Pentax Digital 645 - dead

This sucks. So much for the high end for Pentax.
-Guy


http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/08/p...-series-dslrs/


http://translate.google.com/translat...ial%26hs%3DKEJ

"Guy" wrote:
This sucks. So much for the high end for Pentax.
-Guy

The original Japanese page under that second link says that they're going to
continue developing medium format digital, it's just the particular model
that's been cancelled.

The machine translated "However, in digital format will continue to develop
itself." actually says: "Development of medium format digital itself will
continue." Oops.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/08/p...-series-dslrs/

http://translate.google.com/translat...ial%26hs%3DKEJ

With the announcement of the Sony 24MP FF (24x36mm) sensor, there's not much
point in 645 digital unless they can get full frame (42x56) and at least
36MP or so. Especially since they were using an 18MP partial frame* Kodak
sensor. (My take on the Kodak sensors is that they are significantly worse
than Canon, Nikon, and Sony sensors, and Pentax figured out that a Sony 24MP
FF camera with Zeiss lenses would be a way better camera than an 18MP
Kodak.)

*: The largest MF sensors are on the order of 36x48 instead of 42x56; and
that's a crop factor which leaves the systems weak in the wide angle area.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

David J. Littleboy wrote:
"Guy" wrote:
This sucks. So much for the high end for Pentax.
-Guy

The original Japanese page under that second link says that they're going to
continue developing medium format digital, it's just the particular model
that's been cancelled.

The machine translated "However, in digital format will continue to develop
itself." actually says: "Development of medium format digital itself will
continue." Oops.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/08/p...-series-dslrs/

http://translate.google.com/translat...ial%26hs%3DKEJ

With the announcement of the Sony 24MP FF (24x36mm) sensor, there's not much
point in 645 digital unless they can get full frame (42x56) and at least
36MP or so. Especially since they were using an 18MP partial frame* Kodak
sensor. (My take on the Kodak sensors is that they are significantly worse
than Canon, Nikon, and Sony sensors, and Pentax figured out that a Sony 24MP
FF camera with Zeiss lenses would be a way better camera than an 18MP
Kodak.)

*: The largest MF sensors are on the order of 36x48 instead of 42x56; and
that's a crop factor which leaves the systems weak in the wide angle area.
I just finished replying to you in the other thread, then
saw this thread.
I agree with you that cropped 645 would pretty much be a
waste of time, they'd be better to do some magic in a 24x36
sensor, rather than 36x48 IMO, and save the 645 digital for
when they have 42x56 available.
The 14MP Samsung chip in the K20D, apparently gets very good
reviews for noise performance (yet to see one myself), I'd
be thinking that if that technology was translated into
24x36, then into 42x56, they'd have some pretty kick-ass
cameras. Hands up who would want an 85MP 645 camera? (if I
could afford it).

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

On Mar 9, 1:05 am, Guy wrote:
This sucks. So much for the high end for Pentax.
-Guy

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/08/p...-645-digital-t...

http://translate.google.com/translat....watch.impress...

They'd have also had to invest in a new line of digital medium format
lenses (like Mamiya is) and maybe that put them off it?

On Mar 9, 1:35 am, "David J. Littleboy" wrote:
"Guy" wrote:
This sucks. So much for the high end for Pentax.
-Guy

The original Japanese page under that second link says that they're going to
continue developing medium format digital, it's just the particular model
that's been cancelled.

The machine translated "However, in digital format will continue to develop
itself." actually says: "Development of medium format digital itself will
continue." Oops.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/08/p...-645-digital-t...

http://translate.google.com/translat....watch.impress...

With the announcement of the Sony 24MP FF (24x36mm) sensor, there's not much
point in 645 digital unless they can get full frame (42x56) and at least
36MP or so. Especially since they were using an 18MP partial frame* Kodak
sensor. (My take on the Kodak sensors is that they are significantly worse
than Canon, Nikon, and Sony sensors

So when does the next Canon, Nikon or Sony sensor end up in any high-
end scientific product, or spacecraft, or military application the way
Kodak, Dalsa, etc,. do?

David J. Littleboy wrote:
"Guy" wrote:
This sucks. So much for the high end for Pentax.
-Guy

The original Japanese page under that second link says that they're going to
continue developing medium format digital, it's just the particular model
that's been cancelled.

The machine translated "However, in digital format will continue to develop
itself." actually says: "Development of medium format digital itself will
continue." Oops.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/08/p...-series-dslrs/

http://translate.google.com/translat...ial%26hs%3DKEJ

With the announcement of the Sony 24MP FF (24x36mm) sensor, there's not much
point in 645 digital unless they can get full frame (42x56) and at least
36MP or so. Especially since they were using an 18MP partial frame* Kodak
sensor. (My take on the Kodak sensors is that they are significantly worse
than Canon, Nikon, and Sony sensors, and Pentax figured out that a Sony 24MP
FF camera with Zeiss lenses would be a way better camera than an 18MP
Kodak.)

*: The largest MF sensors are on the order of 36x48 instead of 42x56; and
that's a crop factor which leaves the systems weak in the wide angle area.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan



Thanks David - Nice to hear this from a more relevant perspective than
my own. The Digital 645 has just been so long in coming that I found
this news discouraging. Are you native to Japan or just gone native? -Guy

"Guy" wrote:
David J. Littleboy wrote:

Thanks David - Nice to hear this from a more relevant perspective than my
own. The Digital 645 has just been so long in coming that I found this
news discouraging.

No argument on that. The Pentax 645 film camera design doesn't have a
removable back, and this left them out in the cold in the medium format
digital world, where third party back mfrs were the thing. With the
sensor/electronics being so expensive (one MF digital MF back mfr was
throwing in a free camera with their back!) the camera isn't a large
fraction of the cost, so I suppose you could just ebay the whole camera
(instead of just the back) to upgrade. Which is what Mamiya was thinking
also, even though their cameras have removable backs.

Are you native to Japan or just gone native?

I've been here since '86, although I don't see myself as "going native". I
like and am amused by Japan, but I'm a taxpaying (ouch) and voting US
citizen committed to remaining as such (the US is the only country in the
world that taxes its citizens abroad, and one of the very few that lets us
vote).

David J. Littleboy
A US citizen temporarily residing in
Tokyo, Japan

In article ,
says...

-
-(the US is the only country in the world that taxes its citizens abroad,
- and one of the very few that lets us vote).

I thought that money earned outside of the country
(out for more than 18 months) was exempt.

Is your employer us based?


-
-David J. Littleboy
-A US citizen temporarily residing in
-Tokyo, Japan
-
-
-

--
Bob Crownfield

"crownfield" wrote:
In article ,
says...

-
-(the US is the only country in the world that taxes its citizens abroad,
- and one of the very few that lets us vote).

I thought that money earned outside of the country
(out for more than 18 months) was exempt.

No. Definately not. US citizens are required to pay income taxes on their
income, whereever it was earned, whereever you happen to be. If your foreign
income is subject to foreign taxation, you only owe the difference (if the
US amount is larger). If it's too much of a bother to calculate that,
there's an "exemption" you can take, but that only works for relatively
modest incomes.

Is your employer us based?

No, but that's largely irrellevant. There are all sorts of complications and
fine print, especially for employees of US companies sent abroad with
"perks", which can turn into serious money.

But the bottom line is that we owe taxes. Death and taxes are inescapable if
you're a US citizen.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

On Mar 9, 3:52 pm, TRoss wrote:
On Sat, 8 Mar 2008 23:55:10 -0800 (PST), RichA
wrote:



On Mar 9, 1:35 am, "David J. Littleboy" wrote:
"Guy" wrote:
This sucks. So much for the high end for Pentax.
-Guy

The original Japanese page under that second link says that they're going to
continue developing medium format digital, it's just the particular model
that's been cancelled.

The machine translated "However, in digital format will continue to develop
itself." actually says: "Development of medium format digital itself will
continue." Oops.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/08/p...-645-digital-t...

http://translate.google.com/translat....watch.impress...

With the announcement of the Sony 24MP FF (24x36mm) sensor, there's not much
point in 645 digital unless they can get full frame (42x56) and at least
36MP or so. Especially since they were using an 18MP partial frame* Kodak
sensor. (My take on the Kodak sensors is that they are significantly worse
than Canon, Nikon, and Sony sensors

So when does the next Canon, Nikon or Sony sensor end up in any high-
end scientific product, or spacecraft, or military application the way
Kodak, Dalsa, etc,. do?

Take a look at Canon Medical Systems - its digital radiography systems
and flat panel detectors are quite respectable. Sony's DXCLS1
"lipstick" camera has a wide range of application, including medical
and scientific - IINM, it's been used in head-mounted display, but I
don't know to what extent.

TR

Sony is notorious for not using other mfgs technologies, even going so
far as to continue to sell flawed products to avoid this, see XBR
televisions. You can't really cite it as a specific example of their
product quality for scientific applications because of that corporate
philosophy.