The Story of the Phase One IQ260 Sensor

[dougpeterson]

Following a week of interviewing sources here, as promised, is my article on the back story of the development of the new Phase One IQ260.

IQ260 Story

 

[GrahamWelland]

cool - although every time I read Teledyne I end up with Cyberdyne in my head and they invented the Terminator :ROTFL:

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Yea and the difference being. LOL

 

[GrahamWelland]

The IQ380 begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug....

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Btw Doug - great article. I met Jacob in San Francisco and he must have heard the long exposure lament of the IQ at least six times during the Phase One event I attended last year. Good to know that were already on it even though they couldn't say.

 

[Mammy645]

Great read, thanks for the writeup Doug.

 

[neil]

The difference being that the terminator is the cheaper route to the IQ380
For just 6,000 $
T-800 Endoskeleton Life-Size Figure - Sideshow Collectibles - SideshowCollectibles.com
You get full size terminator.
Which helps in fast tracking approvals for needed funds for IQ380

 

[PeterL]

Thanks Doug, much appreciated you taking the time to write up this very interesting history of how everything came about. Very insightful and well written for everyone to be able to understand. Superb job!

Cheers, -Peter

 

[dougpeterson]

Thanks everyone.

"I'll be back" vs "I'll be your back"... I never saw the similarity before.

My problem is when I hear "terminator", living in NYC I don't think of Arnold's character.

 

[jlm]

does the deeper pixel cell reduce noise in general, or only the dark current heat induced noise on the surface? leading to the question, does the deep cell produce a larger dynamic range for normal exposures by reducing S/N at the low end?

 

[Chris Barrett]

I would rather expect a deeper pixel well to adversely affect Lens Cast issues. Wouldn't less photons at extreme angles hit the bottom of the well? I reckon I'll find out.

Doug, have you guys done any test with shifts on an SK 35 or 43?

CB

 

[Jay Emm]

Really interesting - thanks Doug. It's fascinating to see the level of effort that goes into this kind of R&D.

With long exposure joining the IQ range, does this mean the "older" P+ series backs will be retired? (Or maybe they remain as "entry" priced models?)

Thanks,
Jay

 

[Kolor-Pikker]

Amazing tech, too bad is still has to be attached to an old and broken camera, I hope the next "The Story of the Phase One ______ " is going to be about a revolutionary new camera that will put dSLRs to shame.

The Terminator needs a body after all...

 

[pedro39photo]

I wope that the massive R&D time for the next years in the DMF format its for a news bodys...

We still have today in 2013 the DMF base body tecnology from the 10 years old.

( Mamiya 645AF - PhaseOne DF )
( FujiFilm 645AF - Hasselblad H5D)

For the bodys i think that Hasselblad and Pentax have the most advance, i was a 645AFDII user with a P30 back, and quit...sorry working with a medium format camera that still uses AA size battery and no camera menus....not for me.

In the backs i thing that the new IQ260 its a great step into the future.
But i would like to see base models DMF full frame 645 with 30MP that costs 10.000$...bringing a vast new users to the medium format...

I think and defend that medium format, its not about resolution !!! its all about big viewfinders for pleasure composition, big sensors/DOF and slow slow frame rates and slow shotting.


Sorry my bad English.
PedroNunes

 

[GrahamWelland]

Pedro, I'd just add one more attribute to your DMF list and that would be gorgeous colour.

 

[fotografz]

Doug, interesting read, and I wanted to compliment you on the images used to illustrate. While not necessarily content rich, as illustrations I was struck by how these backs render the subtleties of light ... which is also an attribute of MFD that often goes unheralded.

Match it with a revolutionary SLR body that deserves such a wonder of engineering, and MFD is alive and well for oodles of images to come.

-Marc

 

[dougpeterson]

Doug, interesting read, and I wanted to compliment you on the images used to illustrate. While not necessarily content rich, as illustrations I was struck by how these backs render the subtleties of light ... which is also an attribute of MFD that often goes unheralded.

Thanks!

As with any new camera the very first images to make it out to the world are often a bit on the engineering/R+D side (challenging technical situations for the sake of the situation itself). I'm really looking forward to seeing the thread here filling up with images from some of the extraordinarily talented individuals here who are chomping at the bits to get an IQ with long exposure.

 

[dougpeterson]

I would rather expect a deeper pixel well to adversely affect Lens Cast issues. Wouldn't less photons at extreme angles hit the bottom of the well? I reckon I'll find out.

Doug, have you guys done any test with shifts on an SK 35 or 43?

CB

We will be doing such tests this week.

However we've been told to expect the same performance re: lens cast.

As I understand it the design of the entrance of the pixel is the chief factor in lens cast and the storage-pool for the electrons is less important or not important at all.

Despite writing several pages on the "hows" at the end of the day all that really matters is the result, so look forward to those results.

 

[gazwas]

I'm really looking forward to seeing the thread here filling up with images from some of the extraordinarily talented individuals here who are chomping at the bits to get an IQ with long exposure.

Doug, I think its great we finally have a long exposure back in the IQ form but while this is the big news of the IQ2 I'd also like to know and see some examples of any improvements over the P65+/IQ160 chip when doing good old regular exposures.

I know there was supposedly a 0.5 stop increase in DR but what about overall IQ - is it just the same as we have already?

 

[dougpeterson]

Doug, I think its great we finally have a long exposure back in the IQ form but while this is the big news of the IQ2 I'd also like to know and see some examples of any improvements over the P65+/IQ160 chip when doing good old regular exposures.

I know there was supposedly a 0.5 stop increase in DR but what about overall IQ - is it just the same as we have already?

Our tests forthcoming.

 

[cly]

No more image samples of IQ260 on tech cam?

As I haven't seen any samples since the DT posting (Phase One IQ260 Long Exposure Example - DT Blog) I'm wondering if there are really no tests of any of the IQ260 demo backs on a tech cam with, e.g., a Schneider 43mm fully shifted. I can't imagine this hasn't been tried ...

Chris