[pinholecam]

Based on what I've picked up on non-Pentax forums.

1. MILC - The Hasselblad and Fuji have garnered more interest than the Pentax ever did. This might be brand bias or playing the game of moving targets (and never buying) or that hope that the MILC MF will support old MF/LF lenses. But I certainly see more talk over the cameras than with 645D/Z.
The smaller and adapted lenses aspect certainly is attractive.


2. Lenses - Often complained about, even though AFAIK, there is generally enough out there in old lenses + new DFA from what I see.
Perhaps a set of 30/4; 60/2 and 120/4 (all assuming the 0.8x crop) - there needs to be a 'attention grabber here and a fast 50mm (ie. 60/2) equivalent might be it)

[TDvN57]

Actually if I have to pick only one item from my list, I would say the 100mpix 645FF (or near FF) would me the number one.

[MJKoski]

Please explain how you shoot whole day in super sub zero with one battery? K-1 using the same battery lasts about an hour at -20C using live view if switched off between exposures. Straight use and it is dead after 30 minutes at lowest display brightness.

But yes, MILC it should be. For adaptation of Canon TS-E wide angle.

[texandrews]

OK, so, it would be great to have a full 645 100mp sensor in a new Z. Not gonna happen in any Z I could afford, lemme tell ya. And most of you as well. One huge reason we all have the Z was its price. So, dream on my mates.

Here's my practical and far more affordable (and do-able!) list ---and I reserve the right to add to it:

• Higher sync speed, thank you very much.

• Built in wireless radio flash trigger transmission, done jointly with some company (Pentax partners with Tamron, why not with, say, Cactus?)

• Excellent tethering capabilities, and with tailored options---so, for instance, Lightroom integration.

• USB 3

• Improved time lapse capabilities (I think the K1's are better....)

• Significantly improved video, not just quality, but usability (see next suggestion)

• Touch screen. I was a curmudgeon/luddite on this up until now, but for video it is flippin' great. Been using it with a 5DmkIV at work, and yes it improves the shooting experience in a whopping way (although Canon has done 1 stupid thing---you can't change the FR w/o going into menu hell). Great for any AF shooting, which I don't typically do much of, but this would have me using it more.

• IBIS, and all that it brings to the Z's little sister, the K1.

• While we're on the subject of the K1, all that cool GPS and astrotracing jazz. Might as well.

• Finally Ricoh/Pentax (and every other camera company....): hire some people to write some decent software, or partner -up with someone who already does! SilkyPix, do it better!
• And finally here's what I want for every camera I ever buy again: a means to completely customize my menus, the menus themselves, not just buttoning: Give me a blank camera, with only the software needed to turn it on and accept the input I transfer to it. That input would be from a disk or download (prefer both...) to my computer, allowing me to drag and drop my own arrangements of the menus. There should be a standard menu to start with if desired (and to load into the camera for re-sale if necessary), but I want a completely bespoke menu system just for me, and this is the way to do it. Then I upload this to my camera, and I have the menu I want, not the one you want. And vice versa.

With the exception of 2 of these, all of this stuff is already on-the-shelf tech, no re-inventions or significant expansions (as in manufacturing a full scale 645 sensor at a reasonable price point....) required. The others are things that could be done and done not expensively if you used your noodle, seems to me. My list builds from the success (yeah, success!) of the D's and Z's so far, tweaks them, adds/improves the stuff some of us pulled our hair and gnashed ours teeth over.


My list gives a killer DMF camera at a killer price point, which is going to be a huge part of the battle in the next several years. Because now it's not just FF the Z is competing with, or DMF priced like houses.

[bull drinkwater]

of course in hindsight I wish I had the 645Z but i'll stick with my 645 D. after reading the specs and reviews on the Z, my only wish in the upgrade would be to have it shoot in dng, tiff, and jpeg.

[Pablo Villegas]

OK, so, it would be great to have a full 645 100mp sensor in a new Z. Not gonna happen in any Z I could afford, lemme tell ya. And most of you as well. One huge reason we all have the Z was its price. So, dream on my mates.

Here's my practical and far more affordable (and do-able!) list ---and I reserve the right to add to it:

• Higher sync speed, thank you very much.

• Built in wireless radio flash trigger transmission, done jointly with some company (Pentax partners with Tamron, why not with, say, Cactus?)

• Excellent tethering capabilities, and with tailored options---so, for instance, Lightroom integration.

• USB 3

• Improved time lapse capabilities (I think the K1's are better....)

• Significantly improved video, not just quality, but usability (see next suggestion)

• Touch screen. I was a curmudgeon/luddite on this up until now, but for video it is flippin' great. Been using it with a 5DmkIV at work, and yes it improves the shooting experience in a whopping way (although Canon has done 1 stupid thing---you can't change the FR w/o going into menu hell). Great for any AF shooting, which I don't typically do much of, but this would have me using it more.

• IBIS, and all that it brings to the Z's little sister, the K1.

• While we're on the subject of the K1, all that cool GPS and astrotracing jazz. Might as well.

• Finally Ricoh/Pentax (and every other camera company....): hire some people to write some decent software, or partner -up with someone who already does! SilkyPix, do it better!
• And finally here's what I want for every camera I ever buy again: a means to completely customize my menus, the menus themselves, not just buttoning: Give me a blank camera, with only the software needed to turn it on and accept the input I transfer to it. That input would be from a disk or download (prefer both...) to my computer, allowing me to drag and drop my own arrangements of the menus. There should be a standard menu to start with if desired (and to load into the camera for re-sale if necessary), but I want a completely bespoke menu system just for me, and this is the way to do it. Then I upload this to my camera, and I have the menu I want, not the one you want. And vice versa.

With the exception of 2 of these, all of this stuff is already on-the-shelf tech, no re-inventions or significant expansions (as in manufacturing a full scale 645 sensor at a reasonable price point....) required. The others are things that could be done and done not expensively if you used your noodle, seems to me. My list builds from the success (yeah, success!) of the D's and Z's so far, tweaks them, adds/improves the stuff some of us pulled our hair and gnashed ours teeth over.


My list gives a killer DMF camera at a killer price point, which is going to be a huge part of the battle in the next several years. Because now it's not just FF the Z is competing with, or DMF priced like houses.

You can sync at any speed with the Catus and some flashes, including full power flashes, not only speedlights.

And about the OP, you really use ISO that high? I've only shoot at 1600 at the most, and only on emergency and for personal work.
Won't even use a digital cinema camera past 1600 ISO.

BTW I don't even own a Z just a 645D, so can't say what I would like in the next one since I can't even afford it, I only got a D because it was extremely cheap.

[TDvN57]

I love my 645z, have used it on dusty African safaris, trips to the artic zone in super sub zero temperatures, and every time i look at the pictures my smile is as wide as my face will allow.

Like a normal human, I'm now ready for the next version. And here is my personal upgrade wish list (in no specific order):

1. 100mpixel in 645 full frame. I want my old film sized images back - please.
2. Mirrorless with electronic viewfinder. This is a must have! Doing wildlife shots is a challenge because the shutter noise is chasing away the sensitive and cautious animals. This is true for any SLR, but if we upgrade, lets go modern and leapfrog into silence. Will also help a lot with less shake problems when using a long lens. I have a sony RX10II as a point & shoot, mirrorless and e-viewfinder and is super quiet.
3. Option for electronic shutter.
4. At least 10fps shooting with minimum 10 seconds shoot time in RAW before the buffer is full. Without a mirror and physical shutter use the spare space for electronics to beef up capacity.
5. More capability at high iso levels. The 645z goes up to 204k, but only few shots can work with it. Even at 50k it is a challenge to get keeper shots. If at all possible, cleaner and less noise at 50k or 102k will be better. Color also starts to wash out at higher iso's, so any improvement here will be welcome.
6. 4k video capability, and full raw video feed through hdmi. Option to switch off warp stabilization. This is a great feature in the 645z but cannot be disabled. Not all shots work with warp stabilization.
7. Continuous focussing in video mode. If you're going to add video then it has to have the basic focussing function of fast continuous focussing during a shot. With my 645z I lost a perfect lion couple shot because the focus was on auto and I did not realize the camera did not adjust the focus to follow the action. Bummer.

What I don't want to loose:
1. Battery life. I don't mind a bigger battery to drive more electronics, but i cannot be changing batteries all the time, like on some other DSLR's. The 645z is fantastic with battery life, even in super sub zero temps in the arctic zone, using live view I could easily do a whole day and evening's shooting with one battery. Fantastic.
2. Weather sealing.
3. Backwards compatibility with older lenses.

While we are on lenses, how about a new A star 600mm lens with auto focus? Or alternatively a proper 2x converter with autofocus pass through, that is tuned with the existing 300mm A star lens.

Features I never use:
1. Saving in jpg - I have switched to RAW shooting only and could not care much about the jpg abilities.
2. On camera processing for lens corrections, noise corrections, scene, etc. When I load my pictures into Lightroom I first "zero" all the camera settings embedded in the RAW file. Only use the White Balance setting from the camera, which is often spot on correct.

Nothing wrong with a wish list is there?

Any other 645z users with more wish list items?

Theuns van Niekerk

Had a stroke of luck this weekend and found a spilt focussing screen for the 645z's OVF. So now I'll prefer to stay with the OVF and not go to a electronic version. Working with those tricky manual focus situations is now a breeze (again). Couldn't find the Pentax version but a knowledgeable camera shop sold me a Mamiya 645 focussing screen. Just had to "shave off" about 2mm on the width to make it fit perfectly in the 645z.

With regard to high frame rate I think a reduced picture size and in jpg will be acceptable. Especially if I can switch format with a one-button push, like the programmable "RAW" button on the 645z. There are those few cases where the action is just too fast for 3 or 5 fps to capture it. I missed such an opportunity when a hyena tried to take a kill from a leopard. Just got a few shots of the action with 3 fps. Even the Nikon D810 couldn't keep up. A high frame rate would have saved the shot, even in a lower format and jpg only.

Theuns.
Have fun!!

[texandrews]

You can sync at any speed with the Catus and some flashes, including full power flashes, not only speed lights.

Yes....but that makes it simpler sounding than it is. There are some quirks to this. I'd like to see it quirk-free. Just let's have a high sync speed, please.

And about the OP, you really use ISO that high? I've only shoot at 1600 at the most, and only on emergency and for personal work.
Won't even use a digital cinema camera past 1600 ISO.

BTW I don't even own a Z just a 645D, so can't say what I would like in the next one since I can't even afford it, I only got a D because it was extremely cheap.

Well, if you did have a Z you would be shooting at 1600 to 6400, and not just for emergencies ;-}

[bull drinkwater]

i'd settle for a full frame sensor, and 75 mp's. it will up the price to maybe 12 k. as for the rest of the list, come on now were are talking medium format here. it would take at least 15k to get a "have it all" camera. if they can engineer it.

[petrakka]

I only have the lowly D - and have been using that machine faithfully for years now. The Z didn't warrant an upgrade for me.
Besides better service/support, which is more a corporate issue than a camera issue, the only things I want out of the next iteration are a smaller form factor and a higher flash sync. Higher resolution, better DR, all that stuff would be great too, but that is a given, the Z already has that. 645 FF would be nice too, but not a deal breaker for me in any way.
I probably won't get those things I want most due to the limitations of the system's design, which is why I will probably end this year with an X1D system (if it ever starts shipping in any real way) and void of my Pentax system. But I'm waiting awhile to see how it all shakes out, because nothing is pressing and my A7RII fills in many needs.

[TDvN57]

I understand, but people have said that with every generation of sensor - and each time, the next generation seems to find a way to improve high ISO performance. It is already superb but continued improvement would be most welcome.

The newly released KP has a max ISO of 809k. Is this usable or just sales gimmick?

[aurele]

just sales gimmick?

It is.

who would use iso 800k anyway ?

[texandrews]

It is.

who would use iso 800k anyway ?

I've always thought it was less about that top iso than the lower ones being cleaner, i.e., the high top iso told you something about how well the sensor would perform at 800, 1600, 6400 (6400 used to be an outlandish iso...) and now 12,800.....in terms of noise and DR.

[photoptimist]

It is.

who would use iso 800k anyway ?

In addition to texandrews' excellent points about ultra-high ISO specs being an indicator of DR at middle-high ISO there's another set of users for this.

ISO 800k will also be for photographers and photographs that aren't being done now at all because they are impossible. These might include nighttime safari pictures, action photography under a full moon, ambient light macro on dark forest floors, dusk and nighttime BIF (owls & bats), etc.

Anyone who is using ISO 100 in full sun right now, will need ISO 819,200 + brightening the shutter & aperture by 5 stops to take the same picture in full moon light.

One could say that ISO 800k represents a new dawn for night photography!

[TheDocAUS]

I would like to see the Depth of field bracketing feature from the new Pentax KP in the 654Z. Focus stacking into one DNG file, yes please. KP only has 3 frames, so 5 or more would be good on 645Z. A handy enhancement for the existing body via firmware upgrade.