Can anyone help me decide between a Pentax 67 or the Pentax 67II?

[manfrominternet]

Hi all,

I've been shooting large format 4x5 for a while and just started to get into medium format shooting since it's so much more cost effective and portable. As of late, I've been shooting with a Bronica GS-1 (6x7), which is a fantastic camera, but the TTL averaging center-weighed metering is totally messed up. I don't necessarily want to carry a light meter with me to "fix" this issue since I'm more of a run-and-gun type shooter. (I've been kicked out of more places by security guards than I can count.)

That said, I'm considering buying into the Pentax 67 family. The only problem is that I don't know if it would be better to pay the extra premium for the Pentax 67II (1998) or if the previous version, the Pentax 67 (from 1989), would suffice.

I do like that the Pentax 67II has 3 TTL metering modes. I believe the previous model, the Pentax 67, only has an averaging TTL meter, but I'm not exactly sure of that, nor am I sure how accurate it is.

That said, does anyone here have any experience with either or both of these Pentax models? Can anyone offer suggestions? Is the Pentax 67II really worth the premium paid over the Pentax 67?

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

 

[Alan9940]

I had a Pentax 67 for many years, with TTL meter prism, before moving to the Pentax 67II. Personally, I like the 67II better because 1) right-hand grip, 2) view piece diopter adjustment for vision, 3) significantly brighter focus screen, 4) significantly more accurate metering with the AE prism, and 5) ever so slightly lighter. I did not find the TTL meter prism on the 67 to be accurate; or, I never learned how to properly use it. But, IMO you really can't go wrong with any version of the 67, though, I'd personally avoid the non-MLU model due to the slower shutter speeds I use quite often in landscape photography.

 

[138S]

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

The 67II is the one having spot and multi segment, all three models have center weighted...


You may find interesting this review:

https://jeffandmichelephoto.com/learn/what-are-the-differences-between-pentax-67-models
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Pentax_67

I'm using the 67II that replaced a 6x7. I found no problem with the 67II that, at least, it will be newer than a 67. Those are reliable cameras, but the II may be more complex to repair if "something" happens, but I judged safer the II choice because of aging.

The great thing about the P67 system is the Takumar glass... what a glass !!! Of course bokeh is a matter of taste and even some people shot "all in focus", but when job is a protrait then the takumars rock like not many other things out there... last weekend I shot 4 rolls, two portras one ektar and one tx, still I've not seen the result but I know well what is has to be there, this is about having some charming light and the takumars won't fail. Those pentax are a powerful tool...

To me a P-67 rocks because it combines the amazing sharpness from MF with a distinct silky bokeh from the glass, then we add the film medium nature that selectively shows lower contrast textures smoother than edges. If you add the Portra spectral sensitivity... you have a world class portraiture device. Do what you want with a Pro dslr and photoshop... no chance to come close for portraiture... This is IMO, of course, YMMV, but personally I see it quite clearly.

The handle of the P67s cameras is not for shooting, that handle is for transport only. A removable back (RZ... Hassie) would be interesting because you may change film without finishing the rolls, and reloading in a session is faster... The P67 II lacks that but its handling is better, and this may allow better shots many times.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125592977@N05/46463362194/

 

[BradS]

Yeah, definitely the 67II...for all the reasons stated by the previous posts.

 

[skorpiius]

The 67II does not offer swappable backs correct?

 

[voceumana]

No, none of the Pentax 67 & 6x7 series have interchangeable backs. The Bronica GS-1, and Mamiya RB or RZ 67's have interchangeable backs.

 

[Hatchetman]

PERSONALLY I would stick with my 6x7. Much cheaper, relatively fixable. If I drop it, it's not the end of the world. The lenses are the same obviously. The light meter works OK but for serious work I would use an external meter.

 

[138S]

The 67II does not offer swappable backs correct?

It is the single feature I personally miss, but in trade you get a very good ergonomy.

Still the Pentax 645 system has swappable backs and it also has a nice grip...

 

[Oren Grad]

Availability of repairs is an issue. Pentax specialist Eric Hendrickson won't do them (also no longer does non-MLU 6x7's). Ricoh Imaging in Japan no longer accepts any film Pentaxes for repair, so that's not a backstop either. There may be shops still willing to do some repairs, cannibalize other bodies for parts, etc., but it might be worth asking around to see if you can identify a specific resource in advance so that you're prepared in case a problem arises.

 

[Arthurwg]

I do think the repair situation is a major consideration with any film camera these days. Contax, Fuji, Hasselblad 200 series and many other great camera systems can no longer be repaired.

 

[bluechromis]

I have found the meter in the prism of my 6 x 7 to work pretty well. When I test it on fairly evenly lit subjects in matches what I get on my handheld meter. As with many in-camera meters you have to be cognizant of issues with uneven lighting such as backlit subjects, bright skies, throwing the meter off.

 

[138S]

Yes... Still Pentax 67 system still has some workshops that will repair it, at least for most of the issues.

In the USA for example there is LeZot:

http://lezot.com/pentax-service/
http://lezot.com/pentax-67ii-repair/



In London there are several places, two at least, IIRC. I heard about several in Germany... and I know a (near) technician that he would repair it, but he may ask to bring a "for parts" unit depending on the problem.

6x7 and 67 had an issue with mirror up blocked that's easy to repair... https://skrasnov.com/pentax-67/stuck-mirror-repair/


Today P67II cameras are quite expensive compared to recent times... ebay price increased a lot severtal years ago... We see many at ebay but not many for parts, so it looks the chance to get a severe breakdown is not much probable.

Pentax has always made reliable gear, a P67 may shot thousands of rolls without having an issue if we treat the camera with proper care. A non Pro user that will shot (say) 50 rolls per year will have little problems. If today it existed a Pro user using it every day then he sure would have more chances to have an issue.

PD:

This is one I recall in London:

http://www.asahiphoto.co.uk/

 

[Alan9940]

If I drop it, it's not the end of the world.

If you drop a P67, I'd worry more about what it lands on!!

 

[138S]

If you drop a P67, I'd worry more about what it lands on!!

One may need a new foot

Anyway a P67II body weights only 1290g, the 35mm Nikon F5 is 1445gr with bateries.

 

[halfaman]

Pentax 67II is a tank. I dropped it accidentally from more than 1 meter high into hard asphalt and it got just a tiny bumb.

As mentioned, Pentax 67II is super accurate and really confortable to handle with the grip.

 

[btaylor]

Why not just buy another GS-1 with a functional meter? Mine work very well on 2 bodies, and bodies are inexpensive.

 

[johnha]

As mentioned, the 6x7 non-MLU is very hard to find repairs for, 6x7 MLUs and 67s may still be repairable, and 67iis have lots of electronics. They're all very old cameras now and if buying a 67ii I'd make sure I had a good warranty given the cost (a 6x7 MLU or 67 is less risky as the cost is significantly lower should you have a problem).

The older 6x7/67 metering prisms come in different branding: Originally Asahi then Pentax - they were updated under the hood over the years, some earlier ones are more troublesome. In my experience they're accurate enough for chromes once you get used to them but many others prefer hand held meters.

 

[138S]

The older 6x7/67 metering prisms come in different branding: Originally Asahi then Pentax - they were updated under the hood over the years, some earlier ones are more troublesome. In my experience they're accurate enough for chromes once you get used to them but many others prefer hand held meters.

As metering in the 6x7/67 is ponderated, then for chromes we should know how to meter in ponderated mode, if one wants to know if sky is to be toasted then one has to frame sky only to know how overexposed it will be, if framing the whole landscape then we don't know the local exposure in the sky/clouds...

The 67II has an spot meter, so for chromes we easily check what local exposure will result in each interesting spot, so we can predict the result with precision. Of course the 67II hs also matrix mode that is quite more intelligent than ponderated, if we don't have time to evaluated well the scene with the spot meter.

In 6x7cm format when shooting chromes we usually invest a substantial effort in the metering, only 10 shots there

 

[Lachlan Young]

The only significant advantage of the 67II is the matrix meter - otherwise you're better off with any of the other 6x7/ 67 models in good condition with a plain prism and a handheld meter - and there's no need for ridiculously extravagant metering techniques if you have an incident meter or a spotmeter with the IRE scale (the Pentax Digital Spotmeter has a pretty easy to use version of it, if someone hasn't stuck a zone sticker over the most useful feature of the device) - it takes seconds to read the contrast range of a scene & key your exposure to shadows or highlights, depending on the film you are using.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I'll stick with the MLU standard P67; they're remarkably reliable. There seems to be less issues than the 67II. But being older, you want to make sure the light seal material hasn't gotten gummy; but it's easy to replace. Less expensive too. I don't care about the meter issue. I always use a handheld Pentax Spotmeter meter anyway; no TTL meter is going to be as accurate. Or you might want to try a different finder than a prism one. Whatever. Just realize you can't mix finders like you can lenses, relative to which camera series you get.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

It is the single feature I personally miss, but in trade you get a very good ergonomy.

Still the Pentax 645 system has swappable backs and it also has a nice grip...

Pentax 645 has film inserts not backs. Outside of theoretical game playing that would allow sort of stopping exposure mid-roll, then continuing on, one has to complete a roll before switching to next.

 

[Randy Stewart]

The accuracy issue some people have with the TTL meter on the 6x7/67 usually comes from not understanding how it works. Film photographers are used to the center weighted TTL metering common to almost all 35mm cameras. The Pentax 67 meter is not center weighted, but reads and averages exposure over the entire screen. I have used that TTL metering for 35 years and find it to be very accurate, assuming you understand what it is reading. Overall, I prefer my 67II body & meter: choice of metering modes; much better grip. (These after-market plastic grips for the 67 bodies sold on ebay are the best $25 you can spend on the earlier bodies.)

 

[calico]

I do think the repair situation is a major consideration with any film camera these days. Contax, Fuji, Hasselblad 200 series and many other great camera systems can no longer be repaired.

Just fyi, Hasselblad/Bron in New Jersey will work on Hasselblad 200 series cameras. However, they cannot replace the shutter. They repaired my 201F in past year.