How much dynamic range does the Pentax 645Z offer?

According to measurements carried out by DXO Mark, the sensor in the Pentax 645Z provides a maximum of 14.7 EV of dynamic range (DR). DR is defined as the ratio between the highest and lowest brightness a camera can capture. A value of 12 EV or above is considered excellent.

High dynamic range of a camera sensor is particularly desirable for scenes with a mix of very bright and very dark parts, such as in some landscape photography settings. It helps to avoid that highlights get washed out or that detail in shadows is lost.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Pentax 645Z to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better). In addition to dynamic range (DXO Landscape), the listing also covers color depth (DXO Portrait) and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax 645Z	Medium Format	51.1	8256	6192	1080/60i	26.0	14.7	4505	101
2.		Canon 1D X Mark II	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	4K/60p	24.1	13.5	3207	88
3.		Canon 5DS	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.7	12.4	2381	87
4.		Canon 5DS R	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.6	12.4	2308	86
5.		Hasselblad X1D	Medium Format	51.3	8272	6200	1080/25p	26.2	14.8	4489	102
6.		Leica M11	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	none	26.3	14.8	3376	100
7.		Leica SL	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	13.4	1821	88
8.		Nikon D4S	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	1080/60p	24.4	13.3	3074	89
9.		Nikon D5	Full Frame	20.7	5588	3712	4K/30p	25.1	12.3	2343	88
10.		Nikon D7200	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.5	14.6	1333	87
11.		Pentax 645D	Medium Format	39.5	7264	5440	none	24.6	12.6	1262	82

In the United States, the 645Z was initially launched in April 2014 at a price of $8,499.

Check 645Z offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

~

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please get in touch, so that we can correct the information.

You are here:  Home  »  Pentax 645Z Review  »  Pentax 645Z Dynamic Range