Back in the game with the Pentax 67 - Grand Bay

Two years ago about to the day I started a mass sell-off of my Pentax 6x7 kit with lenses ranging from the 35mm fisheye to 400mm telephoto. I made the hard decision to do this so that I could get into 4x5 equipment. It was a very good decision - Pentax 67 gear had hit a high in the market while large-format gear had hit a low. I made big bucks selling what I had compared to what I bought it for and invested in some fine LF gear that is now worth quite a bit more than it was.

Anyway, I decided recently to get back in to the Pentax system as a cheap and easily portable, fun film system. I always really liked the kit and certainly didn't get rid of it because I didn't like it.

I took the new camera and some lenses I've picked up out for a spin at Grand Bay (also to test a new Lee filter holder and GND filters). I shot some cheap no-name film that, while decent, has a nasty curl that makes it really frustrating to use, so I don't use it for much other than fun shooting (I got it free from someone, actually).

On a more philosophical topic, I had reason recently to consider why I shoot what I do, and what I really want from it. The fact is, the vast majority of images I share even on this blog aren't going to be printed, and may not even be worth sharing in some peoples' opinions. But while someone right now might be reading my rambling, I'm more interested in simply having a nook on the internet that is mine, and not just a commercial website. I showcase images for several reasons - one is to have a record of what I did regarding film, development, lenses, etcetera. I also like to have a record of what I was doing at this time in my life. While things are often mundane, like a quick trip to a local park, it's still a record of events and I find it interesting to look back in my archives (I have a terribly bad memory, so maybe that is why). Lastly really is the want to showcase high-quality images. I mean, I always try to make the best images I can, but not every one is a winner, and I don't believe the losers should just get tossed into the bin. So think of this as my negatives folder - look at the good, the bad, the interesting, the informative.

Anyway, rant over. Here's the shots. Oh yeah, I used my T-Max developer semi-stand technique, with a 1:25 dilution. I rated the film at 40: