Pentax 6 x 7

[john_dixon5]

I am thinking of buying an older Pentax 6 x 7, is there anything I

should watch out for ?

 

The camera is advertised as: "6x7, non-MU body, 105mm f2.4 super-

takumar lens"

 

I dont need mirror lock up, I am going to use it for aerial

photography.

 

Thanks

 

John

[hortensia_b.]

Even if you don't need mirror lockup, a 67 MLU is more recent and is reputed to have a more reliable film transport system than the non-MLU 67 bodies.

[allan_jamieson2]

John, you'll find stacks of information on all things to do with Pentax 67

cameras on the Pentax 67 Forum here on Photonet.

 

But, to start with, this is the exact same as the first Pentax 6 x 7 camera that I

bought. If it is non mirror up, that makes it around 30 plus years old; which is

one reason to seek out newer versions if you can. Issues with cameras of that

age are likely to include problems with the film winding mechanism, which

does need servicing every so often. i.e. you might find some frames

overlapping or others with very large gaps, so that you won't get the full ten

frames from each roll of 120 film. Best way to check that is run a film through

the camera, testing out different shutter speeds as you go. Camera will need a

fresh battery to work properly, even if you are using it with a plain prism, as

shutter is battery powered.

 

On the camera that I had, I also had to have the film back adjusted as I had

light leaks on some films, no big deal to get fixed, but worth checking out

carefully. Some cameras have broken chains in them too, more info on that in

the P67 Forum section. There are stacks of these cameras around second

hand and it is worth being fussy and buying the best example that you can

find and preferably one that has been serviced within the last few years if at

all possible.

 

They are not uncommon on ebay and there is a Pentax 6 x 7 mirror lockup

model with newer 75mm rubber grip lens and a TTL Prism, which is

described as slightly erratic in its metering, sitting on the UK ebay website at

circa 255 UK pounds just now, with auction finishing tomorrow, might be

worth a look (3876104941) The lens has to be worth that much even by itself.

 

The 105mm lens is pretty much the same as the newer Pentax version and is

a good performer in the mid-aperture range and would probably be a good

lens for aerial photography. But the 75mm lens could also be handy too, with

its slightly wider angle of view. Hope that you find a good camera and share

some of your images with us all eventually!

[harris_goldstein]

I generally used the 200mm for aerial on the 6x7. Your needs might differ, but I was taking oblique shots of commercial building from 1,000 feet. I needed the longer lens to use most of the available negative space. I was shooting from a high wing Cessna and also needed to make sure the wing strut was out of the image.

 

BTW, weathered asphalt is a pretty good grey card. About 1/2 stop from 18 percent.

[WJT]

Hi John. The "chain problem" mentioned above affects those bodies that use the TTL prism. Sometimes, this very fine chain that links the aperture setting of the lens to the meter breaks. It can be repaired by Pentax (or even yourself if you are handy). I have an older 6x7 with MLU that I inherited from my Dad. It works great! There is a problem, however, in the older bodies. The light seals are made from a black sponge rubber. After many years it starts to deteriorate and it gets kind of gummy. Yuch! That has happened to my 6x7, but it still works fine without any noticeable leaks (yet). Again, this can be repaired by Pentax. I understand that many have also repaired this themselves. Regards.

[johnmarkpainter]

I have a beat up non-MLU with a non-metered Prism and it works PERFECTLY. It was

owned by a Pro so maybe he kept it tuned.....or maybe I was just lucky.

 

jmp

[john_dixon5]

Thanks everyone for some great advice, if that older one goes cheap enough I may go for it, currently at about ?60 or so. If not I will look for a later one. They do bring a high price, are they that much better than the Bronicas and Mamiyas ?

 

Thanks again,

 

John