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Archive 2015 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

SoulNibbler
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

Hmm, well I tried the 28-45 at the rental shop and left unimpressed. The photos I see though made it really tempting when there was the richo sale before Christmas when they offered 20% off.
It's a great camera, Mine doesn't live on a tripod so I rarely get the full potential out of the sensor. Additionally it is not officially supported by c1, which means all my colors are impressionistic.

I would kill though to have a mirrorless/evf version of this camera. The cmos sensor is really handicapped by the click,clunk,click clunk needed to use live view. Also I'm a but bummed at the limited choice for adaptable portrait lenses. I would go out and stand in line if someone made a A7 style camera with this sensor.

P.s.
When I bought mine this summer pentax was really killing the awesome/$ ratio. Now you can find used 50mp phase one and blad cmos kits for less than 10k. It's not night and day cheaper... But I kinda wish I'd waited since I really miss tilt on the Z and I could have picked up a used back and had tilt for within 20% of the 645z + 90mm price.

Dec 30, 2015 at 09:34 AM

Tariq Gibran
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

IMO, a big part of what we traditionally associate with "the medium format look" has to do with the combination of less dof per a given angle of view (compared to a smaller format) at common shooting apertures combined with the lower magnification that the larger format requires at a given output size compared to the smaller format. This effect has diminished greatly with the "digital" format size differences because the actual size between the formats is nowhere near as great as it once was with film (35mm vs 6x7/6x9 MF or 4"x5"/8"x10" film). It used to be the case that folks did not even consider 645 film that much bigger than 35mm film when the intention was getting the full benefits of shooting medium format film. 645 was pretty much seen as the compromise between size/ speed and a little more IQ than 35mm. Now, that difference is the greatest we typically have..and that's only available with CCD tech. The Sony "MF" CMOS sensor is not really that much bigger than FF 35 comparatively speaking (not even as great as the difference between APS vs FF 35). Where it does come into play the most imo is when one prefers to shoot 4:3 or even square aspect ratios's. Then the difference becomes more meaningful (cropping FF 35 to that aspect ratio vs natively shooting it on the Pentax 645Z for instance). I thought the author of the review made a good point about shooting 4:3. That in my mind is the main benefit (technically) to shoot with a camera that uses the Sony "MF" CMOS sensor, such as the Pentax 645Z.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5540407/FormatCompare.jpg

Edited on Dec 30, 2015 at 09:45 AM · View previous versions

Dec 30, 2015 at 09:34 AM

SoulNibbler
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

Also, on my p.s.
Whatever cheap cmos digital backs that were available are long since gone. The z is still the value king.

Dec 30, 2015 at 09:45 AM

Gyroscope
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

Makten wrote:
There is no such thing. What you call "extension distortion" is perspective and it only changes with distance. At the same angle of view, there is no difference in perspective whatever focal length or sensor size you use. Crop an image shot with a wide angle and you will get the same thing as using a longer focal length (with lower resolution of course). The distance is the same and thus the perspective.

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2014/08/15/debunking-the-myth-that-focal-length-affects-perspective/

I think this is splitting hairs. We are not talking about talking about standing in the same spot to take all pictures then cropping them. Using the different focal length means I am standing in a different spot with a different focal length lens to achieve the same field of view. This does create a different level of extension distortion I think. Remember we are not comparing different focal lengths and cropping for the same sensor camera we are comparing different focal lengths with a different sensor size. Are you telling me that if you shot a full face portrait with APSC 35mm and then the same field of view full face portrait with a 6x9 35mm that the apparent level of distortion would be identical?

Dec 30, 2015 at 06:28 PM

sflxn
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

There are rumors of Fuji getting ready to jump in with a fixed lens system. I hope it's true and hope they end up using this sensor. Pentax is doing a great thing by putting rational price pressure on this market. I hope they have massive success till mirror less eventually enters this market. I would be willing to jump on an RX-M with this sensor and a Zeiss lens and 5-axis IBIS for $5-6k.

Dec 30, 2015 at 10:48 PM

DocsPics
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

Wonderful review....thanks for the effort. Fortunately for my wallet, the promotional statement of functionality down to minus 10 degrees celsius makes this a non-Alaskan camera six months out of the year. (But then again, the other six months might just make it worthwhile..... ).

Dec 31, 2015 at 12:20 AM

Antje
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

Great review!

I bought one about a month ago (to celebrate having survived my husband's death for three years, basically - this was my prize for making it this far). But what a camera. The things you can do to the files, the high ISO, that alone sold me. This is the first camera I've been able to shoot in the forest with without it all looking slightly mushy. Even the 5D3 didn't quite cut it. And cropping to different formats doesn't physically hurt anymore. ;-) I had originally eyed the Hassy back, but that's something entirely different.

Granted - it's not something I'd take on multi-day hikes - especially not when hiking alone. That's my Oly's territory. But for day hikes, I really don't mind the weight.

Antje

Dec 31, 2015 at 07:22 AM

Makten
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

Gyroscope wrote:
Are you telling me that if you shot a full face portrait with APSC 35mm and then the same field of view full face portrait with a 6x9 35mm that the apparent level of distortion would be identical?

No, because you don't have the same distance and angle of view. If you shoot at the same distance and the same angle of view (which means different focal lengths), the perspective and "distortion" is the same, regardless of sensor size.

Why would you compare the formats by using the same focal length?

Dec 31, 2015 at 09:26 AM

carlitos
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

SoulNibbler wrote:
Hmm, well I tried the 28-45 at the rental shop and left unimpressed. The photos I see though made it really tempting when there was the richo sale before Christmas when they offered 20% off.
It's a great camera, Mine doesn't live on a tripod so I rarely get the full potential out of the sensor. Additionally it is not officially supported by c1, which means all my colors are impressionistic.

I would kill though to have a mirrorless/evf version of this camera. The cmos sensor is really handicapped by the click,clunk,click clunk needed to use live view. Also I'm a...Show more →

I'd like to see a Rolleiflex 2.8 using this sensor. 60mm or 70mm square LCD sensor at the top with viewing hood. Leaf shutter. It'd be nice. It could really be made robust & waterproof. The film era had a lot more interesting format/packaging options.

Dec 31, 2015 at 12:49 PM

Kit Laughlin
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

+1 @carlitos. Leaf shutter and 45mm EFOV lens, and I would be there in a heartbeat. It would be, for me, the 'how to record real life' camera in one package. I have been looking for this since the dawn of the digital era.

Jan 02, 2016 at 05:10 AM

msoomro
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

tag for ref

Feb 20, 2016 at 11:57 PM

freaklikeme
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

SoulNibbler wrote:
I would kill though to have a mirrorless/evf version of this camera. The cmos sensor is really handicapped by the click,clunk,click clunk needed to use live view. Also I'm a but bummed at the limited choice for adaptable portrait lenses. I would go out and stand in line if someone made a A7 style camera with this sensor.

Yeah, right there with you. I know it wouldn't make OVF lovers happy, and it is a fine OVF compared to most SLRs, but I think the camera would be much more usable if you didn't have to work around mirror slap.

Have you tried the Hassy F Sonnar 150/2.8? It was my favorite portrait lens on the 645D. I imagine it would make the transition to the Z without issue.

Feb 21, 2016 at 02:59 PM

Antje
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Pentax 645z review - best landscape camera in the world?

freaklikeme wrote:
[...]
Have you tried the Hassy F Sonnar 150/2.8? It was my favorite portrait lens on the 645D. I imagine it would make the transition to the Z without issue.

I agree - I have Hasselblad lenses on the Z and it's lovely. Definitely worth a try.

Feb 23, 2016 at 10:24 AM

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