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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
02-19-2023, 11:47 AM
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I'd find a full frame 645 sensor DSLR from Pentax super exciting. Not that the 645Z was bad, but Pentax always had the potential for a larger format 645 because of their lens coverage. At that size, the mirrorless vs DSLR difference is also much less relevant. The other day I was comparing my Pentax 645 kit versus my Fuji GFX kit, and there weren't really that much weight and size differences. Pentax will also do well as they managed to reduce mirror slap to negligible. Fortunately, there is already such a sensor out there, and if Pentax would manage to come in at $10K they'd once more have a winner, especially since they already have three compatible lenses.
I am one of those who loves the current 150 because of the way it renders portraits, but a new well-corrected lens would be really exciting. And another "attempt" at the 25mm focus length range?! Pentax, PLEASE. This really would be a viable niche for Pentax. Always had been hoping they'd go for the bigger sensor anyway.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
02-18-2023, 06:14 PM
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With the 35, 55, and 90mm covering the full 645 sensor already in place, and a full slate of FA lenses as potential backups, a full 645 DSLR would make sense for Pentax, as there is no competition in a reasonable price range. They can even get a sensor. Perhaps they'll develop a new 25mm, a new 150mm DA, a new Tele-Macro, and a new 250-300mm, and that's all they need to be in business. Big sensor, four new lenses and they'd have something that distinguishes them from Fuji and is likely way cheaper than Hasselblad and Phase. I'd get one.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
12-07-2022, 05:14 PM
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Mine is mechanically without any flaws. As good as it can get. Sorry to hear that yours is experiencing problems.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-23-2022, 09:31 PM
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The 15mm/4 and the 15mm/4.5 are completely different animals. The 15mm/4 is designed with macro photography in mind, and is actually quite good in that range, but otherwise has strong barrel distortion. The 15mm/4.5 is primarily a shift lens for architecture and landscape with almost zero distortion. The 15mm/4.5 is a much higher quality lens.
Both the 15mm/4.5 and the new 20mm shift lens both can be purchased for Fuji GFX mount. They both cover 44x33mm with movements. The don't work on P645 because of the registration distance.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
03-14-2018, 06:49 PM
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You guys got it all wrong. The 600mm A is for the pictures. The 800mm/4 with the big Pentax 6x7 is to knock them bears over the head. Either end works by the way.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
03-12-2018, 10:20 AM
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I use the following lenses for such a trip: FA ED 400mm/5.6, FA 200mm/4, A Macro 120mm/4, an adapted Imagon 120mm H=4.5, D FA 55mm/2.8, HD 35mm/3.5, DA 25mm/4, and the 1.4x teleconverter. The 400mm/5.6 is a great and compact medium photo telephoto, which still works with the 1.4x teleconverter the 200mm is a much underappreciated lens that doubles up for portraits and environmental details, the A version of the 120 is much more compact than the FA, and for macro I don't need autofocus anyway, the Imagon can work as a wonderful portrait lens, the 55 and the 35 are excellent allrounders in their respective focal lengths, and the 25mm is a jewel IMHO. I must confess that during film years and when I was younger, I carried a 600mm/5.6 A through Katmai and along the shores of the Shelikof Strait, and that was just wonderful for bears and wildlife. It's weight though limits the number of other lenses on such a trip.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
10-31-2017, 06:21 AM
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I had been optimistic before, but this time the price drops in combination with patents for a new telephoto zoom are promising though.
I don't need their zooms. I want primes. For many reasons (size, weight, design) medium format is for primes. Unfortunately, Fuji has done it all right. Those lenses. Enviable. And in an amazing short time.
But perhaps Pentax catches on. Eventually.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
05-29-2017, 06:35 PM
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Your key lens would be the 600mm A, and you'd need a rail to get perfectly sharp images. That rail takes some space and also comes in at some weight. In addition I'd take a 200mm FA for portraits, and a 75mm and a 35mm A as lightweight standard and wide angle lenses, and a set of extension tubes for macro. All fits into one of those Thinktank backpacks (Streetwalker?). This way you can use the 645Z (fairly robust), get great images, and don't need to have a second system. If you have doubts about your 645Z and you are willing to carry a little bit more, you can use a K1 as a second body and a 15-30mm lens and an adapter for the 645 system.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
02-28-2017, 12:59 AM
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Great post. I find those real-life tests so much more telling.
I am especially impressed with your Kilfitt. I have two of them, but I only systematically tested one of them, and it did not stack up against the Pentacon. I guess I should give it another chance.
All of these tests, especially those of medium format telephoto lenses, are so sensitive to focusing error. It seems to me that the picture that you showed as the one taken with the 300mm/4 P67 ED lens appears to be front focused. You will notice that especially if you compare the marble wall under the flower vase. That would explain the surprisingly low performance of the P67. Too me the flowers appear out of focus and not less sharp as a result of a weaker lens. I have been wrong before though. Narrow focus bracketing would tell.
My P645 300mm/4 IF ED and the P67 counterpart are exceptional lenses and I'd be hard pressed to tell any difference. They both win by closing the diaphragm to F5.6.
Just my perception. Great test nevertheless.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
02-27-2017, 08:47 PM
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I would also guess atmospheric conditions over a (relatively) long exposure period are the culprit. Against all common sense, you could increase the ISO settings and open up the diaphragm little. ISO 3200 still works wonders on the 645Z and you could open up the aperture to 8 or even 5.6, and your image would still be way sharper than the one you got in your post.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
01-21-2017, 03:43 PM
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I wouldn't be surprised if Pentax would announce the 100 MP 645 camera at CP+. They love CP+ for their big announcements and Ricoh has managed to be quite tight-lipped about new product announcements if they chose to be. Such an announcement would also take some wind out of Fuji and Hasselblad because the 100 MP sensor would make up for some of the limitations of the current lens lineup. But I have been wrong before...
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
12-11-2016, 10:59 PM
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I got two of those 25mm just in case one of them breaks :). I guess Pentax is busy right now developing their full-frame system, which appears to be selling better than expected. Happy for Pentax. I'd be glad to see a new body with the 100MP sensor and some new primes that will come with it, including an extreme wideangle. A fast portrait prime along the way wouldn't hurt either, and a longer macro.
In the meantime the prices for the body will go down. Based on everything else Fuji has done with their lenses, those new 23mm and 110mm are likely to rock. I also love the design of the camera, but I guess that's a matter of taste.
And then their flyer recalling half a century of Fuji lens design, for the 6x8, the GSW, and the large format lenses. They definitely know how to market themselves.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
12-11-2016, 10:50 PM
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I recommend the larger ThinkTank Retrospective models (40 or 50). They hold a 645D with a 150mm attached, a 300mm/4, the 55mm A, and a 25mm or 35mm wide angle. Ideal walk-around kit.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
12-07-2016, 12:48 PM
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I find the Fuji and its conceived lens portfolio incredibly attractive and I was blown away by it initially. Especially the 23 and the 110mm/2 lenses, just what makes me salivate. I had all those odd Fuji cameras during film days, the GSW690, the big 680, and some large format lenses, and I loved those cameras and lenses. Then there is lots of talks about adapters and there seems to be a good chance for adapters for the Mamiya 7 lenses and the Rolleiflex lenses. Thus, it would only make sense for me to get one.
After my initial excitement wore off and I had more time with my 645Z and 645D I once more appreciated what fantastic cameras they are. The native lenses are great, and I am a big fan of the 400, the 300, the 150, the 25, and some of the 67 lenses, but in addition to those I have a plethora of adapted lenses, macro and portrait, and it would make little sense for me to change those setups. Thus, the 645z and 645D are certainly plenty of camera and I occasionally wonder (between episodes of GAS) how much camera one really needs. The Pentax 645 system is just so photographer friendly, almost more so than the CANIKON consumer models, but with an eye for the professional.
I guess I'll get one of those GFXes eventually, but perhaps not with the same sense of rush and excitement that I had at photokina. Also, a new 645 body with even higher MP would be great, and perhaps we'll see some more 645Z price reduction.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-30-2016, 09:05 PM
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These are my two shoulder bag kits: (i) FA 300mm, FA 150mm, A 55mm, and DA 25mm (645D) or (ii) FA 150-300mm, P67 55-100mm, and DA 28-45mm (645Z). Both give great results. You could use the first kit with the 75mm instead of the 55mm.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-21-2016, 11:35 PM
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I would have wished that camera would have had the Pentax name tag on top of it. But for whatever reason, Pentax hasn't gone that route.
Everything that's so intriguing about the Fuji seems to have disappeared from the Pentax portfolio as of today with the exception of 645D and 645Z cameras. The Fuji lens line-up is just a dream. According to rumors, Fuji has been working on the system for quite some time, and it shows. Those lenses, 23, 110/2, and a new 120 prime, and even the 63mm and a new 45mm show how much the minds of photographers were driving the GFX concept. The quirky camera shape. How Fuji. And then those flyers and web sites reminding future customers of Fuji's glorious past in medium format: the GSW690 and the GX680 with all its lenses. Fuji even had fantastic large format lenses. I guess what impresses me most is how well the GFX is developed.
I am grateful to Pentax for coming out with the 645D and the 645Z. Great bodies. I had all those old 645 and 67 lenses, and I was one of those who had been waiting for a decade without selling any of them. Pentax delivered, and now all those wonderful lenses continue to be used. They are at the verge of being old. Not too old, but somewhat. Pentax' new lenses have been seriously underwhelming for me, and I don't see much change. The only lens I found exciting was the 25mm, and that had a number of quality issues and is no longer manufactured. I am annoyed by the barrel distortion of the 28-45mm at the wide end, and I find 90mm as a medium format focal length utterly unusable. I am sure others will disagree. I find the new 35mm and the 55mm o.k.. I have them all. I am dreading the next two announcements with those zooms. Medium format for me is not about zooms. Zooms are for 35mm. In medium format, zooms are clumsy and slow. At least they don't fit my style. Ricoh has saved Pentax, but I am afraid they turn even the cameras and lenses into copy machines.
Others, I know, will disagree, but for me, Fuji just came out with a lens portfolio that 100% matches my shooting style. And I find the camera looks way cool. The only concern I have (nobody mentioned that so far) is that huge sensor exposed to the elements. There'll be a lot of sensor cleaning going on. But that's the only relative advantage of SLRs: the mirror protects the sensor from dust. Otherwise the Fuji is just what a medium format camera should be today, IMHO.
I have recovered from the immediate "I want it" reaction and I am not sure whether I'll fall for it. If they make an adapter for those Mamiya 7 lenses I'll bite. Otherwise, as others mentioned, the 645Z is a fantastic camera that can do a lot of things. It's hard to switch systems, especially if one has as many lenses as I have. 35mm digital has come awfully close toward realizing a level of sophistication that became the reason for me switching to medium format in the early 1980ies. The Sony A7RII and the Nikon D810, and probably others. Thus, I am not sure whether the GFX will ever become my camera. Well, yes, the 110mm, but I have a 110mm/F2 Planar for my Rolleiflex and chances are that while the Fuji will be sharper, the dreaminess of the the F2 Planar will not be matched.
After a few days I also realized that it really doesn't matter for me whether it has the Pentax name all over it. All the Pentax lenses are SLR designs. Even if this was a Pentax, chances are that Pentax would have had to develop an entirely new system, perhaps with a couple of adapters to fit the old lenses on the new camera. And then they would be awkward to use.
Hands down though, the GFX is a marvelous camera and a marvelous concept. It brings the love for detail and the passion for photography of an almost bygone era back into the digital world. Even though it's just a tool, the GFX is one I respect and admire.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-20-2016, 12:22 AM
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What a beautifully conceived camera. As someone said somewhere else: a photographer's camera. Or as Gavin Cato said, a Pentax 23mm and a 110mm would get me excited again. But then the Fuji body ... so well designed . .. major drool factor.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-19-2016, 06:55 PM
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... for example, almost don't dare to mention, those Mamiya 7 lenses? Any possibility to make an adapter that would connect the electronics? I know they aren't really designed for digital because of their short focusing travel, but I for sure would love to continue using them.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-19-2016, 05:57 PM
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The camera and lenses Pentax should have made while diddling with everything else.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-12-2016, 12:42 AM
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ThinkTank Retrospective 50 if you still can find one.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-04-2016, 10:17 AM
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
09-03-2016, 09:21 AM
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Thanks for your nice note, Marcus. You'll be quite close with the MP-E. I'd keep the 200mm Pentax in case you decide to get a K-1 one of these days :).
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
08-28-2016, 07:36 PM
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I wouldn't mind seeing their collaboration with Tamron continue, when it comes to K-1 lenses, perhaps with improved quality control. Tamron's putative 115mm/1.4 (announced for Sony A) seems interesting, and they appear to have a number of excellent 1.8 VR lenses in the pipeline. Perhaps a new 50mm/1.2, a new 300mm, and a new 24mm (all Pentax designs), and Pentax would be back in business, at least for the time being.
A Tamron alliance would allow them to move forward with the 100MP 645 body. Pentax apparently bought an option on those sensors. This would allow them to keep the momentum. They'd need a few more lenses though for the new sensor.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
08-27-2016, 01:02 PM
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Your 200mm macro covers at macro distances. It's an excellent lens. The issue is just to get a suitable adapter to preserve your automatic functions or at least facilitate a stable mount. You would do better getting a K-1 to use this lens.
The 120mm A and FA are ideal macro lenses for the 645 in many ways. The shorter 90mm is sharper, but 90mm is too short of a focal length for many macro applications. Longer focal lengths pose challenges any which way.
One workable compromise for the 645Z is the 150mm Apo Componon HM with adapters and extension tubes. You'll loose automatic aperture control and you need rather long extension tubes, but it works and the lens is outstanding at macro distances. It covers well and you will still have a good working distance. Alternatively, you could use a 150mm/2.8 Printing Nikkor or the 165mm/4 Ultra Micro Nikkor. Both are extremely sharp lenses, but they close down only to F11, and that is not enough for many applications. Sharpness is exceptional though. If you want to go to even longer focal lengths, why not try one of those 240mm/9 Apo Nikkors? Those close down and are relatively compact to use. However, at 240mm, you'd need huge extension contraptions to reach sufficient magnification. Working distance would be excellent though.
If you were to consider other systems, the Sigma 180mm/2.8 is an excellent macro lens. It suffers somewhat from focus breathing, but the image quality certainly makes up for it. Not sure whether it's available in Pentax mount, but I am using it with great success on my Nikon. Another long distance macro rig that works very well is the the 200mm Micro Nikkor on one of those new Sony cameras. The 7Rii has a fantastic sensor and image stabilization, and the Nikkor can be readily adapted and used in manual focus mode. The Micro-Nikkor is very sharp on the A7Rii and does not suffer from focus breathing at all, as far as I can tell.
By far the best systems for medium format macro photography were those Rolleiflex medium format SLR systems. The SL66 with built-in bellows and the 6000/Hy6 series with three lenses exclusively designed for macro photography. In addition, the Hy6's Curtagon was perfect for automatic diaphragm macro photography at high magnification in reverse position. There was a 150mm/4.6 Apo-Symmar for the automated bellows and you could add multiple extension rings, and the whole thing used leaf shutter lenses so that you'd get minimum vibrations. With some of those newer systems it is impossible to add more than one extension tubes. The Rolleiflex apparently has no limits. The tubes would slightly vignette in the corners, but that is easy to cut off.
For you at this point, the easiest solution would be to get a K-1. You won't be disappointed.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
08-23-2016, 02:01 PM
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... and because of the 400mm and 800mm ED lenses.
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