So, has Pentax done it?
But beyond the basics, two things make the 645D a defining camera. The first is price. At $10,000 US, it sets a new standard in medium format affordability. “Affordability” is a pretty rarified concept at this level of the industry, but given the number of people willing to shell out nearly this much for a Nikon D3x, the 645D has all but closed the price gap between MFSLRs and top end DSLRs. I predict that it will also put the cat amongst the pigeons within the medium format industry, in ways that might have serious consequences for a number of the players. The second feature which makes the 645D so significant is its flawless integration of a state-of-the-art DSLR controls and electronics into an MFSLR. The ergonomics are, to me, stellar. This is the most usable SLR (of any format) I have had in my hand for years. There is a catch. There’s always a catch or two. In this case, it’s not a surprising one. From my early testing, not all Pentax legacy lenses will perform to the exacting st
