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09-10-2013, 07:49 AM   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fontan Quote
... the only thing that really still bothers me, and it is not even the slow recording time, is the stupid LCD screen. The thing is downright insulting for a $10,000 camera. .
what is wrong with the LCD screen??

09-10-2013, 08:01 AM   #32
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The only problem I have with the 645D is I can't afford it. But, we're getting closer, at 5K I'd pretty much have to have one, it only has to drop another 2k. WHen you consider it's already dropped 3k, we're 60% of the way there.
09-10-2013, 11:30 AM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikeSF Quote
what is wrong with the LCD screen??
At least for me anyway it is small, does not articulate, glares (i suppose this can be somewhat improved), and smears easy with fingerprints . . . . Yes all of which I have no problem living with.

Just picking on too good a product.

BTW you sure take pretty pictures - very impressive.
09-16-2013, 06:55 PM   #34
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At the moment, I cannot afford the 645D but I'm keeping my 6 lenses (down from 11) just in case I can one day. In practice, I'm using my 2.8F and 6008i (and 2.8C but that one is sadly going as well) far more, with the 645N wedded to the LS 135mm. I do hope the 645D future is secure under Ricoh. I was very sure until this year. This summer, actually. This year has promised so little that I fear Ricoh is blowing it.

10-23-2013, 11:23 PM   #35
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don't know what you mean by dead end. with all the 564 lenses and the 67 lenses with adapters any owner is in good shape. thereare plenty of auto focus in the 645 line and manual focus with the rest has not been a problem for me.i have 2x and 1.4x teleconverters and a screw on wide angle for my 45mm that acts as a fisheye. when i want a really wide shot i use the 45mm and pan 3-5 shots.if it's a far away scene i use my 200mm and pan 5-9 shots. so much to do with this camera and the lenses availiable.
10-24-2013, 08:41 AM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by bull drinkwater Quote
don't know what you mean by dead end. with all the 564 lenses and the 67 lenses with adapters any owner is in good shape. thereare plenty of auto focus in the 645 line and manual focus with the rest has not been a problem for me.i have 2x and 1.4x teleconverters and a screw on wide angle for my 45mm that acts as a fisheye. when i want a really wide shot i use the 45mm and pan 3-5 shots.if it's a far away scene i use my 200mm and pan 5-9 shots. so much to do with this camera and the lenses availiable.
By dead end i mean pentax not developing and evolving the system further. Kind of like the pentax 6x7.

Also, there are only 3 modern lenses for the 654D, and while some of the old glass is sharp, there is more to a modern lens than sharpness. I have a few older lenses I use on the 645D but they don't have the same look and contrast as the modern ones do. They also lack weather sealing which for what and where I shoot is important.

A camera system should be a long term investment and that means a healthy lens lineup and a 3rd party ecosystem around the camera. With a big paradigm shift going on at this moment (no mirror box and smaller size), will pentax keep producing 645D lenses or go after building a new medium format system that is more like the mamiya 7II that has a host of much smaller lenses ? If it will, great, but at that point investing more money into the 645D form factor would be silly and a waste of money unless this form factor can have unique advantages going into the future.
10-27-2013, 10:25 AM   #37
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I think they will develop it further, but for now the 645D was basically dead and buried when the D800 came out. That's the reality of the situation very few would buy one at such a price v the Nikon.
It's funny how things can change so quickly, when the 645D came out it was celebrated as affordable MF (which was fair as it was far cheaper than other solutions)

Fast forward to last year, and the Nikon wiped it out over night. BUT..I honestly do think they will have an updated model which will broaden the gap again. There is much potential with this system if Pentax play it right.

10-27-2013, 10:31 PM   #38
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Full frame 645 has to be the answer! All those great lenses just waiting to be used to their full potential. The cropped sensor of the 645D gave Pentax an excuse to make new lenses and increase their profits, but if they really want to tap into the 645 market I think FF is the best way to go! Price it the same as the 645D was when it was released and I think they'll have a winner. Of course that sensor will be crazy expensive to manufacture but I sincerely hope they can pull it off!
10-30-2013, 08:50 AM   #39
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Or cropped with a tilt shift sensor. Turns any Pentax medium format lens into a tilt shift lens. Live view would have to come with this as well, which means CMOS instead of CCD I think. However, I don't think an electronic viewfinder is the best option, it could be but does anybody make one large enough to mimic a medium format viewfinder? I like an optical viewfinder; but, that doesn't mean they can't make the camera not as deep. I think the body is so deep because they are using a similar or the the same prism design used in the 645N; surely they could sort out a way to make the prism smaller (Leica did it)...
10-30-2013, 10:35 AM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by atlnq9 Quote
Or cropped with a tilt shift sensor. Turns any Pentax medium format lens into a tilt shift lens. Live view would have to come with this as well, which means CMOS instead of CCD I think. However, I don't think an electronic viewfinder is the best option, it could be but does anybody make one large enough to mimic a medium format viewfinder? I like an optical viewfinder; but, that doesn't mean they can't make the camera not as deep. I think the body is so deep because they are using a similar or the the same prism design used in the 645N; surely they could sort out a way to make the prism smaller (Leica did it)...
i now see what you mean by dead end. i hope it's not the case.i also hope pentax doesn't go off like hassee and mamiya making only hi-priced lenses.the real blessing was the supply of inexpensive good 645 lenses.
10-30-2013, 11:54 AM - 1 Like   #41
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The concept as such is anything but a dead end. On the contrary, the general trend seems to be moving in this direction.The question is whether Pentax has the resources and commitment to keep it up-to-date.
10-30-2013, 12:08 PM   #42
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true, the 645d was on relatively equal footing with the phase one p40 and competed on its price point. with that said, phase one already released their updated p45 with rumors of a p50 to be announced in late 2014 (just rumors). I think the 645d is still competitive, mainly for its price point but witht hat said it also hast to compete with the canon 1dx which i hate to say, is a better all around camera for its peripheral features, even though you will get a better image out of the 645d. the 645d may be a better camera for still and glamour shots, but it cant compete as an all purpose camera like the 1sx and d3 sadly. I think it just pushes the point that pentax needs its unicorn, a full frame. question is, can pentax afford to build it and produce a line of full frame glass/ revive a modified af series?
10-31-2013, 01:28 AM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by Danzarr Quote
true, the 645d was on relatively equal footing with the phase one p40 and competed on its price point. with that said, phase one already released their updated p45 with rumors of a p50 to be announced in late 2014 (just rumors). I think the 645d is still competitive, mainly for its price point but witht hat said it also hast to compete with the canon 1dx which i hate to say, is a better all around camera for its peripheral features, even though you will get a better image out of the 645d. the 645d may be a better camera for still and glamour shots, but it cant compete as an all purpose camera like the 1sx and d3 sadly. I think it just pushes the point that pentax needs its unicorn, a full frame. question is, can pentax afford to build it and produce a line of full frame glass/ revive a modified af series?
i conseed that canon,nikon, and sony, have fx cameras that are better for all around shooting.for me the 645d is a strictly out door camera..i use every angle to get it to do what i want.
11-10-2013, 03:26 PM   #44
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According to Pentax Russia, the 645Dii may be coming by the end of 2014.

We can only hope for an introduction at CP+ and perhaps a few samples to test at photokina. Perhaps after the holidays another price drop on the 645D and a chance for me to get a back up body. Hopefully they'll release the wide angle zoom in 2014 as well.
11-11-2013, 12:13 PM   #45
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well maybe in 25 yrs. those in circulation now will be collecters items.
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