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

[kdphotography]

.... but I bet ya - they come out with a mini ipad holder you can put in the hot shoe - similar to to iphone holder ....

Phil

"They?" His name is John Milich. And he's family here.

 

[Andy Biggs]

here is a worthwhile link:

Phase One goes WiFi on Vimeo

 

[Chris Barrett]

Hey Doug,

Any idea if the backs can support multiple WiFi feeds? It would be pretty damn awesome if client, stylist & I could all be working off separate iPads.

 

[photomgraphy]

my old hassy h3d-39 feels more and more antiquated ...

this new iq260 would suit my arca very well.

but why would anyone want to preview the files on an iphone?
the screen of the back is almost equal. :loco:

 

[danlindberg]

I really wish that all clients had the decency to always, no matter what, assign me to black & white photography....

If I was a hobbyist I would not hesitate for a split second - the achromatic would be my companion. Oooh yes!

 

[jagsiva]

I really wish that all clients had the decency to always, no matter what, assign me to black & white photography....

If I was a hobbyist I would not hesitate for a split second - the achromatic would be my companion. Oooh yes!

Dan, your BW conversions blow me away, cannot imaging what you could do with a Achro back. Maybe time upgrade that Aptus 5....

 

[alajuela]

"They?" His name is John Milich. And he's family here.

Oh I did not know that - thanks. Any link to see it?
Thanks
Phil

 

[dougpeterson]

Any idea if the backs can support multiple WiFi feeds? It would be pretty damn awesome if client, stylist & I could all be working off separate iPads.

At launch: one device only.

Thereafter they hope to tweak firmware/software to maybe get a second device which may or may not have the full capabilities of the first device (e.g. maybe a second device can show you full frame but not zoom to 100%).

I'd proceed assuming it will always only work with one device, and consider any improvement beyond that to be icing on the cake.

If you're in-studio, with a large team production going, I think the tethered version of Capture Pilot will still be the best option. That gives you one or two monitors at the tether station, and the ability to have a few iPads roaming around in addition.

 

[dougpeterson]

my old hassy h3d-39 feels more and more antiquated ...

this new iq260 would suit my arca very well.

but why would anyone want to preview the files on an iphone?
the screen of the back is almost equal. :loco:

The screen on the back is quite good. There are several use cases for an iOS review:
- somebody other than the photographer wants to review the image without stopping the shoot or being directly over-the-shoulder (art director, stylist, assistant, etc)
- the want/need larger image (especially with iPhone 5, iPad Mini, iPad)
- when the camera is mounted too high, too low, up against a wall, mounted overhead etc and the camera LCD is not convenient to view

 

[torger]

I really wish that all clients had the decency to always, no matter what, assign me to black & white photography....

If I was a hobbyist I would not hesitate for a split second - the achromatic would be my companion. Oooh yes!

Wouldn't you miss the long exposure mode of the color IQ260? Long exposure can be quite useful for artistic purposes... but the standard 2 minutes is maybe enough?

 

[stephengilbert]

Link to jlm iPhone holder: http://www.getdpi.com/forum/403293-post53.html

The entire thread shows the evolution of the device, but the latest version is at post 53 et seq.

 

[danlindberg]

Dan, your BW conversions blow me away, cannot imaging what you could do with a Achro back. Maybe time upgrade that Aptus 5....

Jagsiva, thanks It is very true that since the entrence of the Credo 60 my Aptus 5 hasn't seen much love. But the truth is that the Aptus 5 is a great back and I still value it. Besides that I get more dots with the Credo, there is also considerably more DR. As to upgrading the Aptus 5 to an Achromatic.....well... I guess there would not be a huge difference of giving it up or not...

Wouldn't you miss the long exposure mode of the color IQ260? Long exposure can be quite useful for artistic purposes... but the standard 2 minutes is maybe enough?

The long exposure feature is nothing less than fantastic and if anything, that would be the single factor to consider that back instead. But I think the Achromatic would win in the end....I just love the concept.

 

[subrata1965]

Graham,

Our friends from Denmark already knows that you will buy multiple MFDBs. Hence while you capture dark frame for another hour from MFDB # 1, you can start shooting your next frame with MFDB # 2.

Subrata

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.

 

[hcubell]

The screen on the back is quite good. There are several use cases for an iOS review:
- somebody other than the photographer wants to review the image without stopping the shoot or being directly over-the-shoulder (art director, stylist, assistant, etc)
- the want/need larger image (especially with iPhone 5, iPad Mini, iPad)
- when the camera is mounted too high, too low, up against a wall, mounted overhead etc and the camera LCD is not convenient to view

Doug, I am curious about the quality of the IPAD image from the back. I assume that the IPAD pulls up a JPEG from the camera. What is the size of the JPEG and how does the quality of that JPEG on the IPAD screen at 100%compare to a tethered 100% view on a monitor?

 

[Stefan Steib]

I was using the Achromatic + (45+) for some weeks in 2010 and if the 260 Achromatic is in the same league or even better (which I don´t doubt about) then this will define new hights of BW imaging.
The 39Mpix of the old one were already something like a 4/5" so the new one should reach into 5/7" territory.
And this as an IR or UV or even multispectral (with filters or lighting).

Drool...........:thumbs:

I need to find a bank to rob easily...........

 

[GrahamWelland]

Graham,

Our friends from Denmark already knows that you will buy multiple MFDBs. Hence while you capture dark frame for another hour from MFDB # 1, you can start shooting your next frame with MFDB # 2.

Subrata

I wish ... With the Nikons you're definitely right though.

I'll be very interested in seeing the results with the IQ260, particularly the wifi live view when they've finished it. That's more interesting to me than the general wifi tethering - although that's a nice review feature too.

It's all about cost benefit though. As nice as the IQ260 looks, if it costs the equivalent of a P45+ to cross grade, well maybe the P45+ & IQ160 is a better combo? Things to think about. I'd just like to have one MFDB and tech/dslr combo outfit that is versatile enough to use for all of my particular shooting situations.

It does look awfully close to being a goldilocks digital back, even given enforced LENR although that does restrict me for time sensitive image stacks.

I'd love to hear/see whether high ISO, even in sensor+, performs. Cleaner ISO 3200 would be a big plus point.

 

[Stefan Steib]

I still do not understand why the Darkshot cannot be switched off by choice.
I also believe there are other choices now to do the noise calibration afterwards, I think I had linked these articles from astronomy about 1-2 years ago. And if there is really a hit by quality loss it should be chosen by the user if needed anyway.

Regards
Stefan

 

[dougpeterson]

Doug, I am curious about the quality of the IPAD image from the back. I assume that the IPAD pulls up a JPEG from the camera. What is the size of the JPEG and how does the quality of that JPEG on the IPAD screen at 100%compare to a tethered 100% view on a monitor?

Quality of display on the iPad is the same as the back of the camera. Which means (for those who have seen an IQ back) nearly identical (possibly even a bit better) than a standard laptop display, and not that far from a dedicated Eizo.

One big exception: at high ISO the rudimentary noise reduction that is possible in the digital back (in a timely manner) is not the same as the full-set of noise reduction math applied when you run it through Capture One v7. Which means at higher ISO the image doesn't look as good on the iPad and camera LCD compared to the view in Capture One on a computer.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Although at high ISO on the LCD on the IQ back is not bad at all.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

This 260 sounds pretty dang interesting. Like to get my hands on one and give it a spin.