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The May date agrees with the press release.Re - The Pentax Camera price
My Japanese is very poor. I think the man in the Yodobashi Camera shop told me that if I place an order for the camera that he could deliver it to me in mid May.
Regards
Neil
Thing is Marc, as you and I know, weddings just don't pay MF money and the client decerning enough to make it worth it is rather thin upon the ground. Oh well, such is life.Wish I could get my mits on one of these now to see how it measures up to that task Ben. Especially IQ compared to the Sony A900. ... and MOST importantly how good is the AF. Pentax should give me one to beta test for the US Market. :ROTFL:
At $9,400. even adding a wide and tele, we're way under any other MFD choice by more than 1/2.
-Marc
Guy you can always make the case of MF having "good enough" AF, slow buffer, low frame rate, slow lens aperture, high price, cheap lcd, etc....Well you still have to shoot for yourself and what quality YOU want to deliver to the client. I have someone looking at my landscape work right now to order prints and even though this stuff is shot more for me no client on hand. It's the look they are after and willing to pay big for it and i have a files that screams print me big. I do take issue sometimes with well it's good enough for magazine work which we hear often. My biggest bitch is the word good enough. Forget the technical part of that but what does good enough really mean. I equate that to being lazy in thought and what you want to deliver or maybe better said can I cheat with good enough.
Take a look at the picture that Pentax is using as the header on the 645D pages on its website:I had understood that Pentax were aiming this camera squarely at the Japan wedding market actually which is in line with what you're saying. Certainly the build and features fit in with that goal.
Absolutely if the gear does need the speed and such. As long as it is delivering the image quality that is really the bottom line for a lot of work.Guy you can always make the case of MF having "good enough" AF, slow buffer, low frame rate, slow lens aperture, high price, cheap lcd, etc....
Quality is good if it comes in a competent package.
Exactly this is in my opinion Leica went wrong on price and the Pentax opens a lot of doors to get the DSLR folks wanting a little more but not willing to go Hassy and Phase in the first run, maybe later move up but to start the Pentax maybe a great entry cam.My guess is that the target market Pentax has in mind for the 645D is what the Japanese call "high amateurs". Whether they feel confident in their ability, or even intend, to target a studio or wedding pro market overseas is, I think, an open question.
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"High amateurs" would be a very smart marketing strategy, IMO. If the Pentax works as good as it looks and sells sub $10k, then Pentax will be tapping into a new market that the current MFD can't exploit. Trying to break into the "pro" market with a totally new product would be an unlikely path to success.
As hobbyist, it's fun to read about P65+ or the new 40 MP 'blad but they don't even elicit a brief thought that I might buy. For me, the max upgrade I am thinking about would be in the area of a CFV39 or the equivalent Phase back. A 40MP MF for <$10k has me thinking.
Steve
Not sure I agree Guy. There is 'good enough' and 'more than plenty for the specific purpose'. We have long ago left the realm of the former and are stretching the economic and business justification of the latter and have been for a while in the wedding business.Well you still have to shoot for yourself and what quality YOU want to deliver to the client. I have someone looking at my landscape work right now to order prints and even though this stuff is shot more for me no client on hand. It's the look they are after and willing to pay big for it and i have a files that screams print me big. I do take issue sometimes with well it's good enough for magazine work which we hear often. My biggest bitch is the word good enough. Forget the technical part of that but what does good enough really mean. I equate that to being lazy in thought and what you want to deliver or maybe better said can I cheat with good enough.
I dont really get this way of thinking, if this Pentax produces a quality file then i cant see any reason why you would consider a Phase a possible later upgrade, if anything I think you may have it the wrong way around!Exactly this is in my opinion Leica went wrong on price and the Pentax opens a lot of doors to get the DSLR folks wanting a little more but not willing to go Hassy and Phase in the first run, maybe later move up but to start the Pentax maybe a great entry cam.
This is an interesting area of discussion in itself. In every sense Ben, myself and Guy are all Pro photographers, but each of us has different demands and pressures on our businesses. I would hazard a guess that Guy is the most diversified, and best poised to weather the economic crap we live with now. IMO, unquestioned quality at the personal level fuels Guys justifications of providing the best possible solutions for all clients ... with the quality curve being at the high end .... and ALL levels of clients receive.Not sure I agree Guy. There is 'good enough' and 'more than plenty for the specific purpose'. We have long ago left the realm of the former and are stretching the economic and business justification of the latter and have been for a while in the wedding business.
Wrong 5 Pentax cameras and 3 Leica S2 are still not good enough . Neither one of them do a sensor plus file and LR is a general purpose software. It is not specialized to my back and will not do corrections or optimize the best high ISO images as C1 does. There is a line in the sand and I want to be on the top tier of that line. Neither solution does what Phase can do or Hassy for that matter and that is draw the absolute best out of those sensors. Trust me I been down this road with all sorts of solutions with Leica's , Nikons Canons and even backs from Phase . The new crop of 40 mpx sensors are IT and specialized software for those backs are the best solution. Will the Pentax and leica's work okay sure they will , BTW it's 4 months now and no profile for a 25 k cam. I can't buy into that sorry, I buy a back or any cam i want everything in place the day I buy. Leica is a failing grade right now for Pro work 2 lenses and no profile and a promise it will come. A promise that is like being in a stripper bar with a .25 cents in your pocket, you ain't getting a lap dance my friend. LOLI dont really get this way of thinking, if this Pentax produces a quality file then i cant see any reason why you would consider a Phase a possible later upgrade, if anything I think you may have it the wrong way around!
If the monkey behind the camera is capable of producing quality work, then the difference between 'Pro' and 'amateur' equipment capability becomes nonsense.
You wont see the likes of LaChapelle dumping his amateur Pentax 645 for a Hassy if his next exhibition is a flop
and if you were to start listing the number of world class images captured with Nikon D40s and similar amateur gear by well known pros, well you would be here quite a while.
If your worried about your amateur Pentax failing, buy a second one! Two Pentax is still cheaper than one Mamiya, and its certainly better than one mamiya (or phase) plus a 5d11. Which is the more pro set up?
Software wise, just get Lightroom and get on with it, if its good enough for Leica................
Actually, I do "get" Guy's way of thinking.I don't really get this way of thinking, if this Pentax produces a quality file then I cant see any reason why you would consider a Phase a possible later upgrade, if anything I think you may have it the wrong way around!
If the monkey behind the camera is capable of producing quality work, then the difference between 'Pro' and 'amateur' equipment capability becomes nonsense.
You wont see the likes of LaChapelle dumping his amateur Pentax 645 for a Hassy if his next exhibition is a flop
and if you were to start listing the number of world class images captured with Nikon D40s and similar amateur gear by well known pros, well you would be here quite a while.
If your worried about your amateur Pentax failing, buy a second one! Two Pentax is still cheaper than one Mamiya, and it's certainly better than one mamiya (or phase) plus a 5d11. Which is the more pro set up?
Software wise, just get Lightroom and get on with it, if its good enough for Leica................