Buying a Pentax 6x7 used.

I could buy a p6x7 with the 90mm leaf shutter for 250€.

The camera looks used but not too bad...

How can i see when the camera was built? (serial number...?)

How long can i expect that it will work? How many shutter releases will it do?

I know its hard to answer that questions.

thanks

I had a Pentax 6x7 system about 30 years ago. It was a great camera. What sold me at the time was ease of use (similar to an SLR) and how sturdy it was, built like a tank. Also a pro aerial photographer in my town told me he uses a 'blad (of course), but his assistant used a Pentax and said his assistant's negs were almost as sharp as his own. That was a positive rave coming from a 'blad owner! The down sides are it's weight and size (I was 6'5" and about 275 lbs). Plus my wife hated helping me carry around the lenses (she was an unpaid assistant) while we vacationed with me taking pictures.

 

The 90mm LS lens is a very versatile one. Besides flash syncing at high speeds, fill in flash during the daytime, it is also the standard (same as a 50mm on a 35mm camera) lens and can be used simply as one. I wish I still had mine. Must have accessories are the wood handle grip to hand hold and the TTL prism is nice. You don't need a lot of other pieces to start. Good luck!

They will go around 10,000 frames before having to be rebuilt. Serial numbers are on the top plate , left side and are an indicater of the age. A 415xxxx number indicates the body was made in 1988. A 403xxxx number indicates around 1971. If it says 6x7 on the body, it is pre 1990.

I still have mine and shoot with it as much as I can. I don't know how long they will last but seem to be lasting a very long time. I have the 105 and 150mm lens and no TTL prism. It's 6lbs and the weight to me is good. I like the heavy feel. I have even shot it hand held at 1/15 and my photos are sharp. I mostly use it for high fashion and when I go on trips its the first camera in the bag;-D KEH have them very cheap.<div></div>

I've used one before...great camera. The only flaw that I'm aware of is on some of the earlier versions, there is a chain that is part of the film advance that was prone to breakage if I recall correctly. Other then that, they seem to be superb cameras. Otherwise, like any other used camera, some have been better cared for then others. If you can, I suggest having a repair shop test the shutter accuracy and check for impact damage and use that to bargain with.

I had one for a while....very cool but it is a BRICK.

I've considered getting another one as they are cheap with the standard and wide lenses.

 

jmp

I generally use a Rolleiflex for MF but I keep a Pentax 67 with several lenses. The image quality from the Pentax 67 is right

up there with the Rollei. I usually load both cameras with film for a studio portrait and go back and forth between them. The

135 macro for close focus and the 105 for normal. The 55 wide angle is a nice lens.

When getting an old Pentax 6x7, even if total shutter count is presumably low (one never knows for sure), other consideration is the age of the camera. The rubber seals, rubber pulleys, wheels and other internal hard plastic or rubber parts of mechanism will deteriorate with long age, more depending on environment and storage method, even if the camera was not used at all.

thanks guys, the serial number starts with 403, so its from the early 70`s, thats pretty old but I think I´ll give it a try.

250€ for body and ls 90mm lens is not that much.

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<p>I'm looking at a 67 body, serial # 417xxxx. Based on what Steve said last October, this should be a post-1988 model. Does anyone have more specific info?</p>

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