645Z, first play date....

snapper99 · 06-29-2014, 08:42 AM

Picked my camera 645Z up yesterday, with the 55mm lens. Had a brief read of the manual and took it out for a walk with some older lenses. I believe the camera is essentially just a tool, I have a few for different subjects and styles, that said I like to mix it up. So why not get familiar with the controls by doing some street photography...

I have been getting hold of older lenses on eBay in anticipation of the camera arriving and took the A 35mm, A-135mm and FA 45-85mm along with the more modern D FA 55mm. I have a FA 80-160mm and an A 120mm to add to these.

This is by no means a scientific review, pixel peepers look away now, you know who you are. Some pictures are cropped and some post processing has been used.

I am already impressed with the older FA 45-85mm zoom and the D FA 55mm, the 35mm is clearly not a bad performer but will need careful focussing. I have already tried the live view for magnified focus checking and this is probably the way to go for the older manual lenses.

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jimr-pdx · 06-29-2014, 09:01 AM

Very nice! What is yout 1st impression of noise, do you have a max ISO that still suits you?

snapper99 · 06-29-2014, 09:31 AM

First impression is that ISO noise better than my canon 5d3. Cleans up nicely with Lightroom, also had a brief go with the OEM software for converting RAWS, a bit clunky for post prod, but gives a clean punchy result with very good noise and sharpness defaults.

One issue is that the older A lenses report half stop less aperture on digital read outs than set on lens? Set f5.6 on lens, get f4.5 reported on LCD.

rawr · 06-29-2014, 09:44 AM

Excellent images.

645Z for street. Who would have thought. Looks like my RX-100 will be out of a job soon

Was the 645Z heavy or awkward to use and lug about (especially with that set of lenses in the bag)?

**wtlwdwgn** · 06-29-2014, 10:21 AM

Very nice set of images. Looking forward to seeing more.

itshimitis · 06-29-2014, 10:29 AM

Originally posted by snapper99

Picked my camera 645Z up yesterday, with the 55mm lens. Had a brief read of the manual and took it out for a walk with some older lenses. I believe the camera is essentially just a tool, I have a few for different subjects and styles, that said I like to mix it up. So why not get familiar with the controls by doing some street photography...

I have been getting hold of older lenses on eBay in anticipation of the camera arriving and took the A 35mm, A-135mm and FA 45-85mm along with the more modern D FA 55mm. I have a FA 80-160mm and an A 120mm to add to these.

This is by no means a scientific review, pixel peepers look away now, you know who you are. Some pictures are cropped and some post processing has been used.

I am already impressed with the older FA 45-85mm zoom and the D FA 55mm, the 35mm is clearly not a bad performer but will need careful focussing. I have already tried the live view for magnified focus checking and this is probably the way to go for the older manual lenses.

Nice. Where did you get yours from? I got mine from SRS in Watford.

jonojono · 06-29-2014, 10:40 AM

nice images.

snapper99 · 06-29-2014, 10:41 AM

Many thanks to the team at Park Cameras for my camera. Getting a lens from SRS and they seem great for service too.

I hasten to add it is not my intention to use the 645Z for street photography. I find that the hustle and bustle of using a camera in the street teaches me where to find all the controls in the least amount of time. It's my "training ground". The camera is capable of the photography but the size kind of negates the idea of candid. I was very surprised how quiet and smooth the mirror and shutter mech is. I can hand hold at unexpected low speeds 1/lens seems ok in many situations.

Tanzer · 06-29-2014, 11:47 AM

Nice dynamic range, I can see into the shadows. Nice!

Thomasbrowphoto · 06-29-2014, 03:47 PM

Great Images, Thanks for sharing. I assume the 35mm A lens is not recognised by the Exif Data at all due to being a manual Lens. Do you find this lens to be sufficiently wide for Landscapes etc etc? Also coming from a 5Dmk3 myself, Im expecting a significant jump in DR. what are your thoughts on this? I hear the Z is even a stop or so better thank Nikons D800e. Im in Australia and waiting for the first shipment of bodes to come in. I have also pre purchased second hand lenses on anticipation of the camera such as the 35mm A , 45-85 FA & the 120 FA Macro also, can't wait to try them. Any insights would be great. Tom

JohnBee · 06-29-2014, 04:06 PM

Originally posted by snapper99

Picked my camera 645Z up yesterday, with the 55mm lens. Had a brief read of the manual and took it out for a walk with some older lenses. I believe the camera is essentially just a tool, I have a few for different subjects and styles, that said I like to mix it up. So why not get familiar with the controls by doing some street photography...

I have been getting hold of older lenses on eBay in anticipation of the camera arriving and took the A 35mm, A-135mm and FA 45-85mm along with the more modern D FA 55mm. I have a FA 80-160mm and an A 120mm to add to these.

This is by no means a scientific review, pixel peepers look away now, you know who you are. Some pictures are cropped and some post processing has been used.

I am already impressed with the older FA 45-85mm zoom and the D FA 55mm, the 35mm is clearly not a bad performer but will need careful focussing. I have already tried the live view for magnified focus checking and this is probably the way to go for the older manual lenses.

Awesome!
I didn't know the camera was out for sale yet.

How did the camera perform between shots?
Did you feel like you had to wait for the camera much?
How did it feel carrying the camera around?
How did you carry it? (strap around shoulder etc)
What card did you use?
Did it feel sufficient in terms of shots and write speeds?
What about battery life?
Did you use the rear screen at all?

Feels like I could go on forever here. (so many questions).
I'll just quit and wait my turn I guess.

itshimitis · 06-29-2014, 04:30 PM

In my experience there is much less lag after shots than with the D. To use a Kiwi term, The camera shutter sound is 'sweet as...'

**clackers** · 06-29-2014, 05:37 PM

Originally posted by itshimitis

In my experience there is much less lag after shots than with the D. To use a Kiwi term, The camera shutter sound is 'sweet as...'

Ming Thein found he could take another shot after one second, versus three for the D.

snapper99 · 06-30-2014, 01:04 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

Awesome!
I didn't know the camera was out for sale yet.

How did the camera perform between shots?
Did you feel like you had to wait for the camera much?
How did it feel carrying the camera around?
How did you carry it? (strap around shoulder etc)
What card did you use?
Did it feel sufficient in terms of shots and write speeds?
What about battery life?
Did you use the rear screen at all?

Feels like I could go on forever here. (so many questions).
I'll just quit and wait my turn I guess.

To sum up most of your questions it feels like the camera will be fast enough to not cause complaints. You wouldn't get it for sports, but you might want to get that one sports shot that differs from all the 10 frame a second sprayers...But then that's the half the point of medium format.

I did use the rear screen, and in fact would say this is one of the most important points for me. A simple thing like a screen I can look down on is a blessing for a lot of low level tripod photography. The screen does mark fairly easily, or it could be I have a really greasy nose?

Battery life, good so far, again, it doesn't feel that this is an issue for complaint. DR is great, much better than the Canons, but of course that will mean more post production to get the best out of the flatter images.

I used a SanDisk SDSDXPA-064G-X46 64 GB Extreme Pro UHS-I SDHC Memory Card, to give it the full title. As a film user, cards seem cheap, so why not get the best, not worth any risks there.

bossa · 06-30-2014, 02:17 AM

You can definitely see that the image quality is different to APS_C and "FF". The sweeping DOF is different for one thing and the 'POP" is obvious.

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06-29-2014, 09:01 AM	#2
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	Very nice! What is yout 1st impression of noise, do you have a max ISO that still suits you?

06-29-2014, 09:31 AM	#3
snapper99 Junior Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: London Posts: 31 Original Poster	First impression is that ISO noise better than my canon 5d3. Cleans up nicely with Lightroom, also had a brief go with the OEM software for converting RAWS, a bit clunky for post prod, but gives a clean punchy result with very good noise and sharpness defaults. One issue is that the older A lenses report half stop less aperture on digital read outs than set on lens? Set f5.6 on lens, get f4.5 reported on LCD.

06-29-2014, 09:44 AM	#4
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Excellent images. 645Z for street. Who would have thought. Looks like my RX-100 will be out of a job soon Was the 645Z heavy or awkward to use and lug about (especially with that set of lenses in the bag)?

06-29-2014, 10:21 AM	#5
wtlwdwgn Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Billings, MT Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,853	Very nice set of images. Looking forward to seeing more.

06-29-2014, 10:29 AM	#6
itshimitis Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: All over the place Posts: 3,535	Originally posted by snapper99 Picked my camera 645Z up yesterday, with the 55mm lens. Had a brief read of the manual and took it out for a walk with some older lenses. I believe the camera is essentially just a tool, I have a few for different subjects and styles, that said I like to mix it up. So why not get familiar with the controls by doing some street photography... I have been getting hold of older lenses on eBay in anticipation of the camera arriving and took the A 35mm, A-135mm and FA 45-85mm along with the more modern D FA 55mm. I have a FA 80-160mm and an A 120mm to add to these. This is by no means a scientific review, pixel peepers look away now, you know who you are. Some pictures are cropped and some post processing has been used. I am already impressed with the older FA 45-85mm zoom and the D FA 55mm, the 35mm is clearly not a bad performer but will need careful focussing. I have already tried the live view for magnified focus checking and this is probably the way to go for the older manual lenses. Nice. Where did you get yours from? I got mine from SRS in Watford.

06-29-2014, 10:40 AM	#7
jonojono Forum Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 81	nice images.

06-29-2014, 10:41 AM	#8
snapper99 Junior Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: London Posts: 31 Original Poster	Many thanks to the team at Park Cameras for my camera. Getting a lens from SRS and they seem great for service too. I hasten to add it is not my intention to use the 645Z for street photography. I find that the hustle and bustle of using a camera in the street teaches me where to find all the controls in the least amount of time. It's my "training ground". The camera is capable of the photography but the size kind of negates the idea of candid. I was very surprised how quiet and smooth the mirror and shutter mech is. I can hand hold at unexpected low speeds 1/lens seems ok in many situations.

06-29-2014, 11:47 AM	#9
Tanzer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Perrineville, NJ Posts: 1,375	Nice dynamic range, I can see into the shadows. Nice!

06-29-2014, 03:47 PM	#10
Thomasbrowphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 335	Great Images, Thanks for sharing. I assume the 35mm A lens is not recognised by the Exif Data at all due to being a manual Lens. Do you find this lens to be sufficiently wide for Landscapes etc etc? Also coming from a 5Dmk3 myself, Im expecting a significant jump in DR. what are your thoughts on this? I hear the Z is even a stop or so better thank Nikons D800e. Im in Australia and waiting for the first shipment of bodes to come in. I have also pre purchased second hand lenses on anticipation of the camera such as the 35mm A , 45-85 FA & the 120 FA Macro also, can't wait to try them. Any insights would be great. Tom

06-29-2014, 04:06 PM	#11
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	Originally posted by snapper99 Picked my camera 645Z up yesterday, with the 55mm lens. Had a brief read of the manual and took it out for a walk with some older lenses. I believe the camera is essentially just a tool, I have a few for different subjects and styles, that said I like to mix it up. So why not get familiar with the controls by doing some street photography... I have been getting hold of older lenses on eBay in anticipation of the camera arriving and took the A 35mm, A-135mm and FA 45-85mm along with the more modern D FA 55mm. I have a FA 80-160mm and an A 120mm to add to these. This is by no means a scientific review, pixel peepers look away now, you know who you are. Some pictures are cropped and some post processing has been used. I am already impressed with the older FA 45-85mm zoom and the D FA 55mm, the 35mm is clearly not a bad performer but will need careful focussing. I have already tried the live view for magnified focus checking and this is probably the way to go for the older manual lenses. Awesome! I didn't know the camera was out for sale yet. How did the camera perform between shots? Did you feel like you had to wait for the camera much? How did it feel carrying the camera around? How did you carry it? (strap around shoulder etc) What card did you use? Did it feel sufficient in terms of shots and write speeds? What about battery life? Did you use the rear screen at all? Feels like I could go on forever here. (so many questions). I'll just quit and wait my turn I guess.

06-29-2014, 04:30 PM	#12
itshimitis Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: All over the place Posts: 3,535	In my experience there is much less lag after shots than with the D. To use a Kiwi term, The camera shutter sound is 'sweet as...'

06-29-2014, 05:37 PM	#13
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by itshimitis In my experience there is much less lag after shots than with the D. To use a Kiwi term, The camera shutter sound is 'sweet as...' Ming Thein found he could take another shot after one second, versus three for the D.

06-30-2014, 01:04 AM	#14
snapper99 Junior Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: London Posts: 31 Original Poster	Originally posted by JohnBee Awesome! I didn't know the camera was out for sale yet. How did the camera perform between shots? Did you feel like you had to wait for the camera much? How did it feel carrying the camera around? How did you carry it? (strap around shoulder etc) What card did you use? Did it feel sufficient in terms of shots and write speeds? What about battery life? Did you use the rear screen at all? Feels like I could go on forever here. (so many questions). I'll just quit and wait my turn I guess. To sum up most of your questions it feels like the camera will be fast enough to not cause complaints. You wouldn't get it for sports, but you might want to get that one sports shot that differs from all the 10 frame a second sprayers...But then that's the half the point of medium format. I did use the rear screen, and in fact would say this is one of the most important points for me. A simple thing like a screen I can look down on is a blessing for a lot of low level tripod photography. The screen does mark fairly easily, or it could be I have a really greasy nose? Battery life, good so far, again, it doesn't feel that this is an issue for complaint. DR is great, much better than the Canons, but of course that will mean more post production to get the best out of the flatter images. I used a SanDisk SDSDXPA-064G-X46 64 GB Extreme Pro UHS-I SDHC Memory Card, to give it the full title. As a film user, cards seem cheap, so why not get the best, not worth any risks there.

06-30-2014, 02:17 AM	#15
bossa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Adelaide Posts: 4,546	You can definitely see that the image quality is different to APS_C and "FF". The sweeping DOF is different for one thing and the 'POP" is obvious.