Pentax 40MP 645D medium format DSLR announced

By Alex Koloskov posted on

March 13th, 2010 |

Pentax 645D 40MP DSLR camera front

Pentax? I almost forgot that they are exists, was never looking at their 35mm DSLR cameras, knowing that there was nothing for me as a professional shooter. On other hand, my older friends in photography were talking about medium format film Pentax cameras with every respect possible.

Now Pentax announced their first medium format DSLR with 40 MP sensor, sized 44x33mm, more like older Hasselblad or Phase One sensors.

Pentax 645D 40MP DSLR camera back

Nice? Looks very promising for me:-)

with 40Megapixels, 44x33mm sensor, and price “to be” not more that $15000 or even round $10K, this camera can be a good addition to a medium format digital world. However, there are few things which may stop potential buyers like me from buying this Pentax:

1. No digital back, meaning sensor is built-in, like on my Canon Mark III.
2. 14-bit A/D converter (v.s 16 bit on the rest medium format DSLRs) , like on my Canon. Again.

What does it means for me:
Same headache with the cleaning sensor from dust. Pentax has image sensor cleaning function by supersonic vibration, like mine Canon, and I know how it works, not as good as it sounds. when i use my Cambo master PC tilt-shift adapter, dust is a big issue. Especially in product and jewelry photography I am specializing. One of my reasons to go with medium format DSLR in nearest future is ability to clean sensor easily, not by dipping swabs in the camera.

While Pentax claims dynamic range of 11.5 f stops, 14 bit sensor is not what I am looking for in $10K+ medium DSLR camera. This sensor can be really good, but it never will have the same “true” dynamic range as 16bit sensors from Hasselblad, Leaf or PhaseOne has.

I still think that it will be a great, affordable camera, but for me it is like a half-step to a medium-formal world. And I always prefer big steps, or even jumps:-)

Below are the spec and futures, enjoy your reading!

645D Specifications

Type		TTL autofocus, auto-exposure medium format digital SLR camera
Effective Pixels		approx. 40 megapixels
Image Sensor	Total pixels	approx. 40.01 megapixels
	Type	CCD with a primary color filter
	Size	44mm x 33mm
	Pixel size	6.0 μm x 6.0 μm
Dynamic Range		11.5f – stops
Recorded Pixels	Still	JPEG: L[40M]7264×5440 pixels, M[32M]6528×4896 pixels [21M]5376×4032 pixels, S[13M]4224×3168 pixels [7M]3072×2304 pixels RAW: [40M]7264×5440 pixels
Formats	Still	RAW(14 bit): (PEF/DNG), JPEG: (Best), (Better), (Good), RAW+JPEG: available
Recording file Format	Still	RAW (PEF/DNG), JPEG (Conforms to Exif 2.21), Conforms to DCF (Design rule of Camera File system) 2.0
Sensitivity ( Standard output sensitivity )		Auto:200-1000, Extension:100, 1600 (1EV steps or 1/2EV steps or 1/3EV steps)
Storage Media		SD, SDHC memory card (Dual slot)
White Balance		Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light ( D, N, W, L), Tungsten Light, Flash, CTE, Manual setting 1, Manual setting 2, Manual setting 3, Color temperature setting (3 types) with WB fine adjustment
Custom Image		Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Muted, Reversal Film, Monochrome
Viewfinder	Type	Trapezoid prism finder
	Focusing screen	Natural-Bright-Matte focusing screen
	Field of view	approx. 98%
	Diopter adjustment	approx. -3.5 – +2.0m^-1
	Magnification	approx. 0.62 x (with D FA645 55mmF2.8 at infinity), approx. 0.85 x (with FA645 75mmF2.8 at infinity)
Monitor	Type	TFT color LCD monitor, Wide angle view, Brightness adjustable, Color adjustable, AR Coating, Reinforced glass
	Size	3.0 inch
	Dots	approx. 921,000 dots
Preview Method		Optical preview, Digital preview
Playback		1 Image, 2 Image, 4 Image, 9 Image, 16 Image, 36 Image, 81 Image, Enlargement (up to 32X, scroll available), Image Rotation, Folder view, Slideshow, Histogram, Resize, Cropping, Bright/Dark area, Calendar view, Index view
Digital Filter	Playback Mode	Monochrome, Extract Color, Color, Base Tweaking, Soft
Focusing System	Type	TTL phase difference detection, 11-point autofocus system (SAFOX IX+)
	Focus Mode	AF-single, AF-continuous
	Focus Point	Auto, Select, Center
	Superimpose	available
Exposure Control	Metering System	TTL open-aperture 77-segment metering
	Metering Mode	(1) Multi-segment metering, (2) Center-weighted metering, (3) Spot metering
	Exposure Range	EV 2-21 (at Standard Output Sensitivity 200 with 55mmF2.8)
	Modes	(1) Program AE, (2) Sensitivity-Priority AE, (3) Shutter-Priority AE, (4) Aperture-Priority AE, (5) Shutter and Aperture Priority AE, (6) Metered Manual, (7) Bulb, (8) X speed
	Exposure Compensation	±5EV
	AE Lock	availiable
Shutter	Shutter Type	Electronically controlled vertical-run focal plane shutter
Shutter	Shutter Speed	Auto:1/4000 – 30 sec, Manual:1/4000 – 30 sec (1/3 EV steps or 1/2 EV steps), bulb
Drive Modes		Single-frame, Continuous (Hi, Lo), Self-timer (12s, 2s), Remote control (0s, 3s ), Remote Continuous Shooting, Interval, Multiple Exposure, Exposure Bracketing, Extended Bracketing
	Continuous shooting	<Both 1 slot and 2 slot> approx. 1.1 fps, RAW(PEF)+JPEG(40M at ): until approx. 13 fps, RAW(PEF): until approx. 13 fps, RAW(DNG): until approx. 13 fps, JPEG(40M at ): until approx. 15 fps
	Mirror Lock-up shooting	available by dedicated dial
Flash Synchronization		Hot shoe, X-sync socket, sync-speed: 1/125 sec., P-TTL, high-speed-sync, wireless-sync with PENTAX dedicated external flash
Dust Removal		Image sensor cleaning function by supersonic vibration (DR II) with dust alert function
Time	World Time	75 cities (28 time zones)
Data Folder	Folder Name	Date (100_MMDD···), PENTX (100PENTX, 101PENTX···) ,
Data Folder	File Name	Standard, User customize
Power Sources		Rechargeable D-LI90 lithium-ion battery Optional AC adapter also available.
Battery Life	Number of recordable images	approx. 800 (23°C) *, approx. 700 (0°C), approx. 650 (-10°C)
Battery Life	Playback time	approx. 440 minutes (23°C) *, approx. 400 minutes (0°C), approx. 380 minutes (-10°C)
Interfaces		USB2.0 (Hi-Speed:mini B type), Video output (mini phone type), HDMI output (type C mini), DC input , Cable switch, X-sync sockets
Video Output		Compatible with NTSC and PAL formats
Lens Mount		PENTAX 645AF2 bayonet mount
Usable Lens		PENTAX 645AF2, 645AF, and 645A mount lenses
Dimensions		approx. 156(W) x 117(H) x 119(D)mm (6.1 x 4.6 x 4.7 inches)
Weight		approx. 1480 g (52.2 oz.) loaded and ready with battery and two SD memory cards approx. 1400 g (49.4 oz.) without battery and SD memory card.
Bundle software		PENTAX Digital Camera Utility 4 (Ver.4.20)

Other features

1. HDR (high dynamic range) function to create one composite image with an extra-wide gradation range from three images with different exposures
2. Dynamic-Range Expansion function to compensate for both whitewashed (excessively overexposed) and blacked-out (excessively underexposed) areas
3. Digital Level function for easy checking of the image’s levels
4. Automatic compensation of distortion and lateral chromatic aberration (available in combination with the D FA 645- and FA 645- series lenses)
5. Versatile white-balance control system, including the CTE mode designed to emphasize the dominant color components of the captured images, which works especially well with such scene like sunset.
6. Mirror shock/operation-noise reduction function to assure smooth, quiet operation of the mirror during shooting
7. Attachment of copyright credits on recorded images
8. Compatible with the SDM (Supersonic Direct-drive Motor) autofocus mechanism, designed to assure smooth, quiet operation using the supersonic motor installed inside SDM lenses
9. HDMI terminal (for type C mini connectors) for high-resolution image data output
10. User-friendly, color-classified control buttons/switches, based on the color universal design concept
11. PENTAX Digital Camera Utility 4 software package, including a RAW-data processing applicattion (based on the popular SILKYPIX RAW-data processing engine developed by Ichikawa Soft Laboratory) and browser application.