Phase One unveils three high-resolution, WiFi-enabled medium-format backs and an aerial camera
posted Monday, March 4, 2013 at 1:31 PM EST
Phase One has taken the wraps off of a trio of new high resolution digital medium format backs, as well as a black-and-white, 60-megapixel medium format camera designed specifically for aerial photography.
Phase One's new IQ2 series include three 645 formatted backs, each of which come with a high-speed wireless connection, and a claimed 13 f-stops of dynamic range. The newly announced camera backs are the IQ280, IQ260 and IQ260 Achromatic, all of which come with 1.15-megapixel touch displays; an accelerometer triggered virtual horizon; focus masking to check what’s in focus on your image; and an ISO range of 35-3,200 with a whopping 16 bits of color.
The IQ280 tops the line in terms of pure megapixels, packing 80 megapixels onto the back of the camera. Both the IQ260 and IQ260 Achromatic offer 60 megapixel images, with the latter being a dedicated black-and-white device, with the color filter array removed for maximum sharpness. It also lacks an infrared filter, so can be used to capture images in infrared, visible and ultraviolet light.
All three backs are WiFi enabled, allowing you to beam images directly to your computer, and control the camera through an iOS device. But given how large of a file a RAW, medium format image must clock in at, we're betting you can expect relatively slow transfer rates moving your files over the aether.
Phase One has also announced a new camera designed specifically for aerial photography today: the iXA 160 Achromatic. As you might have gathered from the name, this is a black-and-white variant of the already available iXA 160. The iXA 160 Achromatic features an expanded ISO range of 200-3,200, and is sensitive to visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light, and will be available with or without an infrared filter, depending on your needs.
The Phase One iXA 160 Achromatic will have a list price of USD$60,000 (45,000 Euro), and the IQ2 series will be available from USD$39,990 (29,990 Euro).
