vijaykishan

<p>F4.5 at 33mm and 5.6 at 55mm . There was not enough light to close the aperture more and hand-hold it.</p>

 

<p>Hello All,<br /> <br /> I had the pleasure of handling the Pentax 645D at Photokina today(2010-Sep-25). I lugged my old 33-55mm along. Pentax kindly allowed me to take pictures (test shots inside the exhibition hall) with MY 33-55. I set the Camera at ISO800 and shot off a few test shots (Jpeg and RAW). I must say I was pleased with that I saw on the computer back home. The layout is not unlike 645NII and if one has handled the 645NII and K20D, the learning curve is next to nil. All controls are exactly where it needs to be and its a joy to hold and handle. With just 25 mins of handling and very very few test frames, my initial impressions are very positive. My Raw processor of course doesn't open the PEF YET, but lets see :)</p>

 

<p>sorry, for some reason this did not get posted in the right forum, initially I intended to post this in the Pentax-645 forum.</p>

<p>Hello All,<br /> <br /> I had the pleasure of handling the Pentax 645D at Photokina today(2010-Sep-25). I lugged my old 33-55mm along. Pentax kindly allowed me to take pictures (test shots inside the exhibition hall) with MY 33-55. I set the Camera at ISO800 and shot off a few test shots (Jpeg and RAW). I must say I was pleased with that I saw on the computer back home. The layout is not unlike 645NII and if one has handled the 645NII and K20D, the learning curve is next to nil. All controls are exactly where it needs to be and its a joy to hold and handle. With just 25 mins of handling and very very few test frames, my initial impressions are very positive. My Raw processor of course doesn't open the PEF YET, but lets see :)</p>

<p>The 645NII I use has a viewfinder that is plenty bright (std Screen). I found it certainly much brighter than any 35mm till date (of course) and slightly brighter than most MF I have used.</p>

<p>Trevor,<br>

Thanks very much for the quick reply. Much appreciated.</p>

<p>Would anyone know of a trustworthy place/person where/to-whom I could send my LX for a CLA in Germany/UK ?</p>

<p>I would choose the P645 just for the 35mm lens alone ! I have a 645NII, simple, intuitive, no bigger than a full blown 35mm. Never failed on me even under severe conditions (40+ Deg C to -20). The SMCs are exceptionally good and will stand up to and most of the time better its competitors. In short, if you plan to do some serious work in the field, the P645 is the way to go. BTW I use my 645 lenses on the LX and K20D.</p>

<p>Marty,<br>

I have read good reviews about the Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 Color Skopar SL-II. You may want to consider that for evaluation as well. I am on a similar quest for a good wide angle lens (around 90 deg DAOV) that will work on both my LX and K20D and after a lot of reading/eval/testing.. boiled down to 2 lenses. The Zeiss 21mm (Legendary resolution) and the 20mm Voigtlander. Both are made in K mount. if you do try, let us know :) your view.</p>

<p>Have you considered the 645 FA 33-55 zoom ?</p>

<p>Hello All,</p>

<p> Thanks for all the responses. I finally bought the lens out of sheer curiosity. It turns out that is is an "Eximar" re-branded / custom made to read Takumar :( . I made sure that I could return it though, so I get my money back.</p>

<p>Anyone know this lens ? performance on Film / Digital ?<br>

I did try searching the forum which only came up with the f/3.5 version and the screw mount version.</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>I was taught in my younger days by my Sensei that it doesn't matter how long, thick or sharp a weapon is, finally it comes down to how you wield it and it yields. The weapon needs to be extension of your body and thus your mind. It should simple and effective.<br /> <br /> My photography mentor-friend said the same thing. He owned a Nikon. After a few years of using Nikon myself which I bought second-hand from him, I grew on my own and developed my own style and hence, needs. Needs were nothing special, just a mirror lock up, DOF preview, bright view finder and quality lenses. There were two options, go for the flagship Nikon or a second hand 645NII is superb condition. Both had features that I needed (the Nikon had plenty more features that I did not care for) but finally zen ruled. Simplicity, ergonomics, superb line of high quality lens, larger film area, for the same price, won me over. <br /> <br /> This result of this "Zen" process repeating every time I bought a camera/lens for a purpose, was invariably a Pentax. Be it a simple fail-safe twilight friendly camera for extended trekking in the Himalayas (LX), Stroll in the misty rainy villages (K20D) or just for my regular (landscape) photography (645NII). Its an added bonus that all my 645 lens fit on LX and K20D and deliver superb quality even with a 2X converter !. I know of no other camera brand that can claim to do that.<br /> <br /> My Katana is simple, sharp, balanced and effective, cuts where I want it to; its an extension of my hand. My Pentax is simple, sharp, balanced and takes the picture I want it to; its an extension of my mind.</p>

<p>John,<br>

Thanks very much for the reply and the link. The knob can be loosened and rotated no issues. I do have the user manual as well. The problem is the mounting point between the K20D and the adaptor itself, somehow (I have failed to understand how) when I try to release the Adaptor from the Body, 2 flanges come out (ever so slightly.. that I do see a gap and can see the electronic contact pins on the K20D) , but the top portion (the one directly under the flash) doesn't come out :( . At this point it doesn't matter where the knob is, as it is freely rotatable. <br>

I have used the adaptor for several months without problems (Switching between K-mount and 645 lenses) on photo shoots, but this problems just seems to be hard nut to crack. I did not want to apply too much force as I may end up with a bent mount, or worse still broken contact pins on the body :(<br>

John, thanks again for the quick reply. If you have come across the "Service manual" or further insights please let me know.</p>

<p>Hello All ,</p>

<p> I use several 645 lenses on my K20D and the adaptor (Pentax Original) somehow got stuck on the K20D mount ! It does turn and lifts up partially (normal turn that you do to unmount a lens/adaptor) but somehow one side (top, towards the inbuilt flash) seems to be stuck inside :( It was working flawlessly for the past several months.</p>

<p> Has anyone faced this problem before ? any links to the service manual of the Adaptor would help as well.</p>

<p>thanks in advance</p>

<p>Thank you for your answer Edward. I am not worried of using the lens on its own, on the camera. Lens + 2X teleconverter is my worry.<br>

I could not find the Kirk braket that you mentioned on the Kirk site, they seem only to have collars for Nikon lenses.... any help appreciated.</p>

<p>I recently bought a 300mm F4 (on its way:) and although I am not worried much about using the lens on the 645NII on its own, with the lens hanging in the front while the camera is on the Tripod (confirmed not be an issue by experienced members in this forum), I am sort of sure a support is required (both for mechanical safely and optical stability) when the said lens is coupled with a 2X Converter (any view?).<br /> <br /> I did read about Tripod collar for the 300mm F4 Manual in this forum but a quick search on the Internet did not yield suitable results. Would any of you know where such a Collar can be bought ? Any home brew suggestions ?</p>

<p>I have not tried the Cokin Z-Pro, but as you pointed out, it might vignette at 33mm. One more thing to note is that the filters for the Z-pro may be more expensive than for Cokin-P so if you really want the entire filter holder it may be worth to have 2 filter holders with one of them modified for 33-55. This may work out cheaper than buying bigger filters. The High quality ones (SinghRay, B+W et al) as you may know cost quite a bit more from Cokin-P to Z-Pro. Since Cokin-P has been there for sometime and is very popular, the chances of finding a good quality filter (new/ used) for the same may be higher as well.</p>

<p>Hartblei 45mm Superrotator lens could be an alternative to the 33-55 / 35FA if you can live with a slightly narrower angle of view and need a different kind of versatility (Tilt / shift). If I recall correctly, Hartblei offer a Superrotator with Zeiss Glass which you may want to check out. Mine (non-Zeiss) is built like a tank, very sharp, lovely ergonomics BUT sits at home when backpacking. The lens works really well for me when shooting Macro (with Ex-ring and tilt ), Landscapes (Mostly tilt), and for Cityscapes (Mostly Shift).</p>

<p>I have the 33-55 and it is one of the best lenses that I own. I have the Hartblei Super-rotator when I really need some tilts. The super-rotator is superb in the center but its extreme-corner performance does not match up to the Pentax. The 33-55 is lighter, very very good wide open and excellent if stopped down a bit. Careful if you are using the Cokin p though.. you got to cut the outer most slot if you don't want it to vignette. When I need to travel light (back-packing / trek), its 33-55, 75mm , 2X converter and the reverse kit (for a lovely light weight Macro) that get into the bag, the rest stay at home. All in all 33-55 goes everywhere my 645NII does. If you love wide angles you will not regret owning this gem.</p>

<p>Fastastic News ! Thanks for sharing ! any Idea where all will it be sold ? US / EU / JP ?</p>

<p>Thanks again Yoshi</p>

<p>Lovely ! Thanks for the information Yuri.. does anybody have more details.. Mount, Pixels, pitch and most important price.. The least i am hoping for is the re-use of the lovely glass.</p>

<p>Danny, Berni Thanks very much for your answers.<br>

I assumed (and gathered from some earlier posts in this forum) that the 300mm(F4) MF and AF are identical optically.. Have you taken pictures with both of them and experienced any difference ? would be great to know your view about the difference between them with respect to picture quality.<br>

thanks</p>

<p>I have been a wide-angle landscape guy for the past several years and have the 33-55, 75 and the lovely Hartblei. I want to venture into the tele (narrow angle which will probably translate to >500mm) with my 645NII. This is primarily for moon scapes with mountain peaks with occasional bird and butterfly photography(with extention tubes) . Here is my priority list<br /> <br /> Top priority is performance of the lens / (lens + tele convertor) (obviously I want lovely pics :)<br /> Priority two is weight (I plan to hike for days in the mountains, Hence 600mm lens is out of question)<br /> Third priority is Cost<br /> Flexible framing/zoom (in narrow mountain trails, I may not have much space to move around)<br /> I don't care much about auto focus, but its nice to have<br /> <br /> These are the combinations I have been thinking of<br /> <br /> 300mm F4 Manual with 2x converter<br /> 150-300 F5.6 with 2X converter<br /> 400mm F5.6 with 1.4x<br /> <br /> <br /> The first combination (300F4+2x) seems to be best as it costs much less than the other two. would you have a view ? would be great to know if any of you have tried any of the above combination successfully ?</p>

Hi Michael, !

 

Am I too late ? is it still available ? my contact being the name that u see without spaces in between at yahoo

 

Thanks

-VJ

Hello All,

 

I have been searching for the Refconverter-645 for my 645NII for a long time

with no avail. Would you guys have an idea as to where I could buy one

(Preferably new) other than the "big auction site" ?

 

Thanks in advance

-VJ