Mark Dalal wrote: > Daylight handheld > reportedly needs to be done at shutter speeds of 1/250th and above. I've not > verified this as I just don't have film to waste.
I have no trouble hand-holding my 67. What does that mean, exactly? Well, I just made a 20x24 of a 67 neg I shot at 1/125 at f4, handheld, and the only sharpness lost is because of depth of field. I have made excellent 8x10s of negs I've shot handheld at 1/60, though I imagine that blown up to 20x24 I'd see some shake. 1/30 I find hit-or-miss, so when shooting low-light with the 67, I prefer to use a monopod. I can get better results handholding 1/30 by using the mirror lock, which I find quite conveniently placed when shooting horizontally (but for verticals it can be a pain). If anyone's interested, I have some scans from a 67 slide that I shot at 1/60 f2.4 handheld, no mirrorlock. I can put together an overall and a magnified section (trust me, you don't want to see the whole scan at full resolution...it's 250 megs). It is sharp. Not as sharp as it would have been on a tripod, but sharp enough that the 8x10 I printed looks tack sharp, and I don't see the softness until I size it to 11x14 or so. I bought a Pentax 67 for a few reasons: - I was already a big fan of Pentax SMC - it was the biggest-negative camera that I could conceivably run around with - I'm a big fan of changeable finders I looked long and hard at the Pentax 645n (and a couple of other 645s, I'll admit), but the 67 called to me. I like the handling, the size, the shape, and most of all the simplicity. I did just recommend the 645n to a friend, because he owns an MZ-5n and is very happy with its controls and layout...and the 645n is basically a giant MZ-5n (and the old 645 is basically a giant ME Super). The 67 is basically a giant K1000, unless you get it with a non-metering prism (like I did), in which case it is a giant K1000 with no meter. He got his 645n, and it really is quite glorious, and if I were looking for another system to be into, Pentax 645 would be it. But having just sacrificed one of the three systems I was running in order to better one of the other two, I think a third system would be a foolish investment. For the record, I sold my 4x5 to finance more 67 lenses and accessories...which makes me now a 100% Pentaxer! Other than this one Sigma lens. But all the systems are Pentax! Back to 67 vs. 645: the weight issue is a biggie. The 67 is heavy. I carry it in a LowePro Minitrekker, and on its own I don't notice it, but add some accessories (or my laptop, which is a stupidly heavy combination that too often ends up in my bag) and I really start to feel the weight on my shoulders after an hour or so of walking around. If hiking with it, I prefer to put the 67 on a monopod and treat it like a really heavy walking stick. When street shooting with it, I put it on one of those weight-distributing neoprene shoulder straps, which also helps, but again, it hits me after maybe an hour that I'm carrying something really heavy. Also, with heavy use I began to find my hands cramping where my thumb attaches -- the weight of the film advance and, on the other hand, the weight of the mirrorbox when focussing, both really impact on your poor thumbs. My kinesiologist-physiotherapist-soon-to-be-chiropractor-and-acupuncturist-fianc�e gave me some stretching exercises to do before going shooting, which have helped immensely (which I'll share with any 67 users experiencing the same problems). Now I just have the problem when I forget to stretch. The 645, having a motor drive, obviously doesn't have that problem. It is also a quicker camera to 'grab' a shot with. The 67 can be speedy, too, with practice, but I find that the nature of the camera makes me shoot less, but take more time getting the shot. I think the weight is really the big issue. Go pick one up and feel the weight. If it doesn't bother you, the big neg is really worth it. I agree with Paal's assessment that the 645n system is a good replacement for 35mm. Until the MZ-S came about, I was convinced that I'd buy a 645n before I'd buy a new 35mm body. Now I'm waffling again, but I decided to ignore that decision by spending my money on tricking out my 67 instead. I love my 67. -Aaron - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
