Pentax 6X7 - "How to Guide" Recommendation Needed

Hi,

 

I am new to medium format. I just inherited two old Pentax 6X7s, a bunch of

corresponding lenses, at least two backs, and a bunch of other stuff - and I'm

really excited - BUT ... I have NO IDEA how to use any of it...

 

I can load the film, so that's at leaset a start... ;)

 

I don't have a user manual or anything for the cameras, so other than the

obvious controls, I have no idea what all the dials and stuff are for and I

have no idea how to use the backs.

 

So, I'm wondering if anyone has a good book recommendation or a website

recommendation to help me get started.

 

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

AE

Go here for the manual (presuming you mean the 6x7) and thank Mr. Butkus for his effort.

 

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/pentax/pentax_6x7/pentax_6x7.htm

I also got a Pentax 67 and three lens recently... part of the fun is actually search for resources on google. I too found the famous Butkus website through google. So I suggest you just do some searches on google and you should find quite a few interesting sites.

You can load the film-Good news, that's the HARDEST part about using the Pentax 6x7.

 

Advice? Get a solid tripod, if the camera has it, use the mirror popup.

 

I personally wouldn't worry about all the backs until you are more comfortable with the camera.

 

There are a couple of quirks, I recall that you need to remove the lens if you change the viewfinder, you cannot test the camera without film or a special key that seems rarer than hen's teeth. Other than that it is a pretty basic camera provided you know how to use a manual camera.

Thank you to all that replied -

Funny, I came across the Butkus from another photo.net forum on something else but then it got lost in my research so I'm glad someone suggested it.

 

Douglas: When you say change the view finder - do you mean from regular to waist view?

 

Special key, huh? I didn't see a key anywhere - I had to get film and a battery today, so I'm going to play around with it tonight and see what happens/if I need a key....

 

I've read varying opinions on whether or not the Pentax 6X7 can be used effectively as a hand-held - what's your take? Is it just a matter of preference/opinion?

 

Also, this may sound really dumb - but I've been seeing a lot of talk about mirror-lock up and it's importance - is there an easy way to tell if the two cameras I have actually are MLUs? I thought maybe it would be obvious once I actually fired - which I haven't done yet because I needed the film and batteries - right now when I look through the viewfinders on both cameras, I can't see anything - looks like the mirror's down.

 

One of them I could see through and then I loaded some film and tested it but it seized up/blacked out and I figured I needed a new battery.

 

Backs - ok, so the advantages of backs is ... to have the flexibility to be able to work with several types/speeds of film?

 

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

 

Thanks again for your help/suggestions!

 

-A

<p>

If you go to Pentax USA's website, almost every manual they printed is available FREE<p>You can also see my <a href="http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/p67ss.htm">Pentax 67 Lens Guide"</a>

<p>

Dan

<p>The Pentax Link is right <a href="http://www.pentaximaging.com/customer_care/manuals_literature">here..............</a>

Hi AE -- This is a fun camera system that can produce astoundingly good results. The film backs you refer to must be NPC polaroid backs, as the P6x7 system does not load its film in interchangeable backs like the Hasselblad, etc. Other than the special Polaroid film backs, the film is loaded in the body like a 35mm camera. You cannot switch films in mid-roll.

 

The mirror lockup control is on the right side (as you hold the camera to take a picture) of the mirror housing, a sliding switch. The camera was introduced in 1969; this MLU feature was added about 1976. If you're doing precise work with a copy stand or with a very long lens, then locking up the mirror before exposure removes one source of vibration. This vibration seems to most affect sharpness at shutter speeds between about 1/2 sec to 1/15 or so.

 

For the kind of photography I do, I almost never use a tripod, so almost never use shutter speeds below 1/60 anyway. The camera is clearly designed for convenient hand-held use, and that's the way I mostly use it. (I've 4 bodies, the first a non-MLU bought used 30 years ago). I've never used the MLU feature on my newer ones.

 

The comment about the viewfinder is just a little personality quirk of the meter prism. There's a small chain that conveys the lens's aperture ring position to the meter for TTL readings. The chain won't be reset correctly after the TTL meter prism is latched in place unless the lens is mounted afterward. Obviously this quirk doesn't apply to the non-meter prism or waist-level finders.

 

Hope you enjoy your new gear!

Ok, hi, nevermind my last question about the mirror locking up - thanks to D. Colucci for posting the link with the manual (which I totally should have read before posting my question...sorry!) I figured it out - :)

 

THank you!

I can't really comment on the older Pentax 67's

but I used the Pentax 67II for over 2 years almost exclusively handheld and have never had any sharpness issues with it as long as I stayed above 1/60, in my experience 1/30 was pushing it but still doable.