As far back as the early 1960s, Asahi Pentax was formulating plans for a 6×7 format SLR. But development issues delayed production until Photokina 1966, when they unveiled a prototype they called the Pentax 220. 220 film had only been around for about a year prior to this, so the name is almost certainly a nod to the fact that this camera was capable of shooting the new film. Fast-forward three years and the camera was finally ready for production under a new name – the Pentax 6×7. Not a unique or catchy name, but straightforward utilitarian in it’s description. This would be the first SLR that used the “ideal format” of 6x7cm.
Check out the video to learn more about this beast of a camera.
Vintage Camera Digest 