| Hmm, digital Pentax 645...
Well it would be nice if Pentax ever brings it out but here are the hard realities:
1) So many portrait and studio photographers have given up their medium format film cameras in favour of a digital workflow because time is money and by going digital, they get quicker results. (Look at the number of MF film cameras for sale on eBay as your barometer). Many who have switched to top of the line digital SLRs like the EOS 1Ds are quite happy with the results.
2) Medium format remains expensive, more so digitally. How many people have put money in a digital back lately or a digital medium format setup like say the Mamiya 645ZD (22 Mpix) or perhaps a Hasselblad H3DII? Both cameras are already available, but how how many units are sold in relation to APS and equivalent DSLRs?
3) Many are drawn to Pentax for the comprehensive feature set and excellent value. That's a plus but here's a quick reality check. Would you fork out the kind of dough for a digital Pentax 645 system (it won't be cheap)? More importantly, would you be prepared to carry a heavier and bigger camera and the attendant issues associated with it (bigger tripod, bigger hard disks, a more powerful computer, etc.)
The digital Pentax 645 (if and when it is introduced) will remain a niche product for a select few- people who won't bat an eyelid on the price tag, and those top earning working pros where the camera will pay for itself.
As it stands, it remains a pipe dream for me and I believe for a lot of us. Forget digital medium format, if Pentax can introduce a FF camera, that will be an achievement by itself. |