When Pentax finally came clean about its plans for a digital version of its 645 camera earlier this year, the good news was that it was back on track. The bad news was that no-one seemed sure if it would ever go on sale in Europe. But, at Photokina in late September, the Japanese firm relented.
The 645D will now go on sale in December, says Pentax UK, priced £9000 for the body only, or £10,000 with the DFA 55mm 645 SDM lens.
The confirmation comes more than five years after Pentax first unveiled the camera. Initially, the 645D had a 2007 release date, but following the company’s acquisition by Hoya, it seemed unlikely the 645D would ever make an appearance, despite being almost fully ready to roll out. A surprise announcement early this year put it back on the agenda, and having gone on sale in Japan already, it’s set to be available in Europe by the end of the year.
The camera sports a 44x33mm 40.1-megapixel sensor designed by Kodak and a newly designed SAFOX IX+ autofocus system with 11 sensor points. The 645D is made from a magnesium-alloy body, which has been made dustproof and waterproof with 70 seals. The camera also carries features over from its K-series digital SLRs, with the same battery as the K-7, as well as a Prime II image processing engine. Pentax adds that the camera's software is also “basically the same”, which BJP was able to confirm in a preview of the camera last May in Paris.
Pentax says it is aiming the camera at “advanced amateurs” who already use its medium-format film cameras, claiming this large user base enabled it to “mass-produce the 645D and eventually lower its price”. Furthermore, “the compatibility with the existing 645 system, such as lenses, also contributed to the 645D’s lower price, as we could minimise the cost of developing new lenses and accessories”.
In fact, upon release, the 645D is expected to be the cheapest medium-format camera available – similar configurations by Hasselblad, Phase One, Leaf and Mamiya retail above the £10,000 mark.
