For several years I had believed that shooting a medium format camera at high ISO would yield terrible results. Most likely there would be no point in trying, I thought. However, a few days ago I nevertheless brought the Pentax 645Z and the Pentax 25mm f/4 out into the darkness where the zoombies reign — in my imagination anyway.
To shoot medium format had been a longtime dream of mine, but I have to admit I didn’t know it would be such a mindblowing experience. The 51.4-megapixel Pentax 645Z arrived on the market in 2014 and was the first camera to ever exceed 100 points in the DxOMark sensor test. For some unknown reason, the score and review weren't published until 2017.
Last month, we reported that DxOMark had reviewed the Pentax 645Z back in 2015 and given it a highest-ever score of 101 before pausing its medium format camera reviews prior to publishing any. That Pentax 645Z review is finally out, and DxOMark still has glowing things to say about the camera.
The Nikon D850 isn't actually the first DSLR to be assigned a DxOMark score of 100+. The medium format Pentax 645Z was actually awarded a ridiculously high score of 101 back in 2015, but it's unofficial because that review has never been published.
We all know mirrorless cameras are smaller and more portable, but when it comes to medium format, what does "portable" really mean? This photo of the mirrorless Fuji GFX 50s next to Pentax's 645z gives you an idea.
Time and again photographer Martin Heck has captured our attention by pushing the time lapse envelope. We've featured two of his 4K time lapses in the past, and today we get to show you something even more stunning: his 8K Patagonia time lapse captured entirely on a medium format camera.
Here's a photo of a Pentax 645Z medium format DSLR that was sliced cleanly down the middle. Pentax was displaying this half camera at the CP+ show in Japan back in early 2015. It's an interesting look at the guts of a camera that currently costs about $7,000.
I’m an experienced wedding photographer who has wanted digital medium format for a long time. I use a pair of 1D Xs with the typical lenses that you would expect a wedding shooter to use. I never was intending on replacing my Canon gear, but rather supplementing it. My idea was use the medium format for location shooting, and use my Canon’s for everything else.
In this article, I'm going to share a simple comparison between photos taken with the Canon 1D X, Nikon D810, and Pentax 645z. First things first, this is not a scientific or carefully done test. Don’t read too much into it!
The video-capable medium format Pentax 645z boasts 76 weather seals that make it cold-resistant, dustproof and weather-resistant... but just how "dustproof" and "weather-resistant" are we talking here?
When the medium-format Pentax 645Z was announced, we were given a price point of $8,500 and a release date of "June 2014." Of course, there are 30 days in June, so if you've pre-ordered yours and you'd like a more specific date to anticipate, you'll be happy to note that Ricoh Imaging Japan has provided one.
It's here. The Pentax 645Z Medium Format camera has arrived just as the rumor sites said it would, and the camera's release date was far from the only rumor that has proven to be 100% true. In fact, we'll have to look hard to find anything they got wrong.
The rumor sites are hard at work when it comes to Pentax's soon-to-be-released medium format shooter, the 645z, and it looks like it paid off. In addition to the leaked photos and details from yesterday, we now have a comprehensive spec list that contains some very interesting tidbits indeed.
If you're just now considering getting into digital medium format photography, then you've picked a great time. CMOS sensors are making their way into just about every brand, 4K video is too, and now, it looks like the entry-level price bar might be dropping as well.