steve_rasmussen

<p>Sanjay-- When you press the shutter button with the B setting (bulb), are you holding it down or releasing it? The shutter should stay open as long as the shutter button is depressed.</p>

<p>Thanks Bjorn. I also hang out at the Pentax forums site (as desertscape) and gave you some advice on the 300mm. </p>

<p>It may be better to return it to the seller, rather than being dissatisfied with the product and having to rework it.</p>

<p>Speaking of space travel, here is a shot of the Endeavour Shuttle which I worked on.<br> www.flickr.com/photos/18898404@N07/13809374544/in/dateposted-public/</p>

<p>Between the 6x7 and 645 lenses, the only lens I know of with Thorium is the 105mm Super-Takumar.</p>

<p>That was me that said that Thorium was only in the Spuper-Takumar 105. Trust me on this one. The SMC Takumar and Pentax 105s did not use it. </p>

<p>1) The "B" setting is for exposures longer than 4 seconds. <br> 2) The AE prism will meter out to 30 seconds if the dial is on the "A" mode, if memory serves me correctly. </p>

<p> "Finally, if so, would the 90mm actually shoot at its stated focal lengthy in the 35 mm format?"<br> It would have to. Your angle of view would change however. Adapters that use larger format lenses for smaller format cameras block much of the light and this can cause problems if the surfaces are not baffled well enough with anti reflection coating. This is a common problem. </p>

<p>I'm curious as to why you would want to resurrect this very old design type? Nostalgia?</p>

<p>Ray, it used to be that the mirror was held in place by a battery powered solenoid with the Asahi Pentax 6x7 and Pentax 67. With the 67II, I'm guessing that the power savings is partial, as I'm doubtful that Pentax eliminated the solenoid. But opinions from those who shoot the 67II for astronomical purposes would be able to give the solid answer. </p>

<p>Use the "B" setting like other cameras. For long exposures, your meter will not be usable. For shorter "B" exposures, sometimes the faster lenses can be metered wide open, then extrapolate the exposure time for the aperture you want to shoot at. I shoot lots of 2 minute exposures with mine and the battery seems to last very well. Multi hour exposures will kill your battery because the MLU is not mechanical, it is solenoid powered. </p>

<p>When using a lens in the "auto" position (VS manual) the meter needs to know what setting the aperture ring is set at, to be able to meter correctly. It can do this via the chain mechanism in the TTL meter. However, when this link is broken due to having a device between the camera body and lens (the tube mentioned above) the meter has no way of knowing what the aperture ring is set to. So the "manual" setting is necessary to inform the meter of the position of the diaphragm to be able to meter correctly. It is extremely rare to have to use the "Manual" setting on the lenses that have that lever. Even lenses with the 1.4x or 2x converter in place, can be metered in "Auto" mode.</p>

<p>2) You have to be much more careful about light leaking into the roll with 120/220 compared with 35mm film. Always load/unload in the shade. The "start" marks for 120 and 220 are different, at least for the older 67s it was.</p> <p>4) The auto/manual lever is for DOF preview but also used when you lose connectivity between your body and lens. In such cases (using the helicoid extension tube) the lever should be set to manual to get an accurate meter reading.</p>

<p>I haven't posted any pictures in PN for quite awhile. Just tried to post one without success. Any tips?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, crime like this has reached epidemic proportions in the US. Keep an eye on Craig's List and pawn shops. The thief doesn't want the camera, they want the money out of it. </p>

<p>Thanks, yes it is a 3 cam. I was aware of the SL2 only needing a 2 cam but I was just curious. </p>

<p>I just bought a 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit-R for my SL2. It does not have the "28" in the DOF scale area but was offered as a 3 cam lens. I have my doubts about it being a 3 cam. The serial # is 27266xx. Am I right about it being 2 cam? Thanks.</p>

<p>You might want to look into the Fuji 645Zi. </p>

<p>Yes, you can use the 67 to 645 adapter for the 645D and 645Z. The lenses you have are proven to do well on the 645D & Z. The lenses made specifically for the D & Z will outperform the film lenses but at a huge cost. </p>

<p>A mint 67 with mint TTL prism== $570.</p>

<p>The image quality is about the same but you will miss fewer exposures with the 67ii due to the better meter (AE Prism).</p>

<p>Stay away from those labeled Honeywell and Asahi on the finder; they are getting too old now. If the one you're interested in says "Pentax", it is the one just before the 67ii came out and the one to get. Just make sure it is mint or close to it. If you are not going to use flash, the 90mm Pentax is fine. If you wanted to go with flash work, the 90mm Takumar is the leaf shutter lens. There is a 165mm leaf shutter lens as well. Also, the 150 Takumar is an inexpensive lens but a fine performer. </p>

<p>...why is the market disappearing for medium format?<br> As David said above, the medium format film camera market was dominated by pro shooters, so when publishers refused to accept film as a viable media, pros had no choice but to move to digital. Scanning film was an option to stay with MF film cameras but that turned out to be too expensive to produce a scan that publishers would accept. It is interesting to note that flickr has thousands of members in their Pentax 67 section, so there are lots of people still shooting this and other MF systems. Medium format film cameras are still in use in a big way, just that their use has shifted from pro to amateur. </p>

<p>The 67ii can be used for portrait work but is not as natural for that as the leaf shutter cameras. There are two leaf shutter lenses for the Pentax, should you want to go with a higher flash synch speed than their other lenses. For natural light portraits, the 67ii does fine. The 67ii is expensive even now, so that may not be an option. The Pentax 67 is a more affordable way to go. Strangely, there are some on the used market that are barely used. There are even some lenses that are new or near new condition for sale. If you get a mint body, the reliability is quite good. I have 3 bodies and have used them since the late 80's with only minor adjustments needed. For covert street work, the Pentax's can be a bit loud tho. </p>