Pentax 67 - viewfinders

[RaymondC]

<p>Hi all, I am looking into getting into medium format this year. I am in New Zealand where the less trendy stuff can be a better price and the trendy stuff have more a premium. The P67 is more on the cheaper side.</p>

<p>1. How does the WLF on the P67 compare with traditional box systems?<br /> 2. If one opted for the standard prism on the P67 is manual focussing tricky?</p>

<p>I am sort of cut in the middle. I do mainly landscapes for my hobby. The P67 is cheaper and a lager neg and possibly less dated than the H-500CM with the C T* lenses. Althou one can say good stuff about Zeiss that is up for debate and the C T* are more dated. A bit of a inconvenience but I may not need to swap film on the go that often. And something tells me I do enjoy a box system but the SLR might be quicker to use.</p>

<p>Cheers</p>

[russ_britt3]

<p>I used to have a 645 but from 1980 to present Hasselblad. If you need to change film the Hasselblad is a great choice. Otherwise the Pentax is great, but with a 6X7 or 6X4.5 format a 90 degree Prism is worth its weight in gold.<br /><br />So you need to decide, but I think for landscapes the Pentax with a great tripod and a prism finder would be a great choice. Pentax optics are great too........ </p>

[jeff_drew4]

<p>Ray, The P67 WLF is easy to use, and best on a tripod. My first foray into medium format was 6x6cm TLRs, so when I jumped to 6x7cm, the WLF on a P67 was easy. All the Pentax 67s work best on a tripod or firm & steady mount. You can then take your time and perfect your work flow and seeing. I also use the chimney finder (rigid, magnified WLF) and the prism finder. The prism finder gives eye level use and are as easy as any 35mm SLR that weighs several pounds more. Add practice for steady shooting. Pentax lenses for 6x7cm are mostly excellent and cheap by most standards. Having a P67 kit AND in New Zealand sounds like photo heaven to me . . . on my bucket list! Best Wishes!</p>

[steve_rasmussen]

<p>With the prism finders, focusing is not an issue unless you intend to use the slower lenses in low light. For landscape work, focusing in even less of an issue because of the use of the DOF scale on the lenses. Remember that this camera had lenses produced over many decades and there is a difference in performance between them. Get the newer ones if possible. Landscape work in this format has DOF problems, so try to buy lenses with smaller stops (165 LS, 55-100 zoom, 90-180 zoom, 100 macro, 135 macro, 200 Pentax). The 45mm has good DOF even though it only has f/22. </p>

[RaymondC]

<p>Would a body "without" MLU be out of the question? We don't get much 120 cameras here and these non-digital stuff here are even a bit cheaper than abroad. The longest lens I anticipate using is the 200mm. </p>

[donbright]

<p>The newer lens advice is the right way. I would hold out for a MLU version, as far as viewfinders go, go with the one the camera comes with but the trick is determining the diopter for your vision, if vision is an issue. You will probably not find a proper diopter, but opticians make diopters for people as one offs.</p>

[steve_rasmussen]

<p>I have both the MLU version and the non-MLU type. The 200mm can be used with the non lock up body but the tripod and head must be heavy duty!</p>

[Aoresteen]

<p>I have the TTL prism and the rigid magnifying hood for my Pentax 6x7. The prism is great for verticals. The TTL prism (and plain prism) show 90% of the scene captured on film. The magifing hood shows almost 100%.</p>

<p><img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e5/aoresteen/Pentax%2067/Penyax%206x7%20hood_zpsjtzzmkwl.jpg" alt="" width="633" height="626" /></p>

<p>There is also a waist level finder that shows almost 100% of the frame.<br>

Good luck!</p>

[maris_rusis]

<p>I tried and rejected a Pentax 67 with a waist level finder for landscape work because it can't do "portrait" orientation (tall trees, high mountains, etc) without being turned on its side. The viewfinder image is then upside down and rather disorienting because you have to look at it from the side! Instead I went with a Mamiya RB67 where the revolving back makes turning between "portrait" and "landscape" orientations really convenient. And the RB67 was cheaper; cheaper lenses too.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

I agree. Waist level challenging on rectangular

format unless it has revolving back. And

Pentax 67 is really a big 35 SLR. It was meant

to be used with prism. Ok to buy one with wlf if

that's all u can find but add prism asap.

[donbright]

<p>I use the magnifier finder for crop insurance only, slow, methodical, got to get this shot right procedure, replacing it with the AE finder. The tools are there to use but it is what it is and there's no universal solution unfortunatly.</p>

[mag_miksch]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"The viewfinder image is then upside down and rather disorienting because you have to look at it from the side"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Same here, its kind of psychedelic^^</p>