Hands on with the Pentax 645Z

Ricoh Imaging's Pentax 645Z is the newest entry into the digital medium format world. Medium format camera sales have been slipping since the days of film (and the rise of full-frame digital), and Ricoh hopes that the 645Z will reverse that trend.

The 645Z finds itself amongst some very pricey competitors, both of which use the same 50MP Sony sensor (with no AA filter, as you'd expect). The Hasselblad H5D-50C camera and Phase One IQ250 digital back have retail prices of $29,000 and $37,000, respectively - several times greater than the $8,499 MSRP of the 645Z. Pentax's experience with consumer DSLRs has allowed them to give the 645Z a larger ISO range, more sophisticated AF system, faster burst rates, and video recording - all of which the other cameras lack (though they have their own advantages, too).

That consumer-friendliness means it can also be seen as a rival to high-resolution DSLRs such as Nikon's D800E. It's not so readily hand-holdable, but it does make a 36MP full frame sensor suddenly sound less impressive.

The camera will be sold in a body-only kit for $8499.99 / £6799.99 or with a 55mm F2.8 lens for £7699.99. You can pick up a 645Z for yourself in late May. To put this in perspective, this is a around 17% less expensive than the existing, CCD-based 645D was, at launch.

We've been lucky enough to spend some time with a pre-production 645Z, and have some first impressions to share on the following slides.

Sensor and autofocus

The 645Z uses the same 51MP medium format Sony CMOS sensor as the Hasselblad and Phase One cameras mentioned on the previous slide. This monster has dimensions of 43.8 x 32.8mm and a pixel pitch of 5.3 microns. To keep dust off of the sensor, the 645 uses Pentax's Dust Reduction II ultrasonic cleaning system.

Keeping with its predecessors, the 'Z' uses the 645AF2 mount, which is backward-compatible with 645AF and 645A lenses, too. With an optional adapter, classic Pentax 67 lenses can be used as well. The crop factor this medium format camera is 0.79x, so a 55mm prime acts as an archetypal 'normal' lens - equivalent to 43mm in 35mm terms. Pentax currently has sixteen FA 645 lenses available.

As you'll see, the 645Z has inherited quite a bit from the K-3 DSLR - making it one of the easiest medium format cameras to simply pick up and use. One of the most significant is the SAFOX 11 autofocus system, which has 27 points (25 of which are cross-type). Compare that to 11-points on the 645D, and even fewer on the Hasselblad and Phase One cameras. The result is really impressive autofocus, in both good and low light.

Given that it's a medium format camera, you know that the 645Z is going to have a large mirror. As could also conclude that the noise from this mirror would be pretty loud. And while you'll certainly notice, we were surprised to see that the 645Z's shutter is actually quieter than the one on the Sony A7r. In terms of durability, the shutter is rated for 100k cycles.

Top down

If you own a Pentax (or any other DSLR) then many of the controls you can see here will look familiar. The mode dial has the same exposure modes that Pentaxians have come to know and love, including sensitivity priority (Sv), and shutter and aperture priority (TAv). There are dials for switching between AF-S and AF-C focusing, as well as still and video shooting. That's right - the 645Z can record video, at up to as 1080/30p with stereo sound. It's currently the only medium format camera that can do so.

The 645Z has the requisite top-mounted LCD, which displays a plethora of information. There are also direct buttons for numerous features, and there are even more on the back of the camera. As you'd expect from a camera in this class, there are front and rear control dials.

The hot shoe is one of two ways in which the 645Z can connect to an external flash, with the flash sync port being the other. The X-sync speed on the camera is 1/125 sec.

Another tripod mount, please

Medium format cameras can spend a lot of time shooting portraits, which is why there's a second tripod mount on its left side. Here you'll also find the 645Z's dual memory card slots, with its I/O ports below it. In addition to stereo mic, HDMI, and DC-in ports, the 645Z offers a USB 3.0 'SuperSpeed' connector. This isn't so impressive by medium format standards - where fast connections are more prevalent - but is rare in consumer cameras.

Speaking of super speed, the 'Z' can take quite a few shots in burst mode, which is all the more impressive when you consider its resolution. At full resolution (that's over 50 megapixel) the 645Z can shoot at 3 fps until it hits its limit of around 30 JPEG, 10 Raw, or 12 TIFF images.

While the 645Z doesn't have built-in Wi-Fi, it does support the strangely named 'FluCard', which allows for wireless remote control and image retrieval.

Big grip

With a weight of 1550g (55oz), the 645Z is a hefty camera - and that's without a lens attached. The grip on the 645Z is extremely 'deep', which makes the camera surprisingly easy to hold. You could, in theory, shoot one handed, but it's probably in your best interest not to.

The body is made of magnesium alloy and feels incredibly durable. No corners were cut on the 645Z (no pun intended), with zero cheap-feeling parts. The dials have a rubberized coating, which makes them easier to grip. 

One thing yet to be mentioned is the 645Z's weather-sealing. Seventy six seals keep dust and moisture outside, and the 'Z' can be used in temperatures as low as -10C/+14F.

The only items of note here are a port for an optional wired remote, as well as a dial for mirror lockup. 

Moving upward

Another upgrade from the 645D is the addition of an articulating LCD. The display can be pulled quite a ways back from the body, and then tilted upward roughly 120 degrees, or down by 45 degrees - nice for working in the landscape orientation but oddly awkward for a camera with a portrait orientation tripod socket. The LCD - 3.2" in size - has 1.04M dots, and is comparable to that of other high-end interchangeable lens cameras.

As you'd expect, the trapezoidal prism optical viewfinder is large, with a magnification of 0.62x with the 55mm and 0.85X with the 75mm lenses. The viewfinder covers 98% of the frame. Focus screens are interchangeable, as one would expect. The rubberized ring around the viewfinder handles diopter correction.

Something that really impressed us is just how well implemented live view is on the 645Z. It feels just like the best interchangeable lens cameras out there, with a fast refresh rate, respectable contrast AF, face detection, and the aforementioned video recording feature.

This looks familiar...

If it wasn't for the huge optical viewfinder, then you might mistake the 645Z for one of Pentax's APS-C digital SLRs. While the 645 has a few more buttons, the core elements are nearly the same as those on the K-3. For those who have used that camera (or earlier models), muscle memory alone will allow you to get up and shooting right away. Even if you're not a Pentax owner, this is much more like using a consumer DSLR than most of its rivals.

Same goes for the menu system. For better or for worse, the menus look the same as they did on Pentax cameras from (at least) ten years ago. Everything is well laid-out, but the design remains very basic.

Wrap up

The Pentax 645Z is Ricoh Imaging's attempt to bring medium format photography back from the dead, and something that advanced amateurs might pick up instead of a full-frame DSLR. With a price so much lower than its peers, the 645Z makes medium format seem almost mainstream - and certainly a credible rival to high-resolution DSLRs such as Nikon's D3X or D800E.

Perhaps the most endearing feature of the 645Z is that it operates just like a 'regular' interchangeable lens camera. Those with Pentax DSLRs should have no trouble getting up and running, and owners of other brands' cameras won't be far behind. There are going to be some handling differences, of course, and shooting with a medium format camera is a bit different than a DSLR. 

Ricoh is hoping that both seasoned professionals and advanced amateurs who want to experience medium format photography will find the 645Z to be both an accessible and inexpensive way to get their foot in the door.