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I'm surprised not to find any review or words about the 67ii. I've been using a P67 for a few years now for both astrophotography and landscape. A great rugged camera and well suited for astro with a battery bypass device developed by my friend.
I recently acquired a 67ii and can state that it surpasses the functionality of the older 67. Ergonomically - it seems to naturally fit the hands, and all functions to adjust exposure, MLU, ISO - everything is right where it should be. Additional features like a internal shade to block stray light from entering the view finder which could change the exposure reading, especially when using the timer mode. Timer mode, matrix, centre, or spot meter, which brings me to the AE prism.
The single most improved feature is the addition of AE and metering. Many times in low light conditions, the older 67 would require your to play with half stops on the lens to get the meter as close to the -< as possible, with the shutter dial being adjusted between .2 and .4. With AE on manual - the display visible in the view finder would show a .2 or .4 as the shutter speed selected. Switch to AE function and the in-between setting of .3 comes up. Adjust the lever to Auto on the lens, turn the dial and view the DOF, and fire away - knowing the best shutter speed is being selected for that exposure. Great for fast shooting situations.
Once you stop down the lens - the metering system automatically goes from matrix - for wide open wide angle shots - to centre weighted to average the scene. Select Spot - to get into those special lighting situations. In either case - AE is right there to select shutter speed, and it is displayed in the "heads up" view finder.
If you want to have more control - turn the EV dial to jump into manual mode. Dial in + or - exposure by 1/3 stop - up to 3 full stops in total. No need to reach around for the stop dial on the lens. It's all right there.
The frame counter is also shown in the heads up display. This can be changed - albeit by having the camera program changed - to display the f stop instead. Much more useful for my purposes.
Lastly - it meters with either inner - or outer lens ring connection. I've used the 67ii for astro photos with my Tec telescope at f7. The field flattener from Tec is designed to have the 67 cameras attached directly using the outside ring. Takes a bit of practice, but work well and locks up solid. I also use the 1.4x converter turning the scope into f/10. When you first turn on the camera with the finger lever, the meter will show a confused figure - and an arbitrary shutter speed that is way off the mark. Wait for the display to extinguish after 20 seconds, the activate the meter by touching the shutter button, or go manual. The meter will usually display the corrected value. Mine first showed 4s when turned on with the Tec, then cycling the AE changed the shutter speed to .4. I was shooting a 1/2 moon at the time.
In simplified terms - if you are serious about medium format photography, and love your older P67 or 6x7 camera, then get your hands on a 67ii. Once you do - you will NEVER let go. It's that good.
Last edited by P67; 11-23-2009 at 05:05 PM.
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