Pentax 67 Gas!

astrosecret said:
beautiful as always. bout to finish off a roll of portra 400 in the 6x7 with my new (late model) 55mm f/4
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Thanks, astrosecret! I've read that the late 55/4 is the best version of the 55mm lenses, with the closest minimum focus. Would love to see your results! Mine is the (second) S-M-C version and it's a huge and heavy lens. Weighs over two pounds and has a ginormous 100mm front filter thread.
 
dourbalistar said:
Thanks, astrosecret! I've read that the late 55/4 is the best version of the 55mm lenses, with the closest minimum focus. Would love to see your results! Mine is the (second) S-M-C version and it's a huge and heavy lens. Weighs over two pounds and has a ginormous 100mm front filter thread.
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Yours sounds like the first version, an f/3.5 55mm S-M-C Takumar lens, right? Or were there two versions of that one? There were two subsequent f/4 55mm lenses, and I have both of those. The earlier one of those two is the 1979 SMC Pentax 6x7 55mm F4 lens that replaced the earlier f/3.5 version, ~2/3 the weight and improved optically. Weighs 615g and focus to 0.4m. It has 9 elements in 8 groups; 8 aperture blades.; 77° angle of view diagonally.

The next/last version was the f/4 55mm SMC Pentax 67 of 1986, only 7 years later. It is 110g heavier at 725g, with a 1° wider view and again improved optically. They might have made one surface aspherical, as they were able to reduce the element count to 8 in 7 groups, again with 8 aperture blades. Minimum focus down to 0.35m; 78° angle of view diagonally.

These are all excellent lenses, even from the early 6x7 days of the late 1960's and early '70's. The 6x7, 67, and 67II models all got detail upgrades and improvements throughout the years of production. I'm very fond of the whole series of this system, and have a pre-MLU 6x7, a MLU 6x7, and two 67II bodies.

I haven't shot film in some years, though, so they're now shelf queens! However, the lenses get some use adapted to the current medium-format SLR, a Leica S2.
 
Doug said:
Yours sounds like the first version, an f/3.5 55mm S-M-C Takumar lens, right? Or were there two versions of that one? There were two subsequent f/4 55mm lenses, and I have both of those. The earlier one of those two is the 1979 SMC Pentax 6x7 55mm F4 lens that replaced the earlier f/3.5 version, ~2/3 the weight and improved optically. Weighs 615g and focus to 0.4m. It has 9 elements in 8 groups; 8 aperture blades.; 77° angle of view diagonally.

The next/last version was the f/4 55mm SMC Pentax 67 of 1986, only 7 years later. It is 110g heavier at 725g, with a 1° wider view and again improved optically. They might have made one surface aspherical, as they were able to reduce the element count to 8 in 7 groups, again with 8 aperture blades. Minimum focus down to 0.35m; 78° angle of view diagonally.
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Yes, I have the 55mm f/3.5 version. The Antique Cameras site lists four versions of the 55mm. Mine has the "Super-Multi-Coated Takumar" engraving on the front ring, whereas the earlier 1969 version has "Super Takumar". Seems the two early f/3.5 versions are optically identical, so perhaps some sources group the 1969 and 1971 versions together.

https://www.antiquecameras.net/pentax6x7lenses.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-Takumar-6x7-55mm-F3.5-Lens.html
 
Good work, Dourbalistar. I especially like the top photo, taken in a park. A misty light floats through the scene, evoking an atmosphere of quiet tranquility. I also have the Pentax 67, but do not have the 35mm film insert. Is yours a Pentax product, or 3rd party? How is it to use? I have a Hasselblad Xpan, which is my usual travel camera, but the Takumar lenses make very appealing images. I even like the sprocket holes. je ne sais pas pourquoi.
 
chasfreeland said:
Good work, Dourbalistar. I especially like the top photo, taken in a park. A misty light floats through the scene, evoking an atmosphere of quiet tranquility. I also have the Pentax 67, but do not have the 35mm film insert. Is yours a Pentax product, or 3rd party? How is it to use? I have a Hasselblad Xpan, which is my usual travel camera, but the Takumar lenses make very appealing images. I even like the sprocket holes. je ne sais pas pourquoi.
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Thank you, chasfreeland! The top photo is an empty campsite across from ours. Not many people camping on Thanksgiving, so it was very quiet morning. I also like the sprocket holes because it has, how do you say it, je ne sai quoi. :D

The panoramic adapter is a 3rd party kit that I bought from the Big Auction site. Mine has metal adapters for 35mm cassettes and two masks. One for the film gate area if you want to mask out the sprocket holes, and also a mask for the viewfinder so that you can compose a bit more accurately. It's the one pictured in the link below. I don't use the film gate mask because I want the sprocket holes, and I'm also a bit leery of having something near the shutter curtains:
https://www.peterjeffrey.photography/film-photography-blog/shooting-35mm-film-through-a-pentax-67

There are also different 3D printed 35mm cassette adapters, much cheaper but usually without the film gate and viewfinder masks:
https://www.holgamods.com/holgamods/Spools.html
https://www.camerhack.it/product/fak-135-135-to-120-film-adapter-kit/

Using the adapter kit is a bit kludgy, and once you reach the last frame, you have to unload the camera in total darkness. But it's worth it for me, and I use it precisely because I don't have a Hasselblad Xpan! With the adapters, you can just use an normal 120 spool on the take up side, but I use an empty reloadable 35mm cassette with the adapters. That way, if I accidentally open up the back, it doesn't expose the whole roll. In order to not waste any film in the loading process, I cut down a section of 120 backing paper to use as a leader. I found this video really helpful:
https://vimeo.com/220566205/1518da40fe
 
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