Originally posted by 2351HD You might get flamed around these parts for that view. I’ve said the same about new 645 lenses and received the “old FA lenses are more than adequate” spiel many times.
If you’re using a set of top primes lenses, then you need all the res you can get because it allows for cropping the “in between” focal lengths easily.
You may be missing the point of some of those responses. It’s not that the vintage lenses are as good as new lenses, or good enough for the most demanding possible applications, it’s that it’s a great advantage to accommodate vintage lenses meaningfully. It allows a working pro (probably more interested in fulfilling well-understood requirements than chasing specs) to build a comprehensive kit that can deliver professional results for relatively cheaply.
Pentax is a price-point camera, providing a compromise between cost and performance. Pentax has built its brand image on that compromise, being known for hitting above its weight rather than for being a heavy hitter. Hasselblad (and Leica) built their brand on not making price point compromises, and their prices reflect it.
Not every innovation is an improvement, but people make investments. I will get ten good years out of my 645z, just as I got a dozen good years out of my Canon 5D, and more than that out of my film equipment. There is always something new out there, but I’d rather focus my energy on mastering what I have than chasing rainbows.
For me, I want enough resolution to prevent any loss of the illusion of endless detail, no matter how closely a print is viewed. Even for 16x20 prints, that is a challenge, and it’s not just resolution, it’s also tonal content. The Pentax will do that with lenses I can afford, with reasonable technique. My Canon 5DII could not, even with state-of-art glass, and it wasn’t about resolution—the 17x enlargement just dries out the tone. It makes great 12x18 prints to my standard, though.
Having a lens roadmap with 30 new lenses on it means nothing to me if they are all thousands of dollars.
And Pentax’s commitment to the 645 mount, unbroken since the early 80’s, means something to me.
Rick “noting Fuji’s penchant for specialty market cameras abandoned after a few years” Denney