A few questions on Pentax 67 lenses

This winter I am changing from 35mm to the Pentax 67II. I will be

doing all landscape work. I was thinking of getting the 75mm

shift. When used vertical, does this now become a tilting lense? I

was also looking at getting the 90-180, in liew of gettting the 105

and 165. Is this zoom as sharp as the primes? Thanks for the help.

The 75mm shift lens always shifts, and never tilts. It can shift horizontally, or vertically.

 

The zoom is reputed to be as sharp as the primes. But it is slower, very bulky, and more costly than getting the two primes you are looking at. On the used market, you could get a 105 f2.4 and a 165 f2.8 for around $400-450 together without too much problem. The zoom will certainly cost much more.

a "tilting" feature in a lens allows the plane of the projected image to be tilted at an angle

from parallel to the film or sensor plane. This lets you use the Schiempflug theorem which

basicall ystates that when a plane of the subject, the plane of the projected image and the

film (or sensor) coincide in a line (or a plane, if the three planes are parallel to each other)

every point in the subject plane will be in focus at all apertures.

 

An alternative use for this theorem is to tiltthe lens so that only two planes meet in a line

and at that point only points in that line are in focus.

 

As Douglas points out the 75mm Shift Takumar doesn't tilt only shifts.

 

If you are doing landscape work with the Pentax 67 a shift lens might be useful but then

again it might not be worth the extra weight and expense for a feature you may rarely use.

Suggest you check out the Pentax 67 SLR forum here to get a more detailed account of the lens line.

FWIW ist do what Ellis V. said. She is one fine photographer with lots of knowledge.I owned a Pentax 6x7 for more than 20 yrs but barely used it! Its really heavy and awkward. I hated the problem of contact sheets. One set of two negs always over! The premium price for so called "pro" photofinishing on antique processing equipment.

The good news! The lenses are spectacular. They are not the Carl Zeiss on Hassie. They are very good though. You Do NOT need a shift lens for landscapes! The 75mm or preferabl the 55mm better. By tilting and cropping can do similar to a "shift" lens! The longer lens i had was the 135mmMacro. Great for close ups and portraits.( a lil too sharp for faces).

The Best advice. Keep your 35mm gear.

I never trade unless I am truly done!

I did however sell the 6X7 Pentax and everything, for a Leica M6 which i use constantly.I have never regretted selling the Pentax.

I use a Rollie with 75mm Tessar for medium format, which is still very seldom!

Good Luck!

I've been using the 90-180mm f5.6 since it's introduction into the U.S. When I first used the lens, I was surprised at how good it is. I love this lens! I have found it to be absolutely tack sharp, with very little distortion. It is one of my sharpest Pentax lenses. It is big and slow, but that doesn't bother me, because I always use it on a tripod and I shoot primarily landscapes. You have to use proper technique with this big lens, in order to benefit from its superb capabilities. The gain in quality in a 6X7 transparency, compared to a 35mm transparency, produced with the very best 35mm lens, is spectacular. There simply is no comparison. Once you see the results you are capable of producing with the 6X7 Pentax, you will never want to shoot 35mm for landscapes again. Best wishes on your wise decision.

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