Editor’s Pics

01 | NASA’s Super Guppy

The Pentax 67 at AirVenture
in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Photos & Story by Lance Phillips

The Pentax 67 was produced in various iterations between 1969, the year I was born, and 2009. The version I own was produced in the early 1990s, the penultimate model of the series. It’s a 5-pound beast that is usually seen with a large wooden handle sticking out from the left side of the camera (as you look at it from the back). I don’t have the handle, though, as I opted for a custom-made, much smaller wooden handle that comfortably fits on the right side of the camera (again, as you look at it from the back). Pentax made a whole ecosystem of beautiful, world-class lenses for this professional series of cameras; however, the one lens you’ll see most often is the renowned 105mm f2.4 powerhouse. This lens is approximately normal, or roughly equivalent to a 50mm on a regular 35mm frame (or full-frame digital sensor). When you see the images this camera and lens combination produces, you’ll understand why it was in production for 50 years.

I own four cameras – 2 digital full-frame Leicas, 1 medium format film Hasselblad and the Pentax 67. Each of these is remarkable in its color reproduction and the beautiful resolution of the in-focus subject. NASA took Hasselblads into space for a reason. Leica rangefinder cameras have been in production and in use by the world’s most renowned photographers for almost a century (Leica crafted the first 35mm camera for the public in 1925). And the Pentax produces images that truly captivate. I especially love portraits on the Pentax 67, but as you can see here, airplanes are fun subjects, too.