Pentax 645D

[Ed Hurst]

Gary,

Thanks for the kind words about the pix. I have many of the lenses you refer to. From my experience, I would put the 67 lenses into three categories - brilliant, good and not-so-sure. The 55mm f4 and 300mm EDIF are definitely in the brilliant category. The 75 f4, 90, 105, 135 macro and 165 are, in my view, in the good category (btw, the 105, being f2.4, allows you to do some nice narrow depth of field shots). In the not-so-sure camp I would put the 45, the fisheye (though I don't own this lens myself), the 90mm l/s and the 200m (which seems capable of producing pretty good stuff some of the time). Can't comment on the shift lens or the 100 macro.

Re. the 645 glass you own, you will be delighted with the 35 and 120. The 45-85 FA is also superb up to about 65, then only good beyond that. The other 645 glass you mention I have not used, but I hear mixed things about them.

By the way, did you order the 645D with the new 55mm f2.8 lens? I have it, and find it good but not stellar in every way. In fact, the 67 55mm f4 lens seems to me to be as good - though with different strengths.

You are gonna have fun dude

 

[Ed Hurst]

Oh, and I can confirm that the 6x7 75mm f2.8AL is worth getting if you can find it. Whether it is sufficiently good to worry about - compared to the 6x7 75mm f4, the 645 75mm f2.8 and 645 45-85FA lenses you already own - is debatable. I suspect you have the length well covered already. As it happens, I already owned that 6x7 f2.8 version, so I didn't need to go seeking it out. If I didn't own it, but did own what you have, I think I would be content.

Still, I know what it's like to have a bee in my bonnet for something I don't own! At present, it's the 25mm DA f4 lens that I am lusting after ;-)

 

[bensonga]

Gary, great story regarding you car...I love it. just one thing, something is terribly wrong. I have a SUV to plow through those ice and snowstorms but barely any snow here. You have the sportscar for those lovely year round fair weather days. We need to swap and fast! springtime is here and it hit 85 today....just perfect for me to be seen in that BMW of yours.

Anyhow, with all those P67 and P645 lenses, your car can't hold all that gear like my SUV...so consider that I'm doing you a favor to take it off your hands...LOL!

Dave (D&A)

LOL! I wish we had a few 85 degree days up here. The last couple of "summers", we've only broke the 70 degree mark a few times. Our summers have been mostly cool and cloudy.

As much as I love driving the Bimmer, with the rear wheel drive, it's definitely not a good car for winter weather, which is why it was in storage from November 1st to May 1st.

My Honda CRV does the job for the rest of the year and can haul quite a lot of gear. In the CRV, I'll travel over gravel roads where I wouldn't take the 325Ci (across the Denali "highway" and over the Top of the World "highway" to Dawson City, Yukon Territory, for example). I'm looking forward to packing the 645D along on these trips in the future. There are a few paved roads with easy access to photogenic spots, especially along Turnagain Arm and in the mountains. I'll put a couple of camera bags in the trunk of the Bimmer and enjoy the drive and the views. The challenge for me is to stop driving (and grinning) long enough to set up a tripod and take a few photos along the way. Here's the view on one of my favorite Alaskan roads from a drive in the Bimmer last October, about a week before I put it in storage. The temp was 28F-30F on this day...but the roads were dry. :thumbup:

 

[bensonga]

Oh, and I can confirm that the 6x7 75mm f2.8AL is worth getting if you can find it.

Definitely one of the hardest lenses to find! When I do, I'll be jumping on it, even though I don't need it.

Still, I know what it's like to have a bee in my bonnet for something I don't own! At present, it's the 25mm DA f4 lens that I am lusting after ;-)

My friend here in Alaska with the 645D bought the 25mm lens and it's a very impressive lens! It's bigger and heavier than I had expected. He's very happy with it. I don't shoot much ultra wide angle end, so that let's me off the hook for another big expense...thankfully!

Re your other question...no, I didn't really think to order the 645D with the 55mm lens, since I've already got quite a few lenses in that focal length range and frankly, I just prefer using manual focus lenses.

Gary

 

[Ed Hurst]

Well, with what you have, I think you will be happy with your decision about the 55mm.

 

[tsjanik]

Gary:

I wondered if you used your BMW to commute on the Glenn Highway during winter. I would have praised your driving skills if you did.
You, Ed and I could open a Pentax MF museum. I have twenty-something lenses and converters including some unusal ones like the 75mm f2.8 and the 500mm
f5.6 for the 67.
So (I've been looking for a chance to use this):

:worthless:

Dave (NJ) glad your back in your home; must have felt like a long time.

Tom

 

[Shashin]

As much as I love driving the Bimmer, with the rear wheel drive, it's definitely not a good car for winter weather, which is why it was in storage from November 1st to May 1st.

You just learn to drive in reverse in the winter. Front wheel drive with rear wheel steering! Just like a folk lift truck without the forks.

 

[bensonga]

Gary:

I wondered if you used your BMW to commute on the Glenn Highway during winter. I would have praised your driving skills if you did.

That's a scary thought! It can be bad enough in my CRV with studded tires on all 4 wheels. I wouldn't survive for 15 minutes in the Bimmer.

You, Ed and I could open a Pentax MF museum. I have twenty-something lenses and converters including some unusal ones like the 75mm f2.8 and the 500mm
f5.6 for the 67.
So (I've been looking for a chance to use this):

:worthless:

Tom

Yes, we need more pics here! Pics of the gear (like your 500mm lens!) and taken with the gear.

Just got word that my 645D has shipped and will be here Friday afternoon. :grin:

Gary

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

My friend here in Alaska with the 645D bought the 25mm lens and it's a very impressive lens! It's bigger and heavier than I had expected. He's very happy with it. I don't shoot much ultra wide angle end, so that let's me off the hook for another big expense...thankfully!

Gary

If I could afford the Pentax 25mm, I would buy a 645D (and a 645N) as a consequence. It's one of my MF dilemmas: I need an ultra-wide lens for industrial photography, but they all cost at least as much as a D800 plus the Nikkor 14-24mm, which may result in me buying the D800 before I go for digital MF.

Has your friend tried the 25mm on film?

 

[Shashin]

One little accessory I have found really good for the 645D is the 645 Refconverter (90 degree angle finder). I also upgraded my focusing screen to the gridded screen. I bought the IR remote for the 645D and it is good, but the battery can die. (I also bought a cheap $6 electronic cable release for when the IR remote does die--I just had to trim the outside of the plug to make it fit.) And lastly if you like making long exposures with dense ND filters, you will need to figure out a cap for the viewfinder to stop the ambient light from getting into the camera.

 

[tsjanik]

If I could afford the Pentax 25mm, I would buy a 645D (and a 645N) as a consequence. It's one of my MF dilemmas: I need an ultra-wide lens for industrial photography, but they all cost at least as much as a D800 plus the Nikkor 14-24mm, which may result in me buying the D800 before I go for digital MF.

Has your friend tried the 25mm on film?

Jorgen:

I would love to have a 25mm too. At 5k, it's out-of-the-question, but I have noticed that amazon.jp has it at 3500 USD.

 

[tsjanik]

Yes, we need more pics here! Pics of the gear (like your 500mm lens!) and taken with the gear.

Don't have an existing picture of the 67 500mm, but I do have this:

A support device for the 645 600mm. It works very well at removing any shake caused by the shutter; but even this can be helped by a Manfrotto long lens support at really slow shutter speed

NB: taken with a K-5, which conveniently uses the same batteries as the 645D.



_IGP1179 by tsjanik47, on Flickr

 

[tsjanik]

You just learn to drive in reverse in the winter. Front wheel drive with rear wheel steering! Just like a folk lift truck without the forks.

That would explain some of the drivers I've encountered in Maine

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Jorgen:

I would love to have a 25mm too. At 5k, it's out-of-the-question, but I have noticed that amazon.jp has it at 3500 USD.

Don't tempt me. I can soon start to store cameras in the fridge, since it's empty anyway. The dry cabinet on the other hand... :loco:

 

[bensonga]

Don't have an existing picture of the 67 500mm, but I do have this:
A support device for the 645 600mm. It works very well at removing any shake caused by the shutter; but even this can be helped by a Manfrotto long lens support at really slow shutter speed

That is a very impressive looking lens Tom! I don't have any of the Pentax 67/645 "big guns" and I know they are very hard to find.

When my 645D arrives, I'll post an image of my Hasselblad/Zeiss 500mm mounted on the 645D. Sort of an old tech meets new tech story. :grin:

Gary

 

[Steve Hendrix]

Don't have an existing picture of the 67 500mm, but I do have this:

A support device for the 645 600mm. It works very well at removing any shake caused by the shutter; but even this can be helped by a Manfrotto long lens support at really slow shutter speed

NB: taken with a K-5, which conveniently uses the same batteries as the 645D.



_IGP1179 by tsjanik47, on Flickr

Holy crap.

 

[bensonga]

Has your friend tried the 25mm on film?

Film? Does anyone still use that stuff? ;-)

Definitely not. I don't think I have ever seen him shoot with film.

Gary

 

[Ed Hurst]

Re. the 25mm, the DFA version will work on film (don't now how well, but I suspect very!) but the more recent DA version will not.

 

[Ed Hurst]

I keep lusting after those loooong lenses, but every time I get close to buying one, I realise I would hardly use it. The 300mm EDIF I own doesn't get used much. So, thus far, I have resisted the urge!

 

[tsjanik]

Holy crap.

It's not quite as large as it appears Steve; the first two sections of the lens from the front (left) are a built in lens shade . They slide over the third section and screw together. You can see the sliver colored threads. A very ingenious and effective design.
I'm glad to seee that Capture Integration now handles the 645D; any chance C 1 pro will add the 645D?

I keep lusting after those loooong lenses, but every time I get close to buying one, I realise I would hardly use it. The 300mm EDIF I own doesn't get used much. So, thus far, I have resisted the urge!

Ed, I really enjoy the compression effects of long lenses and wildlife shots. Here are a couple examples I've posted before with this lens. The first is with the 600 + 1.4x setup pictured above. Inspired by Mark Rothko paintings and Pete Turner's red giraffe photo. Arguably I could get this image with a point and shoot, since there is no detail, but I can print this at 30x40 with no banding in the sky (I realize I'm preaching to the choir here)


Mark Rothko appears in Lake Erie by tsjanik47, on Flickr

Another at ISO 1600, hand held, supported by a car door.
Oldsquaw ducks, male and female. Arguably I would have been better off with a 35mm DSLR and that's likely correct

Tom


_IGP9905 by tsjanik47, on Flickr