The Pentax 6x7's focal plane shutter and long flange distance make it the perfect platform for adapting unusual and unique lenses, such as this Bausch & Lomb 4.75" f1.9 projection optic. Seen here simply glued into a Pentax helical focusing adapter, the lens cannot reach infinity focus but does provide razor-thin depth of field on the large 6x7 format. 

We always love to see items that have been built or modified by folks in the film community. Here we have what appears to be a projection lens, simply marked "Lumicon," attached to a series of Pentax 6x7 extension tubes and a helical focusing adapter. The result is an almost comically long but surprisingly lightweight telephoto optic. Of course, we knew we had to try out this one-of-a-kind beast before it finds its new home. Comparing it to other lenses in the shop, we figure the "Lumicon" is around a 300mm f4 in this configuration. By adding or removing sections of the tubes, infinity focus and close-up shots are possible. Surprisingly, center sharpness is impressive, rendering substantial detail. However, image quality falls off dramatically towards the edge of the frame, resulting in a "smearing" surrounding the center. The most notable characteristic of this "Lumicon" lens is the perfectly circular bokeh it creates in out-of-focus zones, an attribute produced by the complete lack of an aperture mechanism. Overall, we found the "Lumicon" to be a remarkably capable portrait lens, as long as the subject is centered in the frame. 

Do you have a favorite or least favorite camera to load with film? We love the results from the Pentax 6x7, but the silver spool locking tabs on the bottom plate can be so fiddly to get seated correctly. Overall, a minor price to pay for one of the most stunning medium format camera systems.⁠

The Pentax 67 Reverse Adapter allows standard Pentax 6x7 lenses to be mounted backwards on a 6x7 camera body. Intended for use with macro tubes or bellows, reversing the orientation of the optics converts standard lenses into extreme macro lenses. It also makes one of the most eye-catching film camera setups even more... distinctive! 

The Pentax 6x7 45mm f4 SMC is a wide angle prime lens with an equivalent angle of view to a 24mm lens on a 35mm camera. It is the widest rectilinear (non-distorting) optic available in the Pentax 6x7 system, but is remarkably compact and lightweight, especially compared with other 6x7 lenses. For street, architecture, and interiors, it is an essential addition to your Pentax 6x7 kit. 

The Pentax 105mm f2.4 SMC Takumar 6x7 lens is one of the most popular lenses in the Pentax 6x7 family. Known for its razor thin depth-of-field and excellent bokeh quality, it is one of the most sought-after medium format portrait optics on the market. In this test, we wanted to compare the 105mm f2.4 with another, less-celebrated Pentax 6x7 lens - the 90mm f2.8 SMC Takumar. Smaller and lighter than the 105mm, the 90mm f2.8 proves it can hold its own in a portrait setting in these samples, while providing a slightly wider angle of view more suited to general purpose photography. We shot both lenses wide open and then at f4 to compare their characteristics at the same aperture and found that at f4, the 90mm f2.8 can achieve a very similar out-of-focus rendering to its more famous sibling. If you had to pick one, which of these fine Pentax 6x7 lenses would you choose for your kit?

The Pentax 45mm f4 SMC 6x7 Lens is capable of focusing on objects only slightly more than a foot away. While we don't recommend using wide-angle lenses at close focus distance for portraiture, the 45mm f4 SMC can be used in this way for dramatic effect. 

Shot with: Pentax 67, 45mm f4 SMC 6x7, Ilford XP2

Sample gallery images made on Kodak Tri-X with a Pentax 67 by staff member, Zeb Andrews.

Too often we are faced with one of two tough choices when really fun gear comes into the shop.  Either we craft a social media feature of it right away, to give our audiences a chance to see it before it sells and, in the process, we forfeit our own opportunity to take it out for a test drive and produce sample images... Or, we wait to feature it until after one (or more) of our staff tests it out, shoots an experimental roll, and we hope that the item is still in stock by the time the film gets developed and scanned. 

We went that latter route with this 35mm Fish-Eye-Takumar for the Pentax 6x7 system and, while we got some fun images to share, the lens sold a few days before we could feature it on social media.  So it goes, but at least we spared our followers the temptation of dipping into their camera budgets.

⁠All in all, it is a pretty fun lens for this camera.  While not quite as fish eye as you might expect, it does not produce a circular image for example, it does deliver an extremely wide field of view.  If you have been looking for the widest possible lens you can get for this camera, keep those fish eyes peeled for the 35mm.

Sample images were produced by staff members, Jackson Keller and Zeb Andrews.

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The shutter and mirror sounds of a Pentax 6x7 are large and in charge.  This is a camera that has no qualms announcing to the world that it is busy playing with light, time, and sonic vibrations.  There is comfort in this cacophony... unless your photographing a wedding ceremony.  The camera that looks like a robust beast, feels like a robust beast, and sounds like a robust beast, surely must be a robust beast.  

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Here is a self portrait made by Jonathan Moore with his Pentax 67.⠀ ⠀ ⠀

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The size of the 6x7cm negative that comes out of the Pentax 67, and the resulting depth to its images, generally offset carrying around the bulk and weight of this camera.  There are times, like climbing the 21 switchbacks of Walter’s Wiggles on your way up to Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park, for instance, that you mutter more than a couple of choice words under your breath concerning the weight of these cameras.

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We recently came across this Pentax 67 out in the icy wilderness on Mt. Hood.  It was sporting the relatively uncommon 100mm f4 Macro lens, of which we have a growing fondness.  The 135mm macro is more commonly found, but this 100mm version focuses so much closer, especially if you have the life-size adapter to go with it.  If you own one of these cameras and love close up or macro work, seek this lens out.  Anyway, the camera in this photo appeared intent on doing its own thing, so we tried not to disturb it too much.  We quietly made this portrait and then crunched our way back home.

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The Pentax 67 and a 45mm lens are the flower for the bee.  The nectar is what you choose to frame and capture.  With the spring sun and pillowy clouds clearing away here in Portland, now is a perfect time to take your cameras back out into the world. ⠀ ⠀

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A beast of a camera with a beast of a lens.

The Pentax 67 is a lovely beast.  It is sometimes seriously (sometimes affectionately) criticized for its size, weight, and noisiness, but there is something about this beast of a camera that has a way of winning the photographer over.  It carries its size well, resting easily in the hands.  It's shutter is exclamatory but has a way of, somehow, sounding reassuringly solid. Its controls are simple, no advanced features here, but that has a way of focusing one's vision to the image on the screen, as opposed to the dials on the camera.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀

The Pentax 67, like so many other medium format cameras, has experienced a surge in popularity as more and more photographers discover it.  We have watched its price climb over the years, and yet, these cameras still barely last a week on our shelves.  In fact, this particular camera had not even hit the shelf before it had been claimed.

If you are on the hunt, our advice is to avoid the earliest 6x7, the bodies that lack the mirror lock up function.  This feature gets used a lot less than you think it will, so it is not the lack of this feature for which you should avoid this version of the camera.  Rather, the earliest 6x7 cameras have proven to be highly unreliable at their advanced age.  Specifically in regards to film advance and frame spacing.  The first version had internal components that have been prone to wearing out over the years.  The 6x7 that featured mirror lock up, improved a lot of internal parts and this should be the version with which you start your search.  This version was later followed up by the 67 (no "x" in the name) and, it too, made further internal improvements; it is the best of the lot. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀

If you have never used one of these cameras, don't let that the size dissuade you.  Get your hands on one and make some photos, we think you'll experience that same growing fondness that so many others have with the Pentax 6x7.⁣⠀

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Keep all your lines parallel.

That's the main point of a shift lens.  Shift - and it's vertical counterpart, rise - allow a lens to move along an axis and redirect the camera's point of view without actually tilting the camera.  In the case of rise, the more commonly used of these two movements, the lens is able to allow the camera to see higher without the camera tilting up. This is important because, if your camera remains parallel to what you are photographing, then the subject's lines will remain parallel in the rendered image.  Think of it this way; if you stand on the street looking straight at a building, its sides go straight up and are parallel.  It is not until you tilt your head back to look up the building that its sides seem to fall in.  This is because your head and the building are no longer parallel.   If you could climb up a really tall ladder and keep looking straight across at the building, its sides would remain parallel all the way up.  As a photographer, you could carry around a really tall ladder, climbing it with your camera so that you could photograph buildings straight on, keeping them square.  Or, you could use a lens that shifts, allowing the camera to look up while still pointing straight ahead.  This is why rise is such a popular feature in architectural photography; you can more easily get the tops of buildings in without them converging or leaning.

Usually a lens like this Pentax 75mm f/4.5 for the 6x7 system is called a shift lens, not a rise lens; however, shift lenses generally do both movements.  This 75mm lens has a rotating collar, allowing you to re-position the shift's direction of movement from horizontal to vertical or even angles in between.

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Staff member, David Malmborg ventured out with a Pentax 6x7 and this 400mm f/4 lens.  Since he is a glutton for punishment, he added on this 2x teleconverter for grins and giggles...  who wouldn't want to make 800mm images with a Pentax 6x7?

He wanted to get a tighter shot of the St. Johns Bridge, but the dang camera/lens combo was just so heavy and the bridge was just so far, that he ended up at this mural of the bridge instead.  We made him hold this pose for several photos because we're gluttons for his punishment as well. ⁣ When we were done, he wanted to know if this camera made his arms look bigger.  Sadly, it doesn't.  But if you carry it around long enough, it's bound to increase some muscle mass.  If you are feeling the need to buff up those arms with a bit of camera weight training, be sure to check out our inventory to see if we have such a kit in stock.

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Zeb recently went out with this Pentax 6x7 this weekend to a couple of the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. He reports little fall color just yet but things were still beautiful.

As far as this camera goes, it's a beauty itself.

Why would you buy one? Great glass. 6:7 is a very nice aspect ratio. Surprisingly easy to hand-hold for its size and weight. Less expensive than a Mamiya 7.  Doesn't need a tripod like a Mamiya RB67.  

Why wouldn't you buy one? You have small hands and/or don't want cameras that require gym memberships. You need something quiet and subtle.  You don't like envy from those around you. 

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Rugged mountains and rugged cameras; it is places like this, that well-used cameras go to become well used.

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Despite its size, the Pentax 67 is right at home in just about every landscape on this Earth.  It will probably blend in better than you will. 

When the going gets tough, it helps to have tough cameras... do keep in mind how many frames you have left; changing film in such conditions is not the most fun.

The two key ingredients to photography: time and light.  Though it seems like light ought to be more than half of everything when it comes to photo making; photographers would be powerless without it, after all.  Learning light, the presence of it, and its absence in shadow, is one of the most valuable skills we can develop.  You cannot make photos without light, but you can make photos in any and all types of light.  For every photographer's "bad" light, there is another photographer's great light.

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Once you put four extension tubes and a 75mm shift lens on a Pentax 67, the camera actually starts to look a little smaller. Too bad it isn't any lighter.  And yes, this set up had an insane macro perspective on the world.  You could get lost in the lines of the palm of your hand. 

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The cameras we sell are not museum pieces.  They are meant to be used, to be out in the light and in the world.  They are meant to see and record your life, to be deeply trusted companions.  They are capable of making images that can induce laughter, tears, urgency, and imagination.  They are far from obsolete and, in many cases, may live longer than you will.  They can be your best friend and all they really want to do is go make pictures.  Every time someone comes through our doors and makes the comment, "Ah, nice museum you have here," we want to explain their misconception in terms like this. 

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Is there any beast of a camera out there better tamed by that glorious golden hour light than the Pentax 6x7?  If this camera was a spouse, it would be singing in the shower while you sleepily rub your eyes from the comfort of bed.  It would be tugging on your arm to head out the door when you want to crash on the couch after a long day of work.

This camera has long been known and has earned a reputation as a landscape photographer's stalwart companion.  It has long rendered beautiful scenes in all types of light.  It is within the glorious light at the bookends of the day that this camera works a particular kind of magic.  Maybe it is those Pentax optics.  Maybe it is the sublime nature of the 6:7 aspect ratio - arguably the best rectangle to be found in a camera.  There is a harmony that occurs with these cameras that we cannot fully explain...some things just have to be experienced.  

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Our traveling Pentax 6x7 strikes again. Give it an Icelandic waterfall and some golden hour light and it is as happy as can be.  While we are at it, we'll flatter it with a couple more facts about this wonderful camera. ⠀

There are three basic generations of the Pentax 6x7/67 (not counting the 67II).⠀ ⠀

The earliest cameras are the 6x7.  These are noteworthy for their lack of mirror-lockup switch.  These earliest cameras should only be bought at bargain prices.  The lack of a mirror lockup,  internal components of lower reliability, and the difficulty in repairing them makes them the least desirable.⠀ ⠀

The second generation is the 6x7MU or 6x7 MLU.   Identical in appearance to the 6x7, this time around, Pentax added a mirror-lockup switch, an important addition for this camera.  Additionally, Pentax switched to better internal components with greater reliability. ⠀ ⠀

The third generation is the 67.   Almost identical in appearance, the only change being the removal of the "X" in the name. All the changes in this camera were, again, internal, with yet more improvements being made to the inner workings of the camera. 

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Our cameras are prone to wanderlust as certainly as we fall victim to it.  Let's be mindful of that and indulge it every chance we get.  Here is our notorious, wandering Pentax 67, indulgent in Iceland.

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Our wandering Pentax 6x7 has returned home with many rolls of film documenting the amazing things it witnessed.  We wanted to share one more portrait of this jet-setting beauty, as well as one more Pentax 6x7 related tip:⠀ ⠀

Be careful with the metered prisms.   If you remove the prism from the body for one reason or another, best practice is to remove the lens and leave it off while remounting the prism, then putting the lens back on once the prism is remounted.  This helps prevent undue stress on the meter coupling between prism and body, which can break easily.  In theory, the coupling should reset into place, even if the lens is left on, but if it does get stuck, the torque of changing the aperture ring can break it. 

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Our wandering Pentax 6x7 strikes again.  When in Iceland, one must see the horses.  Granted, there is so much one must see in Iceland, but the horses are special.  Unique to the country, other horses are not allowed to be imported and any Icelandic horses that are exported are not allowed to return.  This has led to a breed of horse that is rugged, long-lived, disease-free and well suited to the amazing country they live in.⠀ ⠀

On a Pentax 6x7 note, did you know about the hidden "Time" setting on the shutter speed dial? It's there!  Just set the shutter dial anywhere in the blank area between 1/1000 and "X."  The shutter will then open and stay open with a press of the shutter button and will close again when the shutter dial is rotated in either direction to a marked shutter speed.  A nifty trick if you find yourself out in the world without a cable release. 

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It may surprise some of you to know that the Pentax 67 system has a lens capable of eclipsing the camera itself.  There are a couple such lenses, like this 35mm f/4.5 Fisheye.  This lens has an impressive front optic, some fun distortion, and four built-in filters - UV, yellow, orange, and red.  This particular lens even comes with a P67 to Canon EF lens mount adapter. 

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Hidden somewhere behind this massive Kodak 178mm f/2.5 Aero Ektar lens is an entire Pentax 6x7 camera.  Not many lenses can dwarf such a substantial camera.  Not many lenses weigh as much as that same camera...this Aero Ektar does both.  The number of interesting cameras spread across our customer base is pretty substantial and we are always ready to share in the excitement of a new gear acquisition.  Our customer, Marcus Heinrich, recently got this camera back from Poland, where the lens was being fitted with a focusing helicoid for his Pentax 6x7.  Needless to say, it makes for an impressive combination.

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Blue Moon Camera alum, Molly Strohl, with her Pentax 6x7 - a favorite of hers. 

Photo made by Jim Hair.

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