[Femto1969]

Hi, Team,

I just got my shipment, including a Pentax 67 55mm f/4 "late model," and the Pentaxt 67 200mm f/4 "late model."

Just as Silent Street warned me about, the 55mm has a rattling noise when flipped around. The focus ring is mostly smooth, but it does have some shudder to it when rotated.

I have not had a chance to shoot with it, much less develop any film. However both lenses seem clean and pristine, besides the noise. The 55mm achieves focus just fine mounted on my 67 body.

I poked around this forum and saw mixed recommendations:

• Check to see if an internal lever is making the noise, buy sticking a pen tip in the MAN - AUTO post hole - the noise should go away
• Ignore it
• Send it back

What should I do? Does anyone have any experience with it? I am trying to use this system to bet the brilliant sharpness it is capable of, to make very large prints. I don't want any issues with this lens, especially. That being said, I got a great deal on them both as a bundle. So I don't want to return it unless absolutely necessary.

Also, I got some bonus and rather strange to me filters. I got two "star" filters, which I gather help make the starburst effect, as well as one lens that creates multiple (3) images. At first glance they seem rather gimmicky to me and outdated. Would any of you muck around with them? Seems to me that reducing image quality for this basic and unnecessary effect would not be with the trouble.

Thanks for your input!

[Femto1969]

These filters are definitely gimmicky but are great if you want to go for that 70's Roller Disco/Battlestar Galactica look:

Hahaha! Perfect!

[Bob L]

I've got a late model 55/4 that makes a noise when tipped......rather like an old pendulum clock. If the aperture lever is moved to the manual postion then the noise is far less obvious (although still there).
I use it via a Pentax adapter on a 645Z and it works just fine.

Bob

[Femto1969]

I've got a late model 55/4 that makes a noise when tipped......rather like an old pendulum clock. If the aperture lever is moved to the manual postion then the noise is far less obvious (although still there).
I use it via a Pentax adapter on a 645Z and it works just fine.

Bob

Thanks for sharing, Bob! I'll try this tonight and see if it gets quieter.

[Bob L]

FWIW, I'd describe the sound as a flutter rather than a single knock....a short and rapid cascade of sound (maybe 4 beats) but diminishing through the 4 beats. In manual aperture mode it's quieter and shorter (2 beats).

Bob

[Sarnian]

I've got a late model 55/4 that makes a noise when tipped......rather like an old pendulum clock. If the aperture lever is moved to the manual postion then the noise is far less obvious (although still there).
I use it via a Pentax adapter on a 645Z and it works just fine.

Bob

I use mine on a Zoerk Pro Shift Adapter and it performs really well - even shifted the full 20mm. The 55mm has got quite a girth to it but it's not heavy.

[tuco]

The late model is the 67 55mm. I've had mine since the early 90s and it makes a little rattle noise if I shake it vigorously. In fact it is the same noise as my 75/4.5, 105/2.4, 165/4, 165/2.8, 90/2.8 and more. But I've never thought of it as a problem this entire time.

[Silent Street]

The late model is the 67 55mm. I've had mine since the early 90s and it makes a little rattle noise if I shake it vigorously. In fact it is the same noise as my 75/4.5, 105/2.4, 165/4, 165/2.8, 90/2.8 and more. But I've never thought of it as a problem this entire time.

Odd, as I have a couple of those lenses and none have any sort of rattle or noise in use. Nobody seems to know exactly what it is and if it is a bug or a feature. Maybe a firmware update will fix it...

[Femto1969]

Odd, as I have a couple of those lenses and none have any sort of rattle or noise in use. Nobody seems to know exactly what it is and if it is a bug or a feature. Maybe a firmware update will fix it...

One can only hope!

I also just discovered I was given a "soft" filter as well as a center spot filter. I am really struggling to see when I would ever waste film on these. Maybe I should just sell them. I did get a few 77 - 67 mm filter converters though. Those will definitely come in handy.

[tuco]

...
I also just discovered I was given a "soft" filter as well as a center spot filter. I am really struggling to see when I would ever waste film on these.

I used a soft focus filter with a clear center spot here on my 165/4 LS lens. The more you stop the lens down the less softening you get.

100TMX

[Femto1969]

I used a soft focus filter with a clear center spot here on my 165/4 LS lens. The more you stop the lens down the less softening you get.

100TMX

Nice shot, Tuco.

One thing I am still trying to understand is how well negative scans take to post-processing. Do you have a general idea if people do this, how it is different from adjusting RAW files, and resources about learning how to do it (if it is any different). I presume something like a blur effect would be easy enough to do in post.

[tuco]

Nice shot, Tuco.

One thing I am still trying to understand is how well negative scans take to post-processing. Do you have a general idea if people do this, how it is different from adjusting RAW files, and resources about learning how to do it (if it is any different). I presume something like a blur effect would be easy enough to do in post.

Thanks.

Of course today, converting film to digital, you don't need an optical solution to create some special effects. Now, you can simulate a lot of things in an image editor. But it's still fun and challenging doing it the old-school way too.

There is a lot you can do in PP of a scanned film. If you have a color managed work flow and scan in the ProPhoto Color space at 48-bit or 16-bit for BW you have a lot of head-room for editing. But film is not digital. That is, you have to place and expose for your shadows then develop for the highlights (hence develop your own BW film). With Sony sensors, there is a big buffer of low values you can pull up and you can't with a film scan. You can pull up your low values some but if it's not on the negative you won't get it in your final results, of course. The big challenge of scanning film is getting ALL of what's on the negative. Often you can't with commodity scanners.

[Femto1969]

I have not yet started developing my own film. I'm brand new at this. Do you have any recommendations for development kits and scanners for medium format BW film? Thank you!

[tuco]

Developing your own film is a big subject. There are a lot of threads in the film section of this forum. I suggest you start there. If you can find some used developing gear, you can get setup pretty cheap. The scanner is what is going to be the expense. And most likely you'll be producing much better scanned images after a year or more of doing it than before that.

Today, it seems, there is either affordable commodity flat bed scanners or scanners so expensive you could buy a medium format digital camera for that price instead. And the bigger the negative, the less the MTF of the scanner's optical path needs to be. You'll also find good scanner info in the film threads too.

[Silent Street]

Some thoughts about B&W. I don't think too much emphasis (or time!) should be paid to post-processing of negatives or positives, the real emphasis being that the image should be "complete" in-camera (the "old skool way"!) with no reliance on post to "improve" or modify, which in many cases I have seen just creates a travesty of the original, pass-worthy image. There is way too much post-processing taking place now by photographers hellbent on showing their creative streak with computers and software instead of with the camera. Instead of multiple exposure in-camera, they do it with the software, among many other things.

But I digress. B&W is easy to to do but it does require a darkroom at some stage to get the best results so you can experiment with paper contrast grades and different processing methodologies. Occasionally I dabble in B&W but it was never my speciality — I went for the jugular and specialised in the more difficult things! The only post I do (or authorise) is scan-to-print profiling (gamut trimming) for printer and RA-4 colour media — that's it! Nothing more.