[continuing my comments…] • I still calibrate my FOV in terms of the old 35mm format. When deciding whether to mount the 20-40mm on my K-3, I think of it in terms of its equivalency to the FOV of a 35mm lens with a 30-60mm zoom. In that context, note that the 645Z sensor is not a “full-frame”sensor, it is not 4.5 by 6cm. So there is a “crop factor.” The factor is roughly .80 with respect to a 35mm “standard.” Thus, looking at readily available reasonably priced 645 lenses, note that a 35mm lens (645z) has a FOV = 28mm (35mm film system), 45mm = 35mm, 55mm = 44mm, 75m = 60mm, 120mm = 96mm, 150mm = 90mm, and 200mm = 160mm. Also note that the PF review mentions a crop factor of roughly 1.36. They must have been comparing the effective FOV of 645 lenses on the Z to 645 lenses on a 645 film body.
- Big negative for me is that the few DA-style lenses are way beyond my budget. If I want AF, I am stuck with FA-style lenses. This is an issue because I have become very addicted to Pentax’s modern lenses with the “quick shift” focusing mechanism. Even when working slowly on a tripod using Liveview, I still would like to use the AF to get a quick approximate focus which I then tweak as needed. Can’t do it without quick shift. The lens AF On-Off switches are mostly the older FA style where the focusing collar slides forward or backward. Too much disturbance of the camera on the tripod. + I very much enjoy the use of Liveview and focus peaking. I don’t think I would have bought the 645z if this were not available, this is a major reason why I did not go for a discounted 645D for my first digital venture into this larger format. + The LCD display on the top of the camera is angled toward the back as it was on the MZ-S and should be on every other camera. + Tripod mounting. I probably would not have even thought of mentioning this except that the PF review made a big deal about the fact that you can attach a tripod mounting plate on both the bottom and on the left side. Makes it quick and easy to switch from landscape to portrait orientation and it is much more secure than using an L-bracket would be. But oh by the way, this is the way the first Pentax 645 film body was made and they have never changed it so it is not a big deal. But a nice touch. + The menu system and most controls are identical to or closely analogous to the K-3 layout. Very simple to move from one to the other. Though this could be a negative for those who don’t like the K-3 menu system and control layout. + Some nice extra buttons, e.g., to switch into bracketed shooting. - Why the RAW button is there, with limited customization, boggles my mind. That would have been a good spot for a button to switch from single-frame to continuous shooting. • Remember when cameras used to have a lever on the right side of the mirror box you could use to raise the mirror? The 645z has a small knob that does the same thing. I haven’t figured out why. Anytime I will be shooting with the mirror up to avoid vibration, I am going to be using an IR remote trigger, with 3-second delay and mirror lock-up. The knob doesn’t seem to have a real purpose. + Speaking of IR remotes, the 645z thankfully carries forward the recent Pentax APS-C feature of providing IR sensors on the back as well as the front of the body. - Big files, quickly fill up cards, laptop disks, external-drives, etc. And the files are slow to transfer, slow to process. + Big files. I can do a really deep crop and still get a pretty good quality image with good resolution. I can do some moderate cropping and still print an 11x17 at 300dpi. At least that is what I have been told;I haven’t revived my printer and tried it out yet. + Wonderful dynamic range. While “working the scene” at the top of Gold Hill in Shaftsbury on my recent trip, I did something that resulted in badly underexposed shots. (IIRC, I switched lenses, managed to take the new lens off its A setting. It pretty much almost worked except that the next few shots were taken at f22 or so.) In Lightroom I added 5 EV; et voila I had usable images. • Noise. I have mostly used the camera on a tripod where slow shutter speeds are not an issue and so I haven’t had to push much beyond ISO3200 or ISO6400. A totally unsystematic evaluation of the images suggests that noise in the images is like with the K-3 or a bit better. But I have not gone into formal testing mode with the two cameras at the same settings shooting the same scenes. • It does have a knob to activate some sort of video capability. I accidentally moved that knob and wound up inadvertently making a video of the cathedral’s cafeteria table while chatting with Chris in Salisbury. Had a bitch of a time finding the knob and turning the thing off. But now I know and that knob won’t get rotated again. [see Part 2 for my concluding remarks] stan -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
