RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: IQ Shootout: 645Z Vs D810 Vs 5D3

Friday, November 14, 2014

IQ Shootout: 645Z Vs D810 Vs 5D3

http://info.xitek.com/product/201411/12-164898.html
(in Simplified Chinese)

Side by side 100% crops on different Field-of-View can be found here, here and here. The lenses used for the tests and respective settings are also remarked.

Comments (22)

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0 Vote up Vote down

Frco · 540 weeks ago

No surprise , the Pentax 645z offers better quality

-2 Vote up Vote down

Yvon Bourque · 540 weeks ago

The 645Z is better in every way.

-6 Vote up Vote down

RiceHigh 110p · 540 weeks ago

The test is "unfair"! ;-p

5 replies · active 537 weeks ago

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Gonzo · 540 weeks ago

I'm sure you blame Pentax for that, too.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Frco · 540 weeks ago

Why then do you give publicity to this test?

-2 Vote up Vote down

RiceHigh 110p · 540 weeks ago

Compare the prices of the camera bodies and the lenses, in addition to the different sizes of the image sensors, everything is just so unfair and thus this test is completely meaningless! Get it, guys? ;-D

+2 Vote up Vote down

Andrés · 539 weeks ago

Unfair your comment Rice, because those cameras were designed not for enthusiast like you and me, but pros, and for them money is not an issue, and gear quality is the final limit.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Patrick · 537 weeks ago

The test is not unfair. people have been testing crop cameras versus full frame camera in the past. There have been/are crop cameras which match ff for high ISO.

When the D800 first came out the nikon fanboys were claiming it beats medium format. I thought it came close, but that was a ff cmos sensor versus a MF CCD sensor. Was that fair, sure it was. Did the D800 beat MF, a little in dynamic range but not in resolution. Now the comparison with both having cmos sensors, the 645Z is well out in front.

So a pro looking for high resolution has to decide whether the trade-offs for either system will suit him/her. So lenses and accessories will be the deciding factor as well.

+3 Vote up Vote down

circular arguments · 540 weeks ago

Here's my problem. Pentax fans keeps telling us that APS-C is good enough and the smaller sensor don't matter. In the same breath, they extoll the virtues of the 645Z, which is better because its larger sensor. But 645Z is priced out of reach for average earner, yet FF is quite affordable now. So we are stuck with underperforming APS-C, which is "good enough", just fine for my "A4 prints", but if you want better you must pay through the nose.

I admit that 645Z looks amazing here compared to the others. I also agree with RH that the comparison is unfair. Totally unfair.

9 replies · active 540 weeks ago

-1 Vote up Vote down

Ian · 540 weeks ago

It's not unfair at all. It demonstrates that, no matter how good the so-called FF cameras are sensor size & pixel size do matter. However, for the average user viewing on screen & printing A4 APS-C does the job.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Ian · 540 weeks ago

I meant to say "when pushed sensor size & pixel size do matter".

0 Vote up Vote down

sony camera do mundo · 540 weeks ago

Rumour has that Sony is going to release a new Foveon sensor. To see what the future will hold, you can
check out some of the Sigma DPx Merrill -> Pentax PK mount mods out there.
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=544&amp...

The possibility to mount your Pentax DA limited lenses on any future foveon Sony NEX camera and get the
medium format quality is limitless. No more $10k camera + $3k lens from Pentax.

+3 Vote up Vote down

QC is important · 540 weeks ago

I don't want a manual focus mirroless camera. I want an AF DSLR in k-mount full frame.

+3 Vote up Vote down

sony camera do mundo · 540 weeks ago

I would like to point out some of the current camera modders out there at least in Asia are shooting with.

Sigma DPx Merrill + Mitakon focal reducer + FF lenses.

Essentially full frame FOV + medium format resolution + run of the mil Pentax FF lenses.. I don't see
people lugging around a 5Lbs Pentax 645D,Z everyday.

I think Ricoh/Pentax needs to up their game. or game over.

+1 Vote up Vote down

no free lunch · 540 weeks ago

No, because focal reducers are a gimmick. They degrade image quality. They aren't matched to any particular lens' optics.

0 Vote up Vote down

no free lunch · 540 weeks ago

You also lose a stop of light... A FF AF K-mount is still better than a kludge solution with APS-C lenses.

+2 Vote up Vote down

foton · 540 weeks ago

This last comment, actually, is incorrect. The focal reducer INCREASES the aperture value, not vice versa. This is why it is an interesting accessory. Though I certainly agree, that it will reduce optical quality.

0 Vote up Vote down

sony camera do mundo · 540 weeks ago

for sure.
FF sensor + FF lens > APS-C sensor + focal reducer + FF lens > APS-C sensor + FF lens.
This is because the focal reducer squeezes the circle of confusion and improving the CoC to pixel ratio.
Furthermore, with the foveon sensor, each CoC to pixel you get three colours instead of one(assuming 1/ 1 ratio), hence increases sharpness and resolution(better pixel-space/colour ratio). The focal reducer of today is one solution to solve all problems regardless if all lenses share the same optical formula, coating or not.

rumour has it again.. sony is going to unleash a FF foveon sensor. we'll see how it will compare with large format film in terms image quality.

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foton · 539 weeks ago

Here is the dpreview comparison. The 645Z blows away the Nikon D810, which is to be expected, given the price difference. Still, I am more than happy with my APS-C equipment (unless I can have a hold on a full frame camera for under 1K)

1 reply · active 539 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

foton · 539 weeks ago

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4581411523/penta...

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sony camera do mundo · 539 weeks ago

8K UHD TV is around the corner.
http://nextvasia.com/1-cable-dth/nhk-to-broadcast...

and for now the price may be out of reach for the most of us. But in the next few
years when we upgrade to 8K, all the APS-C photos will look like monets.
even FF photos will not age gracefully on any 8K screens.
One good thing about Foveon is that you don't need extremely good lenses to
get extremely good resolutions. 8K UHDTV demands extremely good
resolutions. and sony is going to bring that to you. and so does the pentax 645Z
but for a price of $20K, complete system camera + lenses.

0 Vote up Vote down

Intense · 539 weeks ago

Do they generally use any tripods, mirror-up function and remote rontrols for their insane tests?
Something tells me that these were kinda tourist-photos-from-the-bus-window, eh?

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Friday, November 14, 2014

IQ Shootout: 645Z Vs D810 Vs 5D3

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