Pentax 67 Gas!

Anyone used both the 67 and 67ii?

I had a 67 with TTL prism and sold it because I found it difficult to focus. I tried the WLF and could not deal with the reversed image.
Back then I asked for help on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/groups/67/discuss/72157626812755374/

I am thinking about getting back into medium format again and the 67ii with TTL is on my short list.

For those who have used 67 and 67ii, is the viewfinder brighter and does it have more contrast on the ii? Is the ii significantly easier to focus?

Thanks
 
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j.scooter said:
Anyone used both the 67 and 67ii?

I am thinking about getting back into medium format again and the 67ii with TTL is on my short list.

For those who have used 67 and 67ii, is the viewfinder brighter and does it have more contrast on the ii? Is the ii significantly easier to focus?
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I've got both but it's been a while. I'll have time tomorrow to pull both out and take a look and let you know. My 67 has the micro prism and the ii has the split image.
 
j.scooter said:
I am thinking about getting back into medium format again and the 67ii with TTL is on my short list.

For those who have used 67 and 67ii, is the viewfinder brighter and does it have more contrast on the ii? Is the ii significantly easier to focus?
Click to expand...

Mostly I shoot with my 67 but I've used my friend's 67ii for many days when mine was having CLA done.

I'm used to do all sorts of silly stuff with my 67, including very dim light focusing but to look it from the overall impression:

The 67ii is better to focus than a 67 or 6x7 when comparing on the original screens (Beattie screens can improve alot on older models though and TTL can be recalibrated for it too). I've heard somewhere 67ii has almost 2 fstops brighter screen vs older 67s. I'd say it's not significantly better, but definitely better.

Also the view angle is much smaller on the 67ii. IMHO the older 67s have too big viewing angle in their prisms - you need to move your eyes inside the viewfinder to see the details in the corners. Wherheas 67ii is "bright and tight" and you don't need to move your eyes. You get that nice instant overview of the frame. Although for landscapes you often want to see more details, but in most cases I found 67ii prism viewer works out better for framing.

Personally I found the center "fuzzy" prism a bit annoying to focus on 67ii, the oldscool split screen on 67 feels better and more precise for those very precise focus searches. But maybe I'm just too used to split screens. I wouldn't mind having a completely clear matte screen on the 67ii since it's bright enough not to need any distracting ceter-focusing aid area at all if you're already experienced on focusing MF SLRs with their shallow DoFs.

Just my 2c.
 
I took out both cameras this morning and mounted the 105 2.4 in turns to evaluate focusing. My 67 has a grid screen with microprism for focusing. My 67ii has a matte screen with split image for focusing.

tsiklonaut said:
Also the view angle is much smaller on the 67ii. IMHO the older 67s have too big viewing angle in their prisms - you need to move your eyes inside the viewfinder to see the details in the corners. Wherheas 67ii is "bright and tight" and you don't need to move your eyes. You get that nice instant overview of the frame. Although for landscapes you often want to see more details, but in most cases I found 67ii prism viewer works out better for framing.
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I would agree with these two points. The 67ii prism shows 90% with a magnification of 0.75 using the 105 at infinity. The 67 prism also shows 90% but I can't find other info on it. It is a bigger view and the magnification must be higher – just don't know how much.

The view through the 67ii does seem brighter, more clear, more crisp. But it's not a revelation comparatively.

I would say that in most cases I found the split image to be easier to focus and there was a better "snapping" effect through the 67ii. But the split image presents problems in some situations (for example, dense foliage where it can be tricky to isolate a point of focus). I felt the micro prism was easier to evaluate focus in some of these situations.

If you found focus difficult with the 67, I don't think I could confidently say that the 67ii would solve those problems. And some of this might be down to what type of screen is in the prism and what you're most comfortable with.

One of the tough parts of focusing hand-held with these cameras is the combination of shallow DoF (if shooting open), small focusing patch, and the weight of the cameras. The ergonomics of the 67ii helped here.
 
hi there! i'm new here but have been browsing for a little while now. I'd love to contribute some shots from my 67ii!

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Thanks Paddy C, very kind of you to take time out of your day to do focus tests.
Much appreciated!
Not sure what I am going to do. Would be nice if there was a store that had one that I could test before I buy.
I really want an MF SLR, without a WLF.
I wonder what the prisms are like on the Hassys??? But that is for another thread....
Excuse the interruption, back to the pics...
Paddy C said:
I took out both cameras this morning and mounted the 105 2.4 in turns to evaluate focusing. My 67 has a grid screen with microprism for focusing. My 67ii has a matte screen with split image for focusing.



I would agree with these two points. The 67ii prism shows 90% with a magnification of 0.75 using the 105 at infinity. The 67 prism also shows 90% but I can't find other info on it. It is a bigger view and the magnification must be higher – just don't know how much.

The view through the 67ii does seem brighter, more clear, more crisp. But it's not a revelation comparatively.

I would say that in most cases I found the split image to be easier to focus and there was a better "snapping" effect through the 67ii. But the split image presents problems in some situations (for example, dense foliage where it can be tricky to isolate a point of focus). I felt the micro prism was easier to evaluate focus in some of these situations.

If you found focus difficult with the 67, I don't think I could confidently say that the 67ii would solve those problems. And some of this might be down to what type of screen is in the prism and what you're most comfortable with.

One of the tough parts of focusing hand-held with these cameras is the combination of shallow DoF (if shooting open), small focusing patch, and the weight of the cameras. The ergonomics of the 67ii helped here.
Click to expand...
 
Funny how some cameras seem to be used by awesome photographers! The Pentax 67 seems to be some kind of guarantee of good quality work.
 
mugent said:
Funny how some cameras seem to be used by awesome photographers! The Pentax 67 seems to be some kind of guarantee of good quality work.
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I hope I'm not overstepping the mark here, but isn't saying that the Pentax 67 is a 'guarantee of good quality work' detracting from the photographers effort and skill? The pentax doesn't do all the work!


bjmc said:
Are you marley h. on flickr? Long time fan, big ups on the 67 work.
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Yes i am indeed! Thanks a lot mate, appreciate it.
 
aizan said:
the really right stuff b68 and the kirk l-bracket are both discontinued. what's a pentaxian to do?
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Never understood the fuss about fiddly RRS and Kirk items. Less is more. Skip all the copycats and hi-tec wannabees, get a proper original Arca Swiss ball head and yer done :D
 
I just bought and I'm more than happy with the results and how it handles. Bought the kit shown and today I ordered the 67 SMC 200mmm F4 + lot of film (Acros, Portra, HP5, Velvia, Tri-X and Pan F)

P67ii_1.jpg


P67ii_2.jpg


First roll: Pentax SMC 67 105mm F/2.4
Ilford HP5 expired 2006
Kodak HC-110 @75F Dilution 1:49 - Time: 8 minutes
Handheld

Epons_Scan_806.jpg


Epons_Scan_810.jpg


Epons_Scan_814.jpg


Pentax SMC 55mm F/4
HP5 400 (expired 2006)
Kodak HC-110 - Dilution 1:49 Time 8 Minutes @75F
Handheld 1/60

Epons_Scan_820.jpg


Epons_Scan_823.jpg
 
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