[wullemaha]

... because I got out of office early and was in a "let's spend some money" shopping mood.
Fortunately, all the bits and pieces that keep popping up in my mind when I visit this forum (645Z, K-3, more lenses, Sony A7...) eventually all had many good reasons not to be bought, so I did not spend any money, but came home excited and eager to play with my K-5IIs and my primes again

Anyhow, it is always good to handle equipment in real life, and I just wanted to share some of my impressions of this trip.
(all of course personal impressions only, and to be taken with a grain of salt)

First off, the 645Z handles wonderfully! It is really great to see that Pentax can make such a beast of a camera be as easy to handle as a K-5IIs.



I found a lot of button placements and features on this camera that I really liked, and the viewfinder is sweet.
On the other hand actually handling it was also enough for me to know I will never go to MF - this is just TOO BIG for my kind of usage!
(yeah, that's my reason - totally not the fact that I could never afford it don't rub my nose into it...)

Still, a wonderful piece of equipment.



First time I actually saw the DA 560 in real life.
That thing is a monster! Even though I do not like the ergonomics of the K-3 all that much, and I have no need for anything longer than my DA55-300, I have to say that this combination was sexy as hell! And it would sure be fun to have that lens for a weekend at the race track...




A funny thing was this "advertisement" that took me back into the "real world" of consumer perspectives for camera shopping.
Of course, this is a very Japanese attitude, but I think it contrasts nicely to how we fight about pixel peeping and spec comparisons in e.g. this forum...
Cutsy and sweet! *kawaii*



Last but not least I tried the A7 once again, because I did not spend a lot of time with it in my earlier visits.
Still could not make it "work"... I just find all the menus, button placements... basically EVERYTHING about this camera awful to use.
Too bad this sensor is not sitting in a nicer camera (made by Pentax )

That's it from my side.
Cheers

P.s.: did not know whether to post this here or in the "share photos" part of the forum... @Mods, please move if I made the wrong choice.

[pixie]

Thank you for the very nice report. I wish I could have the same opportunity here to get my hands on such wonderful things.

[Dreamsong]

Thank you for the post.
Yodobash is such an awesome store to visit

Did you by chance ask about or know if they had the 645 lenses in stock?
I may find myself in Tokyo in a month or two if things go to plan.

[wullemaha]

Thank you for the post.
Yodobash is such an awesome store to visit

Did you by chance ask about or know if they had the 645 lenses in stock?
I may find myself in Tokyo in a month or two if things go to plan.

I did not ask, but I think I saw some lying around
You can also check their website. If you select the individual lenses, there is a "store that stock" link (excuse google chrome translator...)

YODOBASHI.COM - Search Item "Pentax 645" sorted for lenses

[Dreamsong]

I did not ask, but I think I saw some lying around
You can also check their website. If you select the individual lenses, there is a "store that stock" link (excuse google chrome translator...)

YODOBASHI.COM - Search Item "Pentax 645" sorted for lenses

Awesome, thanks for the link.
Looks like the Shinjuku store will be my best bet.