[d.bradley]

One thing I wanted to add - So far it looks like the 645D medium format camera is still going forward, and if it stays at the current planned price, it will utterly obliterate Canon's offerings in its price range. (I've seen a lot of news indicating that it'll be priced similarly to Canon's top of the line but will have a much larger sensor.) So yeah, it looks like Pentax is planning on competing with Canon's flagships not by producing a pro 35mm FF camera, but instead producing an affordable MF digital. (And MF is by definition pro, unless you're shooting with a Holga. )

The 645 is going for a totally different market than the MKIII, that's for sure. I'd say the pentax offering is more competition for the older canon models or something more studio oriented. I would hesitate to say they would 'compete' in terms of market...

[anomaly]

The closest offering that Canon has to the 645D is the 5D. The "Studio Cameras".

[Asad_Masede]

The 645 is going for a totally different market than the MKIII, that's for sure. I'd say the pentax offering is more competition for the older canon models or something more studio oriented. I would hesitate to say they would 'compete' in terms of market...

I wouldn't say "totally different market"; I think the 645D will definitely "compete" with the Canon Ds series, not fully, but compete it will.

There's armies of stock shooters, corporate and advertisement studio shooters who choose the Canon based solely on the fact that it's the largest available sensor and MP camera in that certain price range. The FPS, weather sealing, ultra fast tracking AF or the weather sealed metal built large aperture IS zooms simply don't matter to them as much as these things do to sports and journalism shooters.

As opposed to the 35mm film and APS-C DSLRs, Pentax's "pro" line is the medium format gear, and it's an entire and complete professional system that is well supported by Pentax.

So there definitely will be overlapping markets between Canon's top DSLR and Pentax's 645D, however it won't be a direct or full competition. Of course, all of this, is MHO.

Cheers,
-Asad

[-spam-]

You don't consider Benjikan a professional photographer? Among others.

No one ever said that he wasnt. Go back and read the OP,

Do pentax make a camera to compete with the likes of the canon 1D Mk2 or something like that?

He mentions the 1D mkII. That is more of a sports photogs camera or a photo journalists. Ben is a fashion photographer, the features of the 1dmkII would be over kill for him.

And all of these people comparing it to the k10d and now the 645D, its like comparing apples and oranges. The k10d is aimed at a different market than the top end canon and nikon bodies. And the 645D is in a completely different class to pretty much everything that has been mentioned so far.

The closest offering that Canon has to the 645D is the 5D. The "Studio Cameras".

I would say the closest thing would be the current 1DS mkII, given it is a 16mp FF camera and the 5D is only 12mp. But you have to remember that the 645D is a digital medium format camera. The two full frame canon cameras are not. Besides, if canon felt they could crack the market with a MF digital body, they would have done it by now.

[RiceHigh]

The closest offering that Canon has to the 645D is the 5D. The "Studio Cameras".

I think 5D is just an typical DSLR which amatuer can use. The size and weight of the 5D is similar to the K10 and just it is still portable (although by no means is as lightweight and compact as those entry level DSLRs) whilst the 645D is as huge and large as the film 645 which makes it totally not feasible to carrying it around for travelling or for casual daily family shooting or so.

As for the low noise and high pixel count, I agree that the 5D can be considered as a studio camera with unmatched performance. But then in studio, everything is under control and I don't see big problem neither. Actually in studio, I think an *ist D would be just fine and it is an ideal tool too as it is the only Pentax DSLR with a PC sync socket plus the support of TTL auto flash.

[anomaly]

The 5D is not typical. How many other full frame DSLRs are there again?

The reason I compared them is because generally speaking the people who will use the 645D would have used the 5D if they were using a Canon.

Please pay close attention to my wording before you respond.

[Buddha Jones]

Soon to be the Nikon D3, and the new Sony Alpha methinks. Both are rumored to be full frame.