Getting the most out of your Pentax 67

***DEFINITELY READ ON if you are someone who owns a Pentax 67 with an advancing or spacing issue and are looking for a potential fix without having to spend a fortune on repairs***

If you’re the owner of a Pentax 67; congratulations! If you shoot with your 67 often; you’ve got kahunas! If you’re like me; you love your Pentax and want to treat it right but you also want everything out of it that it was designed to give. Anything less than what is promised is a disappointment. Maybe that’s a bit harsh...

Like many photographers out there I purchased my Pentax 67 on the second hand market. It had lived a whole life before reaching my hands and as a result, despite it being a ‘late model’ version and therefore being built with upgraded internal designs, it suffers from film advancing issues. Much to my chagrin.

For those not in the know; all Pentax 67s, no matter what age, fit 1O frames on a roll of 12O film. 1O glorious negatives in the 6 by 7 aspect ratio. However, when a 67 has advancing issues OR spacing issues it may only fit 9 frames on a roll. Some may argue that this is acceptable. I argue the contrary. Film is expensive. Development and lab scanning is expensive. CLAs and repairs are expensive. Shooting film is an expensive hobby no doubt about it. So after some time experimenting and shooting I have managed to find a way to consistently get my specific 67 to shoot and advance properly, allowing 1O frames per roll. Without ANY internal or external camera modification.

What follows will be a very simple step-by-step write-up on how I manage to consistently get 1O shots per roll on my use-damaged Pentax 67. This may or may not work for you, but it’s worth a shot. Pun intended.

Alrighty! Grab your 67, a fresh roll of 12O film and here we go!

STEP 1: Open the back of the camera and arrange the take-up spool as necessary

STEP 2: WIND THE ADVANCING LEVER TO BEYOND 5O% OF IT’S SWING. THIS IS THE MOST CRUCIAL STEP

STEP 3: Load a roll of film as normal, winding until the arrow is in view. The winding lever should still be beyond 5O% of it’s swing as per the photo below.

STEP 4: Close the back. Cock the advancing level as many times as is necessary so that when the first pull with resistance is made the film counter indicates that you are on frame ZERO (O)

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you follow these steps and the film counter lands on frame one (1) then you will NOT get 1O frames out of your roll of film. Either try again next time you load or use a changing bag to unload your camera and try again.

Again, please keep in mind that this method is derived from what works for my specific late model Pentax 67. It may work for yours. If it does not, then perhaps try variations of STEP 2 i.e wind to less than 5O%.
I will also mention here that this is NOT a permanent fix for advancing issues or spacing issues in a Pentax 67. I know my camera will need more permanent repairs at some point in future or I’ll just have to bite the bullet and buy a more reliable 67 body.

But if it does work; splendid! Enjoy not wasting one shot on every roll of film that you shoot! I know I sure do. If this method works for you I would love to hear from you about your success!

Thank you for making it all the way to the end! Here’s hoping all your shots turn out perfectly exposed and your camera advances correctly,

Benjamin