# Pentax 645Z



## Vince.1551 (Jan 19, 2015)

Mind blowing details...






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## greybeard (Jan 20, 2015)

whole different animal.  I look for this thing to go mirrorless in the near future.  Replacing the mirrorbox and pentaprism with an EVF would cut the size and weight of the body way down.


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## goodguy (Jan 20, 2015)

But the lenses will still big HUGE and HEAVY, Medium format is not for general use, its for very specific and special needs like landscaping or studio work, just not a practical format yet there is no doubt it is super capable much more then the tiny FF


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## Vince.1551 (Jan 29, 2015)

The mirror movement is loud ...


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## nerwin (Feb 9, 2015)

Man I want one. I saw some photos taken with it and the details are just insane. I'd have to sell everything I own to afford one, lol. Perhaps some organs too.


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## Vince.1551 (Feb 10, 2015)

nerwin said:


> Man I want one. I saw some photos taken with it and the details are just insane. I'd have to sell everything I own to afford one, lol. Perhaps some organs too.


Hahaha same here. I'll probably need to be a gigolo as well [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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## gsgary (Feb 10, 2015)

Just wait for the full frame Pentax later in the year should get Nikon and Canon worried


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## thereyougo! (Jun 22, 2015)

goodguy said:


> But the lenses will still big HUGE and HEAVY, Medium format is not for general use, its for very specific and special needs like landscaping or studio work, just not a practical format yet there is no doubt it is super capable much more then the tiny FF




The new 28 - 45 and the 90 macro are weighty (but sharp).  A lot of the legacy glass for the film 645 on the pentax system works and is sharp also, and is pretty light:

FA 33-55 f/4.5 FA 45 f/2.8 75 f/2.8 150 f/2.8 and 200 f/4 are all lightweight and sharp.


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## tirediron (Jun 22, 2015)

greybeard said:


> whole different animal.  I look for this thing to go mirrorless in the near future.  Replacing the mirrorbox and pentaprism with an EVF would *cut the size and weight of the body way down*.


Who cares about the size and weight?  This isn't a street shooter, or something you're going to wear around your neck while playing Ma & Pa Tourist in Europe (unless you're someone like me...).  Replacing the beautiful, bright, sharp viewfinder of an MF body with an EVF would be a sin of the worst kind!


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## Derrel (Jun 22, 2015)

tirediron said:
			
		

> Replacing the beautiful, bright, sharp viewfinder of an MF body with an EVF would be a sin of the worst kind!



Ummmm, I'd have to respectfully disagree on that. It could help a lot on mirror slap I think. And I think it would make the camera more reliable, with fewer critical moving parts. If Pentax had more leaf shutter lenses, a mirrorless version of this with an EVF would probably actually boost the camera's actual, real-world imaging resolution in some situations. I can see that getting rid of that big, honking mirror could make this type of camera more reliable and quieter. And honestly, I don't really think of the viewfinders on 645 cameras as being big and "beautiful", really.

What is amazing on this camera is how astoundingly good the Sony sensor is at the higher values like 12k and 25k...it's really,really impressive. And the lower ISO settings, OMG...the video OTOH is dreadful...just oh-so-awful...


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## tirediron (Jun 22, 2015)

Derrel said:


> tirediron said:
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Am I the only one who really likes the weight and sound of all those big mechanics?


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## Derrel (Jun 22, 2015)

Wellllll....uhhhhhh....mayyyybe! lol! I dunno...I think we're getting to the point where the resolution of these cameras is definitely starting to show the effects of mirror slap, and mechanical first shutter curtain slap; The 36MP Sony A7r has a known problem at slower speeds like 1/2 to 1/160 second, according to the tripod-and-test-chart brigade and the landscaper crowd, and needs like 2 pounds of brass bolted to the bottom of the body to quell vibrations from the mirror and mechanical first shutter curtain....the new NIkon D810 offers electronic first curtain shutter now...on a camera like the 645Z, with NO interchangeable digital back options, making the camera last longer is a $4,000-$8500 kinda problem-solving solution. As time moves on and the MP counts keep going up, I think we'll start to see that leaf shutters and EVFs and eliminating mirrors,and eliminating mechanical; first curtain becomes the norm on high-res systems.

Mirror slams upward....first focal plane mechanical shutter curtain slams open...exposure is made...second  mechanical focal plane curtain slams closed, mirror slaps back downward.....ehhhh....that is the more or less current way cameras are working. I'm not saying the Pentax is operating that way, but that's the SLR paradigm; I think moving forward and upward in resolution, we'll see more benefit by making ultra high-resolution cameras that have fewer moving parts, and which are much quieter because they don;t have mirror slap and then a one-two double shutter slam-slam and then a mirror-return slam: the difference is like the clunky noise of a 120 rollfilm SLRand its loud "*ker-whump-clack!*" versus a 120 Rollei twin-lens...with its quiet "snick"

These cameras are now a LOT more expensive than older, film-based MF cameras ever were. The less servicing they need, I think the better for long term reliability. And I think live view focusing is also going to be pretty handy.

From what I have read, this new Pentax demands very careful shooting technique, and I think part of that is due to the big flapping mirror and the focal plane shutter.


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## tirediron (Jun 22, 2015)

I'm with you on the leaf shutters, but I'm going still voting 'No' on the EVF!


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## pez (Jul 1, 2015)

Nice write up on the 645Z:
Review The Pentax 645Z is a Wedding Photographer s Medium Format Dream


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## pez (Sep 10, 2015)

Here is another recent practical review of the 645Z


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## pez (Dec 24, 2015)

Tops DxOMark camera list


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## runnah (Mar 10, 2016)

tirediron said:


> Derrel said:
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Do you want you cameras to have a zerk fitting and run on steam?


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## Solarflare (Mar 15, 2016)

I like camera sound if the camera is silent.

I like camera colors if the color is black.


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