Pentax 67II

Overview

The Pentax 67II is the fourth and final generation of Pentax's 6×7 SLR family, succeeding the Pentax 67 (1989) in 1998 and produced until Pentax — by then a Hoya subsidiary — announced its discontinuation in March 2009 alongside the 645NII.^[1] The 67II keeps the "super SLR" form factor and the full Pentax 67 lens mount of its predecessors but rebuilds the body around three modernizations: an integrated AE pentaprism finder with aperture-priority autoexposure, an electronically refined mirror mechanism, and a redesigned chassis with a built-in right-hand grip and a top-deck LCD readout.

For photographers buying into the 6×7 system today, the 67II is the most ergonomically refined body — but also the most expensive on the used market and the most electronics-dependent. The earlier Pentax 67 with the wood grip remains a popular alternative for buyers who prefer a more mechanical body and don't need aperture-priority AE.

Construction and build

The 67II is a substantial redesign of the 6×7 / 67 chassis rather than an electronic refresh. Key dimensional differences from the predecessor:

• Body dimensions — 185 × 108 × 92 mm body-only.^[1] With the AE Pentaprism Finder 67II mounted, the height grows to 151mm and the depth to 106mm per Pentax's official spec sheet.
• Body + AE prism weight — 1,660 g (without batteries, per Pentax's spec sheet) with the AE Pentaprism Finder 67II. The bare body without finder is roughly 1,150–1,250 g.
• Image size — 55 × 70 mm per Pentax's official 67II spec, slightly tighter than the 56 × 70 mm typically cited for the original 6×7 (rounding/measurement variance — both numbers refer to the same nominal "ideal-format" gate).

Construction is metal-bodied with a more contemporary cosmetic treatment than the 67's leatherette-and-chrome palette. The most visible mechanical change is the built-in right-hand grip — what the predecessor offered as an optional wood accessory is now a fixed part of the body, integrating the shutter release, exposure-mode controls, and battery compartment. A left-hand grip remains available as an optional accessory.

A top-deck LCD panel beside the film-advance lever displays frame counter, film ISO, film-load status, battery status, shutter cocking state, and flash status — replacing the mechanical reminder dials of the earlier bodies.^[1]

The AE Pentaprism Finder 67II

The single largest functional change vs. the Pentax 67 is the new AE Pentaprism Finder 67II, which is what enables the camera's aperture-priority autoexposure mode and contains all of the camera's metering electronics. It is an interchangeable finder, not a fixed prism — but unlike the earlier 6×7 family, the 67II's AE finder is body-specific and cannot be used on a Pentax 67 body, and conversely the original 6×7 / 67 TTL prism cannot be used on a 67II.^[1] The two systems are mechanically and electrically incompatible.

The AE Pentaprism Finder 67II provides:

• Three metering patterns — TTL six-segment multi-pattern (matrix), center-weighted, and spot — selectable from a finder-mounted switch. Spot metering is new to the 67 family.
• Three exposure modes — Aperture-priority AE, metered manual, and bulb. (A fourth "T" time mode and the bulb mode are body-level, accessed via the shutter dial.)
• LED viewfinder display — replaces the needle of the earlier 6×7 TTL prism with a digital readout for shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, metering mode, and flash status.
• Viewfinder coverage — 90% with either the AE Pentaprism Finder 67II or the non-AE Pentaprism Finder 67II; 100% with the Folding Focusing Hood 67II (waist-level finder).
• Exposure compensation — ±3 EV in 1/3-EV steps via a dedicated dial.
• Exposure lock — holds the metered exposure for 20 seconds after release.^[1]
• ISO range — 6 to 6400, set on the AE finder's ISO dial.

Without the AE Pentaprism Finder mounted, the 67II loses metering and aperture-priority autoexposure entirely — it operates as a fully manual body in that configuration, with shutter speeds set by the body dial and apertures by the lens. The non-AE Pentaprism Finder 67II is a budget option that provides through-the-lens viewing without the metering electronics.

Shutter and mirror

The 67II's shutter is an electronically controlled horizontal-run focal-plane cloth shutter — same basic mechanical layout as the 67, but with electronic timing rather than the partly-mechanical timing of the earlier bodies. The speed range:

• Aperture-priority AE — 30 s to 1/1000 s, stepless.
• Metered manual — 1/1000 s to 4 s on the dial, plus B (bulb) and T (time).
• Half-stop intermediate detents at 1/45 s and 1/90 s on the manual dial — a small but meaningful refinement for narrow exposure windows.
• X-sync (flash sync) — 1/30 s with the focal-plane shutter, same as the 67. Faster sync is only available with the leaf-shutter lenses (90mm f/2.8 LS, 165mm f/4 LS).

The mirror geometry is unchanged from the 67 — the same large 6×7 mirror with the same vibration-period challenge — but the 67II adds electronic mirror damping that meaningfully reduces (without eliminating) the soft-image band around 1/15 s to 1/125 s. The conventional mirror lock-up (MLU) mechanism is retained for tripod work where any residual mirror-induced vibration matters.^[1] In practice, the 67II's combination of damping plus MLU produces noticeably crisper handheld results in the problem speed range than the original 67 with MLU alone — though tripod-mounted MLU work remains the standard for the most demanding sharpness.

Lens system

The 67II uses the same Pentax 67 dual-bayonet mount as the 6×7 / 67, so the entire 6×7 / 67 / 67II lens lineup — roughly 20 focal lengths from 35mm fisheye to 1000mm — mounts and operates with full functionality on a 67II body.^[2] No new lenses were introduced specifically for the 67II body; the system was mature by 1998, and Pentax continued the existing lineup unchanged.

The SMC Pentax 67 105mm f/2.4 remains the canonical "kit" normal lens, the same one paired with the predecessors. See the Pentax 67 page for the broader lens lineup discussion.

The dual-bayonet structure remains:

• Inner bayonet — 35mm fisheye through 300mm.
• Outer bayonet — 400mm through 1000mm (the longer/heavier lenses).

Working notes

• The camera is fully battery-dependent — and unlike the 67's single 6V PX28, the 67II uses two CR-123A 3V lithium cells in a body-mounted compartment. The CR-123A is more widely available today than the PX28 and the two-cell configuration provides longer service life. Carry a spare for cold-weather or remote work.
• The AE Pentaprism Finder 67II is the metering brain — without it the body is fully manual. Used 67II bodies frequently sell with the AE finder included; verify before buying. Prism replacement cost on the used market is meaningful.
• Multiple exposure is enabled by a dedicated switch — the 67's accessory or workaround is now built in. Useful for double-exposure portraits and overlay work without re-cocking gymnastics.
• Auto-loading film transport — the 67II adds automatic film loading: drop the leader on the take-up spool's marker, close the back, and the camera advances to frame 1 on its own. The 67's manual-leader threading is replaced by a more idiot-proof transport.
• Mirror-induced softness still exists in the 1/15 s–1/125 s band — less than on the 67, but not eliminated. MLU on a tripod remains best practice for landscape and architectural work below 1/250 s.
• Self-timer — 12 seconds, electronically controlled, with audible beep. Useful for tripod work where a cable release isn't available.
• Auto-bracketing brackets in 1/3, 2/3, or 1 EV intervals — useful for slide film, where exposure latitude is narrow.
• Top-deck LCD readout — provides at-a-glance frame count, ISO, battery state, and shutter-cocking state without lifting the camera to the eye. Helpful when working in environments where the wind-on state matters.

Used market and reliability

Used 67II bodies trade for substantially more than 67 bodies — the post-2009 discontinuation accelerated price escalation, and as of 2026 a clean 67II body with the AE Pentaprism Finder typically sells for $2,200–3,500 in the US used market vs. $700–1,200 for a Pentax 67 (1989) with prism. The premium reflects the 67II's modern conveniences (AP-AE, integrated grip, auto-loading, top-deck LCD) and the small overall production volume (the 67II was built for about a decade vs. the 67 family's 30 years).

Common service items on a 15+ year old 67II:

• AE Pentaprism Finder electronics — the prism's electronics can develop intermittent metering faults; symptoms are erratic exposure readings or LED display glitches. Repair is feasible but specialist-only (Eric Hendrickson and a handful of other technicians worldwide). The body without metering is still functional in metered-manual mode using a hand-held meter.
• Shutter timing drift — the cloth focal-plane shutter develops slow-speed timing errors over time, similar to the 67's; CLA service restores accuracy.
• Light seals — the body's foam light seals deteriorate; replacement is straightforward.
• Mirror dampers — the foam mirror dampers also deteriorate; replacement is part of any thorough CLA.
• Frame spacing — the auto-loading transport is more complex than the 67's manual mechanism; spacing irregularities are uncommon on well-maintained bodies but harder to repair when they appear.

The 67II's electronic complexity makes it less repair-friendly than the more mechanical 67. A photographer who wants the simplest long-term proposition is often steered to the 1989 Pentax 67; a photographer who wants the easiest in-the-field handling is steered to the 67II.

Variants and versions

The 67II had no formal sub-variants during its 1998–2009 production. Body, finder accessories, and lens lineup were stable throughout. Pentax announced the camera's discontinuation in March 2009, citing supply difficulties for electronic parts, with approximately 250 final units produced before the end of manufacturing.

Related cameras

• Pentax 67 — the 1969–1998 predecessor family; same mount and lens lineup; mechanically simpler with separate optional metering prism
• Pentax 645N — Pentax's 645 (6×4.5) autofocus body from 1997; smaller format, autofocus, lighter — a different camera for a different use case
• Mamiya RB67 Pro-S — modular 6×7 SLR with rotating back; closer to a small studio camera than a "super SLR"
• Mamiya RZ67 Pro II — the electronic-shutter modular successor to the RB67; the 67II's main competitor at launch
• Bronica GS-1 — Bronica's 6×7 SLR; lighter than the 67II but with a smaller lens lineup
• Hasselblad 500CM — 6×6 cubic SLR; different format (1:1 vs 5:4) and design philosophy

External references

• Pentax 67II official spec sheet (Ricoh Imaging) — manufacturer's specifications page; authoritative for shutter ranges, ISO, dimensions, and weight with the AE Pentaprism Finder 67II.