[tuco]

Great info Phil, thanks. It seems like the 67 II is well worth the extra bucks - Where can I find your review of the three cameras?
//Martin

What kind of film are you going to be shooting (eg positve/negative)?

A one-degree spot meter is miles ahead of any meter in a 6x7, 67 or 67II. It tells you, before you take the picture, where your shadows will be placed relative to the middle grey exposure, how much dynamic range is in the scene and is not fooled like old-school light meters on snow, bright beaches, stage light, etc.

None of my medium format cameras in my signature have a built-in meter in them ( I shoot my P67 and P6x7 with a waist level finder - aka folding hood). I take my daytime shots without using any kind of light meter at all on BW film and get good to excellent results. But of course that takes time to learn ( which a one-degree spot meter will teach you).

[marmitse]

What kind of film are you going to be shooting (eg positve/negative)?

I will shoot B/W negs and have started out with Kodak Tmax 400. As I wrote in my previous post I ended up buying a Hasselblad 500 C/M. Since they are very modular I will get an extra back so that I can alternate with colour neg film as well. I love the expression and colours in Kodak Porta 400 and will try that out.
As for metering my Hassy lacks all of that and currently I rely on either the metering in my K-3 or an app "Lightmeter" in my Android phone. Both methods have worked out quite OK so far.

This is one of the first shots with my new camera Instagram ("Scanned" with my K-3, but then again it is just Instagram resolution)

[tuco]

This is one of the first shots with my new camera Instagram ("Scanned" with my K-3, but then again it is just Instagram resolution)

Nice picture and results.

If you like high contrast scenes like that, then I'd recommend eventually learning to compress highlights to get more dynamic range out of your BW film ( over expose and under develop). The process is highly developer dependent. And films like 400TMY respond well to that process too.

I use a pyro developer for that task and will over expose 400TMY up to as much as 3 stops and cut the normal development time by about half and get good DR. That's how it's easier to not need a light meter. You only need to place your shadows and you'll grab what highlights there are.

[Silent Street]

What kind of film are you going to be shooting (eg positve/negative)?

A one-degree spot meter is miles ahead of any meter in a 6x7, 67 or 67II. It tells you, before you take the picture, where your shadows will be placed relative to the middle grey exposure, how much dynamic range is in the scene and is not fooled like old-school light meters on snow, bright beaches, stage light, etc.

Yes indeed, the single most important accessory is the spot meter. I don't often trust my 67's rudimentary TTL meter in challenging light, but make short work of it with a detailed sweep of the spot.

[wombat2go]

Yes indeed, the single most important accessory is the spot meter.

I use the 1963 (?) vintage HoneyWell Pentax 3/21 degree spotmeter with the old medium format cameras here.
I re-did the electronics and updated the battery to present day type.
https://app.box.com/s/esmm6jilqnw92i5aj8z3

[Eyewanders]

From my review of the 67II, I have all three bodies. (6x7, 67 and the 67II)

Improvements/Additions from the 6x7/67:
- A redesigned metered AE prism with diopter adjustment, eyepiece blind, exposure compensation and three metering modes. The AE prism mounts/dismounts like a regular prism and the linkage chain from the older models has been removed.
- Aperture priority (With AE prism)
- Improved shutter speed range; 1/1000 – 30 sec. in Auto or 1/1000 – 4 sec. in Manual.
- User interchangeable focusing screens. (6 standard and 6 telephoto “bright” screens)
- TTL flash support with the 67II hot-shoe grip.
- Battery grip on the right side and the 67II now uses two CR123A lithium batteries.
- Improved ISO range 6 - 6400.
- Memory lock function.
- Self timer mode.
- Multiple exposure mode.
- Time exposure mode.

Phil.

Resurrecting this thread for a specific battery related question to 67II shooting. Phil (or anyone else with experience in this regard) do you happen to shoot with rechargeable CR123a batts and if so can you recommend any charger/brand.

Looking for a decent rechargeable solution rather than buying bulk of yet another battery type.

Also curious if anyone knows of any reason rechargeable of this type might for any reason not play well with the 67ii system, perhaps in terms of metering etc?

Cheers. Resurrection complete.


EDIT: Actually I think I'll scrap this idea since the 67ii only really uses the batt for metering and likely won't go through them very quickly by all accounts I've read. May still be useful info for someone in the future though.

[gofour3]

EDIT: Actually I think I'll scrap this idea since the 67ii only really uses the batt for metering and likely won't go through them very quickly by all accounts I've read. May still be useful info for someone in the future though.

I've always just used regular lithium batteries in my 67ii, using Panasonic ones now. Yes they do last a long time and I just automatically replace them every few years. The manual has a battery rating of 500 rolls of 120 film at regular temperatures. (above freezing) Also if doing long exposures, there is the "Time exposure" lever which cuts battery drain dramatically.

Phil.