1984, the lenses are a combination of new and used. The 105mm lens is wonderful and uique. The 55mm is amazing - had a Hassie system with the 50mm when I bought the Pentax, sold the Hassie esp due to the superior nature of the 55mm. Perhaps I missed it earlier comments but the 135mm MACRO is a superb lens. The body and some lenses have tens of thousands of miles of travel on them and nothing has ever failed. My sole complaint with the system is the slow sync speed.
Russ

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I cannot dispute other people's experience but my Pentax 67 (v. 1) system has been flawless. The body was purchased new in 1984, the lenses are a combination of new and used. The 105mm lens is wonderful and uique. The 55mm is amazing - had a Hassie system with the 50mm when I bought the Pentax, sold the Hassie esp due to the superior nature of the 55mm. Perhaps I missed it earlier comments but the 135mm MACRO is a superb lens. The body and some lenses have tens of thousands of miles of travel on them and nothing has ever failed. My sole complaint with the system is the slow sync speed.
Russ

---------------------

That's a nice feelgood story with a long history! Waaaaaay back to 1984... that would have been when I was romancing the Olympus OM4, and writing a substantial review about its multipoint spot metering... .

Your experience with Hasselblad mirrors mine, or vice versa; I owned a 503Cxi and 80mm Planar lens, and did enjoy (and still do), the square format (easily achievable out of a 6x7 image). Along came the SMC Pentax 67 75mm f2.8AL and... really, the 80mm Hassie could not stand up to it. That, though, is beside a litany of other niggles with the Hasselblad that decided it's fate.

I presume you know that the pitiful sync speed is easily leapfrogged by snapping a leaf shutter lens onto the beast (90mm or 165mm), allowing sync all the way up to 1/500 (allowing some fun with multiple exposures to boot). Mind you, the P6x7 must then take a back seat with a re-set of the FP sync to ... 1/8s!

 

[GLS]

I owned a 503Cxi and 80mm Planar lens, and did enjoy (and still do), the square format (easily achievable out of a 6x7 image). Along came the SMC Pentax 67 75mm f2.8AL and... really, the 80mm Hassie could not stand up to it

Come on now. The 80mm Planar is a really old design and one of the lowest performing lenses in the Hasselblad lineup, whereas the 75mm AL is very modern and one of the best for the Pentax 67. Hardly a fair comparison. There are great and lesser lenses for both systems.

 

[abruzzi]

Mind you, the P6x7 must then take a back seat with a re-set of the FP sync to ... 1/8s!

I’m not a flash shooter, so this is more idle curiosity than anything else, but, I assume the 1/8 is just to get the FP curtain out of the way before triggering the leaf shutter. I imagine that the leaf shutter gets triggered after the the leading curtain is fully open? Does that create a noticeable delay when shooting with a leaf shutter lens? Or is that delay too short to notice?

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I’m not a flash shooter, so this is more idle curiosity than anything else, but, I assume the 1/8 is just to get the FP curtain out of the way before triggering the leaf shutter. I imagine that the leaf shutter gets triggered after the the leading curtain is fully open? Does that create a noticeable delay when shooting with a leaf shutter lens? Or is that delay too short to notice?

Yes, the 1/8s FP shutter sync in tandem with the leaf shutter is to clear the first curtain of the camera. I have not seen evidence of any delay. The FP sync can also be set lower than 1/8s, e.g. 1/4s, but no higher than the baseline setting or the frame will be scotched.

 

[johnha]

I’m not a flash shooter, so this is more idle curiosity than anything else, but, I assume the 1/8 is just to get the FP curtain out of the way before triggering the leaf shutter. I imagine that the leaf shutter gets triggered after the the leading curtain is fully open? Does that create a noticeable delay when shooting with a leaf shutter lens? Or is that delay too short to notice?

There's likely to be some delay as the L/S has to close before the FP starts moving - but it's not really noticeable (this may happen as the mirror is rising). It's as seamless as it gets from mechanical levers: set the FP to 1/8th, set the L/S speed, set the L/S mode, cock the L/S shutter and hit the shutter release. It feels (and sounds) like a different experience as there's a lot happening - at the end of the exposure, the mirror returns and the L/S opens. Apart from L/S mode the lens can used normally and as mentioned, allows easy multiple exposures.

The camera doesn't know which speed has been set on the L/S so the metered prism assumes you're using 1/8th - you have to meter beforehand with the shutter speed set on the FP or use a handheld meter.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

The camera doesn't know which speed has been set on the L/S so the metered prism assumes you're using 1/8th - you have to meter beforehand with the shutter speed set on the FP or use a handheld meter.

This is an important distinction, as some users have incorrectly metered according to shutter speed set on the leaf shutter, in LS mode. It is not helped by the fact that, by design, the TTL does not work when the lens (either 165 or 90mm) is set to LS mode.

The other thing to note is that with sync flash in LS mode, the cord is plugged into the X socket on the lens, not the X socket of the camera (that is only done in FP flash (non-LS mode) sync.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

I cleared a couple of 105mm lenses with a cheap IKEA LED lamp that gives off a bit of UV. They were quite yellow when I bought them, but I couldn't see any evidence of it when I'd finished. Colour photos looked fine. However, it took something like seven weeks of constant illumination to sort them out.

This was a valuable hint about the IKEA lamp. Thank you. I bought one am in the process of de-yellowing a Super-Takumar 55/21.8 lens. It is slowly (very slowly) getting more clear. I only use it for B&W film, so really, it was a non-issue, but my otherTakumar lenses are clear.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

My 67 MLU was a total lemon. Kept firing blank frames, and my supplier and their repairer were both befuddled. ...

One thing I have noticed with my 6x7 MLU is that if you have the shutter speed dial set between speeds (i.e. not set precisely to an indicated speed), what will happen is that the shutter will stay open and the resulting frame (on the negative) will be completely exposed (dark).

It's been a while since I investigated that, so I don't remember what causes the shutter to close - either winding on or pressing the release again.

I don't know if that behaviour is peculiar to my camera or if all 6x7 MLU's work that way. Other than that, the camera works perfectly when the shutter speed dial is set precisely to the indicated speed. I do not have a manual for the camera.

I was told to mount my strap so that the camera hangs vertically (portrait mode) rather than horizontally - precisely to avoid having the strap inadvertently move the shutter speed dial while being worn.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I don't know if that behaviour is peculiar to my camera or if all 6x7 MLU's work that way. Other than that, the camera works perfectly when the shutter speed dial is set precisely to the indicated speed. I do not have a manual for the camera.

If the shutter is released when the dial is in 'blank space', turn the dial to a marked shutter speed, and the shutter will close.
(Reference: Page 23 of the Pentax 6x7 / 67 User Manual)

On the same page is mentioned:
If the camera is left for an extended period of time after cocking the shutter,
the shutter speeds will become inaccurate.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Handheld? Just depends. I was out the other day with a couple of P67 bodies, one equipped with a 75/4, the other with a 300 EDIF, for which I use the same big Ries wooden tripod as my 8x10, with the camera similarly bolted right to the platform top (no tripod head). Love that combination. And both lenses use the same 82mm filter size. But at relatively high shutter speeds I have used that big telephoto resting on a jacket atop a car roof or fence post with good results. I also have a nice Nikon adapter for it.

 

[alentine]

Always on tripod.
Be selective in choosing your lenses.
55mm prime is first rate.
55-100mm is superior zoom lens.
Do not expect much from the fishery, may be the weakest lens in Pentax67 and weakest MF fisheye.
That from my own experience.
Other reviews and tests recommended 105mm newer, 75mm both versions, as first rate lenses.
Battery will refuse to die, BTW.
Good luck.

 

[wy2l]

In my pervious post I called the P67 "The Beast".
That's because I did extensive backpacking in Kings Canyon National Park, into remote areas.
I had the experience of taking some hand-held pictures (Efke 25), which looked pretty good at first glance on the light table

Then I broke out the loupe and took a critical look... blurred. Very bad. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Lesson learned, I now always use a tripod with the P67. Results using Delta 100 and DR5 processing are stunning.

Latter I read Barry Thornton's book "Edge of Darkness". Highly recommended, he covers the use of tripods for landscape work (among other topics). I now always use a tripod for all landscape work.

kris

 

[trendland]

In my pervious post I called the P67 "The Beast".
That's because I did extensive backpacking in Kings Canyon National Park, into remote areas.
I had the experience of taking some hand-held pictures (Efke 25), which looked pretty good at first glance on the light table

Then I broke out the loupe and took a critical look... blurred. Very bad. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Lesson learned, I now always use a tripod with the P67. Results using Delta 100 and DR5 processing are stunning.

Latter I read Barry Thornton's book "Edge of Darkness". Highly recommended, he covers the use of tripods for landscape work (among other topics). I now always use a tripod for all landscape work.

kris

Handheld is possible with P67 for SURE! But it depends!
All lenses " under 300mm " are with no problem for use without tripod incl. 200mm!
With 300mm and higher (look above my reply) it is relative!
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO WORK WITH 50mm and 35mm film below 1/30sek handheld you are also able to operate P67 with tele lenses!
Not every photographer is able (or willing) but if you did serve in the army you remember they did
show you technics - same technic is good for shooting with films (sorry to state but it is so)!
And I am not speaking from sniper training!
If you need big enlargements these technics find limitations of course!
I shot with 600mm AND low speed films from a harbour ferry - that was my limitation this day!
But a good tripod is of course ALLWAYS better!

with regard

PS : Never have ambitions to be better handheld than a tripod - especially if you shooting
movies! But for normal photography it is realy possible - there the Pentax67 is one of the
best competitors in midt format!
So again : Try to shot hendheld with this here :

......and Trendland will wish you "Bon Chance" (even without tele lenses)...!

with regards

PS : Plesse stop discussing that P67 isn't made for handheld!

 

[trendland]

In my pervious post I called the P67 "The Beast".


Then I broke out the loupe and took a critical look... blurred. Very bad. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
kris

wy21 this experience had to make all photographers once a day! Then they had to make the next
experience if inspection via loupe is fine - what will hapen by enlarging above 1meter!
So folks come on : Open your archives of negatives to find out the percentage of realy made
100% sharp shots! It is for sure much lower you could imagine!

with regards

PS : For 100% sharpness you ALLWAYS have the need oft 3things :

1) a realy good stabile tripod from massive design/construction
2) a mirror lockup (also with 35mm camera don't be naive)
3) this fine tool :

If you are missing just one of these fundamental things you better should not prove how sharp
your negatives you have shot during all the decades realy are.....

with regards

PS : Exeption : real wide shots, shots above 1/ 1000sec. = you need min. 1 /2000 sec,
and ALL enlargements up to 30 x 40 midt format up to 70 x 90 !

 

[Paul Manuell]

Handheld is possible with P67 for SURE! But it depends!
All lenses " under 300mm " are with no problem for use without tripod incl. 200mm!
With 300mm and higher (look above my reply) it is relative!
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO WORK WITH 50mm and 35mm film below 1/30sek handheld you are also able to operate P67 with tele lenses!
Not every photographer is able (or willing) but if you did serve in the army you remember they did
show you technics - same technic is good for shooting with films (sorry to state but it is so)!
And I am not speaking from sniper training!
If you need big enlargements these technics find limitations of course!
I shot with 600mm AND low speed films from a harbour ferry - that was my limitation this day!
But a good tripod is of course ALLWAYS better!

with regard

PS : Never have ambitions to be better handheld than a tripod - especially if you shooting
movies! But for normal photography it is realy possible - there the Pentax67 is one of the
best competitors in midt format!

wy21 this experience had to make all photographers once a day! Then they had to make the next
experience if inspection via loupe is fine - what will hapen by enlarging above 1meter!
So folks come on : Open your archives of negatives to find out the percentage of realy made
100% sharp shots! It is for sure much lower you could imagine!

with regards

PS : For 100% sharpness you ALLWAYS have the need oft 3things :

1) a realy good stabile tripod from massive design/construction
2) a mirror lockup (also with 35mm camera don't be naive)
3) this fine tool :

View attachment 220319

If you are missing just one of these fundamental things you better should not prove how sharp
your negatives you have shot during all the decades realy are.....

with regards

PS : Exeption : real wide shots, shots above 1/ 1000sec. = you need min. 1 /2000 sec,
and ALL enlargements up to 30 x 40 midt format up to 70 x 90 !

So again : Try to shot hendheld with this here :
View attachment 220317
......and Trendland will wish you "Bon Chance" (even without tele lenses)...!

with regards

PS : Plesse stop discussing that P67 isn't made for handheld!

AAAGGGHHH, FFS, it's MEDIUM format!!!!!

 

[trendland]

Aha midt format....... not medium? Now I got your point!

with regards - Paul !

PS : a steak : " pls. medium " but to film. : midt....hmmm?

PSS : Or do you order your steak in the US also in "midt" ?

PPS : I guess medium format is just correct in GB ? Oh ....these englishmen.in NY......tss tss!

 

[trendland]

Oh I wonder I wrote midt - this wasn't me sorry this was autocorection!

with regards

PS : I have problems with some correct spelling - that is real true! But I have not such great
problems as it seams to be.....!

PPS : To change language of tablet is for sure possible - but I don't realy trust!
For posting Photrio I ALLWAYS have a look what autocorrection has destroyed!
But from fast tipping it is .....a blame....what my tabet is telling from its mind!

PPPS : I don't trust to change because if I would forget to reset : A single E-Mail in that form
in business can destroy much more if a theoretical concern is to you here at Photrio!

 

[trendland]

Wtf is this midt format you keep mentioning?

By the way P A U L "Wtf." is not a word my tablet is autocorrecting and I personally realy don't
know or have in use ever!

with regards

PS : Pls. do not explain

 

[trendland]

Hope tablet is not learnig this abriviation just now and is autocorrecting next in case of fast tipping failures here at photrio?????? Or in job ....