Post Your Hiking Photos - Any Format

[Toyo]

A walking track not too far from home.
Pentax 67 with Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 75mm lens
Fomapan 100 developed in R09
T

[Corran]

I'm impressed with you guys hiking seriously with your Pentax 67's. That thing is too dang heavy, and needs a big beefy tripod to counteract the shutter shock too! I'm sticking with my little 2x3 Century Graphics - just bought another one for $75, a basic one with no rangefinder and a newer, lighter body - complete with neato red bellows too!

Here's one with said Century and 80mm f/2.8 Xenotar, on Provia 100F:



This was deep in the Appalachian Trail, about 5 miles from the nearest trailhead, along "Justus Creek." I cheated a little bit - I took both a b&w and a color image, and then overlaid the b&w image on the color in the water to give more tone to the sunlit water which was whited out.

[tuco]

I'm impressed with you guys hiking seriously with your Pentax 67's. That thing is too dang heavy, and needs a big beefy tripod to counteract the shutter shock too!

I shoot my Pentax 6x7 with a WLF (aka the folding hood) and it makes the camera much lighter. And most of my Pentax 67 pictures are handhold. When I compare them to my 500C/M, Mamiya 7II and Fuji GSW6900II pictures, they look pretty much the same. So with a choice of those other 3 cameras I have, I still reach for my Pentax 6x7. And you only need a large tripod when you have long, heavy glass on it which would be true for any other medium formant camera too.

[Corran]

I do agree handheld is where the Pentax is best! I have a 67ii and like it a lot - for certain things (especially longer lenses, like 400+). I did a test once with an older Pentax 67 on my bigger tripod shot at 1/30th, 1/15th, and 1/8th and it bounced the whole tripod. Since I seemed to shoot around there and hiking-wise I use/prefer a smaller tripod I just don't hike long distances with it. The lenses are indeed awesome though.

[tuco]

On a a smaller tripod, put your hand on top of the camera and gently push down. It helps a lot.

[Corran]

Yep done that too, and it does help...I just prefer less weight, less size, and less trouble! Really the small tripod I have is not appropriate for the Pentax, at about 2.5 pounds including head. It's not really even good for a DSLR camera of moderate size, but it handles my Chamonix 4x5 and similarly-sized/weight cameras.

[tuco]

Yep done that too, and it does help...I just prefer less weight, less size, and less trouble! Really the small tripod I have is not appropriate for the Pentax, at about 2.5 pounds including head. It's not really even good for a DSLR camera of moderate size, but it handles my Chamonix 4x5 and similarly-sized/weight cameras.

I hear yeah. I didn't have my M7II at the time when I took that Mt. Rainier trip; otherwise, I would have taken it for sure. I have a M9 now that makes for a compact hiking camera.

[Ray Van Nes]

Yes I am another who uses the Century 2 x3. Mine is the " mahoganite" or bakelite model. I stripped off the rangefinder as I did not use it to save weight and now it weighs 3 lbs including the lens. It is rugged , rigid and light. The lenses are also small which is also a consideration when hiking. It has been up many summits as well as my go to camera for travel.

[Drew Wiley]

A basic P67 kit isn't any lighter than a decent 4x5 folder with similar focal lengths and even a few filmholders included. The only advantage it has is speed of operation and greater resistance to wind in terms of not having a bellows/kite. But it's that bellows that allow far lighter lenses, even in longer focal lengths, as
well a view camera movements. So it's really a tradeoff. And over the years, I have routinely opted for a view camera, and have generally been disappointed in the few instances I took the 6x7, which incidentally, I used exclusively for a brief period before moving up to 4x5. More often the P67 serves as a snapshot system for road travel or especially rainy dayhikes, or sheer fun with a long quickie telephoto, for wildlife etc. Now I'm experimenting with a Fuji GW690, which is far easier to handhold than a P67, much lighter, but obviously restricted to a 90mm lens. But I am getting excellent negs with it, and it is seriously cut into my need for 35mm. It's all fun. I experiment, knowing full well that at some point in geezerhood, my backpacking load will need to become progressively lighter.
8x10 is still may favorite dayhike format.

[Ray Van Nes]

Interesting point. I have hiked with both 4 x5 and occasionally 5x7 as well as the Century 2 x3. I will post an image from the Century as I should have in the first note. This is from my Icelines & Ridgelines series which is on my website www.rayvannesphotography.com . Perhaps you can tell which is which, 4 x5 or 6 x9.