[Trudger1272]

Hey fellow Pentaxians,
I've been shooting K-mount DSLRs for almost two years now. In school I started out with a 2 Nikon 35mm bodies, my second semester I bought a Hasselblad 500cm & a Sinar F1. The thing was that campus only offered two film classes. Now I have transferred to a campus that offers several more film classes and I had already let the Nikons and Hasselblad go. I've grown to miss film and now have the opportunity to take more classes, but I don't want to do so in all large format. Being I shoot Pentax digital bodies I've decided pick up a LX and MX in the near future for the fall semester and I'm wondering about what Pentax medium format body to roll with. I know more about 645s than 6x7/67s but, I'm more attracted to the 67&67ii for certain reasons: size&build.
So my questions to you are:

Which is more reliable 645 or 67/67ii?

Is it possible to get a 67/67ii repaired if need be?

Or would it be better to just return to Hasselblad?

What I would like to accomplish is a complete Pentax setup.
For now I'm pretty much there digitally minus FF body & 1 or 2 lenses.
Thank you so much!

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Last edited by Trudger1272; 02-16-2015 at 01:49 AM.

[carpents]

I have a 645n and a 67ii. They are both as "pro" as it gets. You would really have to mistreat it to need a repair.

Keep in mind that with the digital 645s, there are likely new and improved lenses available for that system. And if anything can make a 645 kit feel compact, it is the 67 ii!

Really, they're both wonderful with great lenses.

[AquaDome]

You can find a good camera in any format. Find your format before you invest heavily. Try them all before you settle for one.

[Trudger1272]

Thank you but I have to ask you; do you prefer one over the other for any reason besides the size difference?

Thanks Again.

[carpents]

Thank you but I have to ask you; do you prefer one over the other for any reason besides the size difference?

Thanks Again.

That's not as easy a question as you might think.

The 645n offers:
Autofocus
Smaller body & lenses
Easier film loading
More shots per roll
Flash hot shoe
Adaptability: Can natively take Pentax 645 & 67 lenses (with an aperture-controlling adapter) but also via third-party adapters for other 645 lenses.

The 67ii offers:
Great big (film) negatives
Some unique/special lenses (Leaf Shutter lenses, shift lenses, fisheye, 105mm/2.4)
Fewer shots per roll ( = finishing the roll faster)

I don't have much money invested in either kit since film cameras are/were cheap. (I had my 645n before the 645D came out and impacted prices.) If you forced me to sell one it would probably be the 645n.

I just weighed my kits, and it's surprisingly close. The 645n with FA 45/2.8 is 1.9kg; the 67ii with 55/4 is 2.3kg. Volume-wise the 67ii is taller and wider by a lot.

[johnsey]

Like carpents and probably many others on here I have both the 645n and 67II. And honestly it depends on what you want out pf the body. The 67 is a bit of a tank and will give a a larger negative, best suited for tripod shooting due to its size. The lenses for it can be had rather cheap. Now the 645 is a wonderful compact camera and the lenses can be paired with the digital medium format which would appeal to your all Pentax strategy. The lens prices are a bit more mixed since the digital one has kept a market for the older lenses.
If your completely torn on which one go with what you find a nice deal on first.

---------- Post added 02-16-2015 at 10:35 AM ----------

lol, guess carpents beat me to the punch on that post.

[Trudger1272]

Thanks guys!
I guess for now, I'll read up on the 645n and 67ii, I think I could swing one of each. At this point digital Medium Format is still out of reach because, I don't trust used digital bodies enough but, I'd be much quicker to buy a used film body. Hopefully this will change soon.

[carpents]

Thanks guys!
I guess for now, I'll read up on the 645n and 67ii, I think I could swing one of each. At this point digital Medium Format is still out of reach because, I don't trust used digital bodies enough but, I'd be much quicker to buy a used film body. Hopefully this will change soon.

Well if it helps, I uploaded some of my favorite pics from both cameras into galleries here at PF.
carpents's Albums - PentaxForums.com

You can also see more at the following links:

Pentax 645n | Sean Carpenter - Photographs and Work

Pentax 67ii | Sean Carpenter - Photographs and Work

645n:




67ii:





Gah, I really need to shoot more film. It's a pain sometimes but boy the results I love.

[Trudger1272]

Cool! Thanks Bruh!

[AtitG]

Hard to beat the Pentax 67 system for portraits. Shallow DOF, film look, huge viewfinder, great resolution at an affordable price.

[desertscape]

I guess for now, I'll read up on the 645n and 67ii, I think I could swing one of each.

You could do that right here in PF. In the black box at the top of the page is a "cameras" icon. Lots of camera reviews there.

[tuco]

Having both the 500C/M and a Pentax 67, I'd say they are completely different beasts due primarily to one being square and the other rectangle. But the 500C/M is really sweet with that hot-swapping film back. I just love that feature.

I compress my highlights a lot and swapping backs lets me devote a roll to that process and still shoot for normal developing too by swapping back. But if I know I'll be shooting the entire roll with highlight compression than the 67 works too. And I like the rendering of some of my Zeiss lenses. They are different than the Pentax 67. I shoot both with a WLF and no light meter during the daylight hours. Don't need one for BW film and daytime because you can capture ALL of what mother nature can dish out so you only need to know where your shadows fall. And that's easy in the daytime after you've gained some experience metering scenes with a one-degree spot meter and figured out your developing times for various levels of compression.

[Trudger1272]

Hard to beat the Pentax 67 system for portraits. Shallow DOF, film look, huge viewfinder, great resolution at an affordable price.

That sounds great to me. Portraits are what I'm digging right now.

You could do that right here in PF. In the black box at the top of the page is a "cameras" icon. Lots of camera reviews there.

Good looking out. I had read the 67 & 67ii reviews last night. I still need to read the 645n & 645nii though.

Having both the 500C/M and a Pentax 67, I'd say they are completely different beasts due primarily to one being square and the other rectangle. But the 500C/M is really sweet with that hot-swapping film back. I just love that feature. I compress my highlights a lot and swapping backs lets me devote a roll to that process and still shoot for normal developing too by swapping back. But if I know I'll be shooting the entire roll with highlight compression than the 67 works too. And I like the rendering of some of my Zeiss lenses. They are different than the Pentax 67. I shoot both with a WLF and no light meter during the daylight hours. Don't need one for BW film and daytime because you can capture ALL of what mother nature can dish out so you only need to know where your shadows fall. And that's easy in the daytime after you've gained some experience metering scenes with a one-degree spot meter and figured out your developing times for various levels of compression.

Yeah I loved my Hassie just as much as my K30. I let it go to a friend with the intentions of replacing it later on. I was more focused on digital at the time. Since I'm switching to Pentax 35mm film and not invested in medium format at the time. I feel it's time to give Pentax a try there as well. I'm glad I posted the question here, giving both the 645 x 67 a try makes just as much sense to me. Thanks to advice I got here. My biggest concern will be finding & keeping them fully operational.

[Rico]

Don't forget there is also the adapter to attach Pentax 645 lenses onto Pentax DSLR bodies. I have the manual 645 a 120mm Macro and adaptor for mine.

Shout out to carpents.

Your 24mm f2.8 lens is still going strong!

Your son must be bigger than you by now.

[Trudger1272]

Don't forget there is also the adapter to attach Pentax 645 lenses onto Pentax DSLR bodies. I have the manual 645 a 120mm Macro and adaptor for mine.

Thanks Rico,
I'm going to get any Pentax to Pentax adapters I can find and that's one that hadn't crossed my mind. One good thing to aim for I figure, is maximum compatibility.