Pentas 67 fine motor challenge

Hello, I have a Pentax 67 that I have been using for a couple of months. I LOVE the camera except for loading and unloading film on the stupid thing. I have other 120 cameras and none give me such a hard time loading the film. I have resorted to using a pair of tweezers to get the spools in place. It is a major PITA. Do you guys know of any tips or tricks that can help overcome my fine motor skills deficit?

Thanks in advance.

Joaquin,.

I was just talking this morning with an astronaut about what a PITA changing out 70mm film (Hasselblad back) was in zero-G in a changing bag.
He was happy to see film "go away" and digital be a mainstay.
Nuf said... practice. Although I've only loaded a Pentax 67 a couple times... I used the Swedish stuff.

I have owned my P67 for a lot of years and have put a lot of rolls in and still I often struggle with it. I can't find a trick other than just to try to line up the slot by eye before you put it in. I have used mine for portrait and wedding photography and it can be pretty embarrassing when you just can't get the stupid roll to slip in. Makes you look pretty inept. The camera is worth it though. Love my 55mm lens even more than my 75,90,and 105.
Dennis

Seems to help if I advance the film reel to where it is perpendicular to the film plane. Still a bear, but it helps.

No Leica

I got rid of the two film Leica 35mm cameras I had because they are such a pain in the patoot to load and one is always wondering if the film is actually going through the thing.

I love my 67II, but I often find it to be a PITA to load. Sometimes the spools go in without even trying, but most of the times, they dont. I have found it to be easier if I rotate the spinners on the top to be perpendicular to the film plane, then drop the roll in top first, aligning the roll by eye, it's a little easier. I did learn pretty quickly not to pull off the seal until the roll is locked in place.

I find an intensive cursing session somewhat helpful.

I would caution very strongly against using any tools, especially tweezers, for this task given the proximity of the shutter curtain.

Over time and with plenty of use, loading and unloading the 67 will become second nature—it has to. To many new users, including me, loading the beast was a fumblefest—but it is not now. You have to learn to drive a car. You have to learn to type and use a computer. Loading a 67 has initially daunted the brave. The mistake many photographers make is removing the paper security tab of a new roll of film BEFORE they have seated the roll in the chamber! Best practice is to seat the roll of film in the chamber (orientating the hole in the film roll with the nib at the top of the chamber speeds the process up), lock the roll in place and THEN remove the security tab and, index finger and middle finger placed at top and bottom of the new roll of film to provide tension, pull out the leader to feed it into the take-up spool. Not rocket science but as I said, like so many other things correct technique once mastered will make things a breeze—even in the worst conditions.

thanks to everyone for the input


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wy2l said:

I find an intensive cursing session somewhat helpful.

Click to expand...

On the few occasions I have tried, it did not make the 67II any easier to load. I find every aspect of using the 67II a complete breeze once the film is actually in and winding on.

Ahhh remove the tab after locking in the fresh roll. I will try this next time. Usually its drops in pretty easy, only one or two times really come to mind when I had to struggle with it. Keeping the tab on until its locked in seems like it would help keep the roll tight and remove the hassle of being ultra carful not to let the leader extend.

It will become second nature eventually. I suggest you grab a dud/ruined roll of 120 and use this as loading/unloading practice roll, using a piece of masking tape to secure the leader of the 'tester roll' to facilitate the exercise. Then all you need to master is aligning the spool hole with the chamber nib on both sides (beware this can be a bloody infuriating exercise in low or poor light!). Practice makes perfect... ;-)


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