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05-06-2010, 03:09 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by opfor Quote
Used lenses in the UK? I usually watch London Camera Exchange or T4 cameras.
Right now T4 has some used 6x7 lenses in Swindon.
These are the ones, in addition to ffordes, which I watch too. There are also German sites, such as SecondHandCamera - gebrauchte Kameras Objektive Fotozubehör - PENTAX 645 but my impression is that the price is higher over there.

The well-known US sites of Adorama, KEH and B&H can be useful even for UK customers.

05-10-2010, 04:47 AM   #17
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I just wanted to mention that after little bargaining a 645N with FA 45-85/4.5 is on its way from Ffordes to me !!

It should arrive within a day or two and on the next Sunday I will take it to Paris for a working week. I hope to find a bit free time to give it a try and will report.

BTW - have any of you used the angle finder with Pentax 645 (N) ? I was used to my TLR that allowed me to shoot from very low without the necessity to lay on the ground so I would be interested to hear your experience. There are 2 of them out there for about 150 euro what is a bit too steep for me right now, so I would like to hear some opinions first.
05-10-2010, 08:23 AM   #18
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I have the Pentax Refconvertor for my 645N and it's a really nice piece.
05-10-2010, 01:34 PM   #19
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OK - I have the camera in my hands (what a beast!) and have a few questions.

1) The battery holder when inserted (without batteries) and locked - has a slight play. Is that normal? The rubber sealing ring on the battery holder seems to be there ...

2) The 45-85/4.5 has quite some rattle in it - is this normal? When the zoom is set to either 45 mm or 85 mm (the lens is sticking out most) the movement that the front part is capable of is more that I would consider normal (like +- 2 mm at the very end) ...


Last edited by Matus; 05-10-2010 at 01:46 PM.
05-10-2010, 01:40 PM   #20
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Dammit man!
I was sleeping fine at night until this thread came along...

I love landcape photography and if someone here can show the advantages of the 645D in such conditions, I could see myself going in that direction. But it would have to be good, because I'm looking about the same price to complete a Nikon FF kit for the same purposes...

But the real question is...
Will it impress the other shooters when I setup and start shooting the 645D?
05-21-2010, 08:36 AM   #21
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Well - just to let you know the camera went back - I found out that the side tripod mount was broken (came off the camera when mounted on tripod) and finally I agreed with the seller for a refund. So now I can think the whole story over before jumping on next camera ...
05-24-2010, 10:45 AM   #22
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You're going to love this rig!

I think the 45-85mm is a great lens. Got mine attached to a 645N body for the amazing price of $ 625 + 20 dollars shipping. That's right! A $645 645, a phrase that now echoes in my psyche every time I pick up the camera. I also bought the sister lens at B&H, FA 80-160mm f/4.5. It's really all I need, but I went overboard and bought the 67--645 adapter, and another adapter that lets me mount Hasselblad lenses (a Chinese machine shop doing business on eBay).

Most professionals wouldn't care about the f/4.5 aperture, which is not bad for a medium format zoom. The equivalent 35mm range would be about 27--to 95mm for the two 645
zooms, not bad at all. Since I have a 45mm f/4 lens to fit my 67 Pentax II, I can get a
medium format super wide angle shot. For long telephoto shots, more than my 300 f/4 67 format lens, I downsize to 35mm format which is still better than most digital rigs.

I can only speak for the the two 645 zooms mentioned above. They are excellent sharp
lenses, with all aberration and distortions tightly controlled. Both lenses take my 77mm filters, and hoods. One word of advice: If you want a Pentax lens hood, buy a lens that includes a lens hood.

DO NOT TRUST B&H TO PROVIDE A LENS HOOD, EVEN IF THEY SPECIFICALLY SAY IT IS INCLUDED!!! (They lied to me, and then blew off my complaint! Pecker heads! )


Last edited by rick_reddy; 03-27-2011 at 10:06 AM.
05-24-2010, 01:56 PM   #23
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Now that was one enthusiastic post. 645 for 645... nice!
05-30-2010, 01:53 AM   #24
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Until waiting for getting the one film I exposed with the 645N and 45-85/4.5 back form the lab I have spent a lot of time considering whether should I get the 645N again or should I even consider the 67. I have seen a lot of nice work made with this monster SLR, but still the issue with shutter induced vibrations keeps me away (I LOVE my lightweight carbon Feisol tripod - 3 pounds with ball head - it keeps my 4x5" stable) as many have reported about the need of heavy/stable tripod to handle it.

So - how do you guys handle this problem?
05-30-2010, 10:05 PM   #25
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I wouldn't put a 6 lb camera and lens on a 3 lb tripod and head, that's for sure (if only because I'd expect it to topple if bumped or of a stiff gust of wind came up).
05-31-2010, 05:11 AM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ivan J. Eberle Quote
I wouldn't put a 6 lb camera and lens on a 3 lb tripod and head, that's for sure (if only because I'd expect it to topple if bumped or of a stiff gust of wind came up).
You've got a point, Ivan. However I do this for some time with 4x5 - 3 pounds for the camera, 1 for the lens and I was able to use lenses up to 400mm (the sturdiness limitation came from the camera, not from the tripod/head). I guess the main difference is the shutter - the leaf shutter produces nearly no vibrations at all.
Truth to be told - such a top-heavy setup is not to be left alone - in particular not outdoors.

Still - the more I think about the Pentax 67 - the more I realize that the shutter vibrations are the biggest problem for me. The necessity of carrying a heavy tripod turns the idea of replacing the 4x5 with 6x7 (in the case the 4x5 is not practical) upside-down.

I have to admit that I liked the images from P67 I have seen on flickr - in particular the ones with 105/2.4 wide open. That is something the Mamiya 7 just can not do for me ...


So I keep running in circles ...
05-31-2010, 07:12 AM   #27
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No, you don't need to second-guess your initial choice if you're not planning on printing huge--and besides, for that you have the 4x5 already, right?

One thing that becomes apparent when jumping formats is that each has it's strengths and weaknesses.

For LF it's always touted as the moves (but rarely mentioned that the larger format requires them just to get everything in focus!). For your architecture and city-scapes this will be invaluable for keeping walls and buildings straight and putting the horizon somewhere other than in the middle of your frame. Tilt-shift lenses don't do this with as much flexibility. If you want 6x7 on a view camera you can always shoot a roll film back.

For 645 format the strength of what it does absolutely best of all are a little harder to define nowadays with so much overlap. One thing it does particularly well is wedding and portraiture in the field (using print films with tremendous dynamic range for shooting both bride and groom at noon on a sunny day-- white dress, black tuxedo).

I find that the relatively long shutter lag due to the large SLR mirror makes 645 a poor choice for action and wildlife. For this reason alone I would not invest in a super-tele for 645 (regardless of the 645D) since APS-C DSLRs trounce most every other option for telephoto work (Take my advice or leave it, but know that I've made a nice living at both wildlife photography and PJ).
03-24-2011, 12:48 PM   #28
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This reply may be irrelevant now as the thread is old and the OP may have found other MF sellers and have his all the lens he wants but Mifsuds is the other useful site in the U.K. besides Ffordes. Sometimes Mifsuds will have stuff that Ffordes lack and vice versa. It is always worth checking both sites

asahijock
03-25-2011, 05:17 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by asahijock Quote
This reply may be irrelevant now as the thread is old and the OP may have found other MF sellers and have his all the lens he wants but Mifsuds is the other useful site in the U.K. besides Ffordes. Sometimes Mifsuds will have stuff that Ffordes lack and vice versa. It is always worth checking both sites

asahijock
Yeah, but any time I've called Mifsuds about something on their website "it has just been sold". Never had that experience with Ffordes. Don't get me wrong - I've heard lots of good things about Mifsuds, but I've never actually bought anything from them myself because of the disconnect between what they say they have online and what is actually there.
03-25-2011, 07:15 AM   #30
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cuchulainn Quote
Yeah, but any time I've called Mifsuds about something on their website "it has just been sold". Never had that experience with Ffordes. Don't get me wrong - I've heard lots of good things about Mifsuds, but I've never actually bought anything from them myself because of the disconnect between what they say they have online and what is actually there.
I have never used Mifsuds myself but on other sites I have never seen anyone mention your problem. Maybe you were unlucky but I don't know. I do know that Pentax MF stuff especially the less common lenses go quickly

To put it into context was your experience solely with Pentax MF and how often did it happen?

This has put me off Mifsuds but I need to try and put it into context
Thanks


asahijock
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