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03-10-2010, 07:26 AM   #556
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QuoteOriginally posted by aragondina Quote
Everyone who knows the first thing about cameras knows that Rockwell is an idiot and a shill for Nikon. He puts down just about everything else, unless he's paid not too.

On his front page he is complaining that the California legislature is putting a bill through to make websites who sell stuff pay sales taxes (OMG NO!). He states that if this goes through he would have to shut down his site.

Let us all hope for a speedy passing of this bill into law
To be fair, he also gives Canon a fair shake and has written articles very friendly to Pentax (particularly pentax film gear) in the past.

The legislation he mentions is part of a larger trend that's only going to harm everyone, just less directly for most of us. It's essentially killing a market that people like Ken (business-wise, not personality-wise) depend on, and since stores like amazon can simply stop advertising on those sites the state doesn't get any more tax money, and it loses a chunk of income tax from people whose income is therefore depleted. So while Ken may be the internet's "problem child," it's best to look at the larger implications before wishing such things.

The 645D article really is ludicrous, though. Put it in manual with the front dial set to shutter and back dial set to aperture, put the metering at spot or center-weight, set AF to singlepoint center, and he could shoot it just like an old 645N. The only menus he'd need are the jpeg parameter menus, and he'd likely cream himself when he discovered the incredible range of jpeg controls Pentax allows (since he's an avowed jpeg shooter).

03-10-2010, 07:29 AM   #557
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Biggest mistake I see is lack of tethering support. That's pretty much expected for studio use of MF cameras :-P
For 16-bit vs. 14-bit, the least significant bits of A/D converters are generally more noisey than the highest, so even the 14-bit output of it won't be as accurate as the 14-bit output of a 16-bit A/D converter. Probably won't matter but should be interesting to see comparison pictures w/ the Leica S2.
What do Leica users use to get rid of moire w/o the AA filter?

So where do I get a federal stimulus package of $15K? ;-)
03-10-2010, 07:50 AM   #558
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QuoteOriginally posted by kenyee Quote
For 16-bit vs. 14-bit, the least significant bits of A/D converters are generally more noisey than the highest, so even the 14-bit output of it won't be as accurate as the 14-bit output of a 16-bit A/D converter.
Bear with me here if I'm obviously wrong because I know I am walking on thin ice, but why should this be true? The noise exists in the analog signal, therefore shouldn't the least significant bit of a 14-bit conversion be less noisy (by virtue of having been quantized from a larger portion of analog signal) than the least significant bit of a 16-bit conversion?
03-10-2010, 07:51 AM   #559
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You Know, I like Ken Rockwell.

Just to be contrarian, I like Ken Rockwell precisely because he is opinionated. I get more information from a critical review than from fan-boy enthusiasm.

Ken is a big film booster, and he was quite enthusiastic about the Pentax 645, 645N and 645NII. I'll be he gives high marks to the 645D when he gets to try it out.

He made a couple errors, notably about the fact that none of the "645" format cameras on the market are "FF 645". I agree with Ken about the superior user experience of the 645N, which uses manual knobs for each function and the "green dot = auto". I hate menu systems, stupid mobile phone keyboards and TV remotes.

Ken has a very useful article on the Mamiya DM33 645 system, which addresses questions on this forum from a couple weeks ago, namely "what do you really get by going to a medium format sensor?" The big elephant in the room is Pentax's $9,400 price compared with $20,000+ for every other medium format digital at 40M.

03-10-2010, 07:57 AM   #560
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Michael Reichmann and Mike Johnston

I agree that Luminous Landscape and the Outdoor Photographer are good reads. Reichmann seems to be able to afford trading up to the highest quality gadget every year or so. He was a big Pentax 645 and 67 user before he took an early leap to digital. I think his composition skills are excellent.

Mike Johnston is more of a photo writer than photographer, which is a complement, not a criticism. His recommendation got me to buy "American Photography: A Critical History 1945 to Present", which is the best book I've every read on photography. Johnston has been attentive to quality photo products that are not called Nikon or Canon, especially Sony and Pentax.
03-10-2010, 07:58 AM   #561
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QuoteOriginally posted by MetaD Quote
Just to be contrarian, I like Ken Rockwell precisely because he is opinionated. I get more information from a critical review than from fan-boy enthusiasm.

Ken is a big film booster, and he was quite enthusiastic about the Pentax 645, 645N and 645NII. I'll be he gives high marks to the 645D when he gets to try it out.

He made a couple errors, notably about the fact that none of the "645" format cameras on the market are "FF 645". I agree with Ken about the superior user experience of the 645N, which uses manual knobs for each function and the "green dot = auto". I hate menu systems, stupid mobile phone keyboards and TV remotes.

Ken has a very useful article on the Mamiya DM33 645 system, which addresses questions on this forum from a couple weeks ago, namely "what do you really get by going to a medium format sensor?" The big elephant in the room is Pentax's $9,400 price compared with $20,000+ for every other medium format digital at 40M.
Ken Rockwell is not a good source of information, even when looking for strong personnal opinion. With him "personnal" means at best fanboyism, when a good personnal opinion is one that based on practice and excellence, an opinion based on well understood and stated needs (landscape, fashion, portrait or whatever) He's not a good photographer, a quick look at his portfolio is enough to state that. His pictures could have been made by any folk taking out a modern entry level DSLR. He's no Ansel Adams, Lisette Model or Avedon.
03-10-2010, 07:59 AM   #562
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QuoteOriginally posted by MetaD Quote
Just to be contrarian, I like Ken Rockwell precisely because he is opinionated. I get more information from a critical review than from fan-boy enthusiasm.

Ken is a big film booster, and he was quite enthusiastic about the Pentax 645, 645N and 645NII. I'll be he gives high marks to the 645D when he gets to try it out.

He made a couple errors, notably about the fact that none of the "645" format cameras on the market are "FF 645". I agree with Ken about the superior user experience of the 645N, which uses manual knobs for each function and the "green dot = auto". I hate menu systems, stupid mobile phone keyboards and TV remotes.
Ken Rockwell is a blathering fool and a very, very poor photographer. Just sayin'.

Note how he lists "live view" as one of the "garbage features." This camera does not have live view.

Anyway, the 645D has manual knobs or buttons for everything. I don't think there's a single thing you would need to go into the menu system for while shooting. Not aperture, not shutter speed, AF mode, mirror lockup, or AF focus point, not white balance or ISO. Is there anything else anyone needs?

03-10-2010, 08:02 AM   #563
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QuoteOriginally posted by Erik Quote
The noise exists in the analog signal, therefore shouldn't the least significant bit of a 14-bit conversion be less noisy (by virtue of having been quantized from a larger portion of analog signal) than the least significant bit of a 16-bit conversion?
IIRC, the opposite is true. The 16-bit A/D converter has to be more accurate for the 2 extra bits, so the 2 bits in common w/ the 14-bit A/D should be more accurate than the equivalent 2 in the 14-bit A/D.
This all assumes the rest of the signal path isn't so noisy that the analog signal is even valid out to 16-bits...if there's 2-3 bits of noise in the signal,there's no point in the 16-bit A/D converter...
03-10-2010, 08:11 AM   #564
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QuoteOriginally posted by falconeye Quote
2. How exactly will you send the letter to him? Publishing a blog article certainly isn't a letter by itself.
Publishing articles in newspapers as "open letters" has a long history. I could also send it to him by email, but as he plainly states he is only interested in getting money that way, I don't see it will get much of a reception.
03-10-2010, 08:11 AM   #565
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http://www.pentax.jp/japan/imaging/digital/medium/645d/accessory.html


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03-10-2010, 08:14 AM   #566
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QuoteOriginally posted by MetaD Quote
Just to be contrarian, I like Ken Rockwell precisely because he is opinionated.
Everyone has an opinion; that's as easy as being born. What is more difficult is backing up an opinion with facts and forming a coherent argument.

Rockwell is simply a bully who beats his readers with a big stick called "his opinion".

But it's not worth writing any more about him.
03-10-2010, 08:18 AM   #567
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QuoteOriginally posted by MetaD Quote

Ken has a very useful article on the Mamiya DM33 645 system, which addresses questions on this forum from a couple weeks ago, namely "what do you really get by going to a medium format sensor?" The big elephant in the room is Pentax's $9,400 price compared with $20,000+ for every other medium format digital at 40M.
Rather ugly and mediocre body, to say honest...DM33...
03-10-2010, 08:19 AM   #568
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QuoteOriginally posted by falconeye Quote
1. Please, get the part about crop factors right. Ken did make no mistake in computing 55/43=1.27 as the rations of diagonals of 645D vs 35mm. Also, crop factors are >1 by definition as being relative to a mount's full image diagonal (i.e., not 0.8). If you must compare to 35mm, call it conversion factor instead.
Rockwell has actually changed this part of his article, unless I am hallucinating. I have changed mine also, mainly to be simpler.
03-10-2010, 08:21 AM   #569
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using old lenses 1 - crop factor

With a sensor around 33x44mm, shouldn't it be called the 634D?

Diagonal of 33x44 is 55mm. Diagonal of '645' (41.5x56mm) is 69.7mm. Below are lens sets based on 'normal' (diagonals) vs 35/FF (35mm full-frame) dimensions.

645 ----- 634 ----- 35/FF ----- description
--------- ---------- ---------- -------------
26mm -- 20mm -- 16mm -- fisheye
56mm -- 44mm -- 35mm -- slight wide
70mm -- 55mm -- 43mm -- wide normal
81mm -- 64mm -- 50mm -- long normal
137mm - 108mm - 85mm -- portrait
217mm - 172mm - 135mm - mid tele

Some say that Pentax will release lenses sized for '645' in anticipation of the next, larger sensor. If so, then they'll all be a bit long for the 645D. The first announced lens is 55mm, dead-on for '634' normal but slightly wide for '645'. An 80mm long normal for '645' will be a short portrait on '634'. So, memorize the crop factor: 1.27.
03-10-2010, 08:27 AM   #570
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fl_Gulfer Quote
No SR system?
Are you serious????


...
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