Photography News issue 20

Competitions

ChrisMills

What an excellent day, the highlight being getting the chance to use the stunning Pentax 645Z and the multitude of lenses. I have been a Pentax user for many years starting with the K1000 through to the Z1P and then digital with the *ist, K10 and I currently use the K-5 and K-5 IIs. The 645Z is just like an oversized DSLR, superb to handle and giving absolutely stunning image quality. My shots using ambient light and high ISOs were superb. For me, the 645Z is a brilliant portrait and landscape camera and it is supported by some great lenses. The shallow depth-of-field with the larger image sensor makes shooting portraits where you want a very tight focus effect extremely easy. On the day itself going into an unknown venue meant it was a challenging shoot. Walking in and looking at the superb and compact location and working out what to shoot was a challenge, particularly due to the low levels of ambient lighting. I’ve photographed models before, both professional and amateur as well as friends, so I am generally confident at trying to put the subject at ease and getting the best from the shoot. So working with the less experienced models on the day wasn’t an issue. Thanks to everyone for giving us such a superb day.

Superb to handle and giving absolutely stunning image quality

DamianHall

I had a really enjoyable day with like- minded people, so I am glad I entered the competition and got to play and create. My highlight was the opportunity to try the Pentax 645Z in a real-world setting with a load of lenses. The 645Z’s image quality is stunning. In comparison with a DSLR, the dynamic range is spectacular, and getting up close with one of those 51-megapixel files on a 30in monitor is eye-opening. What impresses most though is the beautifully smooth and creamy gradations. Skin tones are fantastic straight out of the camera and in good light there is very little post-processing needed. I thought general camera handling was exceptional for a camera of its size. It certainly doesn’t feel unwieldy and its lack of weight adds to this feeling. The body feels solid and the buttons give good feedback. The focus point and menu options are a very sensible bit of design. I love the 25mm f/4 and 300mm f/4 lenses; the 300mmmelts the background into a creamy loveliness. I was genuinely surprised by AF speed in good light. The AF has limits in dark conditions, but my existing kit would have struggled with that too. I was also impressed by the speed of the shot to shot time, especially as there was lot of data being moved around.

Photography News | Issue 20