Pentax 645Z Review

Image Quality Verdict

The tests and full-size samples that we've presented over the course of the past several pages provide a clear picture of the 645Z's capabilities, as well as a small list of shortcomings.

The 645Z delivers exceptional levels of detail in its images, which makes it ideal for making large prints or cropping very tightly.  Even if your subject fills only part of the frame, chances are you'll still be able to end up with a sizable print after cropping.

Its new white balance system is highly accurate, just like that of the K-3 APS-C flagship.  We found this to be especially apparent during nighttime photography, where the out-of-camera white balance is often better than what a raw converter's "auto" setting would suggest.

High-ISO noise is one of the key areas that the 645Z's new 51-megapixel CMOS sensor improves upon compared to 645D.  Not only does the 645Z produce very clean files at ISO 1600 (the 645D's maximum ISO), but it can also be cranked up all the way to ISO 204,800, with what we consider acceptable levels of noise up to around ISO 12,800.  Thanks to its higher resolution and current-gen noise performance, the 645Z also pulls well ahead of the 36-megapixel full-frame sensor, something that the 645D struggled with.

Sample Photo: 645Z with SMC Pentax-DA 645 55mm F2.8 Lens

There is really only one thing we can complain about when it comes to the 645Z's image quality, and that's the JPEG engine.  While shooting in RAW gives you endless possibilities by allowing to you finely adjust colors and the exposure within a very wide dynamic range, the JPEG engine simply isn't optimized for a camera of this caliber.  It actually has the same presets and options as current entry-level Pentax DSLRs.  Many of our out-of-camera JPEGs— including those in the default "bright" and "landscape" modes— were underwhelming.  With that said, we're happy to see that one of the few compromises that the 645Z makes is an area that many will overlook.


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