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08-24-2007, 06:19 AM   #76
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Death of the 645D

Adorama News Desk: Pentax 645 Digital: Vaporware evaporates?
Pentax: 645 Digital ‘no longer priority’ news - Amateur Photographer - news, camera reviews, lens reviews, camera equipment guides, photography courses, competitions, photography forums
RIP big buddy, couldn't afford you anyways

08-24-2007, 06:40 AM   #77
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such a shame....

Looking around photoshops in Japan, the Medium Format departments of the big photoshops are the place where you can catch Pentax's old glory with all those big and beautifull black 645 lenses. And also wouldnt u think there are more real pro's using Pentax 645 than there are using Pentax 35mm right now... or maybe they have all gone over to mamiya/hassy now...
08-24-2007, 06:43 AM   #78
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Cannon just put a scair in to all the MF makers i wonder if Hassblad will drop there price LOL
08-24-2007, 06:52 AM   #79
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A shame, though not a surprise. If it doesn't make financial sense for them to "digitise" their medium format range then they can't be blamed... although it is a real shame, since along with the quality of their 35mm, IMO Pentax really shined with their medium format gear... plus it was always nice to know that they did both formats (and did both very well) where the other companies didn't.

The digital camera market - for consumers and amateurs at least - basically consists of compacts and small-format SLRs. No-one seems to want rangefinders (at least not enough for anyone to develop a truly affordable alternative to Leica) and no-one seems to want medium format either (which is rather more understandable because of the expense of larger sensors)... I think this is a shame though. I see a lot more variety with film cameras - people using SLRs, TLRs, rangefinders... and Japanese tourists carrying Pentax 645 rigs. To the next guy using a Rebel they probably look mad, but they obviously enjoy a different way of shooting and the images it produces. It will be a shame if that variety continues to disappear in the digital era.

08-24-2007, 07:32 AM   #80
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I've been projecting the end of the Pentax 645D for weeks now, several times right here in this forum. Building a digital medium format camera is a very expensive process, while the market for such an expensive camera is relatively miniscule. So, ultimately, it just didn't make sense to sink so much money into a camera that would probably never sell well enough to recover the initial investment. The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III simply reinforced that logic, putting a final period on an idea that was likely already pretty much dead.

I suspect we'll continue to see Pentax move away from the extremes of the overall DSLR marketplace, focusing almost entirely on the much more profitable, so-called bread and butter, low to middle range DSLR market (that now covered by the Pentax K1x0D through Canon EOS 5D). As I've said before, this suggests any camera above the K10D will be aimed squarely at those cameras in the same general price range as the Canon EOS 5D. This also suggests we won't be seeing a new Pentax aimed at the more expensive DSLR's.

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08-24-2007, 07:35 AM   #81
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I think the full-frame sensor cameras are going to take the place of medium format in the lineup for now.

Arguably, a Nikon D3 has more than enough quality for fashion shots that will make their way to posters or magazines.

And let's not forget BEN shooting with his K10D.....
08-24-2007, 08:07 AM   #82
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Good thing I didn't buy a 645 system when I thought of it. Perhaps now these will come onto the market cheap because some had been holding onto their system in anticipation of the 645D?

Would be nice to play with a EUR100 645NII kit. I would buy me one!

Wim

08-24-2007, 09:05 AM   #83
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Pentax are suspending 645D development in favor of a 4x5 digital back with a street price less than $1800 and ... uh, whazzat noise? Jeez, is it time to wake up already?
08-24-2007, 09:32 AM   #84
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Thats interesting!!

The info I was given last week was that Pentax was doing pre-orders with certain people last month and it was coming out shortly.

Apparently with a 39mp sensor.

Oh well........... wait and see mode.............. AGAIN!!!!!
08-24-2007, 10:23 AM   #85
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645D's suspension is old news even to me and im not really a news junkie unitl lately
08-24-2007, 05:40 PM   #86
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Smart move by Pentax.

Most digital APS-C sensor cameras are already exceeding resolving power of finest regular 35mm film emulsions. So called "FF" cameras are securing their existence by offering resolving power comparable to medium format film cameras. And since medium format film can produce more than acceptable results for almost all imaginable applications and since we now have DSLR producing comparable results the question is: who would buy and use medium format digital camera from Pentax? To pay more just to get the same quality? Or to pay the same and carry bigger and heavier body and lenses around? Why would anyone do that?

(Note: Hasselblad and Mamiya are the exceptions here -- they do have digital medium format bodies/backs. However, they are NOT making 35mm format cameras, only medium format. So they are just offering digital versions for their only and already present medium format market just to stay where they are.)

Unlike Hasselblad or Mamiya, Pentax would need to create digital medium format market competing along the way with "affordable" Canon FF "Marks" if they target sub $10,000 price range, or superb Hasselblads if they go for $20,000+ range. Chances would be very slim for Pentax to succeed in either case.

Other options would be to offer a sub $10,000 body and drop to ~20MP sensors, but guess what? The competition will be comparably priced or cheaper Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III (21MP) or medium format Mamiya 645ZD (22MP) -- again no chance here. The only theoretical option would be to offer a sub $10,000 30MP+ body to challenge Hasselblad H3D-39 or H3D-31 -- but this is hardly technically possible at that price.

So I think Pentax would have no chance to succeed with 645D.
They understand that and IMO the decision is a reasonable one.
08-24-2007, 08:13 PM   #87
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Where does it actually say that they have canned it?
08-24-2007, 08:22 PM   #88
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cideway Quote
Where does it actually say that they have canned it?
It doesn't seem to say it anywhere.
08-24-2007, 11:16 PM   #89
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Probably putting on hold the 645D project for at least 2 years til stablising the lower end market sales...
08-25-2007, 01:41 AM   #90
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QuoteOriginally posted by roentarre Quote
Probably putting on hold the 645D project for at least 2 years til stablising the lower end market sales...
Yes, they seem to be up their neck in orders. No wonder 645D is no longer a priority. I doubt this is the death of it. After all we've heard this news before when Pentax-Hoya merger took place remember.
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