[sculptormic]

Hello, I am a sculptor and photographer who is slowly building up a lens arsenal to use in the near future with the Pentax 645Z.
I do print big so I wanted to go the MF route and decided on the Pentax with its Sony sensor and its great malleable files. Also because the camera doesn't seem to be so intimidating in use as other MF cameras. And the price of cource!
Thanks to the great information recources of this site and other sites as well, (I do post regularly on FM and Getdpi mainly in the Sony A7r threads, because that is the camera I am using at the moment)
I already started to buy some lenses for it. It is remarkable for how relatively little money one can by these lenses if one searches well.

On the way are:
SMC Pentax-D FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW
SMC Pentax 645 LS 75mm F2.8
SMC Pentax-A 645 80-160mm F4.5
SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm F4

and I will pick up this weekend near Brussels three other lenses:
SMC Pentax-A 645 35mm F3.5
SMC Pentax-FA 645 45-85mm F4.5
SMC Pentax-FA 645 85-160mm F4.5

Because it was a good deal I have now the 85-160 in A an FA. Interesting to see the differences, if any.
There are still a few second hand lenses on my wish list the 120 macro and 150mm but they are not very hard to come by.
The new 28-45 is of course on my wishlist but will be out of reach for a while.

So I am really exited but will need a little more patience.
In the meantime I keep looking at your beautiful images although I must say the images thread is not hyper activ.
Really hope to see some more images soon

Michiel

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Last edited by sculptormic; 03-25-2015 at 02:28 PM.

[Stavri]

and they say the European economy is struggling....

Great choice on the gear, it's the best sensor out there at the moment, anything close would cost over $20,000 but you already know that. With the LiveView functionality your -A lenses will work very well. When I look at the 645z performance and realize what a bargain this camera really is, I wonder if Ricoh should have priced it higher. I'm glad they didn't since I don't own any stock and am just a humble consumer of their products. A Hassy MF costs over $28,000 and doesn't come close to the performance and features of the 645z. I hope in the future of joining the MF shooters category myself, until then...I'll be looking forward to your photography...

[Adam]

Have you looked at the 90mm macro? It's not cheap but is great for portraits and has stabilization.

[sculptormic]

Have you looked at the 90mm macro? It's not cheap but is great for portraits and has stabilization.

Saw some great image samples of architecture shots with it. It is though not the first one of new the pricey lenses on my list. I am more interested in city, architecture, industrial and landscape. Less so in macro and portraiture so the wide angle zoom comes first for me. I thought I could do portraits and street also with the 75, 120 and 150mm to start with. Better for my wallet too.

[texandrews]

Hello, I am a sculptor and photographer who is slowly building up a lens arsenal to use in the near future with the Pentax 645Z.
I do print big so I wanted to go the MF route and decided on the Pentax with its Sony sensor and its great malleable files. Also because the camera doesn't seem to be so intimidating in use as other MF cameras. And the price of cource!
Thanks to the great information recources of this site and other sites as well, (I do post regularly on FM and Getdpi mainly in the Sony A7r threads, because that is the camera I am using at the moment)

Hmmmm....you sound like me unknown twin. I am mainly a painter/sculptor/installations artist who also does photography, both for documentation and as part of my art work practice. And I got a Z (already had some lenses from a 645N film camera), as well as an A7R---which I got because I was already in Sony FF and before I knew the Z was coming...pity that, although it is a very fine camera. I sold off a lot of gear to be able to afford the Z. Interesting that both of us were driven to make the same moves....

I already started to buy some lenses for it. It is remarkable for how relatively little money one can by these lenses if one searches well.

Absolutely! Some of the prices have been astonishing to me.

On the way are:
SMC Pentax-D FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW
SMC Pentax 645 LS 75mm F2.8
SMC Pentax-A 645 80-160mm F4.5
SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm F4

All good to very good lenses. I have the A version of the 55 but the FA version of the 80-160

and I will pick up this weekend near Brussels three other lenses:
SMC Pentax-A 645 35mm F3.5
SMC Pentax-A 645 45-85mm F4.5
SMC Pentax-A 645 85-160mm F4.5

The 35 is especially good, and so is the 45-85, which I got in FA.

Because it was a good deal I have now the 85-160 in A an FA. Interesting to see the differences, if any.
There are still a few second hand lenses on my wish list the 120 macro and 150mm but they are not very hard to come by.

Both are very good and useful. I have them in their A versions. I also got the 135 LS and a 45 Hartblei shift---got them here in the marketplace along with the 75 LS. I have also picked up a 67 55mm---a well regarded lens. I had the standard 75 FA f2.8 from before with the film camera (along with the 35, a 45 that I traded in, the 120 and the 150)

The new 28-45 is of course on my wishlist but will be out of reach for a while.

cough, cough....uhhh, yeah. It's also huge and heavy. I'm going to Japan in the fall and will check it out there. Maybe I'll rent it someday.

So I am really exited but will need a little more patience.
In the meantime I keep looking at your beautiful images although I must say the images thread is not hyper activ.
Really hope to see some more images soon

Michiel

Well, my images so far have been ok---a few fine and quite a few not what I wanted/not so good--- I've had to adjust more than I thought I would. One problem was outlined in this thread and then this one. The Z magnifies technique flaws even worse than the A7R. I hadn't used my 645N in a long while, preferring my Texas Leica when I shot medium format. I'm also adjusting to the processing of the files and using flash with the Z. Hopefully in the next few weeks as a key part of my shooting season starts I'll have some things to post----although one thing for me is that what I shoot is rather odd, not the typical sort of thing at all.

Welcome to the forums and the Z club.

[sculptormic]

Thanks for the welcome and those links texandrews!
Interesting read but always a little bit hard if one did not touch the camera itself yet. But it got me warned to watch exposure and PP.
In two weeks I hope to test all my lenses on a PentaxD of a friendly colleque.
BTW I got the last two zooms wrong in my list; the 24-85 and 85-160 are actually FA lenses. I did edit it.
I can buy a 135 LS lens for € 270,-- Is that a good price or a little expensive? How are your experiences with the two LS lenses? Is the 135 any good for landscapes as well?

[texandrews]

Thanks for the welcome and those links texandrews!
Interesting read but always a little bit hard if one did not touch the camera itself yet. But it got me warned to watch exposure and PP.
In two weeks I hope to test all my lenses on a PentaxD of a friendly colleque.
BTW I got the last two zooms wrong in my list; the 24-85 and 85-160 are actually FA lenses. I did edit it.
I can buy a 135 LS lens for € 270,-- Is that a good price or a little expensive? How are your experiences with the two LS lenses? Is the 135 any good for landscapes as well?

Beyond testing them for function, I haven't used either of my LS lenses extensively----hope to do so in the next several weeks now that I have some flash issues sorted ---- I just got my wireless triggers for the Z. Right now, I'll be using these in the field more to "simulate" a darker environment in daylight than to freeze action, and also my studio is a giant mess right now so I don't have that area set up yet for studio photo work. I bought them both right away when they were available because I was under the impression they were rare (they are a little bit, but not as much as I thought), because prices have been rising here for used 645 lenses, and because the prices were excellent: $285 for the 75, $280 for the 135. So, your price is even better! If you can I think you should get it, although check carefully that it works. Forum expert Digitalis warns that these shutters can wear out. I've never gotten close to wearing out a leaf shutter, so I wouldn't know....

As far as landscapes are concerned, in FF and below my old favorite FL was 28mm. Then I flirted for a while with UWA, then started drifting back . With the Z for some reason I am now starting to explore longer FL's for landscape, like with the 200mm. So, ....I'm not sure what that means. probably that I am once again getting more used to "visualizing" with a larger format.

[bull drinkwater]

add the 400mm f 5.6 fa and a 1.4 and a 2.0 tc and you'll be all set. the tc's will be manual focus only, but so what.