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Phase One IQ260, IQ280, and Achromatic - 11 Things to Know

It would be pretty cool if the wifi could stream the image to an iPad in "chunks" the way pano viewers work. When you want to zoom in to the image, the back just updates the image on your device by sending a smaller crop out of the captured image, thus getting around the iDevice 14mp image size limit and letting you zoom to 100% or maybe even more.
 

jduncan

Active member


Phase One IQ260, IQ280, and Achromatic - 11 Things to Know

1. Holy Dynamic Range Batman - Increased to 13 stops
2. Long Exposure has Returned with the Phase One IQ260
3. Achromatic Has Come to the IQ2 Series
4. Wireless Viewing, No Computer Needed
5. Remote Operation of the Camera
6. Remote Review and Color Tagging
7. Wireless Works With Any iOS Device
8. GPS Auto Geotagging
9. Wireless Works to TV
10. Sample Files Will be Available Soon
11. You Can See One In Person Starting in a Week
12. Why don't Scrooge McDuck buys PhaseOne and Hasselblad already?

Best regards,
James
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
It would be pretty cool if the wifi could stream the image to an iPad in "chunks" the way pano viewers work. When you want to zoom in to the image, the back just updates the image on your device by sending a smaller crop out of the captured image, thus getting around the iDevice 14mp image size limit and letting you zoom to 100% or maybe even more.
Highly unlikely that would be possible (at least, not in the way that pano viewers work).

The pano viewers already have an image pyramid to work with. Actually generating that pyramid in the first place is what takes the time.

Regards,

Gerald.
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
If I knew that I could get live view quickly onto a mini iPad with 100% zoom I would be real interested in upgrading. But I sure would want to see it in action first!

Victor
 

Pemihan

Well-known member
I think it is exactly something along those lines...

Peter

Introducing the IQ2 series digital backs | Phase One - YouTube

It would be pretty cool if the wifi could stream the image to an iPad in "chunks" the way pano viewers work. When you want to zoom in to the image, the back just updates the image on your device by sending a smaller crop out of the captured image, thus getting around the iDevice 14mp image size limit and letting you zoom to 100% or maybe even more.
 

gerald.d

Well-known member
I stand corrected.

If they're doing that live and on the fly (i.e. without a pre-generated image pyramid), that's extremely impressive.

(Having watched that video a little more carefully, they don't appear to be actually showing zooming in and out of the image there, just scrolling, so no pyramid of images being demonstrated, but that's not to say they haven't done it of course.)
 

Landscapelover

Senior Subscriber Member
It is a very exciting news.
I have few questions which somewhat duplicate the previous posts.
1. I am very interested in using this IQ2 back with the tech cam.
However, the 60-80mp-RAW files are quite big. Will there be any problems of file transfer in which can disrupt the workflow?
How long does it take to shoot one picture by a tech cam with the IQ280 or 260?
3. How can I supply 2 hours of battery (including black frame) to the DB for 1-hour exposure?
4. Is there a path of up (down) grading from IQ180 to IQ260?

Thank you,
Pramote
 

Dan Santoso

New member
I was going to sell my Ipad for the new USB 3 Window 8 tablet :)

I have IQ180 and will not be interested to upgrade, except when there is better improvement in PQ.

New multimedia features will not cut it and my client prefers to sit in front of 27" monitor to see the image.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I'm writing an article about the technical underpinnings of the long exposure capability they've achieved with the IQ260.

Should be ready to publish Wednesday.
Dare I ask about LENR? Would love to hear that it's optional and/or buffered like Canon can. I fear that I may be disappointed though.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
I was going to sell my Ipad for the new USB 3 Window 8 tablet :)

I have IQ180 and will not be interested to upgrade, except when there is better improvement in PQ.

New multimedia features will not cut it and my client prefers to sit in front of 27" monitor to see the image.
You can use the new wireless option to display on a 27" monitor (or 120" TV) by using the HDMI out adapter for the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch.

No cables into the digital back required.

Of course if you're in studio and you don't mind the cable for tethering I'd still suggest tethering. I only mention it because I've tech'd for some photographers that absolutely HATED having a tethering cable coming out of the camera.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
It is a very exciting news.
I have few questions which somewhat duplicate the previous posts.
1. I am very interested in using this IQ2 back with the tech cam.
However, the 60-80mp-RAW files are quite big. Will there be any problems of file transfer in which can disrupt the workflow?
How long does it take to shoot one picture by a tech cam with the IQ280 or 260?
3. How can I supply 2 hours of battery (including black frame) to the DB for 1-hour exposure?
4. Is there a path of up (down) grading from IQ180 to IQ260?
1. No files are transfer. The IQ260 retains the file and stores them on the CF card. It then generates, on demand, whatever information the iPad needs (thumbnails, previews, 100% zoom). So no, no problems regarding waiting for big files to transfer. The shot is captured and recorded instantly (more precisely something like 1.5 seconds after shutter release) and is available on the iPad a 2-3 seconds after that.
3. That's a good question! I'll ask regarding how long they've seen the batteries last when doing very long exposures.
4. We can help you with that. Just shoot me an email.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I am surprised that nobody feels cautious regarding implementation of wifi.
USB tethering is still not working after 2 years.
Even life view took a while to implement.
I wait and see if its actually working before an upgrade is in order .

I would also like to understand how they actually transfer such a large file to an iPad or will it be more like the Canon transmitters that keep the RAW on the card and transmit just a jpegs that's residing next to the jpeg.
That seems more doable in terms of transfer speeds.
Does anybody know how this is going to work.

One other issue for the 260 with long exposures will certainly be battery life especially if you have to shoot the black frame.
Will batteries last that long?

But certainly a welcome upgrade .
Actually the batteries did okay with the P45 doing long exposures. Yes it took some juice but you plan for it as well. On my P30 when I did a couple 35 minute shots I actually got about 5 shots off of those type of long exposures. The IQ series I found better battery life. My bet is this may even be better than that, have to wait and see.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
I stand corrected.

If they're doing that live and on the fly (i.e. without a pre-generated image pyramid), that's extremely impressive.

(Having watched that video a little more carefully, they don't appear to be actually showing zooming in and out of the image there, just scrolling, so no pyramid of images being demonstrated, but that's not to say they haven't done it of course.)
The previews which the back uses on it's own LCD when you review,zoom,pan images is the same preview used in the Capture Pilot wifi review system.

You can zoom in and out in near real time. It only takes 2-3 seconds to redraw the screen when making big changes to zoom/panning.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Guy, I must disagree respectfully on this one.....I think the 260 Achro is the back that is a really a head-turner here. Don't get me wrong, the IQ260 is sure to be a great upgrade from the P65+ and even the IQ160. Far more so than the IQ280 from an IQ180.

We know lots of guys have been hanging on to their P45+ backs waiting for a no-crop long-exposure back for a while, and I think subtle tonal differences between the IQ180 and 160 will be equalized or bettered by the 260...

...but, a bayer-less full-frame MFDB!!!! Yes, I wish they based it on the new 60MP sensor with the long exposure times (the IQ260 Achromat sounds like it is the same sensor as the P65+/IQ160), but surely there is nothing like it except the P45+ based Achromat+ which cost quite a penny as well.

I think my order is going in tomorrow although the wait may be long.

After I got out of Leica upon deciding that I'd rather give gobs of money to a company like Phase that at least are appreciative of receiving it vs. L that believe it is their god given right to take it from you, I was afraid every time I saw images out of the MM that I may have to swallow my pride and buy one and a couple of lenses, but hallelujah!! Here comes P1 to the rescue.

I cannot wait to try the new Rodies and Shneiders on this back. I suspect the resolution will be close to my 180 without the filter. BTW, I have never shot the Leica S, but even the best M glass that costs as much as the best tech lenses, and you wait months for, don't come close to what the newer Rodie and SK lenses offer, not by a long shot. I also much prefer the neutral, accurate and sharp images I get from them vs the super saturated, contrasty images that most called the "Leica look" -- sure to get challenged on this one, but heck, I had to get into a second bottle of Malbec to decide on the new purchase :)

I did not realize this announcement would come so soon, so I have a coastal optics 60mm along with a full-spectrum D800 coming in later this week. While this will be good for IR (B&W and false colour), I think the Achro back will be in a different league.

Not sure upgrading the IQ180 to the IQ280 would be a worthwhile for my work, the marginal DR would be nice, but WIFI and carrying around and iPad is not worth the coin.

Also, looking at how aggressively they have priced upgraded from the pre IQ series, someone has done some market analysis. It is unlikely that a current IQ user is going to switch, while someone sitting on a 4-6 year back, certainly needs some incentive. A used P65+ may have sold for 15K on a private sale, add 17.5 and for just over 32K you're back in with the best back in the business! This is certainly great play for Phase, and hats off to Phase for doing it!
I guess my biggest thought was when owning the 160 there where times I wish I had the P45 so I can do some long exposure shooting . The 1 minute limit felt like handcuffs. The 260 solves that issue for a lot of landscape shooters and even branches over to architectural shooters as well. We shot the P45 Achromatic on a workshop once and it was quite interesting for sure and yes I do agree it will smoke anything out there that is dedicated to that. So given your needs a great choice. Can't wait to you get it and we see what you get from it.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
LENR is required and automatic.
Sigh

Hmm, maybe I should just pay for a night / extreme exposure / light painting photography workshop for one of the phase engineers/product managers so that can understand why this is such a big deal to some of us.

Tonight I was shooting the Racetrack in Death Valley using light painting on the rocks & tracks and another set up shooting star trails. I'd love to be using my MF gear but I can only do this effectively with my loathesome Nikons. (Actually they're not really loathesome, it's just that I'd rather be shooting 4x5 ratio with my DF or Alpa vs using a different system just for this). Make LENR an option - heck make it a three finger convoluted key sequence to enable/disable you want, but I'd trade off post process NR with a dedicated dark frame (like LCC really) vs having to wait between shots.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
I am surprised that nobody feels cautious regarding implementation of wifi.
USB tethering is still not working after 2 years.
Even life view took a while to implement.
I wait and see if its actually working before an upgrade is in order .

I would also like to understand how they actually transfer such a large file to an iPad or will it be more like the Canon transmitters that keep the RAW on the card and transmit just a jpegs that's residing next to the jpeg.
That seems more doable in terms of transfer speeds.
Does anybody know how this is going to work.
That's a perfectly reasonable stance (wait to see it before you put money down).

A few additional considerations though:
- They had working WiFi units in Dubai and we (Digital Transitions) will have a working prototype unit in our office next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (reserve a time slot to see it).
- USB is very very nearly ready on the IQ1. In fact if you have need/desire for it now you can join the final stages of testing by speaking with your dealer.
- USB3 was very new on the market when they started development; the specification was still in flux. Wifi's N 5Ghz spec has been out there for several years and is established, mature technology.
- Phase One already has a lot of code/experience for Capture Pilot. You can already (and many people do already) use Capture Pilot with a computer in between the camera and iPad. It's not easy to remove the computer from the equation, but it's also not as hard as starting from scratch.

As stated elsewhere above, the raw file isn't transfered. All the storage and heavy lifting is done in the IQ back where there is a custom-design four-core processor and several auxiliary processors handling such tasks.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Wow - Two questions.
One-- the Wifi am I correct in thinking that you could be on the beach with just your tech camera, and an iPad and get live view and review directly on the ipad. That would make focusing so great, instead of just always figuring shooting at infinity.
If I knew that I could get live view quickly onto a mini iPad with 100% zoom I would be real interested in upgrading. But I sure would want to see it in action first.
The plan is that Live View will come to Capture Pilot, but this will not be ready for the launch.

For clarity, at launch they will have live preview working, and wifi working, but not the ability to do live preview over wifi. That will come later (as a free update).

And the quality of live preview will be the same as in the IQ1. So on a sunny beach mid-day you'll need ND filters to get a good live preview.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Two any word on ISO improvement or live view along with increase in DR?
DR and noise are of course directly related. So you will see a little less noise in the shadows of any given ISO.

However, we do not expect any huge improvements in higher ISO performance. Though, if you haven't seen an ISO1600 sensor+ file in Capture One v7 it really is a very good file (I use it a lot at weddings and when shooting actor/actress headshots).
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
If my assumption is correct and validated by the experts :lecture: - I would think you could, but I bet ya - they come out with a mini ipad holder you can put in the hot shoe - similar to to iphone holder - maybe don't even need the wide angle lens for the holder like the iphone.

Phil
You don't need the wide angle iPhone lens. The iPhone simply serves as a viewing window for the transmission coming from the back , so whatever is on the real camera being shot is simply sent to the iPhone for viewing so YES iPhone in the hot shoe would be great. Also folks may want to think about IPad mini( typing on one right now) bolting a bracket to there tripod . Maybe something that folds when they close there tripod legs. Initial thoughts are I always have my phone with me anyway , so its kind of a natural without anything else needed but a holder in the hot shoe would certainly be handy
 
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