Topic: Any Hands On Reviews of the 645D? (Read 5137 times)

Dave Gurtcheff · « **on:** July 27, 2010, 03:39:35 pm »

I have four manual focus and two auto focus lenses sitting on the shelf waiting. I know the camera is not released in the US yet, although several are on ebay, brand new, in the $10,000 range. I have 50 years experience with medium format FILM cameras (645, 6x6, 6x7, and 6x9); but am a complete novice to MF digital, and from what I have read here, there IS a learning curve, manual lens focus issues, etc. Can someone stear me to an honest to goodness field review by an honest to goodness landscape photographer?
Thanks in advance.....
Dave Gurtcheff
www.modernpictorials.com

GEOFFREYJAMES · « **Reply #1 on:** August 02, 2010, 01:50:10 pm »

Quote from: Dave Gurtcheff

I have four manual focus and two auto focus lenses sitting on the shelf waiting. I know the camera is not released in the US yet, although several are on ebay, brand new, in the $10,000 range. I have 50 years experience with medium format FILM cameras (645, 6x6, 6x7, and 6x9); but am a complete novice to MF digital, and from what I have read here, there IS a learning curve, manual lens focus issues, etc. Can someone stear me to an honest to goodness field review by an honest to goodness landscape photographer?
Thanks in advance.....
Dave Gurtcheff
www.modernpictorials.com

Sean Reid has given it a pretty thorough going over in Sein Reid Reviews. You have to subscribe, but this one is worth every penny. Ken Rockwell dumps on it, although it isn't clear he has ever had his hands on the camera. It looks clunky to me -- I would go for the Leica S2, but it doesn;t come cheap.

eronald · « **Reply #2 on:** August 02, 2010, 06:49:31 pm »

Quote from: GEOFFREYJAMES

Sean Reid has given it a pretty thorough going over in Sein Reid Reviews. You have to subscribe, but this one is worth every penny. Ken Rockwell dumps on it, although it isn't clear he has ever had his hands on the camera. It looks clunky to me -- I would go for the Leica S2, but it doesn;t come cheap.

DigiLloyd has severely dumped on the Leica. Usually a camera won't survive a credible review like he's given that.

Edmund

deejjjaaaa · « **Reply #3 on:** August 02, 2010, 07:40:26 pm »

Quote from: Dave Gurtcheff

I have four manual focus and two auto focus lenses sitting on the shelf waiting. I know the camera is not released in the US yet, although several are on ebay, brand new, in the $10,000 range. I have 50 years experience with medium format FILM cameras (645, 6x6, 6x7, and 6x9); but am a complete novice to MF digital, and from what I have read here, there IS a learning curve, manual lens focus issues, etc. Can someone stear me to an honest to goodness field review by an honest to goodness landscape photographer?
Thanks in advance.....
Dave Gurtcheff
www.modernpictorials.com

here is the blog of one owner - he lives in Japan - http://travel67.wordpress.com/

BernardLanguillier · « **Reply #4 on:** August 03, 2010, 06:04:15 pm »

Quote from: GEOFFREYJAMES

It looks clunky to me -- I would go for the Leica S2, but it doesn;t come cheap.

The lines are not as clean as those of the S2, but having played with the 645D, it does handle pretty nicely and feels surprisingly light with the new 55mm f2.8.

Pentax did clearly favor evolution from the current 645 line and kept important features like the double tripod mount (unique and much more robust than L brackets) and direct access to many key functions for quick field operation.

Regards,
Bernard

ziocan · « **Reply #5 on:** August 03, 2010, 11:25:00 pm »

Quote from: BernardLanguillier

The lines are not as clean as those of the S2, but having played with the 645D, it does handle pretty nicely and feels surprisingly light with the new 55mm f2.8.

Pentax did clearly favor evolution from the current 645 line and kept important features like the double tripod mount (unique and much more robust than L brackets) and direct access to many key functions for quick field operation.

Regards,
Bernard

Once I saw a video on youtube where they were showing its interface and operations, it seemed like a no-nonsense camera that should be very pleasant to work with.

eronald · « **Reply #6 on:** August 04, 2010, 05:15:30 am »

Quote from: ziocan

Once I saw a video on youtube where they were showing its interface and operations, it seemed like a no-nonsense camera that should be very pleasant to work with.

There's a review in a recent issue of Nihon Camera magazine. It doesn't do that much better than a D3x in the published images.
I have a Phase and a D3x, and that is exactly the problem: The back can do better, but in real life mostly it won't.
Digilloyd has a careful review of the S2 where he has the same type of conclusions.

The difference of the Pentax of course is that it is cheap; so it does offer the "look" at a decent price.

Edmund

Dave Gurtcheff · « **Reply #7 on:** August 05, 2010, 01:07:38 pm »

Thanks for the Links...I will follow up.
Dave

Peter Barnes · « **Reply #8 on:** August 06, 2010, 10:42:46 am »

There is a good little video by Pentax UK here http://www.photoradar.com/news/video/penta...camera-features
I got to play with it at a trade show in Melbourne in late June - ergonomically it would be a joy to use.

In the absence of Pentax 645 shift lenses (are there any?) does anyone have suggestions on how this machine could be used for architecture photography?

Peter Barnes · « **Reply #9 on:** August 06, 2010, 10:48:13 am »

Dave, what sort of issues with MF digital are you concerned about? I too have 4 manual focus Pentax 645 lenses, and a lottery ticket!

Dave Gurtcheff · « **Reply #10 on:** August 07, 2010, 06:06:56 pm »

There was a lengthy thread here on the difficulties of MF with medium format digital. Seems it's a different animal.
Dave

Author Topic: Any Hands On Reviews of the 645D? (Read 5137 times)