[UncleVanya]

First I shoot a K-3 not a 645z. Second I am talking in general terms from what I understand not from direct experience.

RE: Weather Resistance
The Pentax Gear is not covered under any ISO waterproof standard. It is also not covered by warranty for damage from water infiltration. The WR is really a gamble, primarily useful as a convenience. If you get caught in the rain and have no other options it probably will be OK. If you plant to put yourself in a wet windy place I would suggest additional protection. Sure it may not have any problems but why risk it?

---------- Post added 01-19-17 at 12:23 PM ----------

Also - taking the Canon as a backup is a good idea. You have the option to fall back to it for equipment failure, photographer confusion, size/weight issues, etc.

[MONYC]

My contacts and friends in the country now say crowds are not an issue currently, and in two weeks will be even less as the summer season winds down. Our booker has always been sensitive to this, we did a major tour and shoot at Angkor Wat for personal and a private project in high season, and with a few strategically placed "fees" access and hours disappeared, and there were hardly any people in any of our shots.the chopper shots were awesome, but I should have paid more attention to what the MF shooter was doing for stabilization...I do remember he had a bunch of mini sandbags.

Canceling the trip is a ridiculous suggestion,... in one day I already have most of the basics down, and by the end of the week, I think the mysteries of this camera will have revealed themselves to me... with the addition of some excellent advice already received. I am embarrassed, but man enough, to admit that in 40+ years of semi pro and intense personal photography, IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME to use ND filters to step down the light in overly bright situations...I just relied on the polarizer to knock off a couple of stops. As mostly a sports photographer my issues were never too much light! Holy crap, how could I be so unbelievably moronic? That's like not knowing what the friggin clutch is for. Jesus. I pride myself on functioning with only half a brain after some accidents and illnesses, but this makes me wonder how well I have been fooling myself. I will share images that are my property when I return. I intend to turn this into a major article/blog to kick off a new phase of my creative life (I used to have a column in perhaps the worlds top travel and lifestyle magazine, and wrote and photographed features) but focused on other things and health issues the last 5-7 years. MF photography has always been a dream goal for me, as a kid who worshipped at the altar of the Nikon F and refused to eat Canon crow until I worked with a 5dMkII for an extended sports and travel shoot and had to admit FF and, well, everything, was better. It may be Nikon has caught up, but I will never know.

I will do this expedition with the 645 and the MkIII for bail out, and if the Hasselblad appears when I get back, give it a try -- I can always sell the 645 and gear...it is absolutely top notch equipment. I don't believe in wasting money except on your children and once in a lifetime experiences. I have a feeling the weight will ultimately be the decider for long term ownership. Both is not possible.

Great advice on the proof of ownership and receipts!! Will assemble a complete dossier.

I love the internet when it can connect me to smart people who give smart advice.

Cancel the trip until I get my gear a bit straighter??? I will only work turn 60 once, and I suspect in 12 days Inwill be able to get at least a couple dozen shots that work for my banner project and a couple thousand that my wife and my family can enjoy for the next 30 years. And maybe some will make more people want to actually DO that thing they've been dreaming about!

Ironically, my first camera was a Honeywell Pentax 35mm bought at Willoughby's. Traded it in on an Nikon F and that ultra sweet 85mm/1.8 9 months later after I sold 4 Knicks pictures to the NY Post. Sold a bunch of shots to MSG (behind Kalinsky's back) and moved up to an F36motor drive. Couldn't afford the film it ate. So I've come full circle to Pentax. That X1D looks pretty damn sexy, though. Being most of a year late isn't doing much for my confidence though!

---------- Post added 01-19-17 at 01:51 PM ----------

ONE MORE QUESTION: MEMORY CARDS

Pentax website says only UHS I no UHS II cards.
So I assume if I use UHS II cards, they will just default to max UHS I speed.

Getting through the crap, what cards would you buy? What brand, size, ratings, UHS, etc etc.

I have Lexar 128GB "Professional 1000x UHS-II SDXC Class 10 UHD Speed Class 3" cards now.

Forget price, it's not an object. I will get as many as I want of whatever I ask for.

What should I ask for?

Again, forgive me, I have not paid attention to this crap before. It's never been an issue, but with this size file and this situation, I want the best manufacturer, fastest speed and reliability. If it is smarter to use 64GB cards to limit loss risk to smaller amounts, that's cool. All of these classifications have confused me, and I don't want to take the time to learn and find out I made a mistake before I can change it.

I have just been shooting for my own fun and memories the last 5-7 years, and this has all passed me by. I don't want to f--k this up and be waiting for shots to buffer and write and miss the big one!

[itshimitis]

My contacts and friends in the country now say crowds are not an issue currently, and in two weeks will be even less as the summer season winds down. Our booker has always been sensitive to this, we did a major tour and shoot at Angkor Wat for personal and a private project in high season, and with a few strategically placed "fees" access and hours disappeared, and there were hardly any people in any of our shots.the chopper shots were awesome, but I should have paid more attention to what the MF shooter was doing for stabilization...I do remember he had a bunch of mini sandbags.

Canceling the trip is a ridiculous suggestion,... in one day I already have most of the basics down, and by the end of the week, I think the mysteries of this camera will have revealed themselves to me... with the addition of some excellent advice already received. I am embarrassed, but man enough, to admit that in 40+ years of semi pro and intense personal photography, IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME to use ND filters to step down the light in overly bright situations...I just relied on the polarizer to knock off a couple of stops. As mostly a sports photographer my issues were never too much light! Holy crap, how could I be so unbelievably moronic? That's like not knowing what the friggin clutch is for. Jesus. I pride myself on functioning with only half a brain after some accidents and illnesses, but this makes me wonder how well I have been fooling myself. I will share images that are my property when I return. I intend to turn this into a major article/blog to kick off a new phase of my creative life (I used to have a column in perhaps the worlds top travel and lifestyle magazine, and wrote and photographed features) but focused on other things and health issues the last 5-7 years. MF photography has always been a dream goal for me, as a kid who worshipped at the altar of the Nikon F and refused to eat Canon crow until I worked with a 5dMkII for an extended sports and travel shoot and had to admit FF and, well, everything, was better. It may be Nikon has caught up, but I will never know.

I will do this expedition with the 645 and the MkIII for bail out, and if the Hasselblad appears when I get back, give it a try -- I can always sell the 645 and gear...it is absolutely top notch equipment. I don't believe in wasting money except on your children and once in a lifetime experiences. I have a feeling the weight will ultimately be the decider for long term ownership. Both is not possible.

Great advice on the proof of ownership and receipts!! Will assemble a complete dossier.

I love the internet when it can connect me to smart people who give smart advice.

Cancel the trip until I get my gear a bit straighter??? I will only work turn 60 once, and I suspect in 12 days Inwill be able to get at least a couple dozen shots that work for my banner project and a couple thousand that my wife and my family can enjoy for the next 30 years. And maybe some will make more people want to actually DO that thing they've been dreaming about!

Ironically, my first camera was a Honeywell Pentax 35mm bought at Willoughby's. Traded it in on an Nikon F and that ultra sweet 85mm/1.8 9 months later after I sold 4 Knicks pictures to the NY Post. Sold a bunch of shots to MSG (behind Kalinsky's back) and moved up to an F36motor drive. Couldn't afford the film it ate. So I've come full circle to Pentax. That X1D looks pretty damn sexy, though. Being most of a year late isn't doing much for my confidence though!

---------- Post added 01-19-17 at 01:51 PM ----------

ONE MORE QUESTION: MEMORY CARDS

Pentax website says only UHS I no UHS II cards.
So I assume if I use UHS II cards, they will just default to max UHS I speed.

Getting through the crap, what cards would you buy? What brand, size, ratings, UHS, etc etc.

I have Lexar 128GB "Professional 1000x UHS-II SDXC Class 10 UHD Speed Class 3" cards now.

Forget price, it's not an object. I will get as many as I want of whatever I ask for.

What should I ask for?

Again, forgive me, I have not paid attention to this crap before. It's never been an issue, but with this size file and this situation, I want the best manufacturer, fastest speed and reliability. If it is smarter to use 64GB cards to limit loss risk to smaller amounts, that's cool. All of these classifications have confused me, and I don't want to take the time to learn and find out I made a mistake before I can change it.

I have just been shooting for my own fun and memories the last 5-7 years, and this has all passed me by. I don't want to f--k this up and be waiting for shots to buffer and write and miss the big one!

I am using UHS II in the Z with no problems.

You will love NZ, particularly the south island. I've done it in April/May twice which meant roads were pretty quiet. How are you getting about? Car ad hotels or a camper? I've done both and I found the camper gave me more freedom. If you hire one that is self contained, in freedom camping areas outside the main towns you can park in a lay-by and shoot into the evening. I camped in the shadows of Mount Cook. You might not find the roads as quiet as I found them. I used organised sites most of the time, and spent a bit of time in Fiordland as autumn was turning to winter. I was fortunate with the weather...



Milford Sound is rarely as quiet as this...or as dry as this...





2351HD isn't serious about you cancelling. That's irony at work. That being said, it won't be likely to be as quiet as I have found it, so you'll either have to make people in the scene part of the image or be out and about before and after they are out and about - which is probably the best idea. DO your serious shooting with the Pentax at dawn and dusk and take your back up out and about with you during the day just in case you manage to find something interesting.

Enjoy NZ, I'm itching to go back.

[2351HD]

Yeah I wasn't serious about you cancelling, more just having a poke at the post that said you should.

Good luck with this trip mate. You will have a blast and get some amazing shots.

The one thing that improved my shots was a better tripod setup. I still have my old Carbon Gitzo but now I have an Arca Swiss D4M with an RRS lever clamp installed on the top. So stable and light, plus it allows for independent movement on either axis unlike a ball head.

[TDvN57]

You might be on your trip already, but will add a bit to the excellent advice others have already offered.

If you are new to MF, then beware of the reduced DoF. It will catch you if you are not aware of it. To make the transition from 35mm easier for you in the beginning stop down 2 stops from what you are used to for 35mm DoF. IMHO for MF large apertures are only practical on wide lenses, or long distances between camera and subject (referring to DoF here).

In my opinion the 28-45 does not need a tripod mount, it works fine hanging off the camera. I also have a 400mm lens with a tripod mount and found there is less vibration if I use the camera mount not the lens mount on the tripod.

If you shoot in live view on a tripod, then I recommend the 2 second delay for a wide lens, and the 10 second delay for long lenses. That means you don't need mirror up and you don't need a remote. The 2 or 10 second delay lifts the mirror once you trigger the shutter button, then the camera waits the delay time and then triggers the shutter, effectively giving you mirror up and time to stabilize the system. On a heavy long lens you need more than 2 seconds to stabilize the system and get rid of vibrations, hence 10 second delay. I am referring to 400mm and 600mm lenses.

On long lenses you will find focus is much more critical than on 35mm, make use of focus peaking and focus zoom in live view to fine tune focus.

I have three go-to lenses 28-45mm, 80-160mm and the 150-300mm. All three are sharp and have super nice sweet spots from f8 through f11.

Have fun, and please post some pictures.
Theuns

[TheDocAUS]

I use Canon, Sony and have a Pentax 645Z which I took to NZ.

Canon users will find the transition to the Pentax easy, as Canon copied many features from Pentax back in the day. I found about 90% of the camera familiar. In 30 minutes you will be comfortable with the camera. Take the manual to look up the trickery stuff (like intervalometer).

I had no issues with two camera bags, packed with Sony & Pentax gear in NZ.

If you are in the helicopter for long periods the Pentax becomes heavy, but an hour or two here and there should not be an issue.

I have used 64GB Transcend and Lexar cards in the camera without any issues.

"So I assume if I use UHS II cards, they will just default to max UHS I speed." Correct, although only one set of my cards is UHSII.

Take the Air Safari flight out of Lake Tekapo, the plane not the helicopter. Helicopter flight out of Fox Glacier is good, select the flight that lands on the snowfields at bottom of Mt Cook. Similar flights available out of Franz Joseph.

Here is a few shots from the Pentax in NZ here.

[petrakka]

I love NZ and have spent a lot of time there.
You're going to get an easier time with effective resolution with the Sony A7RII in my opinion (I own a 645D, rent a Z, own the Sony) in a lot of the shoots you're doing, especially if you need to push things a little bit in less than ideal light. The Pentax is pretty handholdable for sure, but the Sony's very close resolution - which is totally fine for a billboard - let's be real, Canon 5d's at 24 mp shoot billboards all the time, combined with the ability to shoot it sharp at significantly slower shutter speeds makes it preferable IMO. 50 MP isn't worth it when you can't fully, totally maximize it when you have 42 MP that is much easier to maximize.

That said, have fun, you'll have a great time. But you're making things a little tougher in the helicopter.

[itshimitis]

I find I can get more out of my Z files than out of A7RII. Even in uncompressed the Sony's files still less malleable than the Pentax in my experience. I wouldn't be in NZ without my Z. I'd have too many regrets and what ifs

[petrakka]

I find I can get more out of my Z files than out of A7RII. Even in uncompressed the Sony's files still less malleable than the Pentax in my experience. I wouldn't be in NZ without my Z. I'd have too many regrets and what ifs

Yea, I'm not arguing that, I'm not sure if the reasoning I gave was clear. I meant 'push' in the capture situation - not in post processing. In certain situations the Sony is much easier to get a technically sound image with. If you can't get that to begin with, it kinda doesn't matter how malleable the file is. For me, even though the difference is there, it's not that obvious/practical in daily use for a technically sound image to start with. If I were in a helicopter. I'm pretty sure I'd have a higher keeper rate with the Sony - the more manageable body, IBIS and shorter focal lengths for a given field of view (allowing slower shutter speeds for the 1/focal length rule) are all advantages for the Sony in this situation.

On the ground or in other situations, obviously the Z would be good.

[TDvN57]

In a high pace environment like a helicopter I would still use the Z, set it to TAv mode, set the shutter speed to not slower than 1/300 and the aperture to f8 or f11 and set the auto ISO range to 100 to 25k, the metering mode to "Centered". Before the action starts you check if the light is maybe too bright you compensate with a higher shutter speed. You can pre-check two angles into the sun or away from sun and get your presets on the shutter speed. Concentrate on the not blowing out the high end, let the low end take care of itself. If focus is a problem, then you can solve this with selecting a slightly wider lens (or zoom out a bit) and manual focus, then crop in post. Even a 50% crop (that is a quarter of the frame) will give you a superior image.

I use the following settings (digging into my failing memory here): ISO reaction time to fast, saving to SD1 and SD2 simultaneously, capture RAW only, switch off all on camera filters, processing and noise cancelling (it saves time and gives the camera back faster), switch custom image to "Neutral" to avoid on camera processing, switch off quick preview, switch off the back screen (it affects your eye's adjustment between artificial light brightness and what's in the view finder), switch on the electronic level in the viewfinder, switch on "take photo" priority even if subject is out of focus (this is important in fast moving where the focus is on the subject but you and the camera don't agree on the subject, if you have the ability to get a split screen focus screen it is worth the effort (I modified a M645 to fit), change the color space from sRGB to Adobe RGB (makes big difference in content in the RAW file), change raw file from Pentax to DNG (This is juts my preference, I normally shy away from proprietary systems if you have to later read it with a third party editor. If Pentax makes an editor to the same standard as LR, then I may change my mind), you could use AF in continuous mode, but unless you have experience with it, I would be cautious. For White balance I suggest Multi Auto. The camera i supposed to apply multiple WB settings to different segments of the picture (I cant say that I have seen the difference, other than very often I find the "AS Shot" WB setting in LR/RAW editor to be the best option. Forget about bracketing or HDR modes - you don't need it with this camera unless you have a special situation - it is not for normal use. I use my camera 90% in handhold and I do not find it tiring. Every time I think I'm getting tired I think of a video I saw on youtube of a skinny and tiny women handling a big block Boss Hoss bike like it was a play in the park, then suddenly my strength is back :-) After two days its weight feels normal anyway.

In LR or RAW editor make up a preset that zeroes all processing and on board settings saved in the RAW file. I apply this zero preset in Bridge before I even open the raw files.

I have been OK in fast moving situations using this approach.

Of course this is just my humble opinion. I defer to others who are more knowledgeable.

[petrakka]

Yes really. That advice was pointed and sound. And based on long, long experience. Are you assuming NZ is flat? Sunny blue skies with a tailwind? No traffic? No pesky tourists??

I regularly commute Melbourne-Christchurch and Dunedin. I know the country well and where the mice and men go. The OP does not, and is essentially flying blind and starry. I don't have problems cancelling, rescheduling or rebooking trips. Why/how should a "seasoned shooter" (where is that assessment coming from?).

Photographers in NZ (Dunedin and Invercargill) are billboarding for QANTAS / Air New Zealand with Canon and Nikon (one with a Phase 1 kit but that is with an ad agency).

I don't understand all of this really.
I went to NZ for 3 months (iirc I was like 4 days short of the maximum allowed tourist visa) in high tourist season with 2 rolleis, a leica, 300 rolls of film a dSLR and a Fuji x100 (too much I know, but I used it all). No problems from customs, they even happily hand checked my big bags of film. Hills and stuff don't stop you from taking photographs. The helicopter was really the only situation I thought warranted a more cautious approach. NZ is a great place and if you use common sense like anywhere else you're fine. If anything, it's safer than most of the world. You're more likely to get robbed wherever you're coming from. Don't fall off a cliff (or drive your car off of a ditch into a ravine like my friend did) and you'll be sweet as, as they say. It's not like medium format (and the 33x44 sensor is barely that - let's be real) is a bogeyman. If you can shoot with any other SLR competently, you can do that with a slightly bigger one no problem. The principles are the same, you just need to be wary of the technicals to maximize results.