Brighter Screen f/Pentax 67

Would prefer a brighter viewfinder for my P67 - Question - Will a brighter screen ie Beattie or similar affect the exposure readings on the TTL prism? If so can the meter be adjusted to compensate?

I can highly recommend the rigid magnifying hood for the Pentax 6x7. It is much brighter, has higher magnification (1.3x vs .85x) and is easier to focus than the prism. I also have a prism which I rarely use due to focusing difficulty. I never miss shots due to focusing with the rigid hood. By the way, the rigid magnifying hood also makes a very good magnifying loupe to view 6x7 chromes.

 

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The only limitation to the rigid hood is that hand held verticals are difficult. Since I always use this camera on a tripod, it is not a problem for me.

You have to readjust the TTL-prism, if you want to use a brighter screen like beattie. Normally you must send the camera

and the TTL-prism to your Pentax Service.

Personally I wouldn't even use the TTL prism, I have tried one once

and found it to be a bit inconsistent to say the least in it's

metering. But, I do have a Beattie Intenscreen in my camera and it

does give a wonderfully bright image, make sure that you get the

lined grid version. It makes things much easier when you are

composing a picture and I also use a small spiritlevel which fits on

to my handgrip, just to make absolutely certain that everything is

straight.

 

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One thing to watch out for if you do decide to get the Beattie

Intenscreen, make absolutely certain when you get it that it isn't

scratched or damaged. I ordered one direct from Morco in Britain and

gave it unopened to a camera workshop in Glasgow for them to install

it. They returned the camera with the screen fitted incorrectly and a

rather large scratch across the screen. It took a lot of argument to

get them to replace the screen and even when they did they still

managed to put in the new screen wrongly. I ended up trying out my

camera away up in Glencoe and only finding out then that I could not

focus the camera to infinity because of the wrongly fitted screen.

The pictures came out alright, but it was very frustrating. To be on

the safe side take it to an official Pentax repair centre.

You might also consider a Maxwell screen. His literature has quite a

bit of disucssion about using his screens in the Pentax 67, including

his proprietary modification to older screens (camera marked 6x7)

which brightens them up. I gather that any brighter screen, whether

new or modified old, will require meter recalibration.

 

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Call Bill Maxwell at (404) 244-0095. He's in Decatur, Georgia, and a

delight to talk to.