| Author: | | New Member Registered: November, 2019 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: April 26, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $725.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Image quality. | | Cons: | Film loading can be a pain. | |
Bought 'used' in 2001, with TTL metering prism and a 105mm f2.4 lens, for approx. $725.00 in virtually mint condition. Serial number indicates 1993 production. Replaced a much-missed Pentax 6x7 M/U that I foolishly sold in 1991
Gives wonderful service with my fairly extensive collection 6x7 lenses. Most often used these days with the 105mm f2.4 and an elderly (but very sharp) 150mm f2.8. Gets occasional studio outings with 90mm and 165mm L/S lenses. Equally my 55mm and 75mm f4.00 get the odd bit of use.
Despite extensive use of a 6x7 M/U, and now this 67, I still find film loading a pain at time. However, this is worth it for the sheer quality of image the 67 and its lenses are capable of producing.
Unlike my previous 6x7 M/U my current 67 came with a TTL metering prism. I've only actually relied on it a few times when I found it metered satisfactorily. However, 99.99% of the time I prefer to meter with my faithful Minolta Autometer IV. I keep intending to sell the TTL prism and replace it with a plain one, but never seem to get round to it.
The 67 has always been 100% reliable and has never required any service attention. All that has ever been attended to has been its light seals which, while not giving any light leak problems, were beginning to crumble. These I replaced myself quite easily with a kit bought from Japan via EBay .
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2019 Posts: 41 | | Review Date: June 18, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $105.00
| Rating: N/A |
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Just got a fantastic deal on a Pentax 67 with minimal issues (worn speed selector, missing meter chain, but otherwise pretty clean & good); adding the price now, review to come as I get accustomed to it and the system.
edit: 2 years in, that 67 is still going strong after approximately 100 rolls. it's a fantastic camera and well worth picking up. I'm actually not using it as my daily driver; I got an older 6x7 MLU fixed up by eric hendrickson, and loaned the 67 to my sister. the system is heavy and slow to use and I have trouble recommending it at the current prices when compared to some of the cheaper options but they are genuinely very nice cameras.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2016 Posts: 20
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 31, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 9 |
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I have used this camera for about 6 months now and highly rate it. Hand holding for me is not a problem and the IQ with the 105 f2.4 attached is outstanding. I don't find that I need the light meter attached at all and in fact do not miss having one! I have achieved great results hand held with shutter speeds above 1/125th with no blur at all. For the price that I paid $350US with the 105 f2.4 attached this camera has to be the bargain of the century if you are looking to move into medium format photography. Highly recommended!
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2016 Posts: 41 | | Review Date: March 19, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Viewfinder = wow | | Cons: | Mirror slap if handheld | |
Had a few of these and loved them all, the viewfinder focus screen
was my fav aspect of using them, as was guessing the light and jumping
when the shutter fired. Later I used one on tripod for some Astro photography with slide film and tripod, took photos for hours that night...really a gorgeous and simple older camera.
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2011 Location: Kansas City Posts: 194
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 11, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $270.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Huge negatives; large array of terrific lenses | | Cons: | Heavy; shutter vibration; can be hard to find in good condition | |
The Pentax 67 is like a giant Spotmatic in some ways, and its size and weight can be intimidating at times. That weight can be significantly reduced by choosing a non-prism finder. For mine, I acquired a Pentax 6x7 rigid "chimney hood" viewfinder, and it works great.
The camera has mirror lock-up, which is a good thing, but the vibration from the huge focal plane shutter still requires you to stick to faster shutter speeds (e.g., > 1/125) and sometimes faster films.
This is actually my second review for the Pentax 67 body. I deleted my first review because I have since acquired a "good" copy of the camera, and so I now have a much more positive impression of the camera's capabilities. That said, it does point out one of the cons with the Pentax 67, which is the increasing difficulty of finding a body that is still in decent shape after all these years; I'm glad I did, as this camera can be pretty fun to use, and it delivers negatives with a considerable "Wow!" factor.
In the end, the images I have gotten with this Pentax 67, paired with the standard 105mm lens, have been really nice with remarkable resolution, strikingly shallow depth of field, and terrific contrast. I would say the images easily match the quality of my Hasselblad 500CM with 80mm Planar, but this Pentax is much less of a pain to load and shoot than the Hasselblad (though nowhere near as easy as the Pentax 645N).
I am very pleased with the Pentax 67, and the availability of awesome glass for this system -- and at quite affordable prices -- is really nice.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,092
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 3, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $995.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build, all manual and easy to learn/use features. | | Cons: | TTL/Auto lens/Camera coupling system. | |
After about 20 years of procrastinating I finally purchased my first Medium Format camera in the fall of 2011 and chose the Pentax 67. I had looked at Mamiya, Voigtlander, Pentax 645 & 67II, but settled on the 67 as I liked its simplicity and all manual features with no LCD screen.
Pros:
The Pentax 67 has all the features that I really need most notably MLU.
There are four viewfinders available for the 67, the TTL & non metered prisms and the rigid magnifying & folding hoods. I have all four and like them all except the TTL prism. I use the non metered prism for hand held shooting and one of the two hoods for tripod work. Since I purchased a hand held light meter, I rarely use the TTL prism.
The build of the 67 is impressive and is better than any of my Pentax 35mm film cameras. It’s a heavy camera but not too heavy for me to hand hold at shutter speeds of 1/125s or higher. I use a tripod/MLU for shutter speeds 1/60s or lower.
Film loading/unloading is simple and a lot easier than with 35mm cameras. Everything works perfectly.
Cons:
The only real negative with the Pentax 67 is the TTL metered prism and the coupling system it uses to connect to the camera body when using an "AUTO" lens. There is a strict procedure for mounting the TTL meter first before mounting an auto diaphragm lens or you can break the small coupling chain on the camera body. This system is Mickey Mouse at best and was finally fixed with the 67II & AE metered prism.
The flash sync speed is slow at 1/30s, but there are Pentax 6x7 leaf shutter lenses with a sync speed of 1/500s to compensate.
Summary:
I really like the Pentax 67 camera and I'm glad I picked it over the other bodies/formats I was looking at. I mostly use the 67 around town or on short road trips where the size of the 6x7 system is not an issue. (On long trips via air I still use my 35mm film cameras.) Looking at a 6x7 slide for the first time on a light table is a wonder to behold, truly impressive over the smaller 135 & 645 formats.
Price:
The price I paid was for a boxed mint Pentax 67 body & TTL metered prism. There were no signs of use and all warranties/manuals included.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: February, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,272
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 26, 2009 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
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Actually the Pentax 67 camera was little changed from its predecessor, the Asahi Pentax 6x7 MLU. Of course the 67 finder has the Pentax logo instead of Asahi Pentax. The body also shows this change by just showing 67. Internally, it is rumored that the film winder mechanism was beefed up. One difference I've noticed between the two types is that some of the newer 67 bodies have problems metering the outer bay lenses. Also, some 67s will not meter with the extension tube set or Helicoid tube, even when the lens is set to manual. The first version, Honeywell (and non lock up Asahi), did much better in both these areas. The Pentax 67 body also went to a two tone shutter button vice the all chrome ones before.
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