Handholding Pentax 67 II

What are your experinces with the Pentax 67 or 67 II without a

tripod?

 

I´ve been using a Pentax 645 N so far, mainly for street

photography and portraiture. But i´m in love with these huge 6x7

transparencies and am thinking of getting a Pentax 67 II with at

least a 2.8/165 or a Mamiya 7 II (expensive lenses though!). Lots

of postings seem to say that you need a heavy tripod for the 67,

but the new body just seems to be made for handholding this

big thing (Aperture priority mode, hand grip on the right side etc.)

Can it really be done or do you sacrifice so much sharpness,

that it´s better to use a 35 mm or a lighter 4.5x6?

The people I know with a Pentax 67 II don't handhold it, or only in extremis. The mirror still appears rather clunky and you'll need to use MLU which makes handholding interesting. The Mamiya 7II (which I own) isn't an ideal portrait camera because the lenses don't focus close enough for a head & shoulders shot. In any case it's a rangefinder and as such rather less flexible than a SLR and despite the fact that it is capable of producing beautiful images it would be a big decision for me at least to switch away from an SLR to a rangefinder as my main camera. Now the 645N you're using is different. Doesn't have (or need) MLU. Feels and works like a big 35mm. Great lenses. Autofocus for your street photography (ok, the AF isn't the fastest, but it's not bad). For your purposes I think the camera you've got is a better bet than either of your candidates, whereas for my landscapes I'd rather have the bigger film size than the "35mm-type" features.

I've done some photography by hand holding my Pentax 6x7. It's OK if you use 1/250 and faster shutter speed, or else if you are doing flash photography. I have found that 1/125s is barely acceptable. (I was also standing on my Jeep with the engine running, but what the hey)

I don't have the P67II, but I do use the P67. In my experience, you can hand-hold the P67 in many situations with great resutls. If my shutter speed is 1/focal length of the lens (e.g., 1/125 with the 135mm lens) or higher then I can hand hold with no problems. (From what I can tell, a lot of the vibration is the mirror returning after the film is exposed.)

 

In the studio, the flash synch speed is 1/30, but I still hand hold the camera and get great resutls with the 135mmm lens. The key to this is making sure there is no strong light other than the studio strobes (I leave the modeling lights on the whole time). Then the exposure time is the strobe "pop" time, which is very fast. For examples of my hand-held studio work with the P67 and 135mm, go to http://www.mindspring.com/~jwc3/portraits.htm All of the shots on that page were hand held and the prints are tack sharp.

 

I was watching the E Network this weekend and there was a 1 hour show about a fashion shoot in Guatemala. Not sure who the photographer was (young, muscular, Italian -- I think it was Sante D'Orazio), but he was using the P67II hand-held the entire time. He had several camera bodies and had assistants changing the film in the other bodies while he used one of them. When he was done with a roll, he would take the lens off the body, grab a new body, reattach the lens, and keep going. He did it in about 10 seconds. He also had a body with a Polaroid back for test shots.

 

So, if you get the P67 (or P67II) hand-hold with confidence -- it's a great camera.

Waldemar

 

I agree with Joel's comments, The P67 can be handheld

reasonably easily. I've used the P67 for photojournalism and

fashion work and as long as you're using a higher shutter speed

than your lens and have good handholding bracing techniques

you'll have no problems.

 

Also because the 67 image is much larger than 35mm, faster

film can be used without sacraficing quality and the P67 lenses

are relatively fast as well (2.8/4) enabling you to use faster

shutter speeds.

 

If you are using a wider angle lens you will also find that camera

shake is less of a problem. Not all 'street photography' has to be

done with telephotos. In fact I and many other photographers

have had great success using wideangles such as the 45mm.

 

I believe the 'shutter shake' problem often mentioned when

using the P67 is over-rated. Correct technique eliminates this

problem and the mirror return is probably the main offender with

the 'thud' coming after the shutter has tripped. I used a Rollei

6006 for many years and that mirror return sure was loud.

 

Regards

Peter Brown

P67 is at its best on a HEAVY tripod, that's sure. However, the MLU button is quite handy located, and, if you feel you need it, it is possible to hold the camera so, that you can push the MLU button first (left hand, ring finger..) and after 0.3 seconds fire the shutter. Not a technique for critical timing, but a possibility. Some people I know are very handy in this and use it routinely all the time.

 

Sakari

I have owned a P67 for about 4 years. At first I only used it on a tripod, MLU and a hand on top, to steady it when I trip the shutter. Now, for portraits, I regularly hand hold the camera with great results. It can be braced easily for handholding, I don't use the MLU, but use the fastest shutter speeds. Don't worry, try it.

 

Ken

The P67II is handholdable alright, for about 2 minutes!. Its true in terms of form and fit the P67II is exactly like a typical modern 35mm SLR, but the weight! Your street and people photography desires scream Mamiya 7. Its true the mamiya 7 is no perfect camera but for those purposes alone it beats the P67. Here's an idea, before you dish out $4k for a mamiya 7 and lens, rent a P67II and try it, its that simple.

Hi

 

I have a Pentax 67 and a Mamiya 67. I use both cameras without and with tripods depending what I want to shoot. I use the M67 for mountain climbing because of much less weight. However the P67 is better for general use.