Time to chime in,
Having owned a D3x, all three of the Nikon TS lenses, 24,45, and 85mm, plus the 14-24mm
Then selling my D3x system for a used Hasselblad H3D39 and buying used HCD lenses, 28, 50, 80, and 150mm
The reason I sold my D3x was I figured the Nikon needs to be shot like a MF camera, tripod, MLU, cable release etc, and the fact that I paid 6400 for the H3D39 plus I like 4:3 over 3:2
Then selling that system because when I moved to Park City Utah last summer and earlier this winter I took my H3D out in 15 degree weather, the H3D body came on, but the H3D39 back would not turn on, I called Hasselblad and they told me that there backs are only rated to go down to 32 degrees. So.....
I sold my Hassy system and waited for the Pentax 645D to come out in the USA.
I finally purchased my USA 645d from Ace photo and also purchased a bunch of used 645 FA lenses and one "A" lens the 120mm macro.
I ended up with the 35mm FA, 45-85 FA, 75mm FA, 150mm FA and 300mm FA 5.6 lenses.
I tried the 645 45mm FA, garbage, I also tried the 67 45mm with adaptor no good either.
Here is my take so far, I just shot the 645D camera this past weekend in Yosemite.
The 35mm FA is good to me but for from great. Edges are not great. I shoot all of these lenses at f11-F13 all landscape, mostly at infinity or close to it.
The 45-85mm from 45-65mm is quite good sharp across the image area.
The 75mm FA no problems.
The 120mm A lens to me or I am sure the same with the FA version to me is there sharpest lens that pentad has for the 645D.
The 150mm is good not not as sharp as the 120mm
The 300mm same as the 150, sharp but not as sharp as the 120mm
Oh yeah all of the FA lenses I have needed Micro Focus adjustment.
Once I did that AF overall is very good.
The 645D body is built great, and rated to 0 degrees. Weather sealed etc.
My gripes are with lenses. I am not interested in a 25mm lens, to wide for my taste, I would have been happy with a updated 35mm FA, well in that case an update to all of there FA lenses.
So im on the fence now, Pentax will be very slow to introduce new lenses, all of the FA lenses are no longer being manufactured, all there is available is either old new stock or used.
This to me is a MAJOR issue for me. It's really to bad, Pentax has a great body in there 645D. There new 55mm SWD lens that shipped when the 645D came out according to Digilloys is not a good performer at infinity, yeah I know I can get the 55mm 67 lens, but unfortunately for me my vision is not very good 20/30 in my leafy eye and 20/45 in my right, thats as good as it gets for me, and since there is no split prism focusing screen, I am screwed with Manual focusing and as Digilloyd mentioned in his lengthy review on the 645D, Focus confirmation light is not accurate when using manual focus lens, and I did confirm this myself with my 120mm A lens.
Getting back to the D3x having owned one, the only TS lens that was sharp enough was the 85mm, the 24 and 45mm did not cut it. The 14-24 zoom worked well on the D3x,
I discovered what Digilloyd has been saying a along about the D3x, Zeiss mf lenses are the only way to go for the D3x, and yes when I had the D3x I had the AA filter removed from maxmax, not that big of a difference, I would NOT recommend this modification for the D3x, waste of money. I would have been better off sell my 24 and 45mm ts lenses for zees glass and perfect my capture sharpening, which brings me back to the 645D, I think the files need capture sharpening which to me tells me that the pentax lenses are just not quite "there"
Files off my H3d needed very little capture sharpening and as other posters have mentioned in this thread, to me my M9 in terms of overall sharpness can not be beat. Leica did an amazing job with this camera, I love using my M9, but I can only focus up to 75mm, I just could not focus the 90mm elmarit.
So as I go through my 645D files from this weekend I am scratching my head.... If only pentad would come out with a split prism focusing screen, for me I would be in heaven, I would go out and buy the 645 to Hasselblad adaptor and use zees glass mf.
Steven