Shooting tethered with a Pentax 645Z

Pentax provides two solutions to shoot tethered with the 645 Z
One with Flucard (which is not really tethered but remote control) and another one, with the software Image Transmitter 2, connected with a USB 3 cable…


I don’t shoot much in the studio, but when shooting interiors of boat, even in superyachts I happen to have to find the maximum recoil I often need to find a suitable position for the camera to stand back to widen the view (ah! these 3D images "shot" through bulkheads!).
For that I have a small tripod I put at the bottom of a shelf or even in some crazy places in the bathrooms…
But at this point, one must place blind the camera (in this case the swivel LCD screen of the 645Z is of little use).
Divine surprise! Pentax provides (against some €) connecting solutions that was so lacking for the 645 D!
In fact, Pentax « offer » 2 solutions …
1/ With Image Transmitter 2 software and a USB3 connection to a computer.
2/ Connecting with a Flucard the 645 Z via WiFi to a computer, or tablet or a smatphone (iOs or Android).

So what solution to choose? Which solution is most appropriate? So I tried them both!

1/ Image Transmitter 2
Not really a tethered solution in fact, but more likely a remote control feature…
Once installed (easy), the connected 645 Z (in PTP mode via the menu of camera) with a USB3 cable, click the button LV (Live View), set the aperture settings, ISO, exposure compensation, move the focus square by clicking once on the desired location, and voila!
One can choose to either save the files on one (or 2) SD cards of the camera or in a computer folder …
If one makes this folder a hot folder in Lightroom, the image automatically mounts and can be « worked” while you are at it … Not bad!


2/ Flucard
Once the Flucard is inserted into slot 2 of the 645 Z:On a computer, connect to the WiFi card (the camera becomes a DHCP server) and then in an Internet browser, enter the URL 192.168.1.1
On a smartphone or a tablet, once downloaded the (free!) Pentax Flucard Flu app. And presto!
Click the button LV (Live View), set the aperture, ISO, exposure compensation settings, the focus square is shifted by clicking one the desired location, and voila!
The settings are the same as with Image Transmitter 2
Unfortunately one can save the images only on the Flucard (16GB it leaves a little room …)
And therefore no record of the computer or auto import folder in Lightroom …
Anyway, as you can use with the on a smartphone or a tablet, the ability to move and to remote control the Z 645 wireless is a real plus!Some suggestions for future updates:
– Virtual grid to align vertical and / or horizontal
– Operation in HDR mode (multi exposures


Also, good to know that the Flucard is also working with the Pentax k3…
I'm not sure about Image Transmitter 2…

Nicolas,

This is interesting reading. Setting focus by tapping on a screen at that exact point is the major advance to me!

What do you mean by, "I happen to have to find the maximum recoil "? What is the recoil? In a rifle, it's the backward force to the shoulder when one fires the gun. but what is it for photography?

Asher

"Recul", in French, translates as "recoil" (for firearms), but also means standing back far enough to be able to take a photograph showing the whole room.

Nicolas probably intended to write: "I don’t shoot much in a studio, but when shooting interiors of boats, even in superyachts, I often need to find a suitable position for the camera to stand back far enough".

Thank you Jerome
Of course you're right!
Too fast search in http://www.wordreference.com…

For those who prefer to read in French, it is both in French and English in my blog dedicated to Pentax…