The thing that I envy the most about watching these videos is when the price is mentioned... I wish these cameras could still be gotten at these prices

$500... it's 2020 and I almost cried

I use the wooden grip, but I use it in conjunction with the focus ring that extends the focus for my right hand. That way I can just stick my fingers out, focus, and curl them back to hit the shutter. My left hand never leaves the handle.

Aaaaand a near mint 67ii is about 3k right now... damn.

Wood grip makes you look roughly 100 times more tumblr worthy and is guaranteed to get you twice as many likes on insta. Thats the only real advantage :P

For those of you who have the original 67, want to upgrade to the 67ii for the grip but can't afford it, you can get a right hand grip for roughly 45 USD.

When you’ve got the grip on the camera put the attachable focus ring on the lens it sticks out there makes it where you can focus while holding onto the grip, I’ve used it for years at outdoor events, when it’s in the studio it’s on a tripod. I have two of the original 67 they still look like new one has a Polaroid back on it, it is removable.

It's actually 6x7, then 67 and then 67 ii

I drug my feet about buying a 67ii for at least a couple years, feeling in the same boat as you (right around the same time). Love the 67, and shot it all the time. I watched the prices slowly and steadily creep up and finally in 2017 I picked one up with 105 and AE finder for around 1600. Seeing what's happened since then sure makes it feel like I chose wisely. Now fingers crossed that I still have plenty of time with this lovely ticking time-bomb. :)

If you find the 67 (not 67ii) metered prism dim and you primarily shoot with a handheld meter, I heartily recommend picking up the non-metered prism because it is both quite a bit lighters (shaving weight from the 67 is a good thing) and it is noticeably brighter and full coverage.

Love the 67ii. Lovely product of the 90's. Gotta get my hands on one

I own the Pentax 67 and for me the grip is no big deal. I hold the camera with my left hand under the lens, not with my right hand. The lightmeter for the 67 is also very accurate. I dont like the look and feel of the 67II. The real problem with the 67 is its dark screen. But you can adopt the 67II screen on the 67 if you remove its holder. i also think that the wooden grip is useless :) The Pentax 67 is my favorite camera. These lenses are gorgeous. Thank you for your videos

500 bucks in 2016.... looking at over 1000 now in 2019

I was also confused by the concept of the wooden left hand grip, but after using it, I've found that its actually very useful between shots-how much this matters to the person using it depends entirely on their style of shooting. For me, it's been nice to be able to use the grip as a handle in one hand, if the other hand needs to be free.

The wood grip is designed to be used with the focus lever.

it's good to see you reviewing/talking about cameras again, Matt!

I use the left hand grip to help carry it around ..you can also get the right hand wood grip to solve your holding & shutter issues with its right side

I use the wooden grip with my Pentax 67. Here's the trick to it: use a cable release. My thumb holds the end of the release against the handle so I can mash the shutter with my left middle finger (or index finger). I pull focus with my right hand. This makes shooting in portrait orientation especially much more comfortable.

Hey Matt, just wanted to say thank you for sharing these videos. So thrilled that I found your channel. Keep it up bud!

The Pentax 67 (first one) is my dream camera. And with a macro lens... OMG!!!

Great comparison, and excellent info as usual Matt. Wish I was armed with the knowledge BEFORE I purchased my original 67 with the 90mm lens! Like you said however, it boils down to your own style and practice. I'm a novice who happens to be in love with film, but very much appreciates all that I learn from your analysis.

I upgraded from the original to the II and never looked back. I have the 90mm lens and love it.

Well... Here we are in 2022 w/ the OG 67 being $1000 in good condition, and the 67ii being $3000 lol..

My favourite episode! Thanks Matt! I own 67ii and love it! I use it with 75mm f/2.8 lens and results are gorgeous. I basically bought this system after seeing the quality of the photos that you can get out of it, if you know what you're doing.

Upload more often please! Best channel on this website!

Thank you for review, Matt! I use Pentax 67 (not 6x7) over half a year and for me, the biggest problem is how dark viewfinder is. Especially when I shotting in dark or night. It`s pretty awful. I really love with the camera, but the viewfinder is a really sad thing.

for everyone out there, you can a right-hand grip for the original 67 that basically imitates the grip on the 67ii

For Pentax 67, use the right hand for focusing and stick a cable release on the wooden grip as shutter.

I have a 6x7 & a 67 - both with a woodn grip. I mainly use this for handling arround - not realy durint the shooting. Meanwhile ther is a nice 3d-printable grip for the let side - works fine ...neatly like the 67II

I find the wood grip makes carrying the camera around much more comfortable. I do wish it were on the right side though.

I own the Pentax 67 (somehow in the middle between the original 6x7 and the 67II) and I love it. I agree on the ergonomics, but that camera is not really meant to be easy to carry around so I don't mind.

I have to admit, I don't really get the left handed grip either. I mean yeah, it **looks** super cool, but it doesn't improve the ergonomics at all. Whenever I shoot with an SLR type camera in portrait orientation I always flip the camera so the shutter button is on top. The left handed grip is incredibly obnoxious in that regard. I will say though, I recently bought an aftermarket wooden right handed grip from a guy who custom makes them. It improved the ergonomics 200% on the version 1 camera body. It improved it so much that I dare say it is actually more comfortable to hold now than the version 2 body. I'm now considering ditching the metered prism in favor of the non-metered prism just to shave off a bit of weight and the camera will actually be somewhat portable!

I haven’t seen anyone else mention the difference in shutter speeds - I use the 2s and 4s speeds a lot - so that definitely does matter.

Matt, I find the left hand grip very useful when carrying the camera. When shooting, I cradle the lens in my left hand and hold the body in my right hand.

Surprised you didn't mention the custom wood RIGHT hand grips. Got mine from Mark Kasper on Facebook. For about $50 makes my 67 comfortable and much more affordable than the 67ii. The rest of the review was spot on. The 67 viewfinder is a pain in low light, esp if using anything above the f/2.8 lenses.

Sante D’ORAZIO photographed many of the Victoria’s Secret catalogs with his original 67 bodies, I remember watching him photograph Naomi Campbell and he had like four camera bodies he would be shooting while assistance’s would be reloading other bodies when One camera was out of film this assistant would hand him the next body and he would keep shooting.

You can get a RIGHT HAND wooden grip for the 67.

they are some small wooden grip that go on the right side and are really nice; really similar to the 67ii one

my thought is the wooden grip enables you to carry the camera around like a LMG handler does

Apart from making the camera more handholdable, the wooden grip helps a lot in stabilizing the camera in combination with the waist-level finder and a neckstrap (focusing with the right hand, then the right against the back and triggering the release with your thumb). It doesn't really add any benefit with the prism finder.

i replied to someone else's comment, but, I use the handle to carry it around all day, until i need to take a shot, then i hold it the normal way and shoot. so you aren't pinch holding the camera on the right side all day, it actually is way simpler imo

The main advantage of the wood grip is stability when handheld shooting. Basically, you aren't going to be fast focusing with the camera just due to the focus throw on most of the lenses anyway, so the grip is just there to give you a much more stable point of grip than anywhere else on the camera after you have focused on your subject. The 6x7 isn't really for street photography so I just don't think ergonomics were that big a concern for pentax when they originally made it seeing as the main competitor for it was the Hasselblad 500 series cameras which are even less ergonomic. Most MF cameras seem to be studio focused honestly and the 6x7 is no exception.

Watching this 5 years later and now paying $900 for the same camera

Glad you mentioned the grip... Ahh... the grip... could never understand what is was for..!!! made no sense to me either..

You benefit with cool points

But Matt, if you are right handed, the left handed grip to stabilize this very weighty camera works perfectly. Try imaging focusing and then stretching your index finger to get at the shutter with the wooden grip on the right side; it would be a very awkward process indeed. Just my opinion but the Pentax engineers seemed to have made the best decision, although maybe not perfect.

I use the grip on a 67 and a 6x7 - for me it's mainly save handling of the heavy beasts - less advantage during the shooting.

Version 1 would have been perfect for left eye left hand dominant if Pentax made the film advance on the left side. This would have salved the grip issue. As for myself being left handed love the left hand grip. I have been begging leica to make left hand camera option.

You need a website. Why not do it yourself? With Wix, you can make your own professional- I don't know what comes afterwards, but I'll never forget these words. Also, very happy to see a new video from you. :)

Fast forward to 2024 and the original is 3x the price and the 67II is just over double the price.

I totally agree with you when it comes to the wooden grip but the advantage to the grip is when it comes to lugging it around. I pretty much walk around holding it by the wood grip so It doesn't slip out of my hand. Have you ever tried carrying it around your neck with a strap? That's insane!! I've seen pictures of Japanese people carrying it like that and I don't know how they can even move their neck after a day of walking like that even if your helping out the weight of it by having your hands around it from time to time. I would love to have a 67ii though and would probably shoot with it more than my 67 if I had one. I tend to shoot with my 645n more often because of the ergonomics and light meter.

Wishing I would have jumped on one back when this video was made, looks like they have gone up a couple hundred dollars in price since then!

If shooting in " Low Light ", is an issue, GET THE 67ii ! The newer Pentax uses a Laser etched screen, which wasn't available on the earlier bodies. The newer screen CANNOT be retro-fitted to the older bodies because it creates focus issues, due to the mirror's angle. IT CANNOT BE FIXED ! I know numerous people that have tried, especially with Beattie & Brightscreens. They ALL had the same problems of backfocusing. Which is; you think that you're focusing where you want, but when you get the shots back, the area BEHIND the focus area is sharpest.

I use a spot meter (or average on occasion) exclusively, so I don't see a need to upgrade at least for my use. I would love to own a newer version but not for the price.

Ok am I the only one who's noticed this BUT I THINK the Pentax 6X7 (NON MLU)'s mirror CAN be locked up. And easily too. I have an MLU version but I can get the mirror to lock up in exactly the same way if I "tap" the shutter button super quickly & lightly. It fires the mirror, but NOT the actual shutter, allowing you to press it again normally for a shot with the mirror locked up! So perhaps non-MLU models basically have this trick too....!?!?!?

I wish I could get myself a medium format but I already got myself an awesome Fuji X-T10 for faster work flow and for the awesome work that can do that I won't be able to do on film such as instant panorama photos, time laps photography and video. But I did get myself another professional 35mm camera which is the Nikon F5 for $300. I think this camera is made to be a tank with its ergonomics and its weight of 3 pounds but once you add the lens and the batteries, it will weigh even more and maybe at 5 or 6 pounds. I am going to take these cameras to the air show.

Why i got the ETRSI with speed grip and prism. Lightweight, interchangable backs.

yeah the ergonomics of the 6x7 is annoying. I shoot mostly landscape so it's usually up on a tripod but the few times I'm shooting pictures of my son in the backyard or something, it gets annoying trying to hold it

thank you matt for the very informative video about the pentax 67ii. I am a hobby photographer and am interested in medium format film photography. is this a camera to be hand carried for shots rather than using a tripod all the time. I use iso 400 film and is this going to be fast enough for hand holding this 67ii? thanks and hear from you soon.

I wonder if the grip was designed by a lefty? I'm left handed and for once here is a camera with grip that is perfectly designed. :) I love the ergonomics of this camera

its interesting that u chose that over a mamiya 7. 1300 is getting up there in that territory. but i guess its a completely different kind of camera in many ways

Great reviews Matt. Just wondered what your opinion is on the Bronica etr. I am looking for a 645. I'm not sure of the Pentax and the Mamiya. Thanks.

Well done video. Thank you Matt. This helps a lot :D

An excellent review, thanks!

Awesome video, Matt. You have become my favorite KZfaq photography channel over the past 6 months or so as I've re-entered the world of analog photography. I appreciate your straightforward, no-BS approach! Also - never understood the left hand accessory grip - having to take your hand off the lens after focusing. However, there is a fellow in Thailand (IG: Snapu) who is making custom RIGHT hand grips that emulate the grip shape of the R67 II. Have you seen those?

Hey Matt great video thanks for the entertainment. thumbs-up

Damn you Matt. Now I'm going to have to try and find one!!!!!!

Good to see you back. Are you gonna do a video about your podcasts? Would love to hear an interview with Ray Barbee.

Introduced on 69, updated on 98. 29 years between versions, Still in production.... Just like today's Sony A7.

I just did a little price investigation here in Australian on Bay. That camera model and lens, which you paid $350 USD is $1600 AUD here. Is it any wonder people get pissed off?

$500 tops. lol I love that film is making a resurgence, but I sometimes feel like I'm personally paying for it ;)

Hi matt, thank u for the amazing content u put out, a big fan of the channel :D ... i have a qn, for the older pentax 6x7, not having the in built exposure metering, do u find urself carrying light meter everywhere you go? And with in built exposure meter with the pentax 67ii, do u find urself using the in built light meter as a replacement for external light meter? Thank u :D

First thansk for posting these videos Matt they really do help out a lot. Question for Matt Day or for anyone viewing Matt's channel. Which medium format camera would you recommend for family portraits. I am trying to choose the Pentax 67 or the Mamiya RZ67 Proii with an L grip and the AE Prism finder. I like the Pentax 67 because i can hold it like a slr camera. I like the Mamiya because I because I can switch backs and load film quickly, and the throw on the one i have my eye on. Just wanted to know your and the communities thoughts. Take care ya'll!

Matt they make the small wood grip for the 67 that is the same as the 67ii

What do you think of the Fuji medium format Rangefinder point and shoot such as the 645 or the 690?

Yep. P67 is an awesome camera and the lenses are superb. But completely agree about the handle grip. Useless.

Man I've been stuck on the thought of selling my D810 and getting a Pentax 67 ii and shooting straight film; but I just don't know

I hate the Pentax wooden grip. I LOVE Mark Kasper's right-hand mount grip.

the handle on the left side is more to mount flash on it. How would you realise shutter when have it on the right side.

get the snapu right hand grip, it makes it feel similar to how the canon a1 feels or minolta x700

Love you videos keep it up

Hi Matt, Just found this video. SO helpful! I purchased the 6x7 about 8 years ago because I thought it was so cool. I have taken great photos with it. Mine did come with the handle and you are right, it is cumbersome and heavy. But I love it. I use my tripod a lot :-) Do you know where to find more of the older lenses for the 6x7? Mine came with a 90mm only. Thanks!

Not to be pedantic, but I think there was a model in between the 6x7, and 67ii, the "67" which came out in '88 or '89. Are the 6x7 and 67 basically the same camera?

For me it is very Easy to hold is the approved application around eight and M14 rifle or an M-60 machine gun I had no problem with it in fact I'm trying to find a 6 x 7-2 if you know any good deals let me know.thank you

Great video Matt! Curious if you've come across or have any insight on the winding issue and shutter lock that the 67ii's seem to develop...mine just locked up on me today. Appreciate any advice, thanks!

i think you should have a look these viewfinder medium formats

It is not worth it to upgrade, the 67 ii has electronics and those can fail. I use the grip I feel I can hold my camera on the wooden frío as I walk in the streets

I have been looking at both the Pentax 6x7ii and the Mamiya 7ii. Can these cameras handle similar jobs or not? I would be taking landscapes, cityscapes and still-lives. I would be using it strictly for my personal enjoyment.

Great video. I want one bad!

Any thoughts on the Bronica GS-1? The Fuji GX680 (which would be a tripod queen)? I'm thinking about getting into MF film after shooting and developing 35mm for some time. I have no need for really fast shutter speeds and both are roughly in the same range as a 67.

Great video!!! What is the slowest shutter speed you can use for handheld on 67II please?

Hi Matt, great review as always. One question: I'm thinking between the 6X7 and the Mamiya RZ67, which one would you recommend for landscape/street/architecture shooting? In other words, you said you use the Pentax all the time, what make you prefer over your other medium format cameras? Greatly appreciated!

Hello there, How is the focusing system? I want to buy this camera but need to see if is difficult to focus with this system. Thank you, awesome video

Well done !

Hey great video!, can you tell us what the upgraded latest version of the 105 2.4 is? I want to get the 67II with the 105 but Im still on the research for the best setup

What ISO does the meter on the old 67s go up to?

Hey Matt, on my Pentax 6x7 my shutter won't even cock.. When I load the film and try to take a photo I cannot take a photo... Any thoughts?

Ahhh.. Looking hard at 67. FML.

Hell yea finally a camera for a left hander haha

The metering is waaay better on the ii.