[barondla]

I have Pentax 6x7 equipment. Don't use very often since it is difficult to get transparency film developed anywhere locally. Bought a K-1 6 months ago. Always wondered about a digital medium format.

1. Would it be worthwhile to buy a 645D (can't afford a Z)?
2. Shutter is rated for half the life of APS-C cameras. Can 645D still be repaired?
3. Do 6x7 lens perform well on 645? Is there some kind of "green button" gymnastics involved?
4. Are the FA lenses decent and are they and DFA interchangeable on 645D and 645Z?
4. Do you miss not having live view for critical focusing?

Sorry for all the questions.

Thanks,
barondla

[HarisF1]

3. There is an adapter available which from my very short experience turns 6x7 lenses into manual 645 lenses. It's an official piece of kit and costs a pretty penny though. Very decent.

[Leumas]

I'm thinking you won't be very impressed going to a 645D from a K1 or 67.
The 645D is not even a full 645 (which is lame)
Dynamic range is superior on the K1 and not much lower in res
Pixel shift images will be sharper than the 645D
I kinda want one for the CCD tonality, but can't justify their price right now.

my 2 cents

[EssJayEff]

2. There is an adapter available which from my very short experience turns 6x7 lenses into manual 645 lenses. It's an official piece of kit and costs a pretty penny though. Very decent.

I currently have one of these for sale in the marketplace.

---------- Post added 12-25-19 at 04:19 PM ----------

One plus is the 645 cameras (D & Z) is that they provide a different aspect ratio than ASP-C and 35mm full frame equivalent, 4:3, which I prefer to 3:2. I enjoyed my year with the 645D very much. There is a subjective preference held by some over the aesthetic of CCD over CMOS sensors that you may also which to explore.

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Last edited by EssJayEff; 12-25-2019 at 02:21 PM. Reason: Clarity

[rdenney]

I have Pentax 6x7 equipment. Don't use very often since it is difficult to get transparency film developed anywhere locally. Bought a K-1 6 months ago. Always wondered about a digital medium format.



1. Would it be worthwhile to buy a 645D (can't afford a Z)?

2. Shutter is rated for half the life of APS-C cameras. Can 645D still be repaired?

3. Do 6x7 lens perform well on 645? Is there some kind of "green button" gymnastics involved?

4. Are the FA lenses decent and are they and DFA interchangeable on 645D and 645Z?

5. Do you miss not having live view for critical focusing?



Sorry for all the questions.



Thanks,

barondla

1. Value is something only you can determine. A bigger sensor with more pixels will get you some benefits, notwithstanding the improvements in technology for smaller sensors. This will be especially true at lower ISO values, and therefore for tripod work. But larger cameras are as much about the experience of using them as they are about absolute image quality, which exceed most people’s actual needs in any case.

2. Yes, but probably not quickly or cheaply. These are not spray and pray cameras. Most serious amateurs, if they push the button when they intend instead of just guessing, may not need more than 10,000 actuations in the life of their ownership.

3. Yes. See reviews on this site. Their use on a 645 is seamless when using the Pentax-made adapter, though you will be limited to aperture-priority metering and (of course) manual focus.

4. Yes, the FA lenses are top-shelf professional lenses from a decade or two ago, and they are nearly all excellent. See the reviews on this site. Yes, they operate on the D and Z just as they do on the N and NII. Focus is slower and they are not weatherproof. There is no shake reduction. But pros did without these things and got very sharp images.

5. Occasionally, but not for FA lenses and only rarely for manual-focus lenses. I did find a microprism focus screen for an NII that I put in my Z, which works fine.

Rick “rent one and see what you think” Denney

[kaseki]

4. The short answer is yes. The long answer may be found in many articles in the lens review section of this forum.

3. The 67 lenses work well as optics, and as inertial ballast. They have to be manually focused, but the aperture is automatic if the Pentax or Fotodiox adapters are used. The auto/manual button on the 67 lenses seems somewhat unreliable in my very limited experience in the sense that the button can be easily unset if bumped.

I don't have a D so I don't want to comment based on a Z.

[Leumas]

I currently have one of these for sale in the marketplace.

---------- Post added 12-25-19 at 04:19 PM ----------

One plus is the 645 cameras (D & Z) is that they provide a different aspect ratio than ASP-C and 35mm full frame equivalent, 4:3, which I prefer to 3:2. I enjoyed my year with the 645D very much. There is a subjective preference held by some over the aesthetic of CCD over CMOS sensors that you may also which to explore.

No joke on 3:2....I hate 3:2. Should have been trashed when we went digital and given us 5:4 sensors.

---------- Post added 12-25-19 at 06:06 PM ----------

Shome mistake, surely???

Yes....I don't know if I should change it. I laughed so hard.

[moderator note]although highly amusing, your innocent typo and the comments around it were in contravention of the Forum obscenity rules. So I have (somewhat regretfully) edited them out[/moderator note]

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Last edited by Sandy Hancock; 12-25-2019 at 05:35 PM.

[EssJayEff]

No joke on 3:2....I hate 3:2. Should have been trashed when we went digital and given us 5:4 sensors.

I keep waiting for a 1:1 square format digital camera, but it will probably never happen . . . right, Hasselblad?

[Sandy Hancock]

1. Would it be worthwhile to buy a 645D (can't afford a Z)?
As has already been mentioned, only you can answer that question for you.

3. Do 6x7 lens perform well on 645? Is there some kind of "green button" gymnastics involved?
645 bodies have an un-crippled mount, so are easier to use with manual lenses than K mount bodies. I haven't used 6x7 lenses, but with the appropriate adaptor they should be no harder than my adapted projector lens. The 105/2.4 is a 6x7 lens I would particularly like to try on my 645 body.

4. Are the FA lenses decent and are they and DFA interchangeable on 645D and 645Z?
Yes, and yes. I have the FA645 75/2.8, FA645 120/4.0 Macro, FA645 150/2.8 and FA*645 300/4.0. They are all excellent, with the 300 being exceptional IMHO.

5. Do you miss not having live view for critical focusing?
I have the 645Z, so have access to that feature. That said, I find the huge viewfinder very easy to use for manual focus, and don't often resort to live view and focus peaking.

[johnha]

I bought a D about 18 months ago (from a Pentax dealer with a good warranty). Initially I only used P6x7 lenses on the Pentax adapter and apart from the lack of a true wide-angle on the cropped format, I could easily be happy using them.

645 AF lenses are more convenient and I prefer these unless I'm also carrying a P67 body. For wide-angles, unless you have deep pockets, you're essentially restricted to the 35mm prime or 33-55 zoom (I got the 33-55).

As has been mentioned, value is personal depending on your expectations and budget. I'm happy shooting my D and generally prefer it to the K-1. It gives a medium format experience whist remaining compatible with a huge range of Pentax accessories from their medium format film cameras through to the current DSLRs (this saved me ££££).

I shoot mine like a medium format film camera, using a more considered approach than when using smaller format. I have yet to notice any difference between it's CCD and the CMOS in my K-1 apart from ISO ranges.

[Pablo Villegas]

You won’t see much difference between your K1 and the 645D, and the K1 would be better in most scenarios. Only in studio the 645D has an edge, otherwise it’s slower, harder to focus, won’t sync beyond 1/125. Its bulkier, etc...

I bought a 645D a few years ago, very cheap with 3 lenses, and hardly ever use it now, that I have a Sony A7RIII. The Sony beats it in almost everything, except studio work, we’re the higher sensor shines. And it can be as fast as the Sony at a studio aperture.

[barondla]

Thanks everyone for responding. Would be nice to use medium format again and some of the Pentax 6x7 lenses. But it seems the IQ benefit is razor thin vs the K-1. I don't have studio equipment or shoot studio shots.
thanks,
barondla

[bladerunner6]

It seems you have made your decision.

But I would like to add many things like this do depend on price.

I drive 35 miles each way to work so gas does cost me money.
But depending on the mileage of the vehicle I may or may not take one if it were offered to me for free.

If you got a 645D with lenses for free, heck yeah!

[johnha]

Thanks everyone for responding. Would be nice to use medium format again and some of the Pentax 6x7 lenses. But it seems the IQ benefit is razor thin vs the K-1. I don't have studio equipment or shoot studio shots.
thanks,
barondla

The IQ difference to the K-1 may be thin and the format is cropped compared to medium format film, but you still get the benefits of medium format (not least a better aspect ratio for most of my purposes).

[Wasp]

I keep waiting for a 1:1 square format digital camera, but it will probably never happen . . . right, Hasselblad?

The blame lies more with sensor manufacturers than with Hasselblad. I am looking at you, Sony...