Pentax Unleashes First Medium-Format DSLR: 645D

After a month-long online campaign to promote its launch, Pentax is finally unveiling the 645D medium format digital camera. This is the first digital version of the company's 645 medium format camera system. It features a 40 megapixel, 44 x 33 CCD sensor as well as a 921k dot 3.0-inch LCD. The camera is compatible with the existing 645 system lenses. Sadly, the camera will initially be available only in Japan. It will carry a suggested price of ¥850,000 (approximately US $9,400) and should be available in May.

 Major Features

Unprecedented image quality
  • Super-high-resolution images made possible by approximately 40 effective megapixels
    The PENTAX 645D incorporates a high-performance CCD image sensor produced by Kodak. It measures 44mm by 33mm, and is approximately 1.7 times larger than its 35mm-format counterparts. Thanks to approximately 40 effective megapixels, it assures a wide dynamic range to faithfully reproduce the prevailing ambience and the sense of depth in super-high-resolution images that are rich in gradation and truthful in texture description. In order to bring out the full potential of the lens and the image sensor and assure the highest level of image-resolving power, the CCD unit is designed with no low-pass filters.
  • High-performance, high-speed PRIME II imaging engine
    The PENTAX 645D features the acclaimed, PENTAX-original PRIME (PENTAX Real Image Engine) II as its imaging engine. Thanks to its high-speed data-processing capacity and new algorithm exclusively programmed for medium-format digital SLR cameras, this high-performance imaging engine produces super-high-quality images rich in gradation and faithful in color reproduction, while allowing speedy data transmission of large-volume image data — even RAW-format images as large as some 50MB per file.
  • 14-bit A/D converter for faithful conversion of image data to digital signals
    The PENTAX 645D features a high-performance A/D converter, which faithfully converts the large volume of analog image data output by the large CCD image sensor to digital signals carrying an extensive amount of image data, including resolution and gradation.