Phase One P45 39 megapixels, Phase One P 30 31 megapixels.
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PhaseOne H20 digital camera back |
The new Phase One P 45 will give owners of the now wienie 16.7 megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II the rude reminder that “size does matter.” The P 45 offers a 39 megapixel back. So if you have a Mamiya 645 AFD, Hasselblad H1, or Contax 645, you can now dream and drool over the Phase One P 45 or P 30.
The third new Phase One back, the P 21, is for speedy shooting: claimed to be 60 frames per second. Does this mean you can do sports photography with medium format digital quality? Move over Canon.
The speed is mainly in associated hardware and software, so we can assume the chip itself can handle the situation. It sounds like this sensor may be ideal for natural photography, especially of birds. At present some animals move too quickly for a normal digital camera to capture them, due to the delaying aspects of a normal digital camera.
Phase One is now emphasizing wireless connections. Wireless image transfer was offered by the Leaf Valeo but it often stuttered (the wireless on the Leaf Valeo often did not function). Leaf did not make the Aptus available for testing, so I don’t know whether the Aptus has the same failure rate for its wireless technology.
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Since portrait photography is a major market, for the Leaf Valeo 22 we are testing it for portrait and fashion photography. Here is Nicholas on the campus of his university in Guatemala photographing model Michele, one of the 15 employees of FLAAR international office there. Camera is the Mamiya 645 AFD. |
Phase One tri-linear scanning backs
Phase One is the only company which makes both a medium format and a large format digital back. All the other large format backs, BetterLight, Kigamo, and Anagram, make only that size. And all other medium format back manufacturers, Imacon-Hasselblad, Leaf, Sinar-Jenoptik, and MegaVision, make only medium format. Phase One makes both. Their large format back is PowerPhase FX+.
Phase One + Rollei
Rollei (now known as Franke & Heidecke) currently offers a 16 megapixel PhaseOne digital back at an attractive price on a Rollei camera, as a package. The Rollei 6008 is one of my all-time favorite medium format cameras: it has a range of lenses much greater than anything offered by Hasselblad. But the last time I used a Rollei camera professionally was in 1965, so until I can test drive the PhaseOne db20p + Rollei 6008 AF combo I can’t say more about it.
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A 39-megapixel Phase One P 45 is enough to make even Nicholas smile. We thank Global Imaging Inc for providing three Phase One backs in a row: P 30, P 25, and now the P 45. Next month we will evaluate Leaf, Imacon-Hasselblad, or Jenoptik-Sinar backs. |
Most recently updated July 11, 2006.
Previously updated Dec. 9, 2002 and August 1, 2005. Updated January 17, 2006. Updated Feb. 27, 2006.
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Available by october 2008 |
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Available by octuber 2008 |
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Available by october 2008 |
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Available by october 2008 |
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Available by october 2008 |
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Nicholas Hellmuth’s Medium Format Digital Camera Initiative
For over 40 years Nicholas Hellmuth has used Rolleiflex and Hasselblad cameras to record the flora, fauna, and archaeology of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Now for several years he is extending his medium format experience to digital photography.
Since FLAAR works both in a studio as well as out on location, we are an ideal focus for judging portability. We have experience with large format digital scan backs (the excellent BetterLight) and we also use Nikon and Canon digital cameras. A full-service digital pro should have at least one medium format digital system and should consider large format digital options as well.
Although we started with a Leaf Valeo 22 coupled with a Mamiya 645 AFD body and lenses, we are open to showcasing all bodies as well as other digital backs. Indeed we have tested an Imacon 4-shot back on a Hasselblad H1 body. Then (February 2006 onwards) we are evaluated a MegaVision black-and-white dedicated back for fine art photography. Next we are testing a 33-megapixel Phase One P 30. Since 2008 FLAAR has used a Phase One P25+ (a great way to update an aging Hasselblad ELX body with its excellent Zeiss lenses).
Camera resellers or manufacturers who wish to have their cameras, lenses, and backs included in this initiative are welcome to send their equipment for evaluation.
FLAAR is the de facto source of information because we have been university based, independent, blunt, and we are one of the few review sources that dares to review advertising specs, advertising claims, and advertising hype. We can afford to reveal all the pros and cons because FLAAR is a research institute. Photographers feel they can trust a university research professor who has devoted years to understanding the pros and cons of each aspect of a digital camera system and workflow.
Notice you are not blinded by blinking, flashing, or pesty ads for low-bid camera stores on a FLAAR photography review. I am always amused by a pseudo-review that obviously is simply paid to send you to a camera store.
You can download our colorful FLAAR Reports on our medium format digital camera initiative. |
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