Pentax 645Z Ranked Highest by DxOMark

Top noise performance

By PF Staff in Photo Industry News on Dec 24, 2015

A recent DxoMark blog post announcing sensor scores for the Sony A7R II has seemingly leaked that the Pentax 645Z is the highest-scoring camera in the company's test database, even though DxO has not yet published the 645Z's scores separately.

According to the test data (shown below), the 645Z delivers the fourth-best color depth, second-best dynamic range, and best high-ISO performance of any camera currently on the market.  Its high-ISO score is so high that it pushes the camera's overall rating to 101: 3 points ahead of the A7R II, and 4 points ahead of the Nikon D810.  Given the size of the 645Z's medium format sensor, which has 1.7 times the area of a full-frame sensor, these results were almost to be expected.  Still, it is great to see a Pentax body topping DxO's charts!

Top DxO camera rankings - December, 2015 - Click to enlarge

Recently reduced to just $6999 in the US, the Pentax 645Z is a great value and thus a compelling choice for professional studio photographers.  Learn more about it in our in-depth review.

DxOMark is a company that provides photo editing software as well as a comprehensive database with camera rankings based on technical sensor performance.  Parameters considered include bit depth, dynamic range, and noise. 

A word of caution for users shopping for a camera: since many other factors determine the real-world results you will get from your camera, it is a good idea to weigh DxO's technical data against the features you expect from a body, and to consider the scenarios in which you plan to use the camera the most.