Pentax today announced the much awaited 645D medium format camera. Priced at US$9,400 and at a whopping 40 megapixels, the 645D will be available only in Japanese market in May.
A beast of a camera... Pentax 645D
Buttons and dials... Pentax 645D
The following are the 645D main features:
- Compatible with majority of existing Pentax 645 system
- Large 44mm x 33mm high performance CCD sensor produced by Kodak for an extra-sharp, super-high-resolution images with approximately 40 effective megapixels. It is 1.7 times larger than 35mm full frame sensor
- Lightweight but solidly built body featuring a magnesium-steel-alloy frame, reinforced glass LCD panel protectors and a dustproof, weather-resistant construction
- Wide dynamic range
- Features the acclaimed, PENTAX-original PRIME (PENTAX Real Image Engine) II as its imaging engine with new algorithm exclusively programmed for medium-format digital SLR cameras, ensuring super-high quality images and allowing speedy data transmission of large-volume image data
- 14-bit A/D converter for faithful conversion of image data to digital signals
- LCD panels — one on the camera’s top panel, another on the back panel — are covered with tempered glass plates for extra protection
- Dust-proof, weather-resistant construction with 70 special seals, cold-resistant performance to assure solid operation at a temperature as low as –10°C, and a newly designed shutter unit with a top shutter speed of 1/4000 second that can withstand as many as 50,000 shutter releases
- Dual SD/SDHC memory card slots in which recorded images can be assigned to different cards according to recording format (such as RAW or JPEG), or one of the cards can be used as the backup of the other
- DR (Dust Removal) II mechanism
- Features Pentax’s new SAFOX IX + wide-frame autofocus system features 11 sensor points (with nine cross-type sensors positioned in the middle) to assure the extra-high-precision focusing demanded of medium-format digital SLR cameras
- State-of-the-art 77-segment multi-pattern metering system to assure super-high-accuracy light metering
- The PENTAX 645D’s Custom Image function lets the user select one of eight modes, including the new Reversal Film mode designed to create images with the colors that are typical of reversal film. All parameters — such as saturation, hue, contrast, sharpness, key, and highlight/shadow contrast — can be easily adjusted
- Hyper Program function allows the user to instantly switch from Programmed AE mode to Shutter- or Aperture-Priority AE mode with a simple turn of the electric dials positioned around the grip. A single push of the green button shifts the exposure mode back to the original Programmed AE mode.
- When shooting in the Metered Manual mode, the PENTAX 645’s Hyper Manual mode lets the user to instantly set the proper exposure for the subject with a single push of the green button
- The unique Sensitivity-Priority (Sv) mode automatically selects the optimum combination of aperture and shutter speed for the user-selected sensitivity
- Shutter/Aperture-Priority mode that automatically selects the most appropriate sensitivity for the user-selected aperture/shutter-speed combination. It allows the user to effortlessly experiment with a greater range of photographic expressions
- Large, easy-to-view 3.0-inch LCD monitor with approximately 921,000 dots
- The PENTAX 645D is powered by a large-capacity, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which can capture approximately 800 images when fully charged
- HDR (high dynamic range) function to create one composite image with an extra-wide gradation range from three images with different exposures
- Dynamic-Range Expansion function to compensate for both whitewashed (excessively overexposed) and blacked-out (excessively underexposed) areas
- Mirror shock/operation-noise reduction function to assure smooth, quiet operation of the mirror during shooting.
[Source: Pentax press release]
