Posted by Aaron Szabo on March 12, 2010 at 8:53 PM
Wow, it blew me away to find out that Pentax has stepped up into medium format digital. 40 megapixels and you can use old 645 lenses for $9400.00. Put 4K video mode and high speed video frame rates and I'm sold.
Come on Nikon and Canon, 24 and 21 megapixel 35mm full frame can't cut it anymore!
Soon you wont have to say video camera and still camera, you'll just say camera because they'll do either. I think a lot of these new filmmakers forget that the 5D ii,7D and T2i shoots stills!
$9400 plus a trip to Japan, plus language lessons to read the menus. We probably won't see a working body for the US market for a while. In fact Pentax reps say they have no plans at all to ever bring the camera to the USA, although I would suspect if the camera is any good (and it has the BEST set of specs of any medium format camera to date, other than pure mp count), that will change in a hurry. Unfortunately it is a crop camera - bummer. Nice to see the price point dropping, plus a lot of the new innovations that this camera will bring to the marketplace.
The price-point is very attractive to be sure. MF and 35mm have been on a collision course for some time and this is another step in that direction. Reading the specs this camera looks more like a point and shoot than a MF camera. The usability features are totally new to MF from any manufacturer. I wonder how many people shooting a $20k camera kit will be interested in computerized shooting modes.
Take the anti-alias filter off a D3x and you get pretty close to lower end MF camera image quality. The price point has to come down because MF is now an incremental improvement over high end 35mm.
Posted by Aaron Szabo on March 13, 2010 at 12:02 AM
If Pentax hides this from the U.S., they'd be losing Millions. I really hope this camera makes it's way over here, and fast so that Pentax has a chance of getting back on their feet and into the pro market for this first time since "digital" started.
I've been dying to take off my strong AA filter on the 5D ii for so many reasons, but one... Moiré in video mode is already bad, and it's hard to consider wasting a 5D ii for stills only. If I could find a 4x6 or 4x4 inch De-Moiré filter (that works well) for the matte box while shooting video, I'd get my brother Issac to do it for me. It's really easy for him to do as he does infrared conversions for a living.
If anyone need a true infrared conversion on a DSLR or point and shoot, or wants to get that stupid anti-aliasing filter off (I'm sure he could always put it back on), he'd probably give you a discount.
How many sharp 645 lenses are out there? Would there be a good enough selection already? Sorry guys, I've never shot film...
Posted by Darren Huski on March 13, 2010 at 6:37 AM
This could be a huge deal. The price point alone is great. If the digital side of the equation is any good they could run the factory flat out.
Aaron, the Pentax lineup had some great 645 lenses. And as they say on TV, wait there's still more! You could also use Pentax 67 lenses on the 645 mount. Actually you can adapter mount both to a Pentax K mount and even use them on your regular old DSLR too.
Selling this only in Japan makes no sense unless they have very limited manufacturing capability for it. US and European photographers would snap these up. At under $10,000 I think you start to see a shift up from full frame.
Plus that price competition might just drive down prices for all of us!
C'mon Pentax use those Hoya deep pockets!!
Posted by Joe Rogers on March 13, 2010 at 10:56 AM
A check of the real numbers brings a question to the market for high end MF cameras. The actual pro market conprises only 8% to 10% for all cameras sold. Of this 8% or so most are portrait/wedding shooters. As a studio owner I have no use for a 40mpix camera. 12 to18mpix produces a most useabe 24x30 or larger and with the volumne of images involved in a portrait session or wedding 40mpix will fill up even a hugh hardrive fast. Most of my colleagues will echo my sentiments. This leaves Landscape and Commercial shooters, who, of course can make use of this size file, but, they make up only a tiny part of the total market. Pro shooters are the testers for large companies like Nikon and Caonon. The real money is made from the general public. I am also an avid landscape shooter, but, it is not my profession and corperations pay attention only to numbers.
Joe Rogers
Being a Pentax shooter this camera certainly interests me. The crop sensor really bums me out though, it will be hard to get really wide with this thing. I'm glad to see that Pentax is at least working in this direction. Maybe the next one will have a larger sensor.
What really bums me out is Pentax's lack of a full frame 35mm camera. There is still plenty of good full frame Pentax glass around.
Posted by Aaron Szabo on March 13, 2010 at 10:04 PM
Joe- I personally would rather shoot a 21, 24 or 40 megapixel camera for weddings, studio stuff or anything. Not only are they great for large prints and cropping, but full frame and Medium format are simply much better. If you wan't to charge a lot and produce quality work, why not use the best gear.
With raid hard drive array's and a solid state drive for the operating system, CS4 and video apps, 21 mp raw files load faster than a consumer's point and shoot jpeg images on their normal computer that is not on steroids :) I've got about 15 terabytes right now, and I'm always out of storage... I guess after working with HD video, I have a different perspective. Some projects can be 500-1000 gigs, but storage is cheap. You can have 35 terabytes for the price of a new Nikon or Canon 70-200 2.8 VR/IS. And a 100gb superfast SSD drive (about 5 times normal hard drive speed), is only $400 bucks. Photoshop is at least 5 times faster with an SSD.
I doubt a 6x7 lens could be that great on a 40mp MF camera. Am I right? I also doubt MF lenses are that sharp on a 35 FF digital. Wouldn't the sensor out-resolve the quality of the lens because it's designed for such a large format and has a huge image circle?
Posted by Joe Rogers on March 13, 2010 at 10:37 PM
Aaron, I do charge a lot and do quality work and have for over 30 years. I shot Hasselblads until swithching to digital and the D700 is all the camera you need for portrait and weddings. If you frame your subjects correctly you do not require needless crops. I have no desire to process 300 to 400 40mpix images from a wedding. You have to choose the correct tools for the job you are doing.
Joe Rogers
Posted by Aaron Szabo on March 14, 2010 at 1:57 PM
The D700 is perfect for that, and it would be pointless to have more resolution for weddings unless the bigger files wouldn't slow you down. Not many people order 44x66 canvas anyway. I think I just like technology way too much!
Aaron,
I would love to have the new Pentex mp for landscape work....unfortunatly, it would be hard for me to justify the price.....I have always wanted a Hassie with digital back for the same purpose, but that is really a pipe dream.
Joe Rogers
I've been following the pentax mf digital story for about three years now. Glad to see it will actually be made finally. Like the three years I've been following it we will just have to wait and see what they do. I am thinking this would be agreat system for me and then just stay with the low end canon rebel series for my canon system. We are all different of course on our needs and desires for our equipment.
Discussion
11 replieshttp://www.dpreview.com/news/1003/10031002pentax645d.asp#images
Come on Nikon and Canon, 24 and 21 megapixel 35mm full frame can't cut it anymore!
Soon you wont have to say video camera and still camera, you'll just say camera because they'll do either. I think a lot of these new filmmakers forget that the 5D ii,7D and T2i shoots stills!
Take the anti-alias filter off a D3x and you get pretty close to lower end MF camera image quality. The price point has to come down because MF is now an incremental improvement over high end 35mm.
I've been dying to take off my strong AA filter on the 5D ii for so many reasons, but one... Moiré in video mode is already bad, and it's hard to consider wasting a 5D ii for stills only. If I could find a 4x6 or 4x4 inch De-Moiré filter (that works well) for the matte box while shooting video, I'd get my brother Issac to do it for me. It's really easy for him to do as he does infrared conversions for a living.
If anyone need a true infrared conversion on a DSLR or point and shoot, or wants to get that stupid anti-aliasing filter off (I'm sure he could always put it back on), he'd probably give you a discount.
How many sharp 645 lenses are out there? Would there be a good enough selection already? Sorry guys, I've never shot film...
Aaron, the Pentax lineup had some great 645 lenses. And as they say on TV, wait there's still more! You could also use Pentax 67 lenses on the 645 mount. Actually you can adapter mount both to a Pentax K mount and even use them on your regular old DSLR too.
Selling this only in Japan makes no sense unless they have very limited manufacturing capability for it. US and European photographers would snap these up. At under $10,000 I think you start to see a shift up from full frame.
Plus that price competition might just drive down prices for all of us!
C'mon Pentax use those Hoya deep pockets!!
Joe Rogers
What really bums me out is Pentax's lack of a full frame 35mm camera. There is still plenty of good full frame Pentax glass around.
With raid hard drive array's and a solid state drive for the operating system, CS4 and video apps, 21 mp raw files load faster than a consumer's point and shoot jpeg images on their normal computer that is not on steroids :) I've got about 15 terabytes right now, and I'm always out of storage... I guess after working with HD video, I have a different perspective. Some projects can be 500-1000 gigs, but storage is cheap. You can have 35 terabytes for the price of a new Nikon or Canon 70-200 2.8 VR/IS. And a 100gb superfast SSD drive (about 5 times normal hard drive speed), is only $400 bucks. Photoshop is at least 5 times faster with an SSD.
I doubt a 6x7 lens could be that great on a 40mp MF camera. Am I right? I also doubt MF lenses are that sharp on a 35 FF digital. Wouldn't the sensor out-resolve the quality of the lens because it's designed for such a large format and has a huge image circle?
Joe Rogers
I would love to have the new Pentex mp for landscape work....unfortunatly, it would be hard for me to justify the price.....I have always wanted a Hassie with digital back for the same purpose, but that is really a pipe dream.
Joe Rogers