Hello brothers: Just got the 6x7 MLU camera which I bought on ebay a couple of weeks ago. To say the least, I am impressed. It feels so right, despite the size and weight! The ergonomics is wonderful. The weight is quite manageable and it is very comfortable to handhold. I am a bit disappointed with the lens (105mm f/2.4, new style) built, feels like SMC-A lenses, a bit too plasticky for my taste, but still OK. A bigger disappointment is the focusing screen brightness -- I guess I got spoiled by LX and ME-S (those look like p/s cameras put by its side). But the focusing aid in the center looks really neat, kinda like in a rangefinder, I like it a lot more than the standard split image. I expected a lot worse mirror shake and shutter noise (someone described it as banging trashcan lids), it seems quite reasonable. It took me a few minutes to load my first roll, but now that I went through this excercise once, it doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. Overall, I must say, I am happy with the way it looks and feels. And having it by my side, I think I would be quite comfortable walking in the darkest meanest neighborhoods ;)
Now the questions. The manual I've got was from Honeywell 6x7, apparently much older than what I have, so there are some discrepancies. There's no self timer, correct? That thingy, "shutter cocking key", what exactly is that and is it useful? I don't have it. There's a hole on the bottom plate, behind the tripod socket. What is it? The manual doesn't say a word (in fact, the manual doesn't say much about anything, but it wasn't difficult to figure 90% of everything). The s/n is 4149036. Any idea how old is that? Are there good replacement for the standard screen? Are they expensive? Difficult to change (the manual says "by authorized personel")? The package I have is the body, the metering prism (the meter seems OK), the lens and 3 filters (80a, sky and polarizing). I would rate everything as exellent condition (many signs of use but not much abuse -- some scratches on the paint, minor brassing, scratches on the base from tripod mount, but no dents/dings, nothing ugly, a a few feet away it look like new; the glass is clean, focusing is right on, at least through the finder). What should I pay attention to meanwhile to make nothing's wrong with it? I paid $850 + s/h. Did I do good? The mirror box lacks some foam to dampen the mirror. Is it difficult/expensive to replace? Too bad I won't have a chance to test it in action until the weekend (but I have one week to check it out and return if not happy, so that is enough time). Newly enabled brother Mike - 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 .
