Usually the preserve of the professional studio photographer, Pentax has been trying to tempt enthusiast photographers with a medium-format digital camera since the launch of the Pentax 645D in March 2010.

51.4-million-pixel CMOS sensor with no AA filter; Excellent value; used manual-focus 645 lenses available; Cheaper than the medium-format competition

Weighs 1,470g; AF could be a little faster

As a medium format camera the Pentax 645Z has a sensor that's considerably bigger than the sensors in full frame cameras such as the Nikon D810 and Canon 5D Mark III . In fact, as it measures 43.8x32.8mm, it's around 1.68x their size.

Medium-format cameras offer truly spectacular resolution, but until now, it's always come alongside a difficult compromise. With the Pentax 645Z, that changes. Building on 2010's 645D, the Pentax 645Z offers features that are rare or in some cases unique in a medium-format camera.

Phenomenal resolution and detail; Great high ISO performance; Rugged, weather-sealed body; Huge, bright viewfinder; Fast autofocus works well in low light; Swift performance for a medium-format camera; Good battery life; Shoots Full HD video, Phenomenal resolution and detail, Excellent prints beyond...

Quite bulky compared to an APS-C or full-frame DSLR; Autofocus points clustered near center of frame; Most lenses aren't weather-sealed or optimized for digital; Prone to aliasing artifacts (but so are most high-end cameras these days); Attracts a lot of attention from passers-by, Quite bulky (but...

The most advanced and most exciting Pentax DSLR to date has finally arrived. In this review, we will be taking a close look at the Pentax 645Z, a competitively-priced 51-megapixel flagship Pentax designed for professional photographers and craving enthusiasts.

Until very recently, you had to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to get a new digital medium-format camera, and in some cases you'd spend that much on the camera back alone.

As a medium format camera the Pentax 645Z has a sensor that's considerably bigger than the sensors in full frame cameras such as the

Large sensor with high pixel-count; Tilting; Live View enabled screen; Familiar control arrangement

High price compared to 35mm; Heavy; Bulky

Pentax 645Z review: our testing team took the medium format Pentax 645Z for a spin. Find out how it performed in their review video. The 51million-pixel Pentax 645Z has a CMOS sensor which measures 43.8×32.8mm (168% the size of a 35mm frame), so it can record a huge amount of detail.

This camera is incredible. From the moment of the first shutter slap to the last set of images downloaded, the 645z has continued to perform better than anything I've ever used. I shoot mainly landscapes, with Pentax's new medium format system I can achieve results I was never able to before.

Is there still life in medium format cameras? Pentax thinks so with the introduction of the 645Z, the second medium format model in its digital line. Replacing the 40-megapixel 645D, the 51-megapixel 645Z makes some critical changes, including a price drop. Does it fulfil the large-sensor dream?

I bought the Pentax 645Z on Adorama about 18 days ago. And I took the camera to Vancouver this past weekend to shoot the Seaplanes on the Bay downtown. I have also owned the Pentax 645D. The biggest improvement over the 645D is that the 645Z reads to the card much faster.