shooting a Pentax 67 hand held?

[stradibarrius]

I have heard that trying to shoot a Pentax 67 handheld was almost impossible. Is that true? It seems a bit extreme to me.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

There is a hand grip for it. Some people can do it. I have small hands for a guy and have nerve damage in my hands and feet so I have to use a tripod for most cameras.(I have a RB67)

Jeff

 

[batwister]

Did quite a bit a while back for a project and it's technically possible of course, but I found the grip no help at all, since the thing is so heavy... and I have weak skinny little wrists.

 

[dpurdy]

You can shoot with the P67 hand held. The wooden grip is a matter of opinion or preference. I don't like the wooden handle but I do like to shoot hand held sometimes. I am an average sized guy. I like to shoot landscape or cityscape without people. I am in the habit of shooting with the mirror locked up even when hand holding. If you cradle the camera in your left hand your left middle finger falls right on the mirror lock up button. So I compose and then hold still and lock the mirror up and then wait a couple seconds and then release the shutter. It is very easy to do and holding your composition is not difficult.

 

[mesantacruz]

OF course it's impossible... geez... don't even think of it...

jk... nothings impossible, just a hassle, and this one, a bit more than people would like to deal with. most will recommend a tripod, but you gotta shoot with what's more convenient to you at the time.


http://www.flickr.com/groups/67/discuss/72157623239999191/


more technical... and shows what the flickr shots won't show

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/pentax67ii.shtml


some idea of what apuggers think

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)


all in all not impossible but most certainly not for every application. I have an rb, and would shoot it with a waist level finder hand held... the p67 looks more friendly for this situation, but that is up to you.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I have heard that trying to shoot a Pentax 67 handheld was almost impossible. Is that true? It seems a bit extreme to me.

No, not impossible, a little 'out there' and definitely a handful!

It is a big camera that can pose a challenge, especially to people who are not beefcake class (e.g., me!). Mine is always docked the tripod to guarantee the very best quality of the imaging this system is capable of — nothing left to chance with 'freestyle' (handheld). I did it once, and only once, and found it quite a jarring experience as mirror and shutter whacked and thwacked. Some people find it OK with a left-hand grip, but the grip itself is far from in an ideal location, one person describing it like "gripping an unbalanced suitcase!". True, it does sit firmly when gripped correctly and steadied; the weight allows it to assume a natural stance that reduces any "rubbery feedback" common to small cameras. Using mirror lock-up reduces a small amount of this. The dispel a myth, the 67 was not designed as a studio camera for tripod-only use; you can use it any which way you please. No doubt many photographers use the 67 as a street/docu machine. Perish the thought with 3.2kg of metal hanging from your neck all day!!

 

[Chrismat]

The vast majority of the images I create with my Pentax 6X7 are done on a tripod, but I have used it hand held with no problems. A really wide camera strap is a must.

 

[ignatiu5]

I use mine handheld every week; some of my images here are with a Pentax 6x7. I'm not entirely sure where my tripod even resides right now.

 

[Hatchetman]

I use it handheld more often than not. I'd rather just carry the 10 lb camera than a 10 lb camera and a 10 lb tripod.

 

[rawhead]

I don't think I've ever put my 67II on a tripod (primarily because I don't do long exposure with it). Of course, I shoot a Speed Graphic with an Aero Ektar handheld, too, so I probably am the anomaly.

My 67II shots: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=88929764@N00&q=67II

 

[LiamG]

Back when I used the pentax 67, I'm pretty sure I never put it on a tripod. Why wouldn't it be possible?

You know people used to shoot with speed graphics and such, and many today wouldn't blink at the prospect of carrying a big pro DSLR with a 80-200 all the time.

 

[Pioneer]

I think that shooting handheld or not is more related to how large you would like to enlarge your negatives. I shoot my Crown Graphic handheld as frequently as I shoot it off of a tripod and that is also a big camera. I just don't usually plan on enlarging those negatives as much as I might those that were taken of the tripod.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Big prints will call for a tripod to guarantee the image quality. I don't buy that stuff about hand-holding at 1/125 and enlarging the print to a metre in all directions and considering it "super sharp". Far, far from it (it will also be visible on the lightbox).

Handle the 67 as you personally wish, according to what your work or hobby allows you to. A lot of professionals use it with a tripod, no less. Sensible and savvy.

 

[rawhead]

Not many people enlarge their prints to 2 m. Since the OP's question was "Is it impossible...?" the unequivocal answer to said question is "No, it is very possible".

Nick Brandt shot many (all?) of his shots for his Africa series using a 67; I'm quite sure not all of them were with a tripod.

 

[Oren Grad]

See Ctein's featured comment on this over at TOP:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/03/curtain-falls-on-67ii-and-645nii.html

 

[sbjornda]

ABSOLUTELY YES, hand-held is possible. Just use the "best practices" - keep your shutter speed equivalent or faster than the reciprocal of the lens's focal length; cup the lens with your left hand and squeeze the shutter - don't push it down; with telephoto lenses control your breathing and squeeze while exhaling; brace against a tree or other support if one is available; be patient and thoughtful and present in the moment. I've hand-held the 200mm with great success in good light, and even have some hand-held success with the 300mm. Normal and wide lenses are no problem at all hand-held! If you've ever held a rifle, use similar techniques when using a telephoto lens; cup it in your left hand, control your breathing, and squeeze don't push. Have no hesitation hand-holding with the normal to wide lenses - they're a joy to use with this camera. That said, if you can afford the luxury of setting up a tripod and mirror lockup, any camera in any situation will benefit.

That's with the prism finder. But if you have the waist level finder you can use it like you would a TLR, and the strap around your neck will serve as a support for the camera. That can be a lot of fun for street shooting. Just remember that if you have the meter prism, YOU NEED TO REMOVE THE LENS BEFORE MOUNTING THE METER PRISM or you risk breaking the little chain that controls the meter.

 

[dorff]

I shoot mine handheld, and on a tripod, depending on light levels, attainable shutter speeds with the film I'm using vs focal length of the lens etc. If one uses the 1/focal length guideline for shutter speed, then the results aren't bad on average. When using the camera out in the field, especially when it entails some hiking, I find what works best is to carry a monopod with a ball head. That way I can get almost any composition, with at least the up-down movement steadied. But that is not for 1/25 second exposures. More like 2/focal length. Meaning, I'll still shoot at 1/100 with the 200 mm. There is also a big difference between handheld with a full body brace position, e.g. sitting/lying down and resting both elbows on knees or ground, or using a tree or rock for supporting hands or elbows, vs standing up straight and holding the camera with both elbows free. The latter I try to avoid at all cost.

 

[wy2l]

I learned a valuable lesson about using a tripod with my Pentax 67 II:
a) Using a 20X loupe to examine hand-held P67 negatives
b) Reading Thornton's book "Edge of Darkness"

The negatives I thought were great were, in reality, very poor. Now I use a tripod.

 

[batwister]

I learned a valuable lesson about using a tripod with my Pentax 67 II:
a) Using a 20X loupe to examine hand-held P67 negatives
b) Reading Thornton's book "Edge of Darkness"

The negatives I thought were great were, in reality, very poor. Now I use a tripod.

Ansel Adams would have to pause for thought after reading Edge of Darkness, but would it REALLY make his prints better? The question of sharpness will never end for some, especially if they're compulsive. It's like digging for Australia.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Ansel Adams would have to pause for thought after reading Edge of Darkness, but would it REALLY make his prints better? The question of sharpness will never end for some, especially if they're compulsive. It's like digging for Australia.

LOL! "Digging for Australia"... tch, tch.
I'm not obsessive about sharpness. The holistic approach means I take the time to ensure the best result from start to finish. And the start is at the time of the exposure. Truth be told, the 67 tripod-mounted can also stuff up slow Tv exposures with the 165LS lens, the whack being so great and the propensity of that lens to amplify the shock also great. Additional tricks are employed for bracing the tripod with the 165LS.

 

[DREW WILEY]

P67 was once a popular aerial camera for handheld use. Shirakawa did some famous shots of the Himalyas from a plane with one. They also once made an underwater version of it. Not long ago I used my P67 handheld atop Haleakala in Maui. The wind was so severe that tripod use
would have been impossible. Since everything was at inifinity and I was using the 105 lens at around f/4, I had no problem getting very crisp
exposures with ASA 100 film (Ektar). But you need to shoot it at 1/100 or higher, or mirror slap will be a risk. In fact, I've done a lot of handheld shots with a P67. I'd much rather be shooting one on a wooden Ries tripod, and would much rather be shooting large format than
medium, but when you need it, you need it!

 

[Roger Cole]

Uuuumh..what kind of shutter speed do you usually employ? The smallest, lighterst weight half frame camera will get you a blur if you try ten second exposures. I used to take photos with a very heavy old Nikon F with attached motor drive and batttery pack and a 500mm f8 mirror lens. Big and Heavy. I could get usable frames from 1/15 of a second, hand held. Not every time but that is why you shoot more than one frame of a subject. It's like romancing a lady -- sometimes it is easy and sometimes you really have to work at it.

Up to a certain point more weight makes the camera easier to hold steady, not harder. This is often not understood, but mass is proportional to inertia. The limit comes when it's so heavy it's difficult for you to hold making your muscles twitch more.

 

[cfclark]

Up to a certain point more weight makes the camera easier to hold steady, not harder. This is often not understood, but mass is proportional to inertia. The limit comes when it's so heavy it's difficult for you to hold making your muscles twitch more.

+1 to this. I shoot mine handheld quite frequently and find the mass of the camera to be helpful in keeping it steady. That said, if you can get used to the mirror lock-up, that will cut down on vibration, a good tripod even more so.

 

[batwister]

Mirror lock up is counter intuitive when shooting on the fly. Medium speed film, 1/125 and you're sorted. No need to make this convoluted. I have quite a few made at 1/60 handheld and in actual fact, accurate focus was the issue here - due to opening up in late afternoon light. Conventionally speaking, candid photography (I'm guessing this is why anyone would want to use it handheld) is obviously better in daylight anyway - more subjects.

Agree with the weight thing. This is why the steadycam was invented after all.

 

[tron_]

No idea why people make this out to be such a good deal, I know it's not a Pentax 67 but a lot of people warned me not to buy the Mamiya RZ67 because it was "SO HEAVY" that hand held photos would be out of the question.

The funny thing is I've shot down to 1/15 with that camera with excellent results .

Just hold your breath, keep as still as you can, and push your film if you absolutely have to.