Pentax 6x7 MLU Blank film, flash troubleshooting

Hi,

I decided to try my hand at Medium format and I know I didn't start with the easiest of cameras but I got hold of a Pentax MLU 67 and decided to give it a go.

In my naivety I went ahead and paid to develop 3 films from a studio shoot and all came out blank. I shot at 1/60 instead of 1/30. My research has told me that I should have received back frames that are half black but they are all completely transparent. I shot at f16, ISO 80, non leaf lens, film Ektar 100 colour, new batteries.

Could somebody tell me where I went wrong? The lab told me it may have been an issue with loading film but I don't think so, I had one frame that I shot with natural light and that one came out ok. I guess to those experienced here my issue may be obvious so I thought i'd see if somebody can tell me my mistake. I don't think this is the camera for me if anybody in Sweden wants to take it off my hands :D

Thank you

Looking at this manual http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_pdf/pentax_67-b&w.pdf

the 67 has two flash sync sockets, one marked X for electronic flash and one marked FP for focal plane flash bulbs.

Page 32 says to use X on the shutter speed dial or any speed slower than 1/60 for electronic flash. I would assume that 1/60 of faster will not sync with electronic flash.

Film winding pawl stripped (?). That is to say intermitten or persistent wind-on or no wind-on.

The Pentax 6x7 dates to 1969, and problems must be routinely expected in cameras of this age with a long, long history, including brutal professional use. Fault situations are many and numerous, including those affecting the shutter, mirror activation solenoid, shutter speed accuracy and power.

As you are not using leaf shutter lenses, idiosyncracies affecting use and operation of these and the camera don't need to be addressed. In the absence of not having loaded the film correctly (4 complete strokes to frame 1), a problem is likely.

Did you check if your flash sync works, while the camera was unloaded? - Highly recommended to do so! - On any mechanical marvel in general. - My Ricoh Kr5's is at best 33% reliable and I got my M3's fixed. What about the battery dependent shutter? The battery is OK?

If everything seems OK camera wise; PC sync cables are known to be everything but reliable too.

Film winding pawl stripped (?). That is to say intermitten or persistent wind-on or no wind-on.

The Pentax 6x7 dates to 1969, and problems must be routinely expected in cameras of this age with a long, long history, including brutal professional use. Fault situations are many and numerous, including those affecting the shutter, mirror activation solenoid, shutter speed accuracy and power.

 

As you are not using leaf shutter lenses, idiosyncracies affecting use and operation of these and the camera don't need to be addressed. In the absence of not having loaded the film correctly (4 complete strokes to frame 1), a problem is likely.

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Paris did mention in his opening post that he shot one frame in natural light and it came out okay. I wonder if Paris used the FP socket instead of the X socket if this might have been the problem.

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When the P67 doesn't have film in it, it won't cock the shutter. There is a way to trip the shutter on the P67 when it doesn't have film, but I haven't learned how to do it yet. So, if Paris wants to check his sync that way, he needs to be aware of this trick to winding the transport on so he can test it.

When the P67 doesn't have film in it, it won't cock the shutter. There is a way to trip the shutter on the P67 when it doesn't have film, but I haven't learned how to do it yet.

That procedure is described in the Pentax 67 owner's manual. It is an unfortunate fact that some people have substituted the necessary but hard to find Pentax key with a screwdriver, and mangled the film advance mechanism! The second, very uncommon method is with Pentax 67 bodies which have been factory modified with the multiple exposure facility (next to the 120/220 film selector).