[sarangerel]

Greetings,

I have been shooting with a 6X6 camera for years, and am now considering buying a used Asashi 6X7. I shot a few trial rolls of film with a used body and lens at my local photo shop and was very happy with the results. The body is a bit battered, but seems functional. It's a bit hard to open the back, but hopefully I'll get used to it...The only thing I noticed was that the forward winding mechanism seems a little on the delicate side. Is this an issue in this type of camera? Also, I would like to ask generally, what should I be on the lookout for in terms of possible defects?
Many thanks in advance for your feedback!

[goddo31]

Welcome, I hope you will enjoy shooting with the Pentax 6x7. I have the newer "67" but apparently it is almost identical to the earlier "6x7" versions. You might want to consider getting one with mirror lock up (MLU) if possible, it's a useful feature.
When you say the body is "battered", does it appear to be only cosmetic? Like brassing of the paint etc? 6x7/67 bodies are quite readily available and affordable, so don't feel that the local one is the only one available

I can't offer much on the other points sorry.

[tuco]

Only the very early 6x7's didn't have mirror lockup and I feel, too, that is an essential feature for this camera.

After 20 years and much use, my 6x7 winder is still holding up. The design does seem a little weak for the size of the camera but as long as it is not loose and you are getting good frame spacing, you should be good-to-go in that department.

One cautionary thing to know If you have a metered TTL prism is you should always remove the lens before reattaching the prism if you take it off. There is a little tab on a chain that interfaces to it and the chain be broken if you don't follow the procedure.

[sbjornda]

Inexpensive 6x7 or 67 bodies often come up on ebay, so don't worry too much about the one you're looking at - if it fails, a replacement can be had cheaply. The finders/prisms and lenses transfer easily from one body to another, so you haven't lost all your investment.

Be gentle but firm with the advance lever.

Mirror Lock Up is not essential if you're able to keep your shutter speed at 1/125th or faster (assuming the 105mm or 90mm lens) Go faster for longer lenses. This assumes you have good shooting technique. My most enjoyable image was 1/500th @ f/8 with the 200mm lens on Provia 100. I was crouching down to get the angle I wanted, so not as stable as one would like, but 1/500th was more than enough for the 200mm lens.

Beware the "stuck mirror" problem and don't get freaked out if/when it happens to you. You may waste a frame now and again, but simply count that as part of the price to be paid for using this wonderfully enjoyable camera. There's nothing else like it.

[MysteryOnion]

Love the 6x7 and have been reaching for it more and more. MLU is handy. I will say that the film advance is not fragile, but it should be used with respect...can't rip-rapid on it like photographers in the movies and TV. As "sbjornda" said "firm" ...and steady too. If you are looking over that camera you spoke of, make sure that foam bumpers for the mirror are in good shape. I suspect some of the complaints of poor low-speed performance is due to decayed foam. Also check the foam seals for the prism. Check to see if the battery light is steady. Dry fire the camera a few times at all speeds to make sure the magnets are running smooth as well as the mirror releasing well. To set the camera to dry fire set turn the thumb knob on the counter to #1 or higher while the back is open. Hold that number and close the back... this puts the cocking mechanism in action.

[tuco]

...
Mirror Lock Up is not essential if you're able to keep your shutter speed at 1/125th or faster

Which is to say it is essential. Restricting your shooting to those speeds means no slow film under a large list of photographic situations.

Of course shooting with bulb and long exposures you really don't need MLU either because mirror/shutter vibrations will not be recorded with really long exposures.