jlkphoto Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 In the last few days, HK Supplies has had brand new 67ii bodies and kits for sale again on the auction site. Search for "pentax 67ii" It says "5 available." Does anyone know if this is a new Pentax production run or have they simply acquired stock from some other dealer? A related question: Does anyone reading know if Pentax is still manufacturing lenses for the 67 system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlkphoto Posted November 1, 2006 Author Share Posted November 1, 2006 I just got an email from HK Supplies and they say "new arival" and seem to think Pentax has done a small production run of the 67ii. I wonder if they are going to make more 75mm f/2.8 lenses or other lenses that seem to be out of stock everywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skygzr Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 I seem to recall reading about a new long-ish (300 or 400mm) P67 lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_popp1 Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Did I miss something? Is Pentax discontinuing the 67 system? That would be a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlkphoto Posted November 1, 2006 Author Share Posted November 1, 2006 Peter, the 67ii bodies have been unavailable for months. I was told or read that the new laws in Europe banning lead solder have caused Pentax and others to discontinue a lot of items not considered worth the cost of re-engineering. My local pro camera store, which dealt in Pentax 67 equipment, told me that Pentax no longer lists the 67 in their catalog.... That is why it seems really odd that suddenly 5 or 10 new cameras are available from Hong Kong via HK Supplies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_willson Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Pentax 67ii bodies and lenses are still being sold and, to my knowledge, still being produced in Japan. They tend to only be sold in the very large stores but this has always been the case because of the cost. (Yodobashi Camera or Bic Camera) One thing of interest is that the prices do seem to have gone up in the last few years, not the RRP, but the actual selling price. It used to be that lenses and bodies always sold at about 25% below the Japanese RRP (which is higher than the states I think) but now they have crept up so discounts are only around 10%. Hope this helps Chris Willson (Okinawa, Japan) www.travel67.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlkphoto Posted November 1, 2006 Author Share Posted November 1, 2006 Chris, the 67II body as well as several popular lenses have been out of stock in the US for months. Check B&H in New York, for example. www.bhphotovideo.com I hope you are right about production continuing. I do know for a fact that products containing lead-based solder can no longer legally be imported to Europe. Do you happen to have a link to a Japanese seller of 67 equipment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_willson Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Here is a link to the Pentax 67ii at Bic Camera. You may have problems showing Japanese on your browswer however. Give it a go. http://www.biccamera.com/bicbic/jsp/w/catalog/list.jsp?DISP_CATEGORY_ID=031040&PARENT_CATEGORY_ID=03&BACK_URL=camera/index.jsp&ssm=false&ADVICE_DISP_OFF_FLG=OFF&MAKER_NAME=%83%79%83%93%83%5E%83%62%83%4E%83%58 Chris www.travel67.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_willson Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 And here is the link for the Pentax 67ii at Yodobashi Camera http://www.yodobashi.com/enjoy/more/productslist/cat_13_6052998/6053143.html I am pretty sure that you won't be able to buy them and then have them shipped to the US due to the lead (if that was the issue) But, it does give you a good reason to visit Japan and buy direct. It really is quite an interesting place. Hope this helps, Chris www.travel67.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamespjones Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I don't think lead is the issue for the US - I think it is more about sales regions and distribution agreements in terms of retailers like Yodobashi and Bic shipping overseas. <br> James<br> photographyri.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akira Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Hi, Jeff, As Chris and James suggested, Japanese dealers have been generally reluctant to ship the photographic equipment abroad way bofore the lead soldier is banned. Main reason is that there is no more merit to bother because they cannot make extra profit from the vast differences of currency exchange rate, which had been the case until mid- to late-eighties. I haven't heard about the lead soldier issue, but recently a rep of Pentax confessed that Pentax had found difficulty in replacing its lens line-up with new lenses using lead-free glasses, which seems to be part of the reason for stock shortages of the lenses. FWIW, Pentax has never made any announcement of discontinuation of either 67 or 645 system. Hope this would be of any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_bradshaw1 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I also heard that it was the RoHS stuff that had killed them. If they're still being made somewhere that is good news! The stupidity about lead in everything makes me ashamed to be a European, frankly. --tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlkphoto Posted November 2, 2006 Author Share Posted November 2, 2006 Tim, I heard that starting January, 2007, the state of California will , like Europe, no longer allow items containing lead to be sold or imported. These no-lead laws are causing quite a problem for companies with inventory that can no longer be sold in some major markets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvergull Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 So, what are the European yacht builders going to use for sailboat keels? Gold is heaver than lead, silver is close, Palladium close too. Perhaps encapsulation will be accepted. Then Pentax can enclose the cameras and lenses in a plastic over coating. The bureaucrats do not, of course, explain how lead in solder is going the escape from the innards of a camera body or out of the glass of lenses. Meanwhile massive environmental damage from munitions is just fine - "stay the course". A new study now predicts that the current rate of pollution in the seas will cause the worldwide collapse of the food fish fisheries by mid-century. Must be all those folks throwing their pre-lead ban lenses into the sea, huh? That is how the bureaucrat would see the problem. Cheers, Jim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_banister1 Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 You know, if you want to go for pure weight, depleted uranium does a fine job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonjel Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Hi Chris, What type of camera did you use for travel67.com? Great pictures . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonjel Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Hi Chris, What lenses do you use for your 67II and what type of scanner do you use? for landscape and portaits? Im planning to get a 67II, im using a digital canon 20d camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_willson Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Glad you like the photos Angelo, I use the Epson GT-X800 scanner (not sure what the US model name is)Works well but some magazines get images drum scanned when they are doing spreads or covers. The lenses I use are the 35 fisheye, 45, 75 shift, 100 macro, 105, 165, 400. Mostly commonly I use the 165 for portraits and 45 for landscapes. Normally I travel with the 35, 45, 105 and 165 in a LowePro dryzone 200 pack and a gitzo tripod. Chris www.travel67.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w._ditto__iii Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 if everyone would quit sucking on their Pentax lenses, we would still have the 67 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamison_moon Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 This was a very fun reading for me. I bought brand new 67ii on 2005 before they discontinued. Now, I am looking to get some lens. 45mm 135mm 400mm Do they have these brand new still? Thanks, Jamison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macfly Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 I just went to B&H to order a second body, and indeed none are for sale, and there seems to be none expected? I love my 67ll and find it a wonderful travel companion, so I guess I'll be scouring EBay like evryone else to add maybe a few bodies to my kit. Pentax do still list it as a part of their stock on the corporate homepage, so maybe they will still make a few more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macfly Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 I just went to B&H to order a second body, and indeed none are for sale, and there seems to be none expected? I love my 67ll and find it a wonderful travel companion, so I guess I'll be scouring EBay like evryone else to add maybe a few bodies to my kit. Pentax do still list it as a part of their stock on the corporate homepage, so maybe they will still make a few more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macfly Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 I have found a supplier in Hong Kong - I've ordered a complete unit, (body/prism/105) for $1300 including shipping, and I'll post back here upon delivery to let you know if it is all a- ok. FYI this was the supplier - http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlkphoto Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 Andrew, thanks for the info. How did you negotiate that price, the items add up to more than that on their site. Please let us know if the transaction goes OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macfly Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Follow up post, http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/ weren't able to find a new 67ll body afterall, and refunded my PayPal, so they are honest and easy to deal with, which is nice to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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