Camera review: The Pentax 67II

It's the biggest camera in my arsenal and it still hasn't been reviewed here. What? This is where we change that!

An F-84F preserved at the former Luftwaffe base in Memmingen. The original scan of this 6x7 negative has a 55.5 megapixel count! (since sized down for this blog)

The Pentax 6x7 generations

It all started with the mother of all medium format 67 cameras in 1966. In that year the prototype Pentax 220 was introduced at the Photokina event. This was developed into the first generation Asahi Pentax 6x7 (called Honeywell Pentax 6x7 for the US market) that was released in 1969. This was basically a blown-up version of the Pentax Electro Spotmatic (ES) series with an interchangeable view prism and shooting 120/220 film instead of 135. In 1976 a second generation model called the Pentax 6x7 (MLU) was released, this featured a mirror lock-up system. This was followed in 1990 by the third generation Pentax 67. This featured some cosmetic changes. The fourth and last version was released in 1999 and this is the Pentax 67II. This is a thoroughly modernised version with introduced a hand grip on the right side of the camera body, new digital displays on the outside and in the viewfinder and a departure from the fragile light-metering system of the previous generations. Also aperture priority exposure metering was possible for the first time with the Pentax 67II.

Photo: Joeri van Veen

Specifications

Camera:                Pentax 67II

Built:                    1999-2009

Mount:                  Pentax 67

Shutter speeds:     4 seconds - 1/1.000th of a second, B manual, 30 sec. - 1/1.000th of a second, auto

Self timer:            no

Size:                     Huge! Okay, 185,5 mm wide, 151 mm high and 106 mm deep

Light metering:     yes, TTL auto exposure control

Hot shoe:              no

Battery:                2x CR123A

Photo: Joeri van Veen

Using the Pentax 67II

The Pentax 67II feels like a giant film SLR and it pretty much functions as such. If you were ascending into the world of medium format and already familiar with classic pre-AF 135 cameras like the Pentax Spotmatic or K1000 you'd have no problem operating any Pentax 67 model camera. Yes, it is huge, the mirror slaps harder than your girlfriend when she's mad at you and said mirror is probably bigger than the one in your bathroom but it is such a joy to use. The shutter sound is not too loud and actually very pleasing. 

Photo: Joeri van Veen

All Pentax 67 cameras use 120 and 220 medium format film. These days you'll likely only use 120 film as 220 film has been discontinued but if you are that lucky son of a gun that has some expired 220 film in your freezer you're good to go shooting it with this camera. Due to the way it is built - like a giant SLR - there is no option to digitize the 67II body. Personally I don't mind. With the advent of digital medium format cameras we have those options elsewhere. Of course, you can always scan your negatives and quite frankly, using a 67II like a digital camera is not what it is about. 

 

Photo: Joeri van Veen

With the Pentax 67II you are slowing your photography. With only ten photos on a roll of 120 film you become selective, considerate, almost meditative when shooting. And each time that shutter slaps you just know that it is going to be good.

Photo: Joeri van veen

In the field

As part of our Atlantikwall series Joeri van Veen and I set out for those giant bunkers once again last weekend. This time I brought the Pentax 67II with me, together with the Super-Multi-Coated-Takumar 55mm f/3.5 wide angle lens and the Super-Multi-Coated-Takumar 105mm f/2.4 standard lens. Below you'll find some images of that photo shoot.

Click on the images to enlarge

Achtung Panzer - a side project

 Photo projects

A few weeks ago I paid a visit to Vliegbasis Gilze-Rijen in the south of the Netherlands. On my way back I stopped at nearby Breda to see and photograph the 'Polish tank', a local land mark. Monuments like this are not that common in the Netherlands.

The 'Polish tank', actually a German World War Two Panther tank gifted to the city of Breda by its Polish liberators.

Tanks however have always fascinated me. Not as much as aviation but generally whenever I came across a tank I would take a photo of it. I never intended to make a project out of it, but when I started my Atlantikwall project I figured this might well be a companion to that project.

An M4A1E9 Sherman tank displayed at my local military museum.

So when you hear me yell "Achtung Panzer!" you'll know that I have found another tank somewhere.

Click on the photographs to enlage.

Atlantikwall - chapter one

After a slow start this project is gaining traction. Last month Joeri and I visited the Bunker museum in IJmuiden to gain some background knowledge on the Atlantikwall, information that we could incorporate into our project. Last week we returned to that area as there is a collection of Atlantikwall bunkers half buried in the dunes there. Once part of the Vestung IJmuiden (IJmuiden citadel), these once mighty fortifications now seem to function mostly as canvas for intrepid spray can artists. 

On this part of the journey, I opted for the Fujifilm GFX 100S II fitted with the Fujinon GF 45-100mm f/4 LM OIS WR lens. Given that the day was mostly cloudy I wanted black and white images and selected the Fujifilm Acros with red filter film simulation to get that effect.

This is a Krupp built 120mm naval gun dating from 1896. Guns like these would have armed the now empty bunkers. This particular gun was placed aboard the cruiser Hr. Ms. Friesland. When Friesland was taken out of service in 1913 her 120mm cannons were removed and used for coastal defense.

Joeri in action. Check out his thoughts here.

Range finding bunker in front, gun bunker behind.

Buried in the dunes.

What's up doc?

Machine gun position.

Nature always wins.

Click on the photographs to enlarge.

Going forward I intend to add medium format film to this project. I've acquired a couple of Harman Technology rolls especially for this project and will probably use a Pentax 645 or Pentax 67 to shoot them with. 

The quest for a new camera: Part 2

So, recently my friend Joeri van Veen and I went to see a guy about a camera. As you know, I've been looking at 100 MP cameras as an alternative for my current digital shooter. You can catch up here, but in the end it was the challenging choice that I wanted to explore further. So we hopped into Joeri's classic MR2 and comfortably drove to one of the bigger camera stores that was bound to have this camera plus some other related gear in stock.

On the road in Joeri's MR2

Meet the Fujifilm GFX 100S II

The GFX 100S II and my Pentax 645Z

(all photos Joeri van Veen)

There were a few things I wanted to see or test. The first was the electronic view finder (EVF). As I am used to (D)SLRs not looking through the lens but looking at a small screen is a new experience for me. I was actually very surprised how well this works. After some fiddling around, I set the EVF settings to EVF on and screen off when my eye is near the view finder and EVF off and screen on when it is not.

The camera body is quite small for a medium format camera. It is not much bigger that my Pentax LX with the winder fitted and small when compared to my Pentax 645Z.

Next, I had a list of lenses that I wanted to test with de GFX. First up was the Fujinon GF 45-100mm f/4 lens. I have used a 45-85mm lens on my Pentax 645D and Z before and I love the reach of this lens. The Fujinon 45-100 has even a bit more reach so seems like a perfect fit.

Checking the screen

This lens is a big son of a gun...

...but feels good when combined with the camera

Contemplating...

Getting used to the EVF

Next up was the Fujinon GF 100-200mm f/5.6 lens. If the 45-100 was a son of a gun then I don't know how to describe this lens as it is even bigger. This setup however feels well combined.

Feeling the power of the 100-200mm

Zooming in and out

Quite the combination

Nice set

An impressive piece of kit altogether. 

The third lens I wanted to look at was the Mitakon 65mm f/1.4. This sadly was not in stock.

Another thing I really wanted to test was the usefulness of my Canon 100-400mm lens when paired with the GFX. I learned that adapters exist that allow auto focus (AF) to be used. I tried this with the Viltrox EF-GFX mount adapter.

The fit is snug

Focus, darn you!

I like the feeling of this camera-lens combo

So does this work? Well, yes. It does focus. However, I found the AF to be very slow and the AF kept hunting when focusing most of the time. 

So what are my thoughts? Well, from what I've experienced at the store there are quite a few things I like about the GFX 100S II: The EVF is better than I dared to hope, the body handles well in my hands, the two lenses I was able to test felt good when combined with the camera body, the AF points can be controlled with the touch of a single button, I like the way information is displayed in the EVF and the GFX fits well in my camera bag. I had to fiddle a lot to get the ISO to change, only later I discovered that the forward control dial needs to be pressed backwards to achieve that. One thing I don't like is that the charger for the batteries is not included in the box. Why?

The lenses themselves feel pretty solid. The fact that they have an actual aperture ring was a nice discovery and this is something I really like. I would also have liked to test the Mitakon 65mm f/1,4 but alas, this is for another time.

The GFX-EX adapter was a nice idea but the AF is to slow for me to consider this. I guess I have to start saving for the GF 500mm f/5.6 instead.

And talking about savings, I think my expression says it all when being told the actual amount this was going to set me back...

Holy Moly!

So did I go for it? Yes, in the end I managed to get a good deal so I walked back to Joeri's MR2 holding several boxes. Boxes that needed space to store them. In an MR2. Oh, wait...

Am I really doing this?

From riches to rags in under a minute...

An 8.5/8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone M39(r) in Holland

I've known for a while that the Vesting Museum (fortress city museum) in Naarden, the Netherlands, had a World War Two anti-aircraft gun in its collection. I shot a picture of it two weeks ago and back home tried to identify the gun.

The gun on August 20th, 2022. Shot with A Pentax 645 fitted with an SMC Pentax-A 645 150mm f/3.5 lens, loaded with Fomapan Profi Line Classic 100/120 film, developed in Adonal and scanned with an Epson Perfection V850 Pro.  

At first glance it looks like a regular German 8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone (FlaK). Whilst this gun generally looks the same it is however something entirely else. It is of Soviet origin but, as it turns out, with German DNA.

I knew of its Soviet origins from an earlier visit to the museum so that is where I started my research. Now the Soviets in the 1930s developed three models of anti-aircraft guns:

The first model was the 76-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1931 г. (3-К) or 76 mm M1931 air defense gun. The model 1931 was based on the Rheinmetall 7.5 cm Flugabwehrkanone L/59. Through the BÜTAST agency the Soviets bought four prototypes and the design drawings of the 7.5 cm FlaK L/59 in 1930 and used these as a basis for a 76mm anti-aircraft gun that would be known as the 3-K or model 1931 in service, named after the year it was introduced in service. It was a towed gun and used the ZU-29 two-wheeled mount with four legs, two of which could be folded during transportation.

After about 4,550 3-Ks were produced between 1932 and January 1940 production was halted after the introduction of the 76-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1938 г. or 76 mm M1938 air defense gun (no K designation). This was the same gun as the 3-K but fitted to a different mount that was quicker when changing from the transport-mode to the firing-mode. This was the four-wheeled ZU-8 mount. About 960 M1938s were built in the period 1938-1940. The reason no more were produced was that work had also started on an upgunned variant of the M1938, fitted with a 85mm barrel.

This was the 85-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1939 г. (52-К) or 85mm M1939 air defense gun (52-K). The first prototypes were built in 1938 and it was in production from 1939 until 1945 with a total of about 13,422 guns produced. During the early years of World War Two all three models were used but quickly the M1939 replaced all preceding models on the front line.

Now this is where it becomes interesting as all these guns look very similar. The main difference between the M1931 and the M1938/M1939 is the mount (ZU-29 or ZU-8) and the main difference between the M1931/M1938 and the M1939 is the bigger 85mm gun barrel on the M1939. This bigger barrel also has a larger muzzle brake and that in particular is a distinguishing feature.

The gun on August 28th, 2022. This was shot with a Pentax 645Z fitted with an SMC Pentax-FA 645 Zoom 45-85mm f/4.5 lens, as are all following photographs.

Whilst the few shots I took gave a great overall impression I decided to go back and this time take some more detailed shots in order to determine which of the three models was on display. This is what I discovered:

First: The serial number of the gun is 3273. This confirms the actual identity of the gun but as I'm not aware of any serial number listings I can't deduce the model from it.

Serial number 3275, built in 1938.

Second: The year of manufacture is 1938. Again this does not rule out any of the models because the M1931 serial production was from 1932 to 1940, the serial production from the M1938 was from 1938 to 1940 and by 1938 the first prototypes of the M1939 were produced.

The ZU-29 mount. This is where the weels would be attached.

Another look at the ZU-29 mount.

Third: The gun mount is a model ZU-29. Now this was only fitted to the M1931 model.

Fourth: The gun barrel has the bigger muzzle brake that was only fitted to the M1939 model.

Fifth: During the war the Wehrmacht captured loads of M1931s, M1938s and M1939s on the battlefield and put them to good use themselves. Most of the captured guns were modified to take the same 88mm shells the dreaded 8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone used and according to the museum staff this is one such example. Furthermore, in a 2020 tweet from former museum director Bas Kreuger he mentions that the museum traded the 'Russian M35/85' with the Overloon War Museum. He adds that the gun has a pre-production barrel.

Sixth: I also emailed the Vesting Museum about the origins of the gun. Current museum director Tammo ter Hark wrote back, stating that this is an 'M85' that they have on loan from the Overloon War Museum and that it arrived about ten years ago.

Another view of the 8.5/8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone M39(r)

So what model is it? My conclusion is that this is in fact a German upgunned Soviet 85-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1939 г. (52-К) or 85mm M1939 air defense gun (52-K) based on the fact that the gun itself has the bigger muzzle brake. The fact that both museum directors talk about an '85', probably referring to the caliber 85mm and that Bas Kreuger mentions the pre-production barrel support this conclusion. That the gun is mounted on the older ZU-29 mount is odd, but this could have happened either during or after the war. The German designation for an M1939 converted to 88mm in Wehrmacht use is 8.5/8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone M39(r) with the (r) standing for Russia, indicating that this is a beutewaffen or captured weapon. It came from the Overloon War Museum, a museum that was created in 1946 with a collection that consisted of weaponry that was left behind after the 1944 battle of Overloon. This would make the museums 8.5/8.8 cm FlaK M39(r) a veteran of this battle. It is fair to assume that this gun was also used as an anti-tank gun in this battle, much like the Germans used their own 8.8 cm FlaK guns against tanks. A 1965 video shows this gun at the Overloon museum.

All in all this makes for a very interesting exhibit in the Vesting Museum. But why is it displayed there? The answer to that lies in the same Twitter message from former director Bas Kreuger. He reacted to a tweet from Klaas Meijer, in which Klaas speaks about the remains of a bunker complex formerly used by the Kriegsmarine Lehrbatterie Naarden (naval training battalion Naarden). Here Kriegsmarine personnel manning the Atlantic Wall were trained on the 8.5/8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone M39(r) and similar 10.5 cm FlaK guns, shooting at targets over the IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel). This gun was brought to the Vesting Museum to tell that story.