Photographer
Fred Greissing
Posts: 6427
Los Angeles, California, US
Pentax Japan posted some more info on the 645z http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/645z/ Details about full featured tethering program too. Some sample images including two beauty images shot with the new 90mm 2.8 IS lens. Really good image quality. And they are out of camera Jpegs.... http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/ … -pic01.jpg This lens is really good and far superior to Phase One/Mamiya offerings. Pentax: Internal focusing and weather sealed. Internal focusing. (these two mean the lens will stay sharp over time) Image stabilization Fast 2.8 and macro. Two lenses in one so to speak. Portrait and macro. $5,000 Phase One offers a 110mm 2.8 with a Schneider sticker on it: No image stabilizer Not weather sealed (over time dust will enter the lens) Crappy 5 blade iris resulting in nasty bokeh if you stop down one stop. Not macro and loses AF wham used with Phase Ones Auto extension tubes. Does have a Leaf shutter for fast flash sync. $ 5,390
Photographer
Ruben Vasquez
Posts: 3117
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
It's an impressive camera that's for sure but definitely well beyond any of my needs at the moment. Unfortunately I don't print that large anymore and rarely crop my images. For me, 21mp is still more than enough for what I do. If I needed to print large again though, I'd definitely love to get my hands on this camera!
I got an email of Phase One the other day informing of their leasing program. I wonder if Pentax offers or will offer something similar. Even at the lower price point, it's still an expensive system to buy into.
Photographer
J O H N A L L A N
Posts: 12221
Los Angeles, California, US
I'm thinking if they want to sell medium format digital over 35mm, they should choose images to show that take advantage (highlight unique visual aspects) of what medium format offers. This particular image, I'm not seeing anything rivaling my D800e.
Photographer
Philipe
Posts: 5302
Pomona, California, US
The camera looks great..
I've always liked Pentax digital medium format to have a DSLR feel and look..
I also like how Pentax does not need a digital back, it comes complete.
The live view mode is an awesome feature..
With an ISO of 204800 makes it pretty solid..
Photographer
Fred Greissing
Posts: 6427
Los Angeles, California, US
J O H N A L L A N wrote:
I'm thinking if they want to sell medium format digital over 35mm, they should choose images to show that take advantage (highlight unique visual aspects) of what medium format offers. This particular image, I'm not seeing anything rivaling my D800e. Well the truth of the matter is that there are not really any unique visual aspects apart from a bit more sensor resolution.
Today with some ultra high quality lenses available on cameras like the Nikon D800 or D800E there really is almost no difference and not anything that could be called unique.
Also with the trend to smaller MF sensors with Hasselblad and Phase One pricing 44x33 CMOS at flagship prices it's rather ridiculous.
What is interesting about the Pentax is that it's brought at least crop sensor MFD into this century as far as ergonomics, focus and on sensor live view AF actually making it feasible to shoot wide open with better hit rate than Phase One or Hasselblad and at a fraction of the cost.
After all MF dealers claim that MF has less depth of field thanks to sensor size..... however they seem to forget that 1.2 and 1.4 lenses on 35mm DSLRs have shallower depth of field regardless of the larger MF sensors, not to mention 35mm DSLRs having far better focusing AF and live view AF making it feasible to use wide open setting
Photographer
Neil Peters Fotografie
Posts: 1058
Tucson, Arizona, US
my thinking of medium format is kinda old school
from the film days
so tell me where I'm going wrong ...
because my old mamiya 645 kicked my leica m3's butt
in film days, tri-x resolution was identical 645, 6x6, 6x7 or 35mm
like the sensors today, if my guess is consistant
but, when you went to enlarge the picture to any size
you enlarged it 1.7 times... less (645)
maintaining more small grain resolution
and in a 16x20 print, the difference was dramatic
has anything in digital real world practicality changed ?
Photographer
Stanley
Posts: 571
Los Angeles, California, US
Does it come with a 25% off digital retouching?
Photographer
AJ_In_Atlanta
Posts: 13053
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Very nice, the tether options were a bit lacking on the last one.
Photographer
Stanley
Posts: 571
Los Angeles, California, US
AJScalzitti wrote:
Very nice, the tether options were a bit lacking on the last one. What did you find that was lacking?
Photographer
Revenge Photography
Posts: 1905
Horsham, Victoria, Australia
J O H N A L L A N wrote:
I'm thinking if they want to sell medium format digital over 35mm, they should choose images to show that take advantage (highlight unique visual aspects) of what medium format offers. This particular image, I'm not seeing anything rivaling my D800e. Did you view the image at 100%, the lack of a fixed anti aliasing filter gives the Pentax a distinct advantage when it comes to the sharpness of the image. Then factor in the larger sensor and your D800e really isn't in the same class.
Photographer
Fred Greissing
Posts: 6427
Los Angeles, California, US
Revenge Photography wrote:
Did you view the image at 100%, the lack of a fixed anti aliasing filter gives the Pentax a distinct advantage when it comes to the sharpness of the image. Then factor in the larger sensor and your D800e really isn't in the same class. D800e does not have an anti aliasing filter....
D800e sensor is the same technology, just a few mm smaller around the edges.
If there was a significant advantage that did not require looking at the image at a pixel level Phase One and Hasselblad would show side by side comparisons with the d800.
Truth of the matter is that there is very little difference between top of the line 35mm DSLR and crop sensor MFD 645 with a 44x33 sensor
Photographer
Fred Greissing
Posts: 6427
Los Angeles, California, US
Stanley wrote:
Does it come with a 25% off digital retouching? That's funny....
Photographer
Revenge Photography
Posts: 1905
Horsham, Victoria, Australia
Fred Greissing wrote:
D800e does not have an anti aliasing filter....
D800e sensor is the same technology, just a few mm smaller around the edges.
If there was a significant advantage that did not require looking at the image at a pixel level Phase One and Hasselblad would show side by side comparisons with the d800.
Truth of the matter is that there is very little difference between top of the line 35mm DSLR and crop sensor MFD 645 with a 44x33 sensor The just a few millimetres around the edges is a size factor of around 1.7 so its a greater difference than the jump from crop to full frame (1.5x). So simply apply all the arguments used to justify the move to full frame.
Photographer
Fred Greissing
Posts: 6427
Los Angeles, California, US
Revenge Photography wrote:
The just a few millimetres around the edges is a size factor of around 1.7 so its a greater difference than the jump from crop to full frame (1.5x). So simply apply all the arguments used to justify the move to full frame. Not sure what you are comparing.
The jump from APS-C:
24mm to 36mm is a 50% increase.
Jump from FF 35mm DSLR to 44x33 crop frame MFD:
36mm to 44mm is an increase of 22%.
You cannot apply the same arguments for crop frame MF as the move to full frame.
Above all unmoving from Crop to Full frame you don't lose any features. A MFD o the other hand lacks so many features, with the Pentax 645z being the closest to a modern camera's features. Even then you lose quite a bit. And once you put a good lens on it you are talking about 3 to 4 times the price.
Just to put this into perspective here is a controlled side by side comparison of a Hasselblad 40PM camera and the d800:
![https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/10008998416_cd1f29653e_c.jpg]()
larger here:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/100 … 46fd_o.jpg
Nikon D800 and 105mm macro $ 3,695
Hasselblad 40MP and 140mm macro $ 23,990
Pentax 645z and 90mm macro $12,994
Phase One IQ250 and 120mm macro AF $ 44,000
Price percentage differences:
Nikon vs Pentax 252%
Nikon vs Hasselblad 549%
Nikon vs Phase One 1,060%
|
