Test run on 645d

Frank Armstrong · 03-17-2012, 08:53 AM

I wrote late last fall asking about using Pentax 67 lenses on the 645D. I recently rented the 645D from Ace Camera in Ashburn, VA (thanks to the info received on this forum -- only place in the NE US that rents the camera), and took it for a two-and-a-half day spins in NW VA. I have eight P67 lenses and shot with 45mm through 165mm -- didn't have the chance to shoot with the 200 and 300. I have posted a brief review of my experience on my blog along with an image: pitchertaker.blogspot.com I'm pretty much sold on the camera, and after reading many threads on which lenses are best for the camera, I will probably up-grade to a few of newer 645 A series lenses over my P-67 lenses. Definitely will get the 35mm A.

EyeSpy · 03-17-2012, 08:24 PM

just to make it easy Pitchertakin'
had to chuckle when i viewed the "looking back" photo.

your blog entry regarding the 645D would make IMHO a nice review of the system here at the forum. I also linked to your website. nice.

DandA · 03-17-2012, 09:40 PM

Hi Frank,

Nice work! I've often been to Ace and would have loved to see some of your 67 lenses, especially used on the 645D. In case you are interested, I just posted my comprehensive review of multiple samples of most all Pentax FA AF 645 single focal length lenses (and a few FA zooms) when used on the 645D. The link is to my comprehensice l645 lens test is:

Comprehensive Testing: Results & Observations with Pentax 645 Lenses used on the 645D - The GetDPI Photography Forums

Thanks!

Dave (DandA)

derAngler · 03-18-2012, 12:42 AM

Hello Dave,

thank you for your lens reviews. You wrote that the sweet spot of your lenses is around f11/13. I cannot share this opinion. All lenses I tested so far (35mm, 55mm, 75mm, 120mm, 150mm, 80-160mm) had their best performance between f8 and f9.5. I always compare the different f-stop settings on a 27 inch iMac through the Lightroom compare view in 100% magnification. And in all cases the f8/9.5 pictures are sharper than the f11/13.
I would say that f8 is the best setting for all lenses with a starting aperture of 4.0 or lower and f9.5 is the best setting for lenses with an aperture higher than 4.0.

dA

itshimitis · 03-18-2012, 03:49 AM

Originally posted by derAngler

Hello Dave,

thank you for your lens reviews. You wrote that the sweet spot of your lenses is around f11/13. I cannot share this opinion. All lenses I tested so far (35mm, 55mm, 75mm, 120mm, 150mm, 80-160mm) had their best performance between f8 and f9.5. I always compare the different f-stop settings on a 27 inch iMac through the Lightroom compare view in 100% magnification. And in all cases the f8/9.5 pictures are sharper than the f11/13.
I would say that f8 is the best setting for all lenses with a starting aperture of 4.0 or lower and f9.5 is the best setting for lenses with an aperture higher than 4.0.

dA

They might be sharper at a single point, but when you want the whole scene to be in focus you have to compromise and use a smaller aperture. For landscapes I shoot between f/11 and f/22 depending on the lens. The 45 - 85 is a fantastic lens which does not in my opinion suffer too much from diffraction at f/22. Besides, in all honesty pixel peeping at 100% is pretty much a rhetorical exercise. if you have a shot printed at 64in x 24 in as I have you aren't going to be looking at it at 100%. Print at 18 x 12 and he differences will be harder to see due to smaller size.

In the end you have to choose the lenses that work for you at the aperture you would like to use them at. So I judge on what looks great around f/11 - 16. I'd rather have a shot that was focussed how I would like it to be focussed and not be optimally sharp at 100% than have a shot that is optimally sharp at 100% but out of focus for half the scene. It's no use having perfect leading lines to a perfectly sharp subject when those leading lines are soft due to it being out of focus, even just by a little bit.

Frank Armstrong · 03-18-2012, 04:35 AM

Thanks, Dave, that review of the FA lenses will be helpful in the future.....for sure.

Eye Spy -- Maybe in the future when I actually have my own 645D body in hand, and have more solid information. My blog post was merely an impression.....like a one-night-stand. What made me happiest was I could use my my P67 75mm shift lens without fuss. I'll be posting more images trial to blog in the near future.

Frank

Yamanobori · 03-18-2012, 08:49 AM

Originally posted by itshimitis

They might be sharper at a single point, but when you want the whole scene to be in focus you have to compromise and use a smaller aperture. For landscapes I shoot between f/11 and f/22 depending on the lens. The 45 - 85 is a fantastic lens which does not in my opinion suffer too much from diffraction at f/22. Besides, in all honesty pixel peeping at 100% is pretty much a rhetorical exercise. if you have a shot printed at 64in x 24 in as I have you aren't going to be looking at it at 100%. Print at 18 x 12 and he differences will be harder to see due to smaller size.

In the end you have to choose the lenses that work for you at the aperture you would like to use them at. So I judge on what looks great around f/11 - 16. I'd rather have a shot that was focussed how I would like it to be focussed and not be optimally sharp at 100% than have a shot that is optimally sharp at 100% but out of focus for half the scene. It's no use having perfect leading lines to a perfectly sharp subject when those leading lines are soft due to it being out of focus, even just by a little bit.

+1

Viewing distance matters. I routinely print my 645D images on a 44" wide printer.

DandA · 03-19-2012, 05:04 AM

Hi Everyone,

Thank your for your kind comments and constructive comments, it's appreciated. Regarding a lenses "sweet spot" in terms of aperture is quie subjective, as one can see from some of the opinions stated above as well as elsewhere. It could be the aperture where max. sharpness (resolution peaks) for the majority of the frame, or it might be the aperture where it provides close to the best resolution and max. depth of feild. It all depends how one uses a lens and its optical properties. On those lenses where I indicated a sweet spot of approx f11-f13, the lens itself may have appeared to reach near to ideal sharpness at f8 to f9 but often if that particular lens was stopped down to f11 or slightly beyond, I could detect (abeit sometimes to a small degree) increased resolution to the very edges of the frame while the center either gained a little more sharpness too, or stayed the same, or even a a few isolated cases, the center sharpness pasted it's peak but edges, corners were at their best. So again it can be quite subjected depending on what one is looking for (and at).

Of course there were some lenses that performed spectaculary at more open apertures and one would rarely need to stop down further, especially if they wanted to isolate their subject with a shallow depth of field. I hope these thoughts provide a bit more insight to my findings.

Dave (D&A)

03-17-2012, 08:53 AM	#1
Frank Armstrong New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 17	Test run on 645d I wrote late last fall asking about using Pentax 67 lenses on the 645D. I recently rented the 645D from Ace Camera in Ashburn, VA (thanks to the info received on this forum -- only place in the NE US that rents the camera), and took it for a two-and-a-half day spins in NW VA. I have eight P67 lenses and shot with 45mm through 165mm -- didn't have the chance to shoot with the 200 and 300. I have posted a brief review of my experience on my blog along with an image: pitchertaker.blogspot.com I'm pretty much sold on the camera, and after reading many threads on which lenses are best for the camera, I will probably up-grade to a few of newer 645 A series lenses over my P-67 lenses. Definitely will get the 35mm A.

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03-17-2012, 08:24 PM	#2
EyeSpy Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Arizona Photos: Albums Posts: 663	just to make it easy Pitchertakin' had to chuckle when i viewed the "looking back" photo. your blog entry regarding the 645D would make IMHO a nice review of the system here at the forum. I also linked to your website. nice.

03-17-2012, 09:40 PM	#3
DandA Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 129	Hi Frank, Nice work! I've often been to Ace and would have loved to see some of your 67 lenses, especially used on the 645D. In case you are interested, I just posted my comprehensive review of multiple samples of most all Pentax FA AF 645 single focal length lenses (and a few FA zooms) when used on the 645D. The link is to my comprehensice l645 lens test is: Comprehensive Testing: Results & Observations with Pentax 645 Lenses used on the 645D - The GetDPI Photography Forums Thanks! Dave (DandA)

03-18-2012, 12:42 AM	#4
derAngler Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 72	Hello Dave, thank you for your lens reviews. You wrote that the sweet spot of your lenses is around f11/13. I cannot share this opinion. All lenses I tested so far (35mm, 55mm, 75mm, 120mm, 150mm, 80-160mm) had their best performance between f8 and f9.5. I always compare the different f-stop settings on a 27 inch iMac through the Lightroom compare view in 100% magnification. And in all cases the f8/9.5 pictures are sharper than the f11/13. I would say that f8 is the best setting for all lenses with a starting aperture of 4.0 or lower and f9.5 is the best setting for lenses with an aperture higher than 4.0. dA

03-18-2012, 03:49 AM	#5
itshimitis Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: All over the place Posts: 3,535	Originally posted by derAngler Hello Dave, thank you for your lens reviews. You wrote that the sweet spot of your lenses is around f11/13. I cannot share this opinion. All lenses I tested so far (35mm, 55mm, 75mm, 120mm, 150mm, 80-160mm) had their best performance between f8 and f9.5. I always compare the different f-stop settings on a 27 inch iMac through the Lightroom compare view in 100% magnification. And in all cases the f8/9.5 pictures are sharper than the f11/13. I would say that f8 is the best setting for all lenses with a starting aperture of 4.0 or lower and f9.5 is the best setting for lenses with an aperture higher than 4.0. dA They might be sharper at a single point, but when you want the whole scene to be in focus you have to compromise and use a smaller aperture. For landscapes I shoot between f/11 and f/22 depending on the lens. The 45 - 85 is a fantastic lens which does not in my opinion suffer too much from diffraction at f/22. Besides, in all honesty pixel peeping at 100% is pretty much a rhetorical exercise. if you have a shot printed at 64in x 24 in as I have you aren't going to be looking at it at 100%. Print at 18 x 12 and he differences will be harder to see due to smaller size. In the end you have to choose the lenses that work for you at the aperture you would like to use them at. So I judge on what looks great around f/11 - 16. I'd rather have a shot that was focussed how I would like it to be focussed and not be optimally sharp at 100% than have a shot that is optimally sharp at 100% but out of focus for half the scene. It's no use having perfect leading lines to a perfectly sharp subject when those leading lines are soft due to it being out of focus, even just by a little bit.

03-18-2012, 04:35 AM	#6
Frank Armstrong New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 17 Original Poster	Thanks, Dave, that review of the FA lenses will be helpful in the future.....for sure. Eye Spy -- Maybe in the future when I actually have my own 645D body in hand, and have more solid information. My blog post was merely an impression.....like a one-night-stand. What made me happiest was I could use my my P67 75mm shift lens without fuss. I'll be posting more images trial to blog in the near future. Frank

03-18-2012, 08:49 AM	#7
Yamanobori Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 573	Originally posted by itshimitis They might be sharper at a single point, but when you want the whole scene to be in focus you have to compromise and use a smaller aperture. For landscapes I shoot between f/11 and f/22 depending on the lens. The 45 - 85 is a fantastic lens which does not in my opinion suffer too much from diffraction at f/22. Besides, in all honesty pixel peeping at 100% is pretty much a rhetorical exercise. if you have a shot printed at 64in x 24 in as I have you aren't going to be looking at it at 100%. Print at 18 x 12 and he differences will be harder to see due to smaller size. In the end you have to choose the lenses that work for you at the aperture you would like to use them at. So I judge on what looks great around f/11 - 16. I'd rather have a shot that was focussed how I would like it to be focussed and not be optimally sharp at 100% than have a shot that is optimally sharp at 100% but out of focus for half the scene. It's no use having perfect leading lines to a perfectly sharp subject when those leading lines are soft due to it being out of focus, even just by a little bit. +1 Viewing distance matters. I routinely print my 645D images on a 44" wide printer.

03-19-2012, 05:04 AM	#8
DandA Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 129	Hi Everyone, Thank your for your kind comments and constructive comments, it's appreciated. Regarding a lenses "sweet spot" in terms of aperture is quie subjective, as one can see from some of the opinions stated above as well as elsewhere. It could be the aperture where max. sharpness (resolution peaks) for the majority of the frame, or it might be the aperture where it provides close to the best resolution and max. depth of feild. It all depends how one uses a lens and its optical properties. On those lenses where I indicated a sweet spot of approx f11-f13, the lens itself may have appeared to reach near to ideal sharpness at f8 to f9 but often if that particular lens was stopped down to f11 or slightly beyond, I could detect (abeit sometimes to a small degree) increased resolution to the very edges of the frame while the center either gained a little more sharpness too, or stayed the same, or even a a few isolated cases, the center sharpness pasted it's peak but edges, corners were at their best. So again it can be quite subjected depending on what one is looking for (and at). Of course there were some lenses that performed spectaculary at more open apertures and one would rarely need to stop down further, especially if they wanted to isolate their subject with a shallow depth of field. I hope these thoughts provide a bit more insight to my findings. Dave (D&A)