sign in sign up
<<
Home , Hasselblad, Nikon D3X, Pentax 645, Pentax 645D

Test 645D An accessible DSLR?

o announce a costing With time, evolved, and The 645D sports digital SLR will have no problem card followed by the other, etc.) €10,000 as "accessible" might today the most modern models the classic form of a solid medium working with a 645D. As the overall The Raw format used is DNG, and T sound somewhat strange to ( H and Leica S) have format camera. It ergonomics are based on highly in- images can be read directly by many photographers. The term de- abandoned the "body plus inter- is pleasing to tuitive controls, you can instantly Adobe software. Other Raw conver- serves a few explanations. Finan- changeable back" form for a solid handle and find your way around. ters (DxO and others) should very cially, it is justified because a 40 architecture that enables a more ef- comfortable to Original functions are also found use: Pentax has shortly be able to read 645D files. Mpix digital medium format cur- ficient design. This is the type of given it the very in the 645D, for example double The camera handles nicely. The rently sells for more than €15,000, construction used by Pentax. best in APS-C SLR level (front/back and right/left tilt), a grip, which seems a little uncomfor- whereas the Pentax 654D is at The "body plus separate back" ar- ergonomics. A misty landscape Use in the handheld position would be good! camera is less rapid (continuous very useful feature for shooting table at first, turns out to be very ef- Jpeg and Raw €9,900 (including VAT). But "acces- chitecture seems ideal: to moder- landscapes and architecture. But fective. The 645D is a heavy camera; Q in the Basque poses no particular problem. The At present only the 55mm lens is shooting is limited to 1.1fps), less A body of this type will chiefly be Country. Despite sible" also applies to its ease of use: nise the whole unit (for example, there are also highly advanced you need to have one hand on the 645D is not stabilised, but its weight available; other lenses should come reactive and much less versatile used in Raw format, the Jpeg mainly the bad weather as the 645D is inspired by the bran- change over from 20 to 40 Mpix), white balance settings (a Pentax tra- grip, and the other to support it un- provides sufficient inertia for out in 2011, but meanwhile you will than a top quality SLR, but the reso- making it possible to obtain an conditions, the d's APS-C SLRs, it is genuinely you just need to change the back. dition), together with optical correc- derneath, setting the focus with the rendering of the images at 1/60 s to be perfectly have to recycle the lenses designed lution is a great deal higher, as can image that can be exploited quickly. simple to operate. In practice, it is more efficient and tions ( and distortion). fingers if need be. In this configura- details is excellent. sharp. The mirror, although large, for the silver halide 645 (there are be seen in prints. For example, at a wedding, one card The digital medium format made thus more economical to construct The upper screen provides a tion, handheld use is pleasant. If you look at the seem well enough cushioned not to some excellent ones around). At ISO 1600, the "raw" noise is can record the Raw pictures desi- print closely, you its appearance with digital backs a complete body containing elec- great deal of information, and you With a tripod, there are two ways generate blurriness. slightly higher than with a pro SLR, gned as the final images, while the even find micro- designed to be fixed to silver halide tronics and mechanics together. can thus see the number of shots of screwing it on: horizontal or verti- details in the With indoor photos, the AF fo- Q To sum up but when seen in a print, the 645D's other record Jpeg versions, so that bodies. The assembly worked, but it left on each of the two memory cal. This is a sensible ploy, as you thus distant areas, and cuses precisely even in low light. At The 645D is likely to change the high definition enables it to be at proofs can be quickly printed. The bordered on the makeshift, and Q The simplicity and effi- cards (all combinations are provided avoid any awkward positions that substance in the ISO 800, the images are excellent; at order in the small world of the digi- the same level as the DX3, and it is Jpeg fine setting is thus very useful. rendering of the comfortable use was not the chief ciency of an APS-C SLR for: Jpeg on one side, Raw on the might make the equipment uns- ISO 1600, grain is visible but with an tal medium format. Firstly the ca- very slightly better than the EOD- Purists will regret that the 645D forests in the concern of these systems. Anyone who has already used a other; duplicate cards, use of one table. agreeable "substance". mera is 50-80% cheaper than its di- IDS Mark III. only delivers 14-bit Raw images, background. The box shows a detail The Raw files are DNG, and can rect competitors; secondly, Pentax So two questions remain: do I The in detail… while certain digital backs provide at 100%, where thus be read by Lightroom: this is has succeeded in designing a have €11,000 to spend on a camera, 16-bits. But rather than bemoaning each sheep is extremely convenient for users. No model that is easy and pleasant to and do I often do large prints? perfectly visible. ◗ SD cards ◗ "SLR" style ergonomics ◗ Battery pack ◗ Control panel theoretical characteristics, you need need to seek out a "home-made" use. Pascal Miele to look at what the sensors actually Raw converter of dubious practica- Up until now, only pros who ▼ Surprisingly, although the 645D is the most With the 645D, Pentax uses studied The 645D's battery pack is an 1840mAh The data display LCD screen is very wide. deliver: as Thierry Legault explained COMPATIBLE LENS - . lity and efficiency. make their equipment pay or well- ▼ professional of models with plenty of space, ergonomics (menus and function buttons ) model. It would be wise to have a back-up There is a great deal of information but in C.I. no. 322, no model has 14 bits SENSOR - CCD 40 Mpix - 44 x 33 Pentax has opted for the SD rather than the taken directly from APS-C SLRs. An excellent battery on hand if you want to be really everything is perfectly legible. The "INFO" The only problem with the Raw off amateurs could treat themselves mm - ISO 100 to 1.600 - Prime II CF format. In practice, this poses no problem. idea: the camera is simple and quick to use, autonomous. The camera has normal button gives you other information on the of exploitable information, so 16 files is that the image takes a long to a digital back. Others could only Processor - Dust removal : vibration. It is even a plus with laptops that only have and we are a long way from the labyrinthine consumption, but this type of body is rear screen. The photographer can easily find bits are unrealistic! time to be displayed on the screen: fantasise about them, or turn to se- ▼ IMAGE - 5.440 x 7.264 - Jpeg (5 an SD card reader. systems usually found with medium formats. generally used by experts, who consume a out how the camera is configured. almost 11 seconds. The camera is cond-hand equipment. sizes, 3 qualities), Raw (DNG) lot of images! Q In the field very quick at taking another photo Given the performances and ▼ - SAFOX IX - 11 points I mainly used the 645D to shoot (around 1 second) but if you need prices of medium format equip- including 9 cross-type. ▼ landscapes, in the handheld posi- to check the shot taken, you will ment three or four years ago, a METERING - matrix metering (77 tion and on a tripod, and then in- segments), centre-weighted or Spot. have to wait. Canon 5D Mark II or a Alpha ▼ doors in order to check the AF and - 30 s at 1/4.000 s - B - For studio work, a connec- 850 often represented a far better Synchro X 1/125 s. the quality of the high ISO sensitivi- tion is provided and the synchroni- choice! But with the 645D, the ad- ▼ - 98% coverage, ties. The 645D is in its element with sation is carried out at 1/125 s. The mission ticket is not much higher magnification x 0.62 (55 mm lens). landscape photography on a tripod: flash jack is not very well positio- than for the cameras offered by ▼ SCREEN - 7.6 cm LCD – 921,000 dots focusing is precise, the lens very ned, and if you are taking a vertical Canon or with the 1Ds Mark ▼ SIZE - 156 x 117 x 120 - 1,482 g good, and the sensor's 40 Mpix thus shot it risks falling off…a radio III or D3X, and the image quality is ▼ -9.999€body; 10.999€(55 mm). deliver a very high quality image. control placed on the flash socket considerably better. It's true that the

146 Chasseur d’Images - n° 329 - Décembre 2010 Chasseur d’Images - n° 329 - Décembre 2010 147 In the lab Pentax 645D Test Center

◗ Sharpness ◗ Smoothing ◗ Grain Images ◗ Details ◗ White balance 10,00 10 10 C.I. visual grain index : 61 The subject was shot at 1600 ISO. 8 Daylight 7,50 8 As the Pentax 645D is geared mainly to studio and landscape photo-

6 6 graphy, judging it at ISO 1600 is very severe. But this point of reference 5,00 4,55 makes it possible to assess its performances in comparison with the 4 4 3,69 D3X and 1Ds Mark III. Despite these far from ideal conditions, the Pen- 2,93 2,50 2,15 tax exceeds the Canon and Nikon and SLRs. The timbre is rendered with 2 2 1,37 all the nuances (the slightest blade of grass is perfectly visible). A Measurements second timbre (not illustrated) shows details of the engraving which 0,00 0 0 Tungsten (3200 K) D3x Pentax 1Ds III 5D Mk II D700 100 200 400 800 1600 100 200 400 800 1600 are quite simply invisible with other cameras. The chroma shows fine, 645D regular and distinctly perceptible noise (ISO1600 is a great deal for a The sharpness is very, very considerable, largely Fine details are superb at ISO 100; that's the mini- The 645D uses a large CCD. In the absolute, the "raw" sensor of this type) but with no loss of detail. The fabric is perfectly ren- exceeding the best high resolution SLRs. mum you would expect with a sensor like this! With results are not as good as those delivered by an APS- 1.600 ISO - 30 x 45 cm dered without any trace of moiré effect or low frequency noise. A study of the test cards shows excellent results, but higher sensitivities a grain appears that is fairly C SLR, but the resolution should be taken into above all, the images are packed with micro-details, subtle but distinctly visible at ISO 1600; however, it account; in a print, the results are more than excel- including in subjects that are very little contrasted: a has no destructive effect on fine details. Visibly Pen- lent. Performances decrease regularly with a rise in Fluo real delight for those who think that a proper print tax applies no or very little smoothing. If need be, sensitivity; smoothing is very slight. starts at 50 x 60 cm! you can always process the Raw files! ◗ Raw : noise and dynamic range ◗ Value rendering ◗ Sharpening (ISO 100)

Rapport S/B (dB) Dynamique (IL) 2,5 Auto Custom 40 12 Noirr 100 ISSO (G 0,86) D 7,5 IL 2 Auto rendering in our different lighting is very 35 HL (G 0,76) D 8,1 ILL good. In the tungsten position there is a marked 30 1,5 blue dominant. The 645D seems designed for 10 25 1 "domestic" artificial light at 2500 or 2800 K rather 20 than the standard 3200. In auto mode, we did not 0,5 observe any under-correction, in contrast to what 15 Blancc -0,60 -00,50 -00,40 -0,30 -0,202 -0,10 0,00 8 0 -4 0 +4 Ombres Lumières often happens. 10 -4,0 -3,5 -3,0 -2,5 -2,0 -1,5 -1,0 -0,5 0,0 0,5 1,0 0 sharpening is well balanced, but for small format prints it would be better to push the sharpness up to 5 The dynamic range measured in Raw (graphic on 0 6 1 or 2. The -4 setting does not seem sharpened at all; 100 200 400 800 1600 left) shows a potential that exceeds 11 IL. It would be at +4, it is still very moderate. Pentax is very cautious! Decoding our measurements … unrealistic to think that these values can be repro- This graph shows the signal to noise ratio (blue) duced directly in Jpeg format on a paper print or on ◗ Sensitivity (neutral sharpening: 0) only obtains a better score because of an over-high and the dynamic range (red) measured directly in the screen. The only way of directly recreating a wide Q Visual sharpness sensitivity (at real ISO 100, the P40 does less well). the Raw file. The dynamic range is linked to the dynamic range on paper is by using a very low It was predictable that a medium format 40 Mpix This dynamic gives Raw files plenty of potential… noise level: in the blacks, when there is too much contrast: a rendering that does not look at all natural, sensor would largely overtake the best of the pro and that's a good thing, because photographers noise, there is no more information and so the apart from with a few subjects! SLRs (the Nikon D3X). The difference in sharpness is generally work in Raw format with this type of dynamic range is less pronounced. The right method consists of "working it by hand", as marked, without using any artifice. The native shar- camera. As a comparison, here are the values of different with a film print, or failing that using the HDR func- pening is not very pronounced; the camera has the The Jpeg curve is very classic, with slightly disap- models at the manufacturer's ISO 100 value: tion. possibility of going still further, and the Pentax pointing bright light management: one might have Modèle Real ISO S/N DR The dynamic range rendered in Jpeg (graphic lenses should be perfectly capable of exploiting the Canon 1Ds MkIII 73 38,5 11,25 hoped for much more developed rendering in the less noise than a pro above) is thus within the usual average: the one that 400 800 1.600 sensor's resolution. The 645D enables very large- whites. Nikon D3X 78 39,0 12,84 The noise level rises very gradually and is perfectly SLR, and even Phase1 P40 46 38,9 11,86 makes it possible to obtain a "normal" rendering of scale enlargements (60 x 80 cm at 240 ppi), with an values. The bright light mode generates a fairly shal- visible in the "sandcastles". uncompromisingly top-level quality: the result is manages to be quieter Pentax 645D 103 36,7 11,40 Q Colour rendering than a number of APS- Medium format sensors are not as good as 24 x low toe of the curve but in practice, as always with There are none of the blobs or "patches" that are considerably better than with large format film. this type of camera, using Raw format and working usually a sign of smoothing. The 645D's Jpeg images Colour rendering is excellent. In Jpeg the colour Cs: a very pleasant sur- 36s… but their definition is considerably better. prise. Likewise, the 645D performs a little less well than in detail on the rendering curve is the ideal solution. seem to be little processed, which is a good sign: the Q Granulation balance is correct, despite a slightly unusual artificial light mode. The Raw measurement shows that the the P40, but with twice the real sensitivity. photographer is free to take action or not. The signal to noise ratio measurement of the Raw 645D has a good average score for a medium format files shows a very correct level (lower than that of Q Reactivity and AF and is comparable with the D3X and 1Ds Mark III. ◗ Viewfinder ◗ Sound level ◗ Reactivity pro SLRs but the difference is not huge). The size of The AF is not lightning quick, but the speed is suffi- the photosites being similar to those of the 1Ds cient for the majority of uses, and above all, the focu- 75 Q Viewfinder and LCD screen NX100 Jpeg L Raw (DNG) Mark III and D3X (around 6µm between each photo- sing is extremely precise. 70 Pentax 645 D site), it is logical that the noise levels should be rela- The viewfinder is very pleasing; we are a long way • File size ...... 17,5 Mo . . 63 Mo from APS-C SLRs (it's far more of a big cinema than a 65 /D3s tively close… even if the SLRs use CMOSs and the Q To sum up • Continuous rate ...... 1,1 i/s . . . 1,1 i/s television screen!) The information is legible, and the 60 58 58 Pentax a CCD! Pentax has pulled off a real feat: the 645D offers very The Jpeg measurement is at a low level, proof that precision announced (98%) is really present. high performances at very competitive price (for 55 • Buffer around 13 shots there is no extensive noise processing. The resolu- The back screen is large and very legible. The 645D this type of equipment). 50 • Time for displaying tion makes it possible to keep a little noise without does not have Live View (this is the fault of the CCD) The choice of lenses needs to be increased rapidly, 45 Raw + Jpeg 11 s spoiling the quality of the image. Thus the fine but Pentax has provided a "preview" mode, which but if the camera turns out to be a success (which is 40 details are preserved. At ISO 1600, the phenomenon for want of anything better, makes it possible to very likely), that should not be a problem. Meanw- Vue par vue Rafale is visible, but the subtle noise does not disrupt the check the framing, depth of field and white balance. hile, there is sure to be a lot of competition for The coverage measured is around 98 % (linear); The sound level is not very high: the 645D is quieter The large size of the files explains the long display fine details. second-hand silver halide 645 lenses! which matches the characteristics announced by than many APS-C or pro SLRs. The camera's volume time for the images (which fortunately does not Q Noise disturbance Possibilities ...... QQQQ Q Value rendering Those who have already used a "prehistoric" silver Pentax. The 39.5 Mpix file "only" weighs 38.3 Mpix provides good cushioning for the mechanics, and hamper the shutter release). Continuous shooting is Action photos ...... QQQ once cropped to match the viewfinder…So there is the fairly low continuous shooting (1.1/s) does not not lightning fast, but that's rarely the case with such The measurement of the Raw file dynamic gives halide medium format like a RB67 will be plenty to work with! This is important as the 645D impose an ultra-fast shutter or mirror (which are heavy images! 11.4 IL, a fairly high level. The D3X does better (Nikon surprised by the quietness of the 645D… times have Landscape ...... QQQQQ has no Live View. noisy). (Measured with an SanDisk Extreme 20 Mb/s card). is the champion in this area), but the P40 changed indeed! The camera makes a great deal Studio ...... QQQQQ

148 Chasseur d’Images - n° 329 - Décembre 2010 Chasseur d’Images - n° 329 - Décembre 2010 149