Love the pictures, and I too would be interested in hearing your thoughts on how the camera handles once you've had a chance to use it in anger.

From what I hear the whole production was sold out on day 1 and there's now a 6 week waiting list - I reckon that indicates a fairly healthy demand for a "niche" product.

Me too! That looks incredibly smart in black

Hello Rick, welcome to the forum

Certainly the 67ii will allow you to shoot in Aperture Priority (assuming you're using the AE Pentaprism and not the WLF) and the metering is a more sophisticated affair with a choice of matrix, centre weighted and spot modes combined with exposure compensation of +/-3EV in 1/3EV steps; just like most modern SLR's really.

I haven't personally used a 67ii but I'd be suprised if there was any aperture information in the viewfinder, simply because there's no electronic communication between body and lens. On Pentax 35mm SLRs with a similar set up there's usually a small "judas window" on the front of the prism that allows you to see the selected aperture through the viewfinder, however, I've just looked at a picture of a 67ii and I can't see such a device there. You can download PDF manuals from the Pentax website for all current and previous models though so it might be worth double checking to be sure.

The shutter locking isn't something I've heard of and it may indicate your camera is in need of a service. If you're in the UK then get in touch with www.harrowtechnical.co.uk and I'm sure you'll find help there.

Finally, is it worth the upgrade? That really depends on how important the features you mention are to you. Given a certain lens at one end and a certain film emulsion at the other then the camera body is little more than a light-tight box for bringing them together. In other words an upgrade probably won't see any improvement in results, but those results may be easier / more convenient to achieve. How much you value the added convenience is something only you can answer.

Good luck!

Always good to have a happy ending

That's the first time I've seen that in Latin - very clever!

That is sad news; his Photographer's Handbook has been a constant source of reference and inspiration to me since I was a kid.

RIP

I sometimes use ND grads with digital and I own a couple of CPL's but it'd be a stretch to say I use them (once in a blue moon maybe).

I do use coloured filters for B&W film work though - yellow, green, orange, red - the usual suspects.

My method has been to strip the lens to the point where the iris mechanism is seperated from any glass elements (but no further - I learned from early mistakes that taking the assembly apart meant trying to re-align blades and that's a horrible job), then submerge the assembly in a bowl of warm water and washing-up liquid. While the assembly is submerged I then operate the iris repeatedly (about 100 or so times) from fully open to fully closed. Remove from water and dry the assembly off with a hairdryer while continuing to open and close the iris. You'll find as it heats up the iris will stick again but don't worry - you can stop the operation at this point and when it all cools down you'll find it'll work like new.

When I put a lens back together I will thoroughly clean all parts (usually, again, with warm water and washing-up liquid) but the only lubricant I add is a silicone grease on the helicoid - nothing else in there should require lubrication and everything (bar the helicoid) should be bone dry before you put the glass elements back in.

I don't have a picture to hand but you'll see a sheen over (one or more of) the blades that will look a little like oil on water - the blade(s) will appear as if they're wet (which of course they are).

Don't forget though that some older preset lenses are supposed to have oil on the blades as they're designed to be opened and closed by hand rather than relying on a tiny spring.

Mine is the noisiest lens I own, but as it's almost always focussed manually it hasn't bothered me at all.

Looks good to me - still waiting for a hands on review of the production version though...