Pentax 6x7 Review
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- In today’s episode, Greg and I review the Pentax 6x7, later also called Pentax 67, which is a legendary medium format single-lens reflex camera first announced at photokina in 1966 and then properly introduced to the market in 1969. The Pentax 67 was the primary camera of many famous photographers, among them the late Peter Lindbergh who created many of his legendary portraits with it. Interestingly, until today we also see currently active fashion photographers like James Harvey-Kelly shooting campaigns for brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren or Windsor with this camera.
In order to live up to the camera’s versatility and large amount of lenses and accessories, we took it out for some landscape, portrait, architecture and macro photography in and around Würzburg shooting a variety of films - slide film, color negative film and black and white film.
Gear used:
2x Pentax 6x7 MLU
35mm f/4.5 SMC
75mm f/4.5 SMC
105mm f/2.4 SMC
135mm f/4 SMC Macro
300mm f/4.0 SMC
1.4x converter
Films used:
Agfa RSX 100
Fuji Velvia 100F
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak T-Max 400
If you enjoy our videos and like to follow us on Instagram, find us here: / analog_insights
#pentax67 #filmphotography #analogphotography
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One of our local Portrait Studios uses the 6x7 exclusively. His Lobby and office display dozens of magnificent Images taken over about 40 years!
People drive two or three hours to have him do their Portrait. He is famous over three states!
Do you know the name of this photographers studio? would like to look at this person work!
Name please! Could use some inspiration!
I’m so glad I bought mine years ago. They are so trendy now. The prices are getting out of hand due to all the glowing RUclips reviews.
I purchased mine new in either 1983 or 1984. Its had many thousands of rolls of film run through it without a single failure. The lenses, as you note, are epic, except perhaps the 35mm.
One lens I did not see in this fine video is the 120mm Soft Focus, a lens without any real competitors. Another peerless lens is the 165mm f/2.8 which renders the most pleasing bokeh I've ever personally viewed. In all the lenses, the color reproduction is spot on.
Have not had batteries exhaust as quickly as noted unless I am shooting night scenes; then the battery might barely last the night. However, mine does not have the metering prism and perhaps that drains batteries?
Surely one of the greatest camera systems of all times.
Just got my 67, heading up to the Lake District with it, can wait
Enjoy the camera!
This amazing camera is my dream, since the early 80th when I start shooting with Pentax Cameras - I still have my LX and 645 and other Pentax gear. - keep going.
I just love it that every camera I'm interested in, you happen to have a review for 😃
Always the most trustworthy channel for analog gear reviews, along with Kyle Mcdougall 🙌🏻
Great video as always ❤️
This “program” must have one of the largest number of subscribers in the world on the subject of film photography.
I'm firmly in the Hasselblad camp but you can't deny the amazing lens quality of the Pentax 67's, it's a great system...
I agree , Id consider this system except for the limiting flash sync @1/30 sec.
Hasselblad never maid anything like this. Two different systems to change up your photography and not be stagnant
They had a 90mm leaf shutter Lens . Ohh and that miror flap, good, fast lenses though
@@Zetaphotography I 100% agree with you. Myself, I don't use flash, so this don't bother me at all. But there is the 90mm f2.8 and the 160mm f2.8 that have leaf shutter with a higher speed synchro.
When Fujifilm released the GFX50s I picked up a few Pentax 67 lenses to be adapted. They are lovely lenses to use. Excellent results and the 45mm is a favourite.
Finally! Great review and so nice to see the camera used handheld. People think I'm crazy for taking it when traveling, but the image quality returned is above reproach.
I used this camera on a job only a few months after buying it. It was on location in a factory setting, and while I could’ve used a 35mm, this was just as portable. When the client saw the huge transparencies, he was blown away. So was I 👍🏻
Immediately after seeing your review of the 6x7, Max, I went into my studio to fondle mine, with the 105 lens, of course. Amazing how a love affair for a camera last a lifetime, yet a love affair with a wife rarely lasts.
Waking up and watching a Analog Insights Video while having a coffee, is a morning routine I would do everyday. Thanks! :))
I have two 6 x 7's with several lenses that I purchase several years ago. They are heavy and I would suggest a sturdy tripod if you use one, I suggest that when you're not using it to remove the battery and keep in a small ZipLoc bag. The batteries will drain even if you're not using the camera. I have one lens that has a leaf shutter in it and use it when I don't want any vibration. You trip the main shutter which pulls the mirror up and then when you're ready to take the picture, you trip the leaf shutter. I would also suggest getting a good, wide neck strap to be easier on your neck. LOL. I absolutely LOVE the camera and the pictures it takes are absolutely beautiful; I love the transparencies it takes.. And of course that classic sound when the shutter is tripped....gives me chills. LOL
Great review. My first one I bought back in the 1990s. After I went digital I sold it, along with most of my lenses, most of which were bought new. Twenty years later I had buyer's remorse and decided to re-create my original kit, but it cost me more than what I sold my first kit for. However, it was worth it. I love this camera and the lenses with it. Now, I want to shoot with it almost exclusivly.
This channel is turning into a classic. Thank you so much for the extensive info and analysis.
Still have my Rollie SL 66 system with its tilting 50 mm bellows and many other features enjoying the channel
If you want to use the original wooden Pentax grip and still focus with the same hand, you should actually be using a quick focus ring to be attached to the lens. It works really well and the camera can be carried easily in one hand with that large grip. It is a different concept which you need to embrace to see the benefits.
Very good point! I think the reviewer is not aware of the quick focus rings that are available for this camera.
I had a 67II for a while and the wood grip and quick focus ring work very well together.
Greg is right - it’s a great travel camera. Great review - thank you!
I really enjoyed this excellent presentation. I have this Pentax 67 with several lenses and I am going to re-start using it now. I am taking a break from my Nikon F 3 HP camera and my Leica M7 camera. Thank you all for making this wonderful video ! RS. Canada
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Richard. It means a lot to us. :)
Ive owned a Pentax 6x7 mirror up version from new, bought in 1980. It’s not been serviced at all, and continues to be very reliable.The 75mm f4.5 and 105mm lenses are simply amazing. My experience with the battery life is that the PX28, lasts around 2/3 years, however my camera doesn’t have the cds meter prism, which possibly drains the battery quickly .
I have the 1989 version with a 50mm and 105mm Macro, waist level, and prism finders. I used it extensively, with my favorite film Ektachrome L (warmer rendering), and used Cibachrome for large prints. These materials are no longer available. A very unique look and would be hard to simulate today using digital technologies.
Thoroughly enjoyable review of this handsome camera, thank you. Now I want one!
Wonderful system ! I have started my photographic journey with a Pentax camera I still have, and your videos make me nostalgic for that era. Thanks !
I loved watching this video! Some good history mixed with some good hands-on use nowadays. Great presentation.
Great job guys. Very informative and enjoyable
Very, very interesting. I used this camera a couple of times in “the old days” and was very impressed👍
thank for this video, great review. The Pentax 6X7 is my main camera and my favorite. It is fantastic camera.
Following you guys from Souther California. I very much enjoy your channel. Glad to see it has grown over the year. All the best!
I normally use a hasselblad but my big old Pentax can give it a run for its money well made built like a tank
Thanks for a great review! Pentax 6x7 is truly one of the best cameras ever built. Those lenses are absolutely amazing also!
Beautiful review! Could someone here point out to me where the music in this review came from? Great, relaxing choices for background sounds.
On a side note, I used to be a hobbyist photographer till I went blind about 8 years ago. I'm slowly learning to pick up the hobby again (yes, blind photographers do exist). But one of the things I'll have to accept is I'll almost certainly never get to use manual vintage cameras like this to take photos in any meaningful way. Being blind, it's not really practical for me to even shoot film, and I'll have to rely on digital cameras and AF to enjoy my hobby.
Still, the history of cameras and technology is something that fascinates me, and so this review was both a way to learn about a camera I never knew about till watching the video, and this was also a way to sort of live vicariously through you since this is a piece of gear I'll likely never get to experience.
To avoid making this comment entirely about me, just would like to say: appreciate what you have, and enjoy the hobby for what it is. It's a gift that we have the tools to capture memories that we can enjoy and share with the world. 🤍
Hi Max, I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for your research and opinions.
I love the Pentax 6x7.
Fantastic review.
What a great review, thank you so much. I've recently been shooting Pentax 6x7 systems primarily for work...Still adjusting, but what a joy to shoot with and look through. Even managed to get a lens off free lens shot published recently...not bad. Thanks for this.
Greg, Max thanks once again for a wonderful video...
Fun to watch. I miss the engraved markings on the older metal lenses.
Love this camera!
What a fantastic beast of a camera. Thorough and accurate coverage (as always). Personally I use a an arm brace so that the mirror slap recoil doesn't break my wrist!
My fav camera of all time! Wish I hadn’t sold it get a Linhof. Big mistake.
Thanks for mentioning the Exakta VP in the historical part of your review.
Thanks for a great review of the 67 system. Like Greg I also tend to grab it for trips and as the best option. When I am looking for a lighter kit then the LX goes along. Familiarity with the similarities in the two systems covers 80% of my film photography needs. The large lens choices also helps.
Great review as always! I particularly enjoyed the music you used in this one! I have been wanting to try out a 6x7 MLU for some time even though the MLU switch seems to be the bane of many photographers' existence. (Looking at you Brae lol)
Nice in depth review of the Pentax 6x7 system.
another amazing video
...kick-ass soundtrack. Oh, and the review absolutely rocks.
That's it, I'm buying one!
Great Camera' Thank you.👍👍
A camera system I've always wanted
Great review... I'd love to see a review of the amazing Rollei 6008i (6000 series) as it too has a very extensive system. Truely amazing German camera system. Keep up the great work. Loving it!
200f4 and 150 2.8 hands down the greatest lenses I've ever used .
Great review of a Great camera
Very detailed presentation. Beautifully subdued editorial style. Remarkably hip soundtrack. Congrats!
Thank you for your comment and kind words. Really appreciated.
I used to do aerial photography with the 6X7 and the 105 lens. It is a beast. Later I used a Nikon FM2
I no longer was doing the huge prints and didn't need that beast. It was excellent just heavy. I even got talked into doing a wedding for a personal friend, she was short money. Even with one lens and 3 rolls of 220 film I did it. Very happy friend the richness of those prints. Like watching 4k video instead of HD.
While you made your channel so far as a kind of (very popular) history channel Leica released the M6 analog the other day and Pentax announced several film cameras for the next future. You are center of interest. Congrats!
I did not think I wanted to see a review of the Pentax 67, but your videos are always irresistible!
I owned one around 1989, well before I was ready for it. I doubt I'll bother with one now.
(Side note: I've never heard it called a "sixty-seven", only a "six seven")
Thanks for pointing that out. Please excuse that mistake on my end.
Tolle Kamera, schöne Bilder.❤😎
1973 war das meine erste 6x7-SLR. Was kaum jemand weiß: Die erste Serie war nicht schwarz lackiert, sondern hatte einen schwarzen Kunststoff-'Ganzkörperkondom', wenn man so will; der nutzte sich nicht so ab wie schwarzer Lack. Die Pentax 6x7 war 1966/69 der Pionier einer Zeitautomat-Kamera; das Konzept wurde erst 1972 bei der Pentax Spotmatic ES bekannt (ein Jahr später bei der Nikkormat EL). Die 6x7 ist eine wunderbare Kamera und dank ihres echten Heavy Duty Gewichts selbst mit langsamen Zeiten aus der Hand sehr weitreichend erfolgreich nutzbar.
Perfect channel in every sense even the best music at the beginning of the video, what does it play?Love 67!
This episode was a good one, I recently said goodbye to mine but it was time.
Oh so that's what the outer bayonet is for. I always looked at it wondering if it's just for styling but never bothered to look it up
Also the camera of choice for Gregory Halpern. Great photographer.
I started out with the magnificent 55-100 Zoom, which is on par with the primes! Unfortunately it is incredibly heavy to hold while shooting. That is why i replaced it with those.
I even managed to find a shift lens in incredibly good condition which allowed me to improve my architecture photography a lot.
Comments: (1) The 1/1000 shutter speed is available because the Pentax uses a focal plane shutter, whereas the Mamiya RZ uses a leaf shutter in each lens. Leaf shutters rarely exceed 1/500, and never in MF sized lenses. I think all of the MF cameras which used focal plane shutters offered a 1/1000 speed. (2) I've owned 6x7 bodies for more than 35 years. I've never had an issue with short term or rapid battery exhaustion in these cameras. The exception to that standard would be if you shoot an uncommon quantity of time exposures, such as night photography. When you hold the shutter open for an extended period, that status puts a relatively heavy drain on the battery. Because at one time, the Pentax 67 system was popular with astronomers, Pentax offered a factory service modification which would allow the shutter to be locked open mechanically without requiring battery power. (3) The one functional short-coming of the Pentax 67 body is the necessarily slow shutter speed limit for a fully open frame exposure, being 1/30 second. This makes daylight balanced fill flash nearly impossible. Pentax offered two leaf shutter lenses over the years to accommodate this issue, but their operation is so slow and clunky that no one would use them regularly in leaf shutter mode.
Wow this is a fantastic review. Thank you so much. One somewhat unrelated question: how do you scan your prints? I have been making darkroom prints for the last three months and I'm wondering how the best way is to scan them on my Epson V600. If I lay them down on the glass, won't they be slightly lower than the actual focal point of the scanner?
Thanks for everything you do!
Pentax 6x7, great camera
I almost sold my Pentax 67 with all the lenses I have . I am glad I did not do it because after watching your video I would have been regretting
You did well in keeping this system..Enjoy
i was very surprised to see würzburg :)
Finally a camera I have and don't just dream about😅
As I recall the early ones had a lot of vibration (mirror slap) which improved in later models.
It’s an amazing system to shoot with. Here’s a pointer for the long exposure people. There’s no T setting but there actually is. Set your speed between 1/1000 and X (the space that has no speed) and voila … T mode. ;) awesome channel!
Wow, T mode! I remember that on an old camera my father had - the shutter button would latch the shutter open and a second press would close it again. Same effect can be got in B mode by holding your finger down, or using a shutter release cable with a locking device.
Excellent review! What is the music at the beginning?
There are probably more accessories for the Mamiya RB67 system, which comes with bellows standard.
The image size is not the implied 6 x 7 cm. It is more like 5.5 x 7 cm. They could have called it a 755 format as a big brother of the 645 format.
Your comment caught my eye and I thought it odd, but I’ve just measured a neg and you’re quite right; 69x55mm
...to be fair, @@mike747436, my Hasselblad 6 x 6 backs all clock in at an actual 5.5 x 5.5cm. Smells like a class-action lawsuit. 😬
A beautiful camera. My next project.
However, i heavily use flash especially outdoors fill. Sp what is a close competitor for faster flash sync & maintaing 1/1000th?
Small correction: The inner lens bayonet mounts supports auto-aperture operation and metering. The outer mount supports nothing. The original 400mm lens, like all other longer telephotos of its period, uses a "pre-set" manual aperture and mounts to the outer bayonet. The later model 400mm EDIF lens, like the great majority of system lenses, uses the inner mount, has auto-aperture, and meter connection, as does the 800mm EDIF lens..
Surely the outer bayonet still allows stop-down metering?
@@lexlayabout5757 I would expect so,
Great video. I'm wondering if I need to purchase an L Bracket to mount it on a tripod in a vertical position?
I wish they did the same digital.
What is the band in the background in this you tube?
BTW, you have made a review of Leica M5, Pentax 6x7, but I wonder when will you touch the iconic Nikon F2? That would be great to see one day.
Where can one get a CLA for the 6x7?
I ditched my 3D printed right hand grip because it was frequently causing me to engage MLU - unfortunate! I love seeing one of your videos on a camera I already own and adore.
Tell Greg to keep the rodinal away from the TMAX 400 :-)
(just kidding, mostly)
I found the best way to avoid hitting that button was to get myself out of the nasty habit of cocking the shutter after a shot. Instead I cock the shutter just before composing.
Hey everyone, I have a Pentax 67 question. When metering wide open on the 105mm f2.4 should I set the f stop at 2.4 or at 1.2 (35mm equivalent)?
Always the actual aperture and not the equivalent.
An amazing camera and system. I had 1st version and truly never missed mirror lock up. You never mentioned some very important features! The film runs in a straight line, no turns. Rollei and Hasselblad the film needs to go around a curve. That is why the images are so sharp. End of roll images no 11,12 in Rollei/Hasselblad can be less sharp. The lenses no slouch either. The rectangular image makes the 6x7 format way larger than 6x6, often cropped to 6x4.5! Battery must be fresh and full power. The cable gizmo a good extra! The huge format not always could be printed by many pro darkrooms. A sad thing. I quit because of the weight. Leaving home on foot, every pace doubles it's weight! Well, it felt that way! My 135mm Macro super, the 75mm, early one, great. Favorite lens after my 135mm, the 55mm (28mm on 35mm). Making contact sheets didn't work out on 8x10'' / 20x25cm paper. If you are youngish, physically strong and happy with a small kit, maybe extra lens or 2. Tele-extender for portraits. a few filters, make a big case, wheels maybe, needed. In on over 25 years never a single problem. Also not used many years. Needed more images! Sam Haskins was a great photographer using this tool. Fashion photographers in NYC. Flying to LA and the beaches in Santa Monica, Newport etc. use the Pentax 6x7, rented from Samy's. I traded my kit there for a good price, buying a Leica M6TTL. new. Recommended camera and site!
"The film runs in a straight line, no turns. Rollei and Hasselblad the film needs to go around a curve. That is why the images are so sharp. End of roll images no 11,12 in Rollei/Hasselblad can be less sharp."
...this is a very astute observation, jason gold. In all my years in photography, I never had cause to consider this angle. You may be on to something here.
This is the first time I realise that Pentax introduced the bayonet mount already in 1969 - larger than K-mount but anyway.
I use mine mostly for landscape, but I would not want to carry it and three lenses on a long hill walk. I'm more inclined to head for a specific spot for a shot, possible already reconnoitred with a smaller camera.
Having owned the same decades ago, it was just a big ass SLR; capable of great quality, etc.- but at the end of the day...Hi-Rez Digital SLR bodies today are better, easier, and a smaller form factor....however the old Pentax 6x7s are MUCH cheaper. Me? I've been spoiled by the immediacy that Digital offers; I don't have to wait for film to be developed, processed, scanned, etc. DAYS. With a digital back....I KNOW, right then and there. I think that one feature alone- at ANY format, is Feature #1. SEEING.
Yeah, battery/electronics dependent shutters are a no-go for me now. My rule for buying analog cameras now is: fully mechanical cameras only.
To each his own, but the principle is flawed in this analysis. The fear of highly electronic film cameras is that they have propriety electronics, particularly micro-processors, which in the event of failure cannot be replaced. I offer my GA645Zi as an example, although its sin is a flex circuit cable which does not stand up to abusive flexing. The Pentax 6x7/67 shutter dates from before the age of micro chips and processors. It is hard wired components. This means (1) they practically never fail in normal use, and (2) someone with a wiring diagram and parts list should be able to repair it fairly easily. I've got two 6x7 (MLU) bodies, which have to be 35 - 45 years old. I had them both CLA'ed about 20 years ago. Neither have ever given me a single problem. I've not personally ever heard or read of a Pentax 6x7 shutter failure, although odds are that their must be a few out there.
A friend of mine bought one in 1980 - it was a beast and a half of a camera. It was in sharp contrast to Pentax's 110 SLR - both special in their own way - it's too bad Pentax has lost its way as a leader in the world of photography.
Pentax went plasticky in the 1990s, and then made some bad decisions in the early digital period. They were making a quality mirrorless interchangeable lens APS-C camera ten years ago (the K-01), but it failed because it had no viewfinder, only the rear LCD display. Today they are making quality cameras again, and going for the DSLR niche market.
My best of the best canera
As a few post industrial shots were taken for the video, why don't you review what Bernd and Hilla Becher used for their remarkable work? that would be interesting...
At one point this was my dream camera, but I'm glad I did'nt get it. I got a Hasselblad instead. Another big camera like that was the Kiev (a.k.a. Cambron) 60 TTL, and the Exakta 66.
well depending on the type of images you like,i've noticed hasselblad users tend to go for sharper more clinical images,the pentax has a real timeless photographic feel, it's the takumar glass combined with 6x7 = game changer.
...word, @@jude979. I'm a Hasselblad and Leica owner, but I also *thoroughly* enjoy using the Pentax 6x7 whenever I get the chance. People (self included) rave endlessly about Leica glass's sharpness, tonality, etc. - well, having used Pentax's 105/2.4, my considered opinion is that this lens is next level.
What are we going to do when we run out of expired film? It adds a certain quality to the result that only being old and expired can add, an intangible aesthetic?
You can buy new film now, and it will be expired in the future.
I love my 6x7, but the format size is mostly wasted by today's film labs. Neither the Frontier nor Noritsu scanners do the negative size justice, offering the same max resolution scans as you can get out of 645. I'm not a resolution fanatic by any means (duh, I shoot film), but if I'm paying the same 120 stock/dev/scan costs for 10 frames (67) vs 16 (645), then not getting the detail and resolution benefit of the 50% bigger negative is a pill I can't swallow much anymore. The rendering is something special, especially with the 105 f/2.4, and for that alone it can certainly be worth it. But unless you're scanning at home with a decent flat bed or newer/impressive DSLR scanning systems, I think you're missing out on a lot of the format's benefit.
When shopping for an additional MF camera to join my Rolleiflex TLRs, I considered this model, and even the 645, but went with the Mamiya M645Pro, with the sharper lenses, and more convenient features & options. I still have my first K1000 from 1977, although I switched to Nikon F5 and now have 3 of those as my main kb cameras, as well as Contax G1.
Excellent & detailed review as always. The wooden grip is a total waste of time and just a handle to lung the camera around with. It gets in the way for focusing and aperture control if you are right handed. Those 3D printed grips are a god send. Oh BTW there is a source of modern 220 B&W film, Shanghai GP film, so makes the 67 a winner as you do not need a separate 220 back. At the end of the day its the selection of glass still available at reasonable prices that has made this my favourite MF camera, even though I own and shot a RZ67 as well.
@jp jast Exactly. Wood handle with focusing ring provides quick focusing and more support. Almost every reviewer misses how to properly use these accessories.
I bought 2, one 67 with a 55mm f4 lens with the rubber grip and a 6x7 with a 75mm f4. 5.
I bought them both in 2010 for £450.
When the prices went through the roof I sold both for £1.250.
I still have the amazing scans of the negatives, transparencies and the darkroom enlargements.
I use 2 cameras now, a Ricoh GR digital and a 4x5 MPP Micropress.
I still print from the Pentax 67 negatives.
If you have long fingers like me you could focus the lens using the wood grip. I miss the shutter sound to this day.
4x5 and 6x7 are the same ratio which is the Marigold aspect, just right.
24x36 is too wide. 6x6 is for squares.
Pentax made a pocket battery warmer with cables for pocket warming. Hard to find but they do exist.
In my experience, the left-side wooden handle is really useful. Once you've locked aperture and focus with left hand, the extra vertical grip it provides is invaluable for really precisely nailing composition and framing. With the lens focussing handle accessory (you have pictured here) fitted to the lens you can even focus at the same time as gripping the handle. With the TTL prism, you can even change shutter speed while gripping the handle. The only thing you need to let go of the handle for is changing aperture.
ich denke seit bestimmt 3 Jahren darüber nach, mir eine Pentax 67 zu kaufen, ich fotografiere zu 50% noch analog, 35mm und mit einer Mamiya 645 s 1000...aber eben die Preise sind halt schon krass....🙃
I disagree about shooting with flash. It does very well when you understand the conditions. If you do not have a moderately lit room, a smaller aperture and lower ISO exposure will keep the room light out and the quick flash duration will freeze any motion of the subject.