[itshimitis]

Keep posting please! Lots of harsh light to let us really see how the Z can handle nightmare DR......

It can certainly can handle a lot!

[bibz]

Man that number 8 shot just killed me! Please continue to enjoy the beast

[itshimitis]

Our dog caesar often ends up being the test bed of new cameras or lenses. He doesn't mind as he gets to have a run around.

I tried the FA 55 - 110 with the 645Z which has been stated to be not the sharpest lens in the line up. Stopped down it is reasonably sharp and I like the feeling of these shots (helped by the fact that they were shot about an hour before sunset so the light was quite nice). It seems that even with one of the 'weaker' performing lenses good results can still be found:

1.

pentax 645Z FA 55 - 110 at 98mm f/8 1/80 ISO 400 (using Auto ISO)



2.

83mm f/8 1/80 ISO 320



3.

[texandrews]

Man that number 8 shot just killed me! Please continue to enjoy the beast

Same image I noted....

[stillsandvideo]

I had the opportunity to try out the 645Z at a concert this weekend that featured blues legand Johnny Winter. Although I seldom shoot concerts, I thought it would be a really good test for the camera's focusing and high iso ability. This image was shot at 1/320 sec at f / 4.0, ISO 3200 using the 55mm F2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW (I shot manually but did use spot autofocus).

I deliberately minimized the post processing for the purpose of this post. There was no noise reduction applied at all, a bit of sharpening (20 in Lightroom which does indeed have the PEF driver as of the last release), a small bit of cropping for the sake of composition, highlights were increased by 1/3 of a stop and overall exposure increased by 1/2 stop.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at the cameras ease of use and overall performance in such challenging conditions (high contrast conditions, low light, lights changing by the second, limited angle of view due to crowds, etc.) I usually use a Canon 1DX when I'm shooting a concert which IMO, has the advantage of very fast focussing and an extremely fast frame rate making it hard to miss the shot. The downside is that the grain at 3200 and above is not as pleasing as the 645Z's and the dynamic range isn't as good either. In fact, I was quite impressed with the 645Z's noise and dynamic range... it is easy on the eyes and if I had chosen to do so, the noise would have cleaned up easily.

Here's the image so you could formulate your own high ISO opinion. I'm off on an assignment but will post a couple of more images when I get the opportunity sometime next week.

[mikeSF]

...

Here's the image so you could formulate your own high ISO opinion. I'm off on an assignment but will post a couple of more images when I get the opportunity sometime next week.

Paul,
that is very impressive performance of the 645Z at 3200 ISO!
thanks for sharing this and a great shot of Johnny Winter to boot.

---------- Post added 07-01-2014 at 11:47 AM ----------

All with Pentax 645Z FA 35 f/3.5

...

I also find your #8 image to be a knockout. thanks for sharing all these. Looks like the 645Z is a WINNER!

[itshimitis]

Paul,
that is very impressive performance of the 645Z at 3200 ISO!
thanks for sharing this and a great shot of Johnny Winter to boot.

---------- Post added 07-01-2014 at 11:47 AM ----------



I also find your #8 image to be a knockout. thanks for sharing all these. Looks like the 645Z is a WINNER!

It certainly is, even with the so called weaker lenses.

[tuco]

Our dog caesar often ends up being the test bed of new cameras or lenses

It's looking good.

Does Caesar play with rocks? My neighbor's German Sheppard plays fetch with them. And I think it's going to wear down his teeth.

[itshimitis]

It's looking good.

Does Caesar play with rocks? My neighbor's German Sheppard plays fetch with them. And I think it's going to wear down his teeth.

trying to hide them from him is difficult. The bigger they are the more he wants to pick them up...

---------- Post added 07-01-14 at 04:21 PM ----------

Some with a few different lenses with Pentax 645Z:

1. FA 400 f/5.6 at f/11 1/1600 ISO 100



2. converted to b/w



3. FA 33- 55 (manual focus as the auto focus is not functioning) f/13 39mm 1/25 ISO 100



4. FA 45 f/2.8 f/11 1/25 ISO 100



5. FA 55 - 110 f/5.6 f/11 1 sec 75mm ISO 100



6. FA400 heavily cropped:

f/5.6 1/125 ISO 640 handheld



7. Less heavily cropped:

f/5.6 1/160 ISO 640

[mikeSF]

It certainly is, even with the so called weaker lenses.

and which is that?

[itshimitis]

and which is that?

Somewhere on here is a report on the less strong lenses in the line up for the 645Z:

The worst scores were for FA 55- 110 and FA45. The FA 45 is pretty lowly rated in any case, but I'm finding it pretty good to my eyes. I'll try and find the thread....

Here it is: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-645d-medium-format/263056-nippo...fa-lenses.html

"33-55/4.5 Four stars: even with lens distortion correction turned off, the distortion is rather negligible. But there is some visible moire.
35/3.5 Five stars: High resolution, good sharpness in the edges, and resistance to flare even with semi-direct light source
45-85/4.5 Four stars: even stopped down to f/45 there is less refraction than expected and it maintains sharpness well too
25/4 Five stars: The widest lens available, made for digital, and reveals superior detail sharpness
45/2.8 Two stars: Compared to the other FA lenses edges are lacking in sharpness. May not be suitable for use with the 645Z
55-110/5.6 Two stars: Originally intended as a standard zoom on the 645, it ends up being an awkward focal range on the 645Z. Image quality doesn't stand out as being particularly good or bad.
55/2.8 Five stars: Even sharpness edge to edge. We recommend this one as it is the most affordable of the D-FA lenses.
75/2.8 Four stars: The original standard lens.It's 30 years old but still has great clarity and and contrast. Excellent lens in terms of cost/performance
200/4 Four stars: 35mm equivalent is 157mm, making it a mid-tele. While not a particularly fast lens, it has very nice bokeh
400/5.6 ED Three stars: 35mm equivalent is 315mm. Given the improved AF motor of the 645Z, AF tracking performance is very good.
150-300/5.6 ED Five stars: This was a popular tele-zoom with the old 645. A good value when you compare the price with the 300mm prime.
300/4 ED Four stars: I remember being shocked by the image quality of this lens when using it on film. It still is impressive, but the high price is a bit of a detriment.
Macro 90/2.8 ED Four stars: This is the only HD lens in the series. The image quality is beyond reproach, but the price is "top class" as well.
150/2.8 Five stars: A fast, mid-tele lens in the film days, this lens doesn't get a lot of attention, but the bokeh and sharpness are excellent.
300/5.6 ED Five stars: Pentax held the price down by making this lens one stop slower, but because of the ED, it controls CA very well and is a great match for the 645Z
Macro 120/4 Five stars: This lens breathes life into the fine details of a leaf surface. It also provides a more comfortable working distance than the D-FA macro, and is much easier on the wallet at less than 1/3 the price."

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-645d-medium-format/263056-nippo...#ixzz36GLsDw24

[mikeSF]

Somewhere on here is a report on the less strong lenses in the line up for the 645Z:

The worst scores were for FA 55- 110 and FA45. The FA 45 is pretty lowly rated in any case, but I'm finding it pretty good to my eyes. I'll try and find the thread....

Here it is: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-645d-medium-format/263056-nippo...fa-lenses.html

"33-55/4.5 Four stars: even with lens distortion correction turned off, the distortion is rather negligible. But there is some visible moire.
35/3.5 Five stars: High resolution, good sharpness in the edges, and resistance to flare even with semi-direct light source
45-85/4.5 Four stars: even stopped down to f/45 there is less refraction than expected and it maintains sharpness well too
25/4 Five stars: The widest lens available, made for digital, and reveals superior detail sharpness
45/2.8 Two stars: Compared to the other FA lenses edges are lacking in sharpness. May not be suitable for use with the 645Z
55-110/5.6 Two stars: Originally intended as a standard zoom on the 645, it ends up being an awkward focal range on the 645Z. Image quality doesn't stand out as being particularly good or bad.
55/2.8 Five stars: Even sharpness edge to edge. We recommend this one as it is the most affordable of the D-FA lenses.
75/2.8 Four stars: The original standard lens.It's 30 years old but still has great clarity and and contrast. Excellent lens in terms of cost/performance
200/4 Four stars: 35mm equivalent is 157mm, making it a mid-tele. While not a particularly fast lens, it has very nice bokeh
400/5.6 ED Three stars: 35mm equivalent is 315mm. Given the improved AF motor of the 645Z, AF tracking performance is very good.
150-300/5.6 ED Five stars: This was a popular tele-zoom with the old 645. A good value when you compare the price with the 300mm prime.
300/4 ED Four stars: I remember being shocked by the image quality of this lens when using it on film. It still is impressive, but the high price is a bit of a detriment.
Macro 90/2.8 ED Four stars: This is the only HD lens in the series. The image quality is beyond reproach, but the price is "top class" as well.
150/2.8 Five stars: A fast, mid-tele lens in the film days, this lens doesn't get a lot of attention, but the bokeh and sharpness are excellent.
300/5.6 ED Five stars: Pentax held the price down by making this lens one stop slower, but because of the ED, it controls CA very well and is a great match for the 645Z
Macro 120/4 Five stars: This lens breathes life into the fine details of a leaf surface. It also provides a more comfortable working distance than the D-FA macro, and is much easier on the wallet at less than 1/3 the price."

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-645d-medium-format/263056-nippo...#ixzz36GLsDw24

thanks for sharing. I hadn't seen that but reading through the posted excerpt, the comments seem spot on, at least pertaining to the lenses i have or have used. good article!

[672]

Good news! The Z does cat pictures as well or better than the D !!!

[672]

M50 Creative District, Shanghai

P67 55-100MM

[Dominia]

645D + 55/2.8