Pentax 645 as a travel camera + focusing question

<p>I am going to Hawaii for two weeks in December. I want to bring a MF camera for wide angle landscapes. I currently own an RB67 but feel this is too heavy and bulky to take with me. I am thinking of buying a Pentax 645 (or similar) in order to take advantage of its relative sleekness and weight. My first question is whether people feel that a Pentax 645 is a good travel camera especially considering I will be flying with it, plus I might be carrying it for several hours. I am in my mid sixties and so don't have the strength and stamina of the younger folks. [i'm talking camera gear here guys, so please no suggestions for little blue pills! :)]<br>

The other question concerns manual versus AF lenses. I would prefer to keep the expense down, and so I would prefer manual focus lenses. The question is the ease with which one can be sure the subject is in focus. Bear in mind that I will be shooting landscapes with probably a 45mm lens set around f/8.</p>

 

<p>The 645 has a built in adjustable diopter. so no problems with manual focus lenses. The 45 is a very nice landscape lens for the Pentax 645, not heavy or bulky either, highly recommended. :)</p>

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<p>I suggest that you try to find the lenses first before committing to a Pentax 645 body. There has been a run on the lenses (and increased prices) with the advent of the 645D. That said, I'd suggest the 35mm and 55mm over the 45mm, which is widely seen as one of the weakest in the otherwise strong Pentax line-up. Also consider the "normal" 75mm, although it too is often hard to find. If you get a 645 body, go with the 645N or 645NII rather than the 645 -- newer and more worthwhile features.</p>

<p>The P645 is indeed sleek and compact for a 6x4.5cm SLR. But it shares with its competitors the long "video camera" shape largely due to the folded film path. I'd suggest borrowing one for familiarization before committing to a purchase.<br>

It's certainly a matter of personal preference, but I like the P67 configuration better; it's just more comfortable for me. This is also a reason to prefer the Leica S2 over the P645D despite the cost. I've not taken my P645NII's on a trip, though I have packed a P6x7 or P67II several times and would do so again.<br>

You might also consider a 6x4.5cm rangefinder, perhaps a Bronica or one of the Fujis, very light and compact.</p>

<p>I'm 60 and can relate to the aversion to anchors going along on this sort of trip. I bought some medium format rangefinder gear some years back and found that my slr stuff began staying home more and more. I have a P67 kit and 645 with a P67 adapter that lets me make use of the P67 glass on the 645. My favorite travel package is a Bronica RF645 with a 45 and 65 lens. I realized that my lack of typical needs for macro meant that a rf could do for 95% of all of my needs. The other bonus is that a lightweight tripod easily controls the little Bronica (or even my Mamiya 7) vs what I needed for the slr's and their mirror commotions, etc. I simply can't carry a tripod that works correctly with the P67 for much distance.</p>

<p>Start adding the optical benefits of wide angle rf optics and to me, the choice becomes quite compelling in favor of a rangefinder for best results. There's nothing wrong with the Pentax glass, in my experience but my Bronica RF and Mamiya 7 glass is a notch up, especially on the wide end. I also find I'm more apt to have the more compact gear with me on occasions when I might have left the bulkier stuff at home and not bothered.</p>

I agree with the previous poster that said to go for the 645N or 645NII for newer features. You can still use the manual focus lenses, but with the body being AF capable, you'll get the beep/LED to let you know when focus is right, even though the lens isn't AF. That helps when you aren't sure, and beats twiddling back and forth in tiny adjustments trying to get just the right focus.

 

Also, the rotary knobs are much nicer than the up/down buttons of the original 645. You should be able to twirl those and keep your eye in the eyepiece easier then the 645.

 

As for the little blue pills... the side effects are higher, and they don't last nearly as long as the oblong beige pills! (or so I'm told) LOL!

 

Enjoy the trip.

<p>Graham, I to am in my mid 60's and last Oct-Dec took my Contax 645 and 3 lenses on a trip to the UK and Australasia. Did a lot of hiking with landscape images in mind. This proved to be a perfect choice. I deliberately left my Leica M6 outfit at home.<br>

The Contax and the lenses are heavier than the Pentax 645 equivalent. It should be ideal for you.</p>

I seriously doubt that there's an optically better wide lens in 645 than the Pentax SMC-A 35mm f/3.5. It's spectacularly good. I found one for a great price and then bought a Pentax 645N in order to use it.

 

(The original Pentax 645 doesn't have as bright a viewfinder, has a goofy control layout without a shutter speed knob, and is known to have a memory board battery issue that wouldn't be economically repairable if/when it crops up.)

 

The ergonomics of the 645N are also really well thought out; it's one of the more transparent-to-the-picture-taking-process cameras I've ever used. I've extensively hiked and XC skied and travelled with this kit (The 645N, 35mm lens with an extra insert, 5 rolls of film and a right angle finder fits well in a Lowe Telezoom II pack on a Thinktank belt). The camera and lens is similar in weight to one of my pro Nikons with the 17-35mm AFS. I use it with a padded wrist-strap. With this can routinely hand-hold it steady down to as slow as 1/8s.

 

Great, great kit that I use with Astia 100F, Pro 160s or Ektar 100F. The lens can be a bit too contrasty for Velvia 50.

<p>Sorry, I first wrote a reply assuming you were talking about the 645D then realized you probably meant a 645 film camera.</p>

<p>Thanks for the great suggestions. In response to Graham, "yes" I am referring to film.</p>

<p>I used the 645N and it was a great travel camera, so I don't see why the manual one would be any different. I had the 45/75/120/200 combo, but used 45/75 the most. When it looked like Pentax was not going to pursue the digital option a few years ago, I sold the lenses cheap. Major mistake.<br>

Samples: <a href="../photo/3269430&size=lg">45mm</a>, <a href="../photo/3290614">75mm</a>, <a href="../photo/4311554&size=lg">120mm</a></p>

 

<p>What about a Fuji GA645 Pro 45? That seems to be pretty compact, and has autofocus. Granted it is just a single lens and body, but it might suit my needs. I could get one for $600.00.</p>

<p>Yes, I've had a Fuji GA645Wi for some years and like it a lot. The W model has the 45mm lens... Very nice to see the framelines adjust for field size as you focus as well as parallax. The camera is quiet and reliable, my only gripe being that when using Fuji film the camera reads the ISO barcode on the backing paper and sets the camera ISO automatically. That convenience is inconvenient for me because I always want the ISO 2/3 stop lower than box speed (for C41 films).<br /> Anyway, note there is the original GA645W and the later slightly improved GA645Wi which should be a bit higher cost. You could even get a matching GA645i with the 60mm lens as a companion to the W, and these will sell for less than the W models.</p>

<p>Over the past three of years I have lugged my Pentax 645 (and for the past year a Pentax 645N) with the standard 75mm lens and the manual focus 35mm lens around the world - America, Italy, Slovenia, around England - and can confirm that it's ... heavy.<br>

As has been mentioned, it's shaped and feels like an old video camera. In fact, I've been asked more than once if I'm rolling tape ...<br>

It also sounds like I'm firing a gun, which both impresses people (who then usually ask me to take a family photo) and startles them. I don't usually feel comfortable using it in cathedrals (though it does depend - I usually switch to a silent Hexar AF).<br>

But the pictures are exquisite and the autofocus compensates for my general lack of ability to manually focus.<br>

It is a wee bit heavy with a couple of lenses, though ...</p>

<p>As some others have suggested, get the 645N - better and brighter viewfinder, focus confirmation with manual focus lenses and the layout of controls - and some older, less expensive manual focus lenses. The manual focus lenses Pentax 645 A as opposed to FA are out there and quite affordable. I still find good deals on the FA lenses too though, so keep an eye out.<br>

The A 35mm f/3.5 is a little gem.<br>

I have traveled a bit with the 645N and lenses, mostly to Ecuador and within the US and Canada. Not a problem traveling with it. I don't find it heavy when compared to a DSLR with a battery pack. And if you want to take your DSLR of even 35mm SLR with you, you can get an adapter and use your Pentax 645 lenses on it (a little side bonus). I take the Pentax 645 A 120mm f/4 macro and have a great macro lens for the 645 as well as my Nikon DSLR (via adapter). One lens for two systems.</p>

<p>Just in case it slips by, the 645N has focus confirmation with A and FA lenses (when manually focusing), so focusing is made somewhat easier with this feature. Note that this is not available on the original 645 body.</p>

<p>The diopter is another handy feature, but that is also available on the original 645 body too.</p>

<p>With the brighter viewfinder of the 645N, manual focusing will be that much easier. The original 645 is not particularly dark by film camera standards, but the 645N viewfinder is just an order of magnitude better in my opinion. It was quite a nice surprise when I compared my 645N to my 645.</p>