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Fun with the 645D
- Thread starter tsjanik
- Start date
Dan Bellyk
New member
Beautiful
Thank you very much KCONE.
I agree Escherest, think I made that word up
David
sergio lovisolo
Member
A pair of aerials with the 645d, the first with the FA 150 and the second with FA75. This camera proved to be the perfect tool for aerials. In the past years i have used many cameras for my job, (just a few of them, Linhof Aerotechnika 4x5, Hasselblad, Kodak N pro, Nikon D2x) but only now, for the first time, I am really satisfied with the results.
With film cameras the problem was low film sensitivity and slow central shutter speed, with digitals inadequate resolution and, much more important, moire everywhere on the fine texture of these roofs.
The images, at full resolution, are available on flickr.
IMGP0775a by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr
IMGP0820a by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr
Regards.
Sergio
With film cameras the problem was low film sensitivity and slow central shutter speed, with digitals inadequate resolution and, much more important, moire everywhere on the fine texture of these roofs.
The images, at full resolution, are available on flickr.
IMGP0775a by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr
IMGP0820a by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr
Regards.
Sergio
Thanks Steven. The 400 is an excellent lens, in the same league as the 75mm, but not quite up to the 120. Shutter vibration can be an issue. How's your tech camera experience progressing? You could always add a 645D to your bag too .
Sergio, great looking aerials with details and its interesting that there is no evidence of morie'. Tried some a few years ago with D2x and D3 with moderate success but I suspect the 645D brings it to another level.Thanks Steven. The 400 is an excellent lens, in the same league as the 75mm, but not quite up to the 120. Shutter vibration can be an issue. How's your tech camera experience progressing? You could always add a 645D to your bag too .
Tom, completely concur with your observations and experience with the FA 400 f5.6. It's an extremely good performer, especially with adaquate support. A good sample of the FA 300 f4 is slightly/somewhat sharper but with the penalty of being 100mm shorter (but a stop faster).
Tom is right Steven...we have to find a way to get you back into a 645D and see some more great images from you!
Dave (D&A)
kuau
Workshop Member
Tom and Dave, I'm actually doing ok with my setup.
check out kuau.com and go to the telluride section, all images taken with either my tech cam, or my rollei hy6.
Tom, yep on my old 300mm fa f4 which I got from dave, shutter vibration was something I had to deal with also..
steven
check out kuau.com and go to the telluride section, all images taken with either my tech cam, or my rollei hy6.
Tom, yep on my old 300mm fa f4 which I got from dave, shutter vibration was something I had to deal with also..
steven
Steven, I look forward to looking at your images taken with your tech cam and rollei hy6 late this evening....but if I tell you you're not doing OK with your current set-up, will that get you to return to using the 645D?
Yes good support with long lenses especially when used on MFD is a must, but when the stars align, the images really sing...with both the 300 and 400mm Pentax 645 lenses. I'll have to dig out a crop of a tiger I took when testing out the FA 400mm....as Tom indicated, impressive!
Dave (D&A)
Yesterday (Dec 28, 2011) we had a wildly windy day here (a NJ barrier island). Fronts like this usually bring dramatic skys, and the 40 plus mph winds blow the sea spray when the waves break, making interesting photos. I got two "keepers" from my shoot. 645D, 75mm lens, polarizer, f13 at either 1/125 or 1/250, tripod mounted. Had a near disaster: The wind was so strong it blew my tripod over with camera and 35mm A lens on it nose first into the sand. I had a plastic grad filter on it which got smashed into a million pieces, but it did protect the front element. Home, I used a small paint brush to sweep away the dry sand, then used a lens brush to clean the front element. A pin point spot on the lens coating is the only casualty!
Thanks for looking
Thanks for looking
Last edited:
ptomsu
Workshop Member
Steven,
would you actually recommend now (today) buying a 645D? I am still stuck with H3D39 and think about moving into another (cheaper & more versatile) system.
Thanks
Peter
Dave, Really love the images...sea spray and all! Great capture. The one with the seagull would make a lovely print to hang up, especially printed fairly large. Whew, glad there was little damage to your lens other than filter. It's moments like this that would cause my heart to skip a beat.
Dave (D&A)
Hi Peter,
Although I briefly shot with the Hassy H3D39, Steven of course has had far more experience than I with comparing various other systems to the 645D. This is especially so in various weather conditions where as a field camera, the 645D excels. It rarely misses a beat invery cold weather and that is a big plus if you shoot in such conditions. As for comparative image quality, a lot depends on which lenses a used and also with the Pentax system, finding a good sample when it comes to many of their legacy lenses. Just thought I'd add these brief comments until Steven sees your post and chimes in.
Dave (D&A)
Thanks Dave. The weather sealing really helped protect the camera, as the sand here is very fine, like talcum powder, and is capable of getting into everything. I am one of the people that always leaves a high quality MC UV filter on every lens, at all times. 99% of my work is seascapes here on LBI. The sand blows and stings, there is salt spray, and corossive salt air here.
Happy New Year
Dave
kuau
Workshop Member
Peter, Hmmm... Not sure. You have to keep in mind, I am one of these people who rarely ever buys new equipment, I can never afford it.
The only new camera I have purchased in the past 5 years was the 645D and the only regret I have is selling it, though I really wanted to go Tech View and I found a great deal on a demo Sinar arTec and a used Leaf Aptus II 7 AFI back so I sold my 645D system.
I guess the question is to me is it more capable then the H3D39, which I also owned in the past. My answer would be it depends on what you are shooting.
I found the 645D and excellent Landscape camera as long as you can live with F11-F16, and of course the lens situation is still uncertain. I am sure Dave could chime in here.
At the peak of my 645D ownership I was using the 35mm A lens manual focus, 45-85mm FA zoom, 120mm FA macro, and I had the 300mm F4 FA lens. I found this to be a very capable system again living in F11-F16 world.
When I had my H3D39 system, which I purchased for a steal with an assortment of HCD lenses I had some issues in the filed when shooting in very cold weather. When I heard about the 645D, it really fit the bill for me, so I sold my H3D system actually made money on the sale and went with the 645D.
Why didn't I go from the H3D to a Tech View camera, simple $$$$$. Way to expensive.
I guess what I am saying is if I had not stumbled on a demo Sinar arTec, I would be still shooting my 645D...
Hope that helps.
-Steven
The only new camera I have purchased in the past 5 years was the 645D and the only regret I have is selling it, though I really wanted to go Tech View and I found a great deal on a demo Sinar arTec and a used Leaf Aptus II 7 AFI back so I sold my 645D system.
I guess the question is to me is it more capable then the H3D39, which I also owned in the past. My answer would be it depends on what you are shooting.
I found the 645D and excellent Landscape camera as long as you can live with F11-F16, and of course the lens situation is still uncertain. I am sure Dave could chime in here.
At the peak of my 645D ownership I was using the 35mm A lens manual focus, 45-85mm FA zoom, 120mm FA macro, and I had the 300mm F4 FA lens. I found this to be a very capable system again living in F11-F16 world.
When I had my H3D39 system, which I purchased for a steal with an assortment of HCD lenses I had some issues in the filed when shooting in very cold weather. When I heard about the 645D, it really fit the bill for me, so I sold my H3D system actually made money on the sale and went with the 645D.
Why didn't I go from the H3D to a Tech View camera, simple $$$$$. Way to expensive.
I guess what I am saying is if I had not stumbled on a demo Sinar arTec, I would be still shooting my 645D...
Hope that helps.
-Steven
I'll just brief add to Steven's post above that there is a considerable amount of variation in lens samples with most of Pentax's legacy lenses for the 645, especially the AF FA lenses of which I've tested multiple samples of each one produced for this system. My conclusion has been that most of these lenses were produced in the film era and precise adjustment before leaving the factory wasn't as critical for their use with film based cameras at that time. Many will require extensive Af fine tune withing the 645D body to extrqct good/excellent performance. There are exceptions and one is the FA 120 f4 macro. Virtually all samples of this lens are uniformly excellent and require little adjustment. My gut feeling is that this lens in that it being a macro, always required precise adjustment even for use on film cameras (especially for use in min distance range) was carefully adjusted before leaving the factory. Others not quite as much.
As for requirement of stopping down to f11/16, that all depended on which lens was being used, how good of sample and also what one's requirement's were for an image. Some excellent samples of certain lenses were very good even one stop down from max apature..others as Stevn pointed out, greatly benefited from stopping down 2, 3 or more stops for edge to edge sharpness and max. resolution.
Dave (D&A)
As for requirement of stopping down to f11/16, that all depended on which lens was being used, how good of sample and also what one's requirement's were for an image. Some excellent samples of certain lenses were very good even one stop down from max apature..others as Stevn pointed out, greatly benefited from stopping down 2, 3 or more stops for edge to edge sharpness and max. resolution.
Dave (D&A)