Phase One IQ 160 with 75-150mm at 80mm and f/5.6 on right (same angle of view). But if you print bigger than that you will definitely see a difference in fine detail.įigure 1- Nikon D800E with 24-70mm at 50mm and f/5.6 on left vs. Compared to something like a 22 megapixel Canon EOS 5D Mark III you will start to see some differences but this is mostly due to the much lower dynamic range of the Canon sensor. If you generally don’t print much larger than 11×15 (A3) or even 12×18 (Super A3) and your photographic technique is good, you will be hard pressed to see much of a difference between a 36 megapixel D800 and a 60 megapixel Phase One IQ back. Whether this maters or not largely depends on how big you print. Distant grasses that are muddled on the D800E still show individual blades of grass on the IQ sensors. The difference is plainly visible when cropping down to a small detail within the frame where the 36 megapixel 35mm frame might record a small blob as a small feature like a barn in the distance, the Phase One backs still records actual wood detail. Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front! The D800E is no match for the 60 or 80 megapixel digital backs for recording fine detail. Second, since flash does not need to synchronize with a moving focal plane shutter, any shutter speed can be used in flash photography. By using the much lower mass and smaller leaf shutter built into these lenses, focal plane shutter vibration is eliminated. ![]() The 645 format focal plane shutter is large and can cause some vibration even when using mirror lock-up. First, since the lenses use an internal leaf shutter, shutter vibration is significantly reduced. These lenses are leaf shutter lenses which have two advantages over regular lenses that use the camera’s focal plane shutter. The lenses I used were mostly high quality Schneider – Kreuznach optics designed to cover the full image circle of the large 645 sized sensor. ![]() The sensors are approximately three times the surface area of a full frame 35mm sensor. The Phase One IQ digital backs are full frame 645 sensors available in 60 and 80 megapixel resolutions. I also had a D800E with me and used it occasionally to take comparison shots for later evaluation. It was a full immersion into the Phase One Medium format system for about 18 hours a day. ![]() I then shot with the Phase One system for 7 days for an average of 6 hours per day and spent another 2 hours per day talking with Phase One pros and others very experienced with the system. Since I have the opportunity to handle and test many camera systems from most manufacturers, I am able to learn a new system very quickly. By the time I took my first real photograph, I felt very comfortable with the camera, digital back and lenses. I then spent about 6 hours hands on with the camera and back prior to taking the first photograph. I thoroughly familiarized myself with the camera before arriving via online resources. I joined Phase One for a shoot in the Dolomites in Northern Italy to fully evaluate the system including the 645 sized sensor digital backs, it’s lenses and the Phase One 645DF+ digital camera. ![]() In September I had the opportunity to photograph with what is widely seen as the highest quality digital photography format available to photographers and test the validity of this statement. Much has been written in the last 18 months stating that new high resolution cameras like the Nikon D800 and D800E equal medium format image quality.
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