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Pentax 645Z - oh boy!

Paul2660

Well-known member
A lot of folks either forgot the Alpa night shot blog post, or they did not pay attention to it. I believe part of this same technology is being used by Phase One on the IQ250, as it basically can see in the dark. Alpa did a great night testing about 2 months ago with Live View on the IQ250.

Phase One may have decided to keep the regular iso range on the camera to 6400 for their own reasons, however for the Live View to have the range it's showing in the Alpa test, there is a much higher iso being used.

This was another reason I was tempted by the 250, since it was very apparent that a photographer would not suffer in low light with the Phase One live view on the IQ250, as you do with Nikon on the D800.

More on the Alpa blog post here:
02/06/14 Low light viewing of Live View on the Phase One IQ250–most impressive

Paul
 

Uaiomex

Member
I wish it was mirrorless. Then I'de be excited. On the other hand, it needed to be announced with three LS lenses. Eduardo
 

jagsiva

Active member
I think the price point of the Pentax opens a whole bunch of possibilities for mirrorless, RF, EVF, etc. type produce and certainly, Sony has shown their willingness to go off the beaten path. Will be interesting to watch.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
Nice preview at DPreview.

I've just sold all my MF film stuff mainly because entry to MF digital was so high. Might have to think again.

I do so like the way Ricoh Pentax and so dedicated to photographers. I have been very, very pleased with the Ricoh GR.

LouisB
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Wow one sensor just changed the whole MF industry. Now that folks is revolutionary . Way to go Sony and there is still rumors of them doing a ala Mamiya 7 style body with this sensor. Have to say it sorry but Nikon and Canon are about to die a very slow death. The really interesting part is all this before a Photokinia. You have to ask yourself where's Dalsa and others in this sensor market. I don't know but you really have to wonder where the bottom will fall out and what will rise to the top. Sony is obviously on a major push.

This is something very significant to the MF market and I don't give a rats arch what others put some silly marketing spin on it. This looks extremely promising at this price point. 15 k and you have a major MF system with 4 or 5 lenses. That's damn impressive.

Software is a worry though. Let's hope something pops up that is not Adobe based. ACR is just a kludge to me
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
LOL

So is a bat to the head from the wife. LOL

Painting new stripes on helmet. ROTFLMAO

Seriously though it is very tempting no doubt and thats a big plus for Pentax as a lot of folks will be also. Good for them too, its about time to shake things up.
 

jagsiva

Active member
I see Guy all over MF again :)

This could all be very interesting. Even a fixed lens RX1R type offer seems feasible. Looking at the EVF in the new Fuji, anything could be possible.

...AND video in an MF body...with weather sealing??? Times are changing. I have heard rumours that Phase and Hassey get to cherry pick the sensors, but for 3x the price not so sure.

While the body is better than any MF body out there, I still think a removable back is very much needed, lets hope Pentax or Sony do it. It could go nicely with my IQ180 :)
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
The specs look damn impressive on paper. Definitely looking forward to seeing images from this guy. Although not specific to the 645Z, I wish more MFD manufacturers would go the dual card-slot route like Pentax.
 

Ken_R

New member
Wow one sensor just changed the whole MF industry. Now that folks is revolutionary . Way to go Sony and there is still rumors of them doing a ala Mamiya 7 style body with this sensor. Have to say it sorry but Nikon and Canon are about to die a very slow death. The really interesting part is all this before a Photokinia. You have to ask yourself where's Dalsa and others in this sensor market. I don't know but you really have to wonder where the bottom will fall out and what will rise to the top. Sony is obviously on a major push.

This is something very significant to the MF market and I don't give a rats arch what others put some silly marketing spin on it. This looks extremely promising at this price point. 15 k and you have a major MF system with 4 or 5 lenses. That's damn impressive.

Software is a worry though. Let's hope something pops up that is not Adobe based. ACR is just a kludge to me
I had the 645D and as a camera body it was / is just superb. It is the only MFD camera that works great out of the box and intuitively for any DSLR user and has little if any quirks. The Leica S is somewhat like that also.

That said, the Pentax 645 lenses are not great but are not bad, most are quite good at optimum apertures. There are no Leaf Shutter AF lenses though.

Is it better than a PhaseOne back solution? for some, yes, for a lot of folks, no, but like most things you get what you can afford. And the 645Z seems like a great alternative. Hopefully it shakes things up and Phase lowers the IQ250 price to well under $20k.

The Phase backs are much more versatile obviously and the tethering on the IQ backs is just a dream to work with (at least that has been my experience). My supervised shoots go much smoother. By design the phase backs can be use on several camera platforms with many different lenses. That is really a must for a lot of folks.

I also prefer the larger sensor size of the 60 and 80mp backs (I own the IQ160). The smaller size of the 645D sensor is significant. But a lot of people might find it easier to work with a smaller sensor. Like most things it is a matter of preference.

Overall having another MFD option is really good for us! Bring it on!
 

jduncan

Active member
3 frames per second until it hits the limit of 10 raw frames.
AMAZING!

And 27 focus points!
Feature 2?645Z | RICOH IMAGING

Unheard of in MFD, up untill now.

If all of them are at the center, as it appears to be the case, having 27 or 100 do little difference, except in the case of tracking moving subjects (like sports).

Now, in the other hand, the camera is not only superior (in paper) to any other MF camera by a long margin, but competitive with the best DSLRs.

The second question is the lenses, there is little point in a 50mpixels if the sensor /camera combination delivers 25mpixels.

When released, If the lenses are good and the camera delivers, new buyers acquiring the H5D-50c or the IQ250 will need very specific needs (and we know some) to buy them, under the shadow of looking like Hasselblad Lunar buyers.

Best regards,
J. Duncan
 

narikin

New member
This is probably bad news for Phase One. Very.

I expect their never arriving new camera will have to go back and be reworked again, (3FPS? Multi point AF? Weatherproof? Quiet shutter? and... Price!!)

Then the price of the IQ250 reviewed heavily downwards (expect some special offers/discounts soon) and even then not at 3fps. I'd imagine a new version of this back at Photokina with better features.

I can't imagine many newcomers to MF spending $35,000+ on a Phase Outfit when this is on the table at $8500, with substantially better features. Really, the writing is on the wall for a major upheaval. And I say all this as a Phase owner of 3 backs over 8 years.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Well it will put pressure on them more in the area to actually give us a new body. This Pentax does a lot of nice things that only a DF on steroids could think about. Here is where Phase has a real issue. They need that new body now. I just read the specs on the Pentax and it's damn impressive for MF. Lots of very useful features that are unique to MF but pretty standard with 35mm companies. There are some real firsts here. The body as it is today will hurt Phase I have no doubt about that, so they really need that improved body. Backs are really not the issue at all as they are very full featured. The IQ 250 really lacks for nothing. They just need a body to go with it
 
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