Bas Stubert Photography: Pentax 645Z cold weather trials

As I write this it is a comfortable 20 degrees Celcius inside. Outside however is another matter. At minus four degrees Celsius with snow falling and a fierce wind blowing sane people would stay indoors. I however ventured outside, bringing my new camera with me.

Enter the Pentax 645Z

I've recently added a Pentax 645Z to my arsenal. I've been more than happy with its predecessor, the Pentax 645D, for several years and when I got the chance to acquire a brand new Pentax 645Z for a reasonable price I immediately jumped at it! I've been in love with Pentax medium format cameras ever since I've bought my first Pentax 6x7 about ten years ago, a true medium format classic. A Pentax 645 soon followed as it was able to use the 67 type lenses as well with a custom adapter and before I knew it I was hooked to the 645 series. I have since added the 645N and 645D models to that collection.

One of the things I love about the Pentax 645 series is its ability to use very different lenses on it. While I've always loved the 'native' 645 glass the fact that with an adapter you're able to use 67 series lenses on any Pentax 645 model is perfect for me since I started out with the Pentax 67 series to begin with and I've managed to obtain quite a few 67 lenses. If you can, use a Pentax built adapter that allows for the proper use of your aperture ring, this avoids having to open up the lens completely to focus and then 'stopping down' to your desired f-stop. Other lenses however can also be used with an adapter. If you're a fan of Carl Zeiss lenses you're in luck because adapters exist for both the Hasselblad V mount and the Pentacon 6 mount that allow you to use both the West- end East German built Carl Zeiss lenses on a Pentax 645 series camera. And if, like me, you dabble in Soviet/Ukraine built cameras like the Kiev 88CM and their lenses you can use those lenses as well as they use the same Pentacon 6 mount.

Wintery conditions

Our climate is influenced by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean with relatively cool summers and moderate winters - i.e. not that much snow and sub-zero temperatures. If however the east brings us cold and snow it is almost impossible for me to resist venturing out and enjoying the snow. As such I grabbed my Pentax 645Z and off I was to get me some shots. As this was the first time I would take the 645Z in freezing temperatures there were a few things for me to test: 1. The actual handling of the camera when wearing gloves. 2. Battery life. 3. Camera response times. 4. The use of live view and the adjustable screen. I wasn't worried about the snow and gales, the 645Z - like its predecessor - is built like the proverbial tank, is equipped with weather sealing and can take care of itself in inclement weather. What I found was that 1. This camera is the perfect camera to use when wearing gloves. Its size and the spacing between the buttons are excellent for gloved fingers to operate. 2. With a fresh and fully charged battery the cold was no issue. I've had more problems with my Canon EOS-1Ds and 1D Mark II cameras with regards to battery life in cold circumstances than I've had now. 3. I've been amazed how quick this camera responds when compared to its older brother so no issues there for as far as I am concerned. 4. Ah yes, live view. As it turned out I suffered more from the freezing gales than the camera did so I simply forgot to employ it. Live view remains to be tested. Another observation is that when you use an auto focus lens the actual area covered by the focus points is not that big. As it originates from the K-3 and the 645Z has a bigger sensor this is something to be expected but if you want to keep your point of interest focused it tends to be at the center of your composition. Is this a big deal? Not really, I plan to use a lot of manual focus lenses on it and when shooting aviation where I do use auto focus I tend to have the aircraft in a frame-filling position anyway so no worries there. And the image quality? Hot damn, this camera delivers! I'm quite happy with these first results.

The shots