Pentax 67ii - Thinks 220 loaded but isn't!

[Hawkdriver]

Hello,

I'm new to APUG and this is my first post so please forgive me if I'm not doing it correctly or if it's in the wrong section.

I have a minty Pentax 67ii kit I bought from Japan. The camera is like new, gorgeous, and after about 10 rolls of film I'm in love. However a problem has emerged.

I shoot 120 exclusively. When I load 120, despite having the plate set correctly to the 120 position, the camera's LCD readout still displays 220 as the film that has been loaded. So the camera thinks I have 220 loaded, although 120 is loaded and the plate is correctly set to 120. This results in me losing about 1/3 of my last frame, as well as the camera not being able to tell when the last shot has been taken. So I'm forced to advance the film and snap the shutter manually until I'm confident it's been fully wound onto the take up spool. Upon development I see a cut-off last frame.

I have fiddled with the camera but cannot get the camera to realize it has 120 film loaded. As stated earlier I only successfully shot about ten rolls prior to malfunction (to include slides, color neg, and b&w).

This has occurred with HP5, PAN F, and even a roll of TRI-X I had laying around.

Any help would be appreciated. This was a considerable investment and I adore the camera, I just want it to work.

Regards,

Josh

 

[ChuckP]

Have you tried removing the battery and then putting it back in? I assume you have slid the pressure plate back and forth several times to be sure it is set right. And the indicator on the camera back reads 120.

 

[benjiboy]

If you have done all the obvious things Josh like cleaning the electrical contacts and you like the camera so much, I suggest you have a professional camera technician diagnose the fault and give you a quote to repair it.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

There is I think a system reset for the 67ii involving the simultaneous pressing of buttons and switching on/off to clear the erroneous film spool size indication, provided that you have made all other changes to enable the camera to recognise the 120 film (and you obviously have). Ricoh-Pentax still services these cameras so if all else fails locate a service bench for a quick test. Unfortunately, it is a fallacy that equipment coming from Japan is "minty" 100% of the time. Apart from rampant collusion that drives prices up to ridiculous heights, their end-game is to describe a camera to make it sell and bring in the profit. They often are NOT thoroughly tested prior to be offered for sale. It could well be that your 67ii has a pre-existing/intermittent fault. Failing a soft reset (I do not know of the precise procedure), only a service technician can tell you for sure, along with the real count of rolls through the camera.
.::Garyh

 

[Alan Gales]

I have never shot the camera but here is the instructions. If you find them helpful then please mail M. Butkus $3.00.

http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_pdf/pentax_67_ii.pdf

 

[Hawkdriver]

Thank you all for your time and replies, it is very kind and I appreciate it. I was crossing my fingers for a smoking gun. Hoping someone would say, "common rookie mistake amigo . . . do this!" Or maybe even, "please direct yourself to the ancient thread where this issue was definitively resolved years ago." After more fiddling with batteries and everything else I'm left with no recourse but to have it checked out, luckily there is a good shop in town. I will also heed the words of caution offered concerning Japanese eBay sales, which is disappointing, because I've had nothing but the best of luck (until now). Perhaps it was only a matter of time . . .

 

[rajiv]

Hi Josh, Any luck getting this fixed? My pentax 67ii is doing the same thing. Any info would be most helpful. Thanks.

 

[Hawkdriver]

Ultimately I sent my camera to Le Zott Camera Repair in Williston Vermont. I spoke to them on the phone and was impressed by their professionalism and courtesy. My camera was turned around in just a few days. You will likely wince at the price (as I did), but once you are invested in this camera system there are precious few options. Maybe there were cheaper options closer to my area . . . but I couldn't find them. Best of luck!

http://lezot.com/pentax-6x7-67-67-ii-repair-service/

 

[benjiboy]

Ultimately I sent my camera to Le Zott Camera Repair in Williston Vermont. I spoke to them on the phone and was impressed by their professionalism and courtesy. My camera was turned around in just a few days. You will likely wince at the price (as I did), but once you are invested in this camera system there are precious few options. Maybe there were cheaper options closer to my area . . . but I couldn't find them. Best of luck!

http://lezot.com/pentax-6x7-67-67-ii-repair-service/

The price is't too bad, especially if it include a C.L.A, I consider having my equipment professionally serviced when it's required as part of the cost of my photography. which is why I've had most of it for more than thirty years, and it's all still in full working order.

 

[rajiv]

Thanks a lot for responding Josh. Glad to hear that the problem can be fixed.

 

[mtjade2007]

I just ran into this thread. I own a P67-ii. So I checked mine quickly. I do not see the LCD display showing the film being 120 or 220. The only place where you can see if the loaded film is a 120 or 220 is at the back of the film door right at the center. There is a small window right there that displays a number of 120 or 220. When you move the film plate inside left or right (120 or 220) the number is then shown at the window accordingly. There is no 120/220 display on the LCD or inside the view finder. The camera knows where the film plate is set at (120 or 220) by the plate's position. If it is 120 you will get to shoot 10 frames. If it is 220 then you get to shoot 21 frames.

If you load a 120 you will see the frame number on the LCD. When you have finished shooting 10 frames the display will change from 10 to -- and you can continue to advance the film to roll up the film so that you can take it out from the camera. When the frame counter shows -- you can not fire the shutter any more. If you set the film pate to 220 then your frame counter will continue from 10 to 21 and then --.

I get a feeling that there is nothing wrong with your P67-ii. It is a work horse and is not very likely to have the problem you described. Hope I am not too late to stop you from sending yours to a repair shop. Good luck. By the way, I love my p67-ii. I shoot almost 220 exclusively. But I do sometimes shoot 120. I never had any problem switching between the two.

 

[ChuckP]

You are right I don't see any direct 120/220 indication on the LCD display. I suppose you could call the fact that the frame numbers stop at different places an indication of 120/220 installed. I think the problem was that with the plate set at 120 the film counter didn't stop at 10 but continued on to 20. That was what needed to be repaired.

 

[mtjade2007]

You are right I don't see any direct 120/220 indication on the LCD display. I suppose you could call the fact that the frame numbers stop at different places an indication of 120/220 installed. I think the problem was that with the plate set at 120 the film counter didn't stop at 10 but continued on to 20. That was what needed to be repaired.

If the camera thinks you have 220 when in fact it is an 120 that's not as bad as the other way around. I think by sliding the film pressure plate left or right it causes a switch to flip. You may want to look into that to see if you can find a mechanism behind the film door that does the trick of telling the film winding mechanism if it is allowed to advance beyond frame 10 and continue to frame 21. I think there is a pin that is pressed in or not (when the film door closes) depending on if the plate is set to 120 or 220. Maybe the pin is bent. Or the pin is missed by the pate.

My camera is loaded with a roll of film so I can not look into it right now.

 

[mtjade2007]

I had the roll of film finished and was able to open the film back to check. There is indeed a pin that is press in (or not) by the pressure plate depending on the position of the plate (being 120 or 220).

 

[rajiv]

You are right I don't see any direct 120/220 indication on the LCD display. I suppose you could call the fact that the frame numbers stop at different places an indication of 120/220 installed. I think the problem was that with the plate set at 120 the film counter didn't stop at 10 but continued on to 20. That was what needed to be repaired.

Hi, I was traveling and did not see your posts till now. Thanks for your info/suggestions.

Actually the 220 symbol shows up on the top lcd when you load the film, close the back and start to wind till you get to number 1. Also the camera continues past 10 even while shooting with 120 film.
I have had the 120 correctly positioned on the back pressure plate always. In fact the I have never shot 220 film in this camera ever. I am not sure where the pin your referring to on the back. If you don't mid could you be a bit more specific, like is on the top right or bottom right corner? Thanks a lot.

 

[mtjade2007]

If you look at the camera from behind with the film door opened the metal pin is right beneath the shutter speed dial. You can see that the pin will be pushed down (into the camera) by the film pressure plate when the plate is positioned in one way but not the other. So this pin depressed in or not tells the camera if the film is a 120 or 220. It is the position of the plate that determines if the film will be 120 or 220. It is not determined by the film but by the position (left or right) of the plate.

 

[rajiv]

If you look at the camera from behind with the film door opened the metal pin is right beneath the shutter speed dial. You can see that the pin will be pushed down (into the camera) by the film pressure plate when the plate is positioned in one way but not the other. So this pin depressed in or not tells the camera if the film is a 120 or 220. It is the position of the plate that determines if the film will be 120 or 220. It is not determined by the film but by the position (left or right) of the plate.

Thank you so much. You are a life saver. I live in India and I was just about to ship the camera to the US which was about to cost a mini fortune. The local camera repair guy who supposedly put new light seals last month I think had pressed the pin in and it had got jammed inside. I managed to release with a gentle nudge with a pin. Thanks once again for your help.

 

[mtjade2007]

Glad to hear that it works now. Pentax P67-ii is a fantastic camera. Enjoy it.

 

[ColColt]

Don't you love it when a plan comes together and someone just makes your day?