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Monday July 14, 2008
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Phase One has just announced the 60.5-megapixel P 65+ digital back and camera system. This brings to mind Hasselblad's 50-MP DSLR camera, which we posted on not too long ago. Has the megapixel war gotten a little out of control?
With the P 65+, you can get 8,984-by-6,732 pixels--meaning 180MB, 8-bit RGB files! The P 65+ digital back camera system uses Sensor+ CCD technology, which provides pro photographers with higher sensitivity and expanded dynamic range (12.5 f-stops, most cameras go up to 8.) It provides the largest live capture area available with coverage of 53.9mm by 40.4mm, enabling full viewfinder coverage and no need for lens magnification. And the P 65+ sensor format provides 20 percent more live area, compared with 39 megapixel or 50 megapixel 48mm-by-36mm chips currently available or announced.
The P 65+ digital back starts at $39,900; the P 65+ camera system starts at $41,990. Camera shipments with P 65+ digital back are expected to begin in Q4 2008. I wonder if Hasselblad will reduce the price of the Hasselblad H3DII-50...
Posted By:
Chris Gampat
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July 16, 2008 8:25 PM
It is high time the industry came up with a natuaral size sensor.
There is no question of "the megapixel war gotten a little out of control". The megapixels are needed to ensure a high degree of resolution, because that is what professional photography is about.
Unfortunately the cost of this sort of sensor is very high at present - let us hope it comes down in the future. However, there is not too much hope of that as I am quite sure that the megapixel war will continue.
Harry Tyler (Recently retired studio photographer).
August 3, 2008 7:43 PM
In addition to my comments of July 16, 2008:
One wonders how long it will take the industry to create a 4"x5" sensor, if ever. Because there are thousands of photographers out there who still own very high quality 4"x5" cameras who would kill for a 4"x5" sensor. This will enable them to resume their former method of working with a "plate" camera, giving high resolution, correction of perspective, and control of focus. Although it must be noted that software like PT Lens, DxO Optics, ArcSoft PhotoStudio, and even PhotoShop offer vertical and horizontal perspective control.
At the present time it is extremely difficult to achieve a heavily out-of-focus background to a studio product shot or close-up food shot due to the small lenses used with the small sensors in current use, unless one spends hours in PhotoShop post-production.
Perhaps by the time that a 4"x5" sensor is made, most of the brilliant Sinar equipment will a) no longer be in photographer's hands, b) be too elderly for practical use, or c) photographers will have become too accustomed to all the mod cons on the current crop of medium-format digitals. C'est la vie.
Harry Tyler (Recently retired studio photographer).