Hin's Photo Corner: 645

Showing posts with label 645. Show all posts

Pentax 645 A 55mm f/2.8 Test Shots

2011-10-27 Posted by Hin Man

Minimal focusing distance is at 1.5 feet/0.45 meter

A 55mm f/2.8, Fuji Acros 100, 2400 dpi scan

#2

A 55mm f/2.8, Fuji Acros 100, 2400 dpi scan

#3

A 55mm f/2.8, Fuji Acros 100, 2400 dpi scan

#4

A 55mm f/2.8, Kodak Tri-x 400, 2400 dpi scan

reversed in scanning, forget to flip horizontally

#5

A 55mm f/2.8, Kodak Tri-x 400, 2400 dpi scan

reversed in scanning, forget to flip horizontally

Impressions & Notes

Lens is smaller and lighter than my FA 45mm f/2.8
It competes in usage with 45 mm and for landscape I like the wider view in 45. However, it is an odd thing that I do sometime prefer the normal view in this lens for street shooting and on candid with portraits
I find the lens sharp with the test images that I have so far
My lens hood in 58mm size is too deep and I can see vignetting towards corners in some of my test shots.

Pentax 645 LS 135mm f/4.0

2011-10-21 Posted by Hin Man

Wanting to get a portrait lens, I bought a Pentax 645 LS 135mm f/4.0 LS a while ago to complement my use with the Pentax 645N. And what appeals me most is the use of leaf shutter. According to PDF documentation on leaf shutter in PentaxImaging, the built in leaf shutter on the lens won't work on 35mm full frame bodies with the 645 K adapter. It was my wishful thinking that the leaf shutter might magically work on Pentax digital which has its limitation on 1/180 sec. synch speed.

The lens has a LS setting for 60, 125, 250 and 500 on the lens front. Once engaged in LS setting, one has to cock the LS ring for each shot; otherwise, the curtain will be down and not flip up upon shutter release.

I learn it from other experienced user that the timing of the sync on the body terminal is with the focal plane shutter on the body which is not the same sync timing as the one on the lens. That is why there is a sync terminal(PC socket) on the lens to sync flashes when the lens shutter is in use. There is an accessory which is a hot shoe with a sync cable - the shoe goes into the camera and the sync socket into the lens.

Though I have not used any flash with the lens, the LS lens won't work in TTL mode like other 645 A lens. When leaf shutter is used, I do need to get two accessories like a hot shoe and a sync cable to connect between the hot shoe and the sync contact on the lens. I will go about finding these two items in eBay for future trial

Here are few test shots that I did a while ago with Pentax 645N and Kodak Tri-X 400

Impressions & Notes

The lens has surprising performance for me when I use it like a regular non-LS lens.
I like the handling and small size of this leaf shutter lens. It is not much bigger than the A 75mm f/2.8
It is a good addition when I want to pair this lens with the the 75mm and use this longer focal length for portrait and candid.
I currently don't have the accessories to try out the leaf shutter with a flash. I have been spoiled by digital with instant feedback on flash pictures and easier correction in re-shooting. I doubt I will have a easier time to work without TTL and that I have to use all manual setting on the flash and the lens leaf shutter setting. It is a challenge to be planned and worked out for next report.

Pentax 645 A 120mm f/4.0 Macro Test Roll

2011-10-07 Posted by Hin Man

I am doing some soul searching on my 645N gear. I initially got my 645N and started with only one lens with A 75mm f/2.8 which I love dearly. I later got FA 45mm f/2.8 and A 55mm f/2.8 which I also grown to love. I use more with the 45mm for the wider view but the 55mm gives sharper pictures. And I repeated my past mistakes with LBA, I bought gear too fast and before I know it, I have acquired LS 135 f/4.0 and later with A 120mm f/4.0.

FA 45mm f/2.8 -- #2 to keep
A 55mm f/2.8 -- ? not sure, like its sharper images but it competes with 45
A 75mm f/2.8 -- #1 to keep
LS 135mm f/4.0 -- ? not sure, I love the size and images
A 120mm f/4.0 Macro -- ? not sure, like its macro but I don't shoot enough macro on films

I need to think through for #3 candidate to keep. I know that the 120mm is likely the best candidate to keep but I have least use of macro on films. I am not sure if the 150mm f/3.5 will fit me better as a 3 lens set up in 45, 75, 150. I like the size of the 135 and it is much easier to hand-hold and quite alright for portrait. The LS feature got me into the LBA thinking but I have not put it into real use. And I wonder how my LS 135mm f/4.0 compares with A 150mm f/3.5 in sharpness and handling.

The main reason for trimming is finding enough fund for my digital upgrade for Pentax K-5 as I do more digital than film. But I plan to keep the 645N as digital bodies come and go and the good film body and lens are hard to come by in reasonable price.

I only have about 5 test photos just finished development from Dwayne's photo. I did my scanning last night with my flatbed on Canon 8800F. Most of my test shots are overexposed along with other shots from my A 55mm f/2.8 in a test roll with Fuji Acros 100. I did the post processing in LR.

A 120mm f/4.0 macro, fuji acros 100, 2400 dpi

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A 120mm f/4.0 macro, fuji acros 100, 2400 dpi

#3

A 120mm f/4.0 macro, fuji acros 100, 2400 dpi

Impressions & Notes

My test shots are not doing the justice for this wonderful macro lens. All are hand-held test shots and I did it in a rush
The lens is sharp and I think I will get great bokeh and color when I have a chance to try it on color film
The lens is heavier than my other 645 lens that I have used. Though I have not tried it, others have used it to a great extent for portrait use. I have the LS 135mm f/4.0 and I will prefer the LS lens for portrait as it is easier to hand-hold the LS lens.
The focus throw allows great precision while providing ease of focusing. This lens reminds me of the wonderful macro experience with Pentax SMC 100mm f/4.0 1:2 Macro in K-mount

Pentax 645N Product Shots with Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 macro limited

2009-09-03 Posted by Hin Man

pentax 645n product shots with pentax da 35mm f/2.8 1:1 macro limited

I don't think I can justify in buying this used camera. I thought for a long time about going back to film on b&w. I got myself interested with that nostalgic feeling on film where I started with a 35mm with Praktica MTL5 roaming around the streets of Macau and had my first roll of film on a 35mm SLR camera. I am always fascinated with b&w film. Though it is much easier and perhaps economical to shoot digital, the b&w is never the same in digital as in film. And what troubles have I got myself into: another gear that may turn out to be infrequently used. That is not my first time. It happened before and it will happen again. I buy, try it, feel guilty and sell the film camera and go back to digital. I am hopeful that the experience will get me into learning mood once again. I consider the money well spent if I manage to reinvent my interest into b&w instead of doing the digital conversion in software.

Have I learned a thing or two about myself? I am always silly. Sometime I enjoy the past as much as I enjoy the present. I don't necessary go for the latest and I treasure some oddies that work charmingly. This is a medium format camera and I know very little about.

I feel more adventurous in buying the Pentax 645N than getting the Pentax K-7. Is this a logical and rational step? Hell no!

When I first met this macho medium format camera, I go wow and that hunk of boxy body appeals to me in a unique way though it is not much bigger and heavier than the Pentax K20D. I would not go into detail measuring the weight and size for comparison as I find it very reasonable to handle. Why look at the figures that scare myself to enjoy the ride. The shutter noise is a bit of disappointment when I first tried it. I first thought of something similar to Pentax Pz-1 where the noise is loud but sweet in a sense of well dampened mechanically.

This baby takes 6 AA batteries and the cartridge is at least 2 to 3 times of a roll of 35mm film. It looks like a big part of the body once I place the cartridge into the 645N body from the back.