Pentax 6x7

Would you buy the above model with broken chain and AE finder but no lens and at what price? Body appears to be very good.

campy51 said:

Would you buy the above model with broken chain and AE finder but no lens and at what price? Body appears to be very good.

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Only if the price was equal or slightly above the cost of a good working AE finder. I have two Pentax 67 cameras, but have never had to repair either in the close to 40 yrs I have owned them. I don't know how expensive or hard it is to repair the chain.

Personal experience taught me that buying a defective camera or lens in order to save money is never a good idea, for more than one reason.

There are many Pentax 6x7 in good condition on the used market. One may cost a bit more than a broken one. But then, it may cause you less problems and last you much longer.

"Body appears very good"...

Never judge on appearances alone.

If the meter coupling chain is broken, I would say there is a good chance that the camera has a few other problems too! These are now very, very old cameras, and the older they get the more unreliable for critical projects. Those from 1969 to 1975 are now the worst for major failures. The last-generation cameras with lots of improvements from 1991-1992 are still going. The chain is not required if you are manual (hand-held metering); indeed; you can focus and shoot with nothing on the top, just squinting down into the focusing screen! The coupling chain though is required if the metered prism is present on the camera. Repair entails disassembly of the lens mount and shims (and these cannot be reused), rethreading of replacement chain (e.g. TigerTail multistrand beading wire), testing, reassembly (with new shims) of the lens mount and finally collimation for correct focus — with a lens on. So it is not really a DIY job. This service can easily exceed the value of an old camera, so it is a matter of weighing up risk and reward.

My two P67 cameras, both dating from the final generation in 1991-1992, have OEM chains in-situ. It is essential to learn the specific way of removing and replacing the prism and lens so that tension is released on the chain. Too often new users unfamiliar with these cameras hit the interwebby with a saturating welter of stinging words about the cameras because they did not bother to understand the correct way of using them! Lots of things can (and do!) fail: the meter coupling chain, the winding mechanism, the film counter roller, shutter (capping), mirror solenoid (mirror sticks in the up position, or stops half way or does not work at all), shutter speed decay...it's a long list of things that can go wrong, and the older the camera, devoid of any routine or essential servicing over its undoubtably long life, the much higher the risk is of cascading failure.

Check with pentaxs.com for the cost of repairing the chain if you need that. I agree with Taylor--look for a 67. They are up to 20 years newer. What you're looking at--6x7 (MLU or not?), broken chain, metered prism, no lens, I'd maybe do $200-250. There is a 6x7 non MLU on eBay with a claimed working meter that will end up setting you back $390 with shipping and tariff. (I wouldn't buy that one either, personally. I would look for newer.)

They are asking $300 but they usually give me 10%off. Here are a couple of pictures, it looks to be in excellent condition. I thought about just using it on manual.

A 50 year old 6x7 (c. 1975) with a broken metering chain is not in "excellent condition".
And cosmetic condition is not ever an indicator of mechanical or electronic condition.

I wouldn't pause for breath looking at a camera with a non-functioning chain. This is a system camera with heaps and heaps of serious potential for a dedicated user.

Look for a working, functioning and tested Pentax 67, with a lens included.

Taylor K Nankervis said:

A 50 year old 6x7 (c. 1975) with a broken metering chain is not in "excellent condition".
And cosmetic condition is not ever an indicator of mechanical or electronic condition.

I wouldn't pause for breath looking at a camera with a non-functioning chain. This is a system camera with heaps and heaps of serious potential for a dedicated user.

Look for a working, functioning and tested Pentax 67, with a lens included.

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Cosmetic condition is a good indication how it was treated. The fact that the chain is broken is so common with this model even buying a working one in poorer condition doesn't mean the chain will not break. I guess a simple mistake in removing the finder can break the chain. I thought about trying to fix it myself but there's not much out there on doing that.

campy51 said:

I thought about trying to fix it myself but there's not much out there on doing that.

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It is not as easy as that, nor as easy as the pundits who record the process on YouTube.
The mount requires precise collimation to return focusing accuracy to spec. Just tweaking a few screws and saying it's fixed isn't even half the matter done. pentaxs.com can probably do the repair of the chain, but chances are he will find other problems that would need fixing too.

There are many ways an experienced, wary user of these cameras can determine the camera's functional patency going forward, even too, the presence of a niggle that indicates an emerging fault or failure, no matter the age of the camera.

A CLA for such a camera is around $500-600 US Dollars. Id expect theyd want to do that with a camera of this age, just to repair the chain. Look for a working unit. The best version one cameras to get are the ones that say Pentax on the prism and 67 on the body. Those are the newest version 1 cameras. Anything older and you run the issue of problems with them. Avoid any body that does not have the mirror lockup switch on the side of the lens box.