645D...shutter life?

slackercruster · 07-30-2012, 05:30 AM

Thanks for the rundown.

$1000 is not bad at all. 50k images = about .24 cents per roll if you bot film.

RonHendriks1966 · 07-30-2012, 12:07 PM

Great to see the price. Not to expensive I think.

slackercruster · 07-30-2012, 03:39 PM

Let us know the turnaround for it to get back in your hands Royce. With the shooting you do, you need 2 or 3 back-up bodies. I hope you post some of your Iceland pix.

Royce Howland · 07-30-2012, 05:25 PM

Yeah, my backup has been my old Canon 5D Mk II. But I don't reach for it any more, outside of specialized circumstances where something about the Canon system makes it the better choice. (E.g. wide angle T/S lenses.) Otherwise, I have become utterly spoiled by the Pentax images and absolutely view the 645D as my primary system now. Of course, there's not much point having a backup system that I don't want to actually use

, or don't even have with me when traveling due to the issue of doubled-up load of lenses & accessories.

Based on that, I picked up another 645D body; low mileage, formerly owned by somebody I know & whose treatment of equipment I trust.

I used it to finish shooting the project I started in Arizona, while sending mine to Japan. Most likely I will keep the 2nd body once mine comes back. There is nothing like a pro level service offering from Pentax in Canada as far as I can tell; from what I heard the entire Canadian 645D loaner pool is 2 bodies, and both were out when mine went down. Pentax Canada would have been of minimal help anyway since I was in the USA at the time of the failure, and I was told the Canadian warranty was of no use to Pentax USA. On the whole I was underwhelmed by the customer service aspect of things. This is definitely an area where Pentax could improve.

I dislike the idea of being without my primary system for weeks or even months. Since rental costs would pay for a 2nd body after a short period, I figure I'm simply a 2-body 645 digital guy now...

slackercruster · 07-30-2012, 05:40 PM

What time turnaround did they tell you? Will be interested in seeing if they meet it.

Royce Howland · 07-30-2012, 08:08 PM

They said no sooner than 5 - 6 weeks, but seemed to have little confidence in that estimate. So who knows. I'll report back, whatever it ends up being...

Royce Howland · 09-29-2012, 08:37 PM

I have an update on my 645D with failed shutter. I just got the body back today, though it arrived at my local shop a few days ago. (Busy on a deadline, finalizing some sweet K7 carbon prints from the project I was shooting in Arizona, for an exhibit soon to launch in both the Phoenix and Calgary areas.

) Looking back at the paperwork, I dropped the camera off at the shop on July 4, so that makes about a week shy of 3 months for repairs. Virtually no information was provided about the repair, just the original statement of replacing the shutter assembly. The camera body I got back is the same one I sent, so it wasn't a swap-out; I recognize the dings on it.

I've not had time to take the fixed camera on a shoot yet, but dry firing it a few times I'd say the sound of the mirror & shutter is normal once more -- just like my 2nd body, and not like the strange sounds the mechanism was making before I sent it away. In retrospect I think the shutter was going south for some time before it really failed hard, because the sound made by the 2nd body's shutter was very noticeably different than what I was remembering from the last few weeks of using the busted body.

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07-30-2012, 05:30 AM	#16
slackercruster Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NE, USA Posts: 1,302 Original Poster	Thanks for the rundown. $1000 is not bad at all. 50k images = about .24 cents per roll if you bot film.

07-30-2012, 12:07 PM	#17
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Great to see the price. Not to expensive I think.

07-30-2012, 03:39 PM	#18
slackercruster Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NE, USA Posts: 1,302 Original Poster	Let us know the turnaround for it to get back in your hands Royce. With the shooting you do, you need 2 or 3 back-up bodies. I hope you post some of your Iceland pix.

07-30-2012, 05:25 PM	#19
Royce Howland Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 275	Yeah, my backup has been my old Canon 5D Mk II. But I don't reach for it any more, outside of specialized circumstances where something about the Canon system makes it the better choice. (E.g. wide angle T/S lenses.) Otherwise, I have become utterly spoiled by the Pentax images and absolutely view the 645D as my primary system now. Of course, there's not much point having a backup system that I don't want to actually use , or don't even have with me when traveling due to the issue of doubled-up load of lenses & accessories. Based on that, I picked up another 645D body; low mileage, formerly owned by somebody I know & whose treatment of equipment I trust. I used it to finish shooting the project I started in Arizona, while sending mine to Japan. Most likely I will keep the 2nd body once mine comes back. There is nothing like a pro level service offering from Pentax in Canada as far as I can tell; from what I heard the entire Canadian 645D loaner pool is 2 bodies, and both were out when mine went down. Pentax Canada would have been of minimal help anyway since I was in the USA at the time of the failure, and I was told the Canadian warranty was of no use to Pentax USA. On the whole I was underwhelmed by the customer service aspect of things. This is definitely an area where Pentax could improve. I dislike the idea of being without my primary system for weeks or even months. Since rental costs would pay for a 2nd body after a short period, I figure I'm simply a 2-body 645 digital guy now...

07-30-2012, 05:40 PM	#20
slackercruster Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NE, USA Posts: 1,302 Original Poster	What time turnaround did they tell you? Will be interested in seeing if they meet it.

07-30-2012, 08:08 PM	#21
Royce Howland Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 275	They said no sooner than 5 - 6 weeks, but seemed to have little confidence in that estimate. So who knows. I'll report back, whatever it ends up being...

09-29-2012, 08:37 PM	#22
Royce Howland Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 275	I have an update on my 645D with failed shutter. I just got the body back today, though it arrived at my local shop a few days ago. (Busy on a deadline, finalizing some sweet K7 carbon prints from the project I was shooting in Arizona, for an exhibit soon to launch in both the Phoenix and Calgary areas. ) Looking back at the paperwork, I dropped the camera off at the shop on July 4, so that makes about a week shy of 3 months for repairs. Virtually no information was provided about the repair, just the original statement of replacing the shutter assembly. The camera body I got back is the same one I sent, so it wasn't a swap-out; I recognize the dings on it. I've not had time to take the fixed camera on a shoot yet, but dry firing it a few times I'd say the sound of the mirror & shutter is normal once more -- just like my 2nd body, and not like the strange sounds the mechanism was making before I sent it away. In retrospect I think the shutter was going south for some time before it really failed hard, because the sound made by the 2nd body's shutter was very noticeably different than what I was remembering from the last few weeks of using the busted body.