Anyone gone from a Pentax 67 to a 67II?

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10speeduk

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Hi all, I am looking to buy a Pentax 67 as I love the rendering and sharpness...(dreams)

Anyway, the is the 67II just as 67 with metering??? I have a Gossen Digisix. Has anyone experienced both and feel they can give me an opinion of the cost benefit?

I am planning on using it for portraits/fashion styles. I am budgeting around £400.00 for a 67 with prism and a lens, 67II seem to be £800+ :sad:

Thanks

Paul
 

dpurdy

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I have read claims that the mirror slap has better damping in the 67II. It has a little better grip.
Problem I have with the Pentax 67 and portraits is the large percentage of closed eyes pictures.
The mirror going up makes enough noise to make people blink just in time for the shutter to open.
I solved the problem for myself by using a tripod and mirror lock up even with portraits.
Dennis
 

voceumana

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The 67II was a redesign, not just adding a meter. It incorporated additional mirror dampening, in addition to electronics to support the 67II AE prism. Other things were added, I believe. I think the 67II is a much better design, but that's my opinion. Often the older 67's and 6x7 had a handle grip (wooden) to help support them. The 67II has a bulging on the right side of the case which helps stabilize it. I don't find I need an additional grip with the 67II.

Charlie
 
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10speeduk

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Thanks guys! Just bought me a 67 with the 90mm lens. Excited! Once it arrives I will be off to get a new tripod!
 
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10speeduk

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Anyone recommend a Tech for Pentax 67 CLA in the UK? I hope I wont need it!
 

mtjade2007

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I bypassed P67 and went straight to a P67-ii 10 years ago after reading a lot of info about p67. I have not regretted a bit for my decision. The most significant advantage of p67-ii is in its much brighter AE prism finder and its aperture priority auto exposure feature. These make the p67-ii as fast and easy as a 35mm SLR with auto exposure feature. The P67-ii's AE prism is the brightest of all MF SLRs I have seen. It makes me want to shoot only with 220 films. 120 films are simply too short for this camera. If there were 100 frame films for this camera I would use it no doubt.

As far as mirror slap it never caused any problems to me. Yes, each time you depress the shutter button you will feel the jolt of the camera body. But it is always after the frame was already exposed. It's kind of like shooting a rifle. After firing the trigger the barrel of the rifle gets a jolt but it does not affect the bullet reaching the target. I always handhold the camera but I never got any blurred pictures. I sometimes shoot at 1/30th of a second with no problems.
 

MFstooges

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The most significant advantage of p67-ii is in its much brighter AE prism finder and its aperture priority auto exposure feature.

+1

Also please handle the 90mm carefully it is crazy sharp it can cut your finger :tongue:
 
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The 67/6x7 has a rudimentary, but very capable TTL averaging meter. It meters to 1 second, after which you'll be relying on your razor sharp incident/multispot+AVG hand-held metering skills. :smile:

These cameras are getting on a bit now, particularly those that have seen a lot of active service. Problems noteworthy on used bodies include jamming mirror (not related to battery status), faulty shutter brake/damper, loss of timing accuracy (from having the shutter cocked for a prolonged period of time without shooting), worn/scratchy winding mechanism, skippy winding gears, damaged/inoperable shutter hang reset button (recessed on front left side), worn light seals and disintergrating TTL prism sealing foam.
Still, scooting around with a keen nose can still get you a specimen that commands a stand-up-and-gasp response — as mine did. The 67II shares similarities (and SMC Pentax lenses) and somewhat modernised, improved handling over the clunky, tank-like but inimitably Pentax feel of the 67. Remember that all these cameras have 120 film, so the mirror box is correspondingly large, ditto the whack and clack, hence the mirror-lock up function (which I consider a very wise feature, though not all bodies have it) that provides a degree of insurance.

I really thought I had bought a fairly average kit until the first few rolls came back shot with 55 f4 and 165 f4: those trannies on the lightbox were anything but "average"! The 90mm 2.8 lens is a bright, squat little affair that can be welcome if you freestyle the big 67 sans-tripod, as it is a third of the size of many other lenses and a great deal lighter. There are times when I'd like a mid-range lens like that, but I'm not fanatical about carrying yet more weight around!! APUG member SMBooth sometimes bushwalks with a non-metered 6x7 and 90mm lens and the results are impressive. Get whatever you want and take it for a spin. All said and done I don't think you'll be disappointed. Just a little weary from hauling the big gun about...
 
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10speeduk

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Anyone recommend a Pentax 67 CLA guy in the UK?
 

mtjade2007

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Anyone recommend a Pentax 67 CLA guy in the UK?

Is there anything wrong with your newly acquired P67? I personally don't like to fix anything that is not broken, especially for delicate machines like cameras.
 
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10speeduk

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Is there anything wrong with your newly acquired P67? I personally don't like to fix anything that is not broken, especially for delicate machines like cameras.

Don't know yet as it should arrive today hopefully. I like to have a good contact on standby though.
 
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10speeduk

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Ran my first film through yesterday. Kodak portra 160. The camera is a delight to use so far. I shot everything tripod mounted with mirror up. Focus is nice on my 90mm with a long range of adjustment to ensure a perfect focus. I spot metered with my digisix rather than using the average meter built in. The weight and size are so far not an issue. The tripod did fall over at one point and hit the grass. The grass came off worst :smile: 67 left a dent in it! I have a Slik Pro 700DX on the way to keep this beast upright in future. The real test will be the pics, which were sent to the lab this morning. If they are on the money, then I will be selling my Mamiya 645 Pro TL.
 

Jos Segers

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Anyone recommend a Pentax 67 CLA guy in the UK?

Anyone recommend a Pentax 67 CLA guy in the UK?

Pentax Europe in Hamburg (Germany) was the only and last place capable of reparing my broken 67II. This has to do with electronics and certain parts needed for this camera. Also very expensive. At least that was the situation a few years ago.

Finding a person with expertise to repair a mechanical 67 or 6x7 will be easier. I don't know the situation in the UK.
 
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Ran my first film through yesterday. Kodak portra 160. The camera is a delight to use so far. I shot everything tripod mounted with mirror up. Focus is nice on my 90mm with a long range of adjustment to ensure a perfect focus. I spot metered with my digisix rather than using the average meter built in. The weight and size are so far not an issue. The tripod did fall over at one point and hit the grass. The grass came off worst :smile: 67 left a dent in it! I have a Slik Pro 700DX on the way to keep this beast upright in future. The real test will be the pics, which were sent to the lab this morning. If they are on the money, then I will be selling my Mamiya 645 Pro TL.


Very wise thing to do shooting with mirror up on tripod, and the squat 90mm is a bit breezier to grip than the larger SMC Pentax lenses. Examine the negs/trannies under 8x to 10x loupé to ensure they are as sharp as they appear, especially with tripod use. And do try to keep the tripod upright and not forever aiming for the ground...:smile:
 
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Sirius Glass

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I went from a Mamiya C-330 to a Hasselblad, does that count?

Siriusly, does the camera fit your hands well? Is it comfortable for you to use? Buy what pleases you.
 
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10speeduk

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Well, thanks for all the comments :smile: . My Pro700 slik arrived today. It is a monster compared to my old tripod, beautifully made and all movements appear dampened. The 67 will have to be bloody-minded and suicidal to leap off it! I am expecting my negs to be back from the lab over the nxt couple of days....exciting... I am also planning a model shoot this weekend. It will be around lots of modern sky scrapers. Shame I don't have a wide angle lens for it yet. £250 on ebay is a little rich for me right now. Worst case I can tweak a bit in photoshop to emulate the wide angle (sorry guys!).
 
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10speeduk

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First roll back today. Here is the best shot from the roll:

for-mm.jpg

Neg scanned it a bit blue (maybe the lens) so had to add some yellow to balance it. I am very pleased and will be selling my Mamiya 645 pro tl. Maybe a 45mm in future!
 

dpurdy

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You certainly have a beautiful model to take pictures of. That is not exactly a sharp image though that is doubtless a scanner issue.
You might consider the 55mm for wide. I like it a lot better than the 45 though it is a matter of taste and others will like the 45 better.
The 55 is a great lens with no barrel distortion and very sharp. It is the main reason I have the P67.
Dennis
 
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10speeduk

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You certainly have a beautiful model to take pictures of. That is not exactly a sharp image though that is doubtless a scanner issue.
You might consider the 55mm for wide. I like it a lot better than the 45 though it is a matter of taste and others will like the 45 better.
The 55 is a great lens with no barrel distortion and very sharp. It is the main reason I have the P67.
Dennis

Thanks Dennis, I think I just missed the focus on that one. I am planning a shoot with a model and some sky scrapers this weekend, thought a wide angle could work well for this. Need to sell my other camera first! I wonder whether the 55mm will distort the background enough to help the composition??? I mean creating exaggerated diverging lines. Glad you are enjoying the 67 too. What films do you use?
 
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I agree with dpurdy re lens selection. The 55mm f4 is a modern (and heavy) design lens far removed from the early Takumars in optical performance: it, and its bigger brethren, the 165mm f4 LS (portrait lens), is impressively sharp, right down to the smallest detail. Remember with the 67 sharpness can be sacrificed by vibration or movement: all of my shots use a tripod. The 55 can be shot at f4 for portraiture and down to f5.6 with still good delineation (actually, f11 is my working Av in rainforests, with a Schott/Kausmann polariser). If you're into portraiture, I don't really see the need for a 45mm and longer lenses will allow a greater working distance and very shallow throw of focus. There is a fairly wide variation in optical performance across the entire Takumar/SMC Pentax 67 lens range, varying from average/B- to A/A+ excellent. Examine used lenses carefully.
 

Michael W

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First roll back today. Here is the best shot from the roll:

View attachment 55605

Neg scanned it a bit blue (maybe the lens) so had to add some yellow to balance it. I am very pleased and will be selling my Mamiya 645 pro tl. Maybe a 45mm in future!
Any odd colour cast like you mention is almost certainly the result of how you scanned the film. there's no way a good Pentax lens is going to give a blue cast.
 
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10speeduk

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Any odd colour cast like you mention is almost certainly the result of how you scanned the film. there's no way a good Pentax lens is going to give a blue cast.

That makes sense. Colour film from my rolleicord was the same.
 
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