Despite what Tony Northrup says I am very keen on using the recently announced Pentax 645Z for wedding photography. There are several reasons why I think this 51MP beast could be a valuable camera for wedding photographers. Firstly I think the body has an appealing price point. For less than AU$10,000.00 this is a cheap (relatively speaking) camera to step into the world of medium format. Other options like the Phase One backs cost between AU$35,000.00 – AU$50,000.00. Pentax offers 51MP for a fraction of the cost of using the industry standard.
The 645Z also has the advantage of a CMOS sensor. The Hasselblad medium format cameras, as good as they are, are unusable as wedding cameras because they break down even at moderate ISO sensitivities. The 645Z, by contrast, has been reported to have an ISO sensitivity that is more impressive than most DSLR cameras. Suddenly one of the chief obstacles to using a medium format camera for location shoots has been removed.
The obvious reason for utilizing medium format cameras is not the larger mega-pixel count (which is only slightly more than a gimmick) but the sensor size. The 645Z has a crop factor of 0.79. That means to get the equivalent of a 70-200mm f/2.8 you’d need to have an 89-235mm f/3.5. To get a more in-depth discussion of the advantages to the medium format sensor sizes read this article. Suffice to say the technical advantages are reasonable enough to consider a medium format system.
There are two specific ways that the Pentax 645Z can assist your photography. Firstly, there is the additional dynamic range. One reviewer, Ming Thein, speculates that he believes the 645Z produces images with a stop more dynamic range than the Nikon D800E. This is very important for shooting on-location when harsh shadows are produced (usually by the sun). Having the ability to pull back information you otherwise wouldn’t be able to access is fantastically convenient and may save more than one of your shots. The second way the Pentax 645Z will shine in the wedding photography game is the almost imperceptible way a medium format sensor renders an image. Obviously there is something to be said about the masters behind the camera but even accounting for the skill quality of the photographer these cameras, in general, render gorgeous and razor-sharp images. Now I haven’t had that much experience with medium format cameras but I wish to delve into what they offer for this very reason. Medium format film cameras (like the Hasselblad 500cm or the Mamiya 645) have a stronger personality than their digital counterparts but the fact remains medium format photography looks wonderful.
The Pentax 645Z is, in my humble opinion, a significantly better camera option than the recently announced Phase One IQ250 or the Hasselblad H5D-50C. Off the bat there is a notable price difference between the offerings. Then there’s the maximum ISO which is much higher on the Pentax. Finally there’s the size difference. All of these deficiencies have a huge bearing on the wedding photographer.
The Pentax 645Z is not all smiles and rainbows though, there are some drawbacks. Coming in at 1.55kg it will become quite heavy for wedding shoots when teamed with a good lens. One of the reasons I invested in the Panasonic GH4 for wedding videography was because of how light-weight they were. When full day shooting is required the old adage “less is more” takes on new meaning. Staying light is the name of the game and the Pentax doesn’t do too well in this regard. However, I was previously a sports photographer and hand holding a 1D series body with a 70-200mm lens never really bothered me and I assume the 645Z with lens would clock in at a similar weight. Another glaring disadvantage is the form factor. This, like most digital medium format cameras, is shaped very poorly. The externals of this body are undesirable. It looks like an overweight full-frame camera and likely does not balance as well as one in the grip of your palm. Most digital medium format cameras have been designed for tethered studio work. Thus this camera is begging to be tripod-mounted. However, I don’t shoot weddings lugging a tripod around, for good reason. So the form factor is just a bit meh for my purposes.
Another aspect of this camera that I find peculiar is the decision to use SD memory slots. I much prefer CF cards for my photography and I find it bizarre that most new technology is tending towards using SD cards. I know they save physical space and weight but this camera isn’t really about optimizing those aspects, is it? Another downside to this camera is the lack of lenses available to use on the Pentax 645Z. Now I know that there are plenty of options, however, compared to the Phase One or DSLR systems the Pentax 645Z has relatively slim pickings. For best results it is recommended that you invest in the new set of lenses newly available in the Pentax line-up. Skimming through the options I would strongly consider the 45mm f/2.8 (35mm f/2.2) and 90mm f/2.8 (71mm f/2.2). These lens options reveal another difficulty for me personally. Specular are the chief providers for medium format rental gear in Victoria (and maybe even in Australia). But they don’t seem to have any Pentax lenses. They mostly have Phase One lenses, Schneider Kreuznach leaf shutters, Hasselblad lenses and Mamiya RZ67 lenses. As I understand it none of these lenses are usable on the Pentax 645Z (though I may be wrong). If I’m right then I may have to purchase some of the lenses I want in order to rent this camera from Specular. Though I think it’s likely that Specular will purchase some Pentax lenses if they decide to invest in the 645Z as a hire option.
To sum up I am very excited about the Pentax 645Z. The negatives that come with using a digital medium format camera are not so apparent in the 645Z and I don’t think it is a stretch to use this camera as the primary camera on a wedding shoot.