Feiten. Anders bekeken.

Pentax 645Z

Geschreven door  op in Review, The Mobile Life.

As a child I never knew what I wanted to become. Since my career as an animal saver for Greenpeace never took off, I changed schools and discovered the visual arts. It truly became a renaissance with the introduction of the iMac and OS X. It really gave my design skills another boost, just about the time digital photography became a ’thing’. Saving those gorgeous pictures to .. a floppy disk. Yep, my first digital camera I used was the Sony Mavica.

Since then, a true revolution has happened in cameras. Tiny phone cameras went from being dark unusable heaps of blurry pixels to quality producing images suitable for printing. But not just consumer technology improved, the 35mm DSLR went from a tool trying to equate the quality of film, to exceeding it in details and low noise levels. However, the higher we went, the slower the innovation happened. Large Format cameras are still shot on film each day, still giving digital a run for their money in the ‘megapixel race’. But right in between is the Medium Format.

KVDS-20141210-114946-49-iPhone 6

Most of medium format camera’s are mostly unchanged since the 80’s. Digital backs where available, but those got stuck in the controlled environment of a studio, since the ISO sensitivity made it so that anything over ISO 400 gets so noisy that it was basically useless.

But then too, a revolution happened. The 50 megapixel Sony sensor. Used by Hasselblad, Mamiya and Phase One, it’s the first medium format that has the qualities of most premium DSLR sensors, including the stunning low-light performance we’ve gotten to expect from the kings of low-light like the Nikon Df and D4S.

Does it hold up? Absolutely! Images are not only crisp and sharp, they also have the great medium-format depth I have come to love from using MF systems. The body is as rugged as a beast this size can be. Easy handling, logic button placement, a luxurious viewfinder, weather proofed and sturdy beyond what I dared to test it with.

For two months my D800 gathered dust, while I dragged the 645Z to the Scottish highlands, on a wedding, and even to a party to shoot DIGITALISM.

Even when I lost my balance exploring in Scotland and slid down a hill of mud, not a single scratch was to be found on the camera. Just a bit of cleaning and all done. Snow, freezing cold, rain? No problem at all.

Even while exploring in Scotland, this camera performed like a charm. Built as a tank!
Even while exploring in Scotland, this camera performed like a charm. Built as a tank!

After a few days, it felt like the logical extension of my mind, attached to my arm, to capture the images in my mind. Armed with the 55mm 2.8 lens, it was a dream combo that made me get the shots I was dreaming of.

For a Medium Format it’s speedy and logical and helps you create great looking pictures. What more can you ask for? It’s obvious that the future of Medium Format lies in Pentax’s hands, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Check out more images taken by the Pentax 645Z here.

Ook interessant

Nokia Treasure Tag

19/02/2014

19/02/2014

<p>I bet you have lost your keys once. Phrases like 'where is my wallet?' happen more than once? Good news then! Nokia introduces the Treasure Tag. </p>

4G in Belgium

07/10/2013

07/10/2013

Our crew here at TML is located in Belgium. As seasoned technofreaks, most of us use iPhones since the beginning....

SWAROVSKI OPTIK PA-i5 iPhone adapter

05/06/2014

05/06/2014

<p>Turn your <span>Swarovski telescope into an iPhone zoom lens with the PA-i5 iPhone adapter.  </span></p>

Lightroom CC / Lightroom 6

28/04/2015

28/04/2015

<p>Lightroom is my bread and butter. Bringing it home to CC with some great improvements, it just created an even more powerful tool for me. </p>

In-flight Safety Entertainment

07/10/2016

07/10/2016

“Ladies and gentleman, may we have your attention while the cabin crew point out some of the safety features onboard...

Flying to the Bad Republic

05/10/2016

05/10/2016

For the past three years, we’ve been flying solo at The Mobile Life. But running a fulltime photography business, combined...

Bad Republic gaat op uitstap naar Barcelona #MWC17

26/02/2017

26/02/2017

Maandag 27 februari is het weer zover: het hoogtepunt van het jaar voor menig gadget- en technologiefanaat.  Elk jaar wordt...

Cogito Connected Smart Watch

13/07/2014

13/07/2014

<p>The two new Cogito smart watches try to simplify your notifications. Too bad they only complicate it. </p>

The Primark Effect

11/06/2015

11/06/2015

Last month, big blue neon letters where erected in our city center, making the opening of our cities Primark coming...

(The) Traveling Light

28/05/2013

28/05/2013

<p>I’m a light hunter.</p><div><p>I look for the most interesting light in any places I can find. When I do I set up, and when the time is right, I set up my equipment, and I pull the trigger. </p></div>

Pocket Tripod

27/11/2013

27/11/2013 2

<p>The Pocket Tripod is a genius little bit of bendable technology, fits in your wallet and holds your phone steady. </p>

Death on the Nile (2022)

07/02/2022

07/02/2022

De terugkeer van Hercule Poirot. Na een succesvolle reboot door Kenneth Branagh met ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ is het...

Bose CineMate 15 & Solo 15

25/02/2015

25/02/2015

<p>Producer of fine audio-equipment Bose released two new Home cinema solutions in tiny packages. We tested both.</p>

Doxie introduces Flip

06/11/2013

06/11/2013

Our all-time-favorite paperless company Doxie just introduced a brand new way to digitize your life. The first specialized Doxie built...

IKEA BEKANT

02/04/2015

02/04/2015 1

<p>IKEA comes with an affordable solution for a adjustable standing desk. Here is our review.</p>