You have to realize at the speed MF cameras shoot (around 1FPS) the shutter will last much longer than a fast shooting 35mm based DSLR.
Also about time a MF maker finally put a high quality LCD on the back of their cameras. It was embarrassing having a $300 P&S with a better LCD than a camera that cost as much as an entry level BMW.
systemlayers wrote:
SD/SDHC and 50,000 shutter count
I know, those were two things that unimpressed me too. But as Josef mentioned, medium format cameras will not cover 50k acutations as fast as a 1D mark IV, for example. It would be nice to have a CF card also. I like their durability and speed better than SD cards. Anyhow, SD cards are too small.
Very promising. It's the ZD II, just made by Pentax I hope they release it in the US. I hate buying high dollar stuff overseas and dealing with customs, etc., etc. Hopefully C1 and LightRoom will support files. I'm not a big fan of SilkyPix.
John Black wrote:
Very promising. It's the ZD II, just made by Pentax I hope they release it in the US. I hate buying high dollar stuff overseas and dealing with customs, etc., etc. Hopefully C1 and LightRoom will support files. I'm not a big fan of SilkyPix.
DNG baby. The raws already have support in anything that will read DNG. All that is needed are color profiles.
Time to start saving! This will likely be my next camera.
tsjanik wrote:
I've been waiting for this for quite awhile; wonder what Herb will have to say.
Magnesium frame/ aluminum weather sealed body; high resolution, wide viewing angle, anti-reflective lcd screen; probably best in class AF and metering; 98% viewfinder accuracy in a MF camera. I think Herb mentioned corner cutting. These specs make it sound like most of the other MF guys are the ones that have been cutting corners. I would take this body any day of the week over a Mamiya myself.
isn't this the first medium format digital camera with more than 1-pt AF? I could be totally wrong. I'm very intrigued. The "It's a ZD II, just made by Pentax" statement seems right on, only this might actually be way better.
I'm not buying the 45/2.8 and 120 macro quite yet, but it's starting to sound a lot more realistic..
tsjanik wrote:
I've been waiting for this for quite awhile; wonder what Herb will have to say.
He'll say that they are losing money on them, of course. Quite frankly, I think they will do well with them. We'll have to wait and se how they actually perform and whether after all this time Pentax got it right.
So what better specs does the S2 have over this to justify the double+ price? framerate? It looks like the Pentax has a bigger sensor, better LCD, better ISO, better viewfinder and more lenses to choose from.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
. I think Herb mentioned corner cutting. These specs make it sound like most of the other MF guys are the ones that have been cutting corners. I would take this body any day of the week over a Mamiya myself.
Yes, Pentax has a history of producing a good camera at a good price; apparently, Hoya plans to honor that tradition.
Herb has some valid criticisms of Pentax, but he is so negative you wonder why he pays attention to anything Pentax produces.
Spyro P. wrote:
So what better specs does the S2 have over this to justify the double+ price? framerate? It looks like the Pentax has a bigger sensor, better LCD, better ISO, better viewfinder and more lenses to choose from.
The Pentax has a green dot... on the green button.
Looks pretty impressive. It's good to see Pentax come out swinging after struggling in the P&S market and being an also-ran in the DSLR world (and missing out on mirrorless).
Interesting. Many of the specs are similar to the K7's. Makes me wonder if they share quite a bit of the same "guts" other than the larger sensor and the necessary systems to cope with the larger files. Also, I noticed that it is SDM compatible. Since all of Pentax's SDM lenses are designed around their APS-C sensor cameras, then this implies that new medium format SDM lenses will be forthcoming. Their lens roadmap indicated a new 55mm MF lens, but I don't remember anything about it being SDM.
Pending the hands on reviews, I'd have to say bravo Pentax. Quite a feature set at $9,400. Now, bring on those new lenses. I have a feeling that the new lenses will be priced to offset the low price of the 645D. If the reviews pan out, there's going to be quite a demand for this camera.
