The Light Touch
•Equipment
Touch the Light.....
John MacPherson
Landscape and Environmental Photography from Scotland
The Pentax 67 is a monster! It is basically a 35mm camera on steroids. It has interchangeable lenses and finders, and a huge range of accessories. It is heavy, noisy and provokes very polarized responses from users. Some people love it, others loathe it. I have used one for years, and suffered a common problem - the 'shakes'. Many users have problems with vibrations from the colossal mirror flopping about (think of a garage door opening and closing and you get the idea!), and the shutter whack. There are websites solely devoted to curing the big Pentax's vibes. Some folks seem to have no problems, and it appears that a lot depends on individual cameras and how they are used. Personally I was never happy with the quality from longer Pentax lenses - the 135 Macro, 165 f2.8 and the old version, 200mm - but was astounded with the results from the 55mm f4. I gradually sold off all the lenses except the 55mm which is all I now use with the P67. It is a terrific landscape camera, quick to use, convenient and tough as an old boot.
I really enjoy the challenge of going out with only this camera and the one lens, using a tripod and really immmersing myself in the landcape and light. The way to come to terms with the Pentax 67 is not to view it as a step-up from the smaller formats, but to regard it as a scaled-down 5x4, and treat it accordingly - good tripod, careful consideration of depth-of-field and always use a cable release. I have had enlargements made up to 1.5m wide from the P67 and 55mm on Velvia that were quite simply stunning.
Love it or hate it - you cant ignore it!
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