Latest 645D prototype

[Zou]

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Looks great to me. The control layout seems just right from what I can see, although there isn't any way to sense the actual size of the beast.

According to the latest lens roadmap, it will be launched with a 55mm lens, and an ultrawide is in development too. Projected launch date is 2010.

I am absolutely certain that I won't be able to afford it, but hey, I can dream.

[Monobod]

With investments in the bank earning naff all and my age increasing exponentially, I could be very tempted by this. Wow, what a super bit of kit, just imagine the image quality for subtle landscapes and portrait work.

Expressions such as 'Yum, Yum'. 'drool' and 'can't wait' come to mind.

[dangie]

If it were a choice between this and putting food on the table....well....the wife could do with going on a diet...!!!

[spinno]

will it retail at around £350...sort of entry level....I wish!

[Monobod]

Yes, complete with a case, ten memory cards and a holiday in the Bahamas!

[attack_donut]

All snarking aside, what's a typical medium format dSLR go for these days? I'm quite sure is north of 4 figures...so I can only image this is in line with the others.

Still....one can dream can't one?

[El_Sid]

...what's a typical medium format dSLR go for these days? I'm quite sure is north of 4 figures...

At least 4 figures and if you look at a fancy Hasselblad it's well in the fives...

[Zou]

I reckon they can bring it in at under 800,000yen. The D3x sells for just under 900,000 yen in Japan. That's still £6000, but for that much money I'd rather a 645D than a 1Ds MkIII.

Pentax are great on the value for money front.

[Benchista]

Well, I still doubt very much if they'll bring it in at all next year, never mind at that price. I would expect somewhere in the £7-8k bracket, TBH, in the unlikely event it actually ever appears... at one point, I was thinking of buying in to the Pentax 645 system in the hope of one day getting a 645D, but that thought is long gone.

[dangie]

.....TBH, in the unlikely event it actually ever appears...

Very true unfortunately. As you said in another post, Pentax are excellent at announcing cameras in the pipeline, but they never actually reach the end of it. That's why I'm deciding whether to take the plunge and go for Canikon. For a lifelong Pentaxian, it's like choosing between hanging or the electric chair....

[Monobod]

.....TBH, in the unlikely event it actually ever appears...

Very true unfortunately. As you said in another post, Pentax are excellent at announcing cameras in the pipeline, but they never actually reach the end of it. That's why I'm deciding whether to take the plunge and go for Canikon. For a lifelong Pentaxian, it's like choosing between hanging or the electric chair....

WHY?? What is wrong with what you have now? Will a Nikon make you a better photographer? I very much doubt it. If Pentax dissapeared tomorrow, would you camera stop working? Of course not.

[Zou]

Exactly. So long as a camera works and there are lenses available on the 2nd hand market there is no reason to jump.

Having said that... if Pentax went to the wall and I did need to upgrade my gear due to terminal failure or just genuine advances in quality, Sony are looking to be a very good prosepct.

[attack_donut]

I don't recall who said it (or for that matter where I read it) but the quote was:

"the most important part of a camera, is the 12 inches behind it"

Now having said that, a lot of the advances in dSLRs these days allow you to be a *better* photographer, in small ways, like having anti-shake.

If Pentax goes under, our cameras would still continue to work, but would be outclassed in short order, and eventually we'd run up against the problem of being better than our cameras allow us to be (case in point: soft lenses, we could take a great shot, only to be let down by a soft lens)

I have a Nikon N4004 (film camera) that was given to me, free and clear and in mint condition, with a 35-80 f/2.8 lens.

I use it for black and white and the images it produces far surpass anything I can do with my Pentax, (probably) solely because of the lens.

When I can afford it (divorce you know) I will step up to a smokin' lens for the Pentax and then the Nikon will be gathering dust.

Long story short (too late!) is that the death of Pentax *would* make our gear useless in a few years, as well as kill any resale value, as progress marches on and new features start to show up.

Hopefully Pentax will be around for many many years, I have much emotional (if not financial) resources invested in my Pentax gear.

[Monobod]

Long story short (too late!) is that the death of Pentax *would* make our gear useless in a few years, as well as kill any resale value, as progress marches on and new features start to show up.

What is going to change your camera to make it useless? Providing it is still working and I see no reason why it should not be, then it will perform just as well as it does now. You will still be taking the same quality of image.
If you are using poor quality lenses, that is down to you, not your camera.

What will change is that there will be cameras from Nikanon with many more bells and whistles. I still do not think these will make you a better photographer. And your best solution to camera shake is a tripod and remote release. It may be inconvenient to carry around, if so use a monopod. Hand holding a camera is not going to give you ultra sharp images.

I see no logical reasoning behind your asssumptions, sorry.

[ojb28]

It's not so much that our cameras would be useless, just that the users of any system which went under would not be able to take advantage of the advances of technology. I am able to do far more with my K10D than I am with my Canon FTb or ME super because it's faster and more flexible. Look at ISO/noise performance for example - we will be able to take ever higher resolution pictures with ever lower noise levels as technology advances and that (for me) would be a genuine advantage. I am not saying that I don't appreciate the quality my K10D produces (I do, it's brilliant) just that some day better will be available and I want to have the opportunity to take advantage of that should my whims and finances allow it.

I am looking around for a ??-500mm or a 300/2.8+TC to aid my passion for wildlife, but I am reluctant to commit so much money when Pentax have laid off however many staff (400 or 800 was it?) which seems to indicate they'e not doing too well...
It would be a HUGE shame if they did go under though - security issues aside, if I were buying a camera today, I think the K20D is the best out there for the serious amateur. Long live Pentax!

[Monobod]

Everyone is shedding staff at the moment. General Motors, RBS etc.
This is no indication od long term survival.

Perhaps you should sell all of your gear and buy into Nikon?? I am sure that they have the technology you are after now, let alone in the future.

[ojb28]

I'm staying right where I am for the moment. I love my K10D and must concentrate on taking pictures rather than worrying about future possibilities which may never happen, or, worse still, jumping ship to N***n. But this is what forums are for are aren't they!? Airing one's wonderings...

[Monobod]

Had I not inherited a fair amount of Pentax gear from my father and his Brother, I would probably have bought Nikon from the outset. I still have one eye on their products. But the cost of changing now would be considerable, but I would probably be happier in myself. I do have reservations about the K20D, but mostly in the live view department. However, it is still an exceptional camera and I now have all the lenses I need, just perhaps a Sigma 2x converter for the 100-300 f/4 lens. I would also like a ringflash at some time soonish.

But the more kit I buy the deepr the trench I dig to get out of one day.

It is quite a cunundrum!

[ojb28]

Live view?? I have no reservation at all about the live view of the K10 - it's got one of the best viewfinders in it's class

It's funny how we become allied to one particular system, my Dad found a Pentax ME in a bin in Regent's Park once, and now I have a K10D and MZ-5n with 6 lenses, extension tubes... the lot!

[attack_donut]

>>I see no logical reasoning behind your asssumptions, sorry<<

Go back and re-read what I said. I think you missed my point.