All posts filed under: Pentax 645D

Pentax SMC DA 645 25mm F4 AL (IF) SDM AW

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I recently purchased a 25mm lens for my Pentax 645 system. This is one of the new lenses designed for the digital 645D / 645Z cameras alongside the DFA 645 55mm and the DFA 645 Macro 90mm. A few important facts about the lens: At 25mm when used on the 645D it is equivalent to 19.5mm on a FF 35mm camera. This is one of the widest medium format lenses available.  I also use the excellent 645 35mm. It’s a heavy beast  at 1040g and expensive US$ 4,996.95 at B&H (although still several thousand less than the Hasselblad 24mm). Occasionally they appear used on Ebay, which is where I purchased mine. As with the 645D body, the 90mm, and 55mm, it’s weather sealed so can stand up to the elements. This really separates the Pentax system from other medium format digital systems which are more suited to a controlled studio environment. The front element is curved, which means filters are designed to be inserted internally. The filters are 40.5mm and polarizers can be rotated with a nifty dial on the holder. Interestingly, this …

Riley Marx – Fitness Model

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A few studio images for the portfolio of fitness model Riley Marx. We’ll do a second session outdoors when rainy season has finished. Always great to work with such a dedicated athlete. If you’d like to have a go at using studio lighting, the next Intro to Studio Lighting Workshop is June 14 & 15, 2014. Click on  the workshops tab for more details, then send me a message to book a place.

Channeling Michael Bay

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It’s only when I start looking through images in Lightroom that I notice that I’m picking up certain habits while shooting. When using the Profoto B1 strobe, I tend to position it off to my right and a little higher than the subject. For natural light portraits I usually have eye contact, but with off camera flash I seem to prefer them looking out of the frame towards the light. The unexpected result is that several of the images look like stills from a Michael Bay movie. All you need in the next frame is an asteroid, an autobot, or an alien spaceship.

Karate Masters Portrait Project – Narihiro Shinjo

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Narihiro Shinjo, Uechi Ryu karate master, and younger brother of Kiyohide Shinjo. He has won the kata section of karate championships so many times, James and I are having trouble working out the exact number. Just like his brother he is fast, conditioned beyond belief, and very very strong. He is also a lovely man, and has great control, which is a relief when a foot that could probably pass through concrete flies towards your camera.

Pentax 645D II

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Images (not verifiable)  have now begun to appear on the internet of a new Pentax 645D II to be revealed at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show in Tokyo next week. No news of the exact sensor, but a tilt screen would suggest live view, which would mean CMOS not CCD. The Pentax K3 is arguably the best APS sensor DSLR on the market, and it looks like the new 645D will rewrite the rules for medium format digital. For Pentaxians we live in exciting times.

The Goroka Show, Papua New Guinea (Part 1)

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Goroka is a town in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. It has less than twenty thousand residents and is accessible from Port Moresby by plane. Coffee is the main cash-crop, and the town is most famous for the 3-day Goroka Show in mid-September. The Goroka Show is a gathering of tribes from all over Papua New Guinea. In 2013 there were around 120 different Sing-sing groups participating. I’d seen some photos online of the festival and so made the journey from Okinawa to Goroka specifically to take some portraits of the various tribes. I took the Pentax 645D camera, the 645 35mm wide-angle and the new 645D 90mm macro. I mainly used the 90mm for portraits. Because it’s a macro lens, I was able to get up close and personal.