Phase One 645DF medium format unveiled, its invasion set for Q4 2009
By Ross Miller 
posted Sep 29th 2009 5:56AM
posted Sep 29th 2009 5:56AM
Announcing the PHASE ONE 645DF Medium Format CAMERA
The Perfect Body for your Perfect Back
COPENHAGEN, September 28, 2009 – Phase One, the world's leader in open-platform medium format camera systems and solutions, today announced the Phase One 645DF camera. Engineered in partnership with Mamiya Digital Imaging for superior quality image capture and ease of handling, it sets a new standard for high flash sync speeds – up to 1/1600 of a second.
Also today, Phase One announced the availability of three new high performance leaf shutter lenses, 55mm, 80mm and 110mm, all f/2.8 and all designed with the Phase One 645DF camera in mind. The lenses are a result of close collaboration with Mamiya Digital Imaging and Schneider Kreuznach (see today's related announcement).
"Our patent-pending flash sync breakthrough eases working with wide open apertures and fill-in flash on location," said Jan H. Christiansen, Phase One marketing director. "We already offer the most flexible exposure times ranging from 1/4000 of a second to one full hour. Setting new performance standards is all about expanding creative options for photographers."
The 645DF camera is the only 645 medium format camera which supports both focal plane and leaf shutters, expanding photographers' innovative possibilities by leveraging the two shutter technologies seamlessly for world class photography, whether this involves ultra-fast flash sync speeds or extremely flexible exposure times.
The new camera introduces many performance improvements over its predecessor. Capture responsiveness and autofocus speed is highly improved giving photographers up to 5 times faster performance in a typical fashion set up.
The 645DF also offers a breakthrough workflow improvement -- custom-shooting modes. For the first time in a medium-format camera, photographers can "dial up" a pre-defined mode, where the camera is instantly set up for a given shooting scenario, e.g. product, portrait or landscape photography.
Other workflow enhancements include new tactile buttons, a fully sealed eye-cup eliminating ambient light, improved viewfinder masks, and customizable audio feedback e.g. on focus lock. Several custom functions have been enhanced, without compromising simple navigation.
Freedom to choose the best back for you Phase One builds flexible, open photographic systems to support a professional's style, needs and working preference. The Phase One 645DF camera supports the world's finest digital backs, ensuring freedom of choice and investment protection for years to come. It is compatible with digital backs designed for the Phase One / Mamiya AFD mount, including backs from Phase One, Leaf, Mamiya and others.
Pricing and Availability
The Phase One 645DF camera body starts at $5990/€4290 and is expected to ship Q4, 2009. The new leaf shutter lenses start at $2490/€1790 and are expected to start shipping Q4, 2009. All equipment can be ordered now from Phase One and Leaf dealers (for the dealer near you, please see: http://www.phaseone.com/partners and http://www.leaf-photography.com/dealers.asp).
About Phase One
Phase One is the world's leader in open-platform based medium format camera systems and solutions. Phase One medium format cameras, digital backs and lenses are designed to deliver superior quality image capture and investment value. Phase One's Capture One software helps streamline capture and post-production processes for both medium format and DSLR cameras. Phase One products are known for their quality, flexibility and speed enabling pro photographers shooting in a wide range of formats to achieve their creative visions without compromise.
Phase One is an employee-owned company based in Copenhagen with offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Cologne and Shanghai.
For more information about the products, visit the Phase One web site on www.phaseone.com.
Phase One is a registered trademark of Phase One A/S. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
The Perfect Body for your Perfect Back
COPENHAGEN, September 28, 2009 – Phase One, the world's leader in open-platform medium format camera systems and solutions, today announced the Phase One 645DF camera. Engineered in partnership with Mamiya Digital Imaging for superior quality image capture and ease of handling, it sets a new standard for high flash sync speeds – up to 1/1600 of a second.
Also today, Phase One announced the availability of three new high performance leaf shutter lenses, 55mm, 80mm and 110mm, all f/2.8 and all designed with the Phase One 645DF camera in mind. The lenses are a result of close collaboration with Mamiya Digital Imaging and Schneider Kreuznach (see today's related announcement).
"Our patent-pending flash sync breakthrough eases working with wide open apertures and fill-in flash on location," said Jan H. Christiansen, Phase One marketing director. "We already offer the most flexible exposure times ranging from 1/4000 of a second to one full hour. Setting new performance standards is all about expanding creative options for photographers."
The 645DF camera is the only 645 medium format camera which supports both focal plane and leaf shutters, expanding photographers' innovative possibilities by leveraging the two shutter technologies seamlessly for world class photography, whether this involves ultra-fast flash sync speeds or extremely flexible exposure times.
The new camera introduces many performance improvements over its predecessor. Capture responsiveness and autofocus speed is highly improved giving photographers up to 5 times faster performance in a typical fashion set up.
The 645DF also offers a breakthrough workflow improvement -- custom-shooting modes. For the first time in a medium-format camera, photographers can "dial up" a pre-defined mode, where the camera is instantly set up for a given shooting scenario, e.g. product, portrait or landscape photography.
Other workflow enhancements include new tactile buttons, a fully sealed eye-cup eliminating ambient light, improved viewfinder masks, and customizable audio feedback e.g. on focus lock. Several custom functions have been enhanced, without compromising simple navigation.
Freedom to choose the best back for you Phase One builds flexible, open photographic systems to support a professional's style, needs and working preference. The Phase One 645DF camera supports the world's finest digital backs, ensuring freedom of choice and investment protection for years to come. It is compatible with digital backs designed for the Phase One / Mamiya AFD mount, including backs from Phase One, Leaf, Mamiya and others.
Pricing and Availability
The Phase One 645DF camera body starts at $5990/€4290 and is expected to ship Q4, 2009. The new leaf shutter lenses start at $2490/€1790 and are expected to start shipping Q4, 2009. All equipment can be ordered now from Phase One and Leaf dealers (for the dealer near you, please see: http://www.phaseone.com/partners and http://www.leaf-photography.com/dealers.asp).
About Phase One
Phase One is the world's leader in open-platform based medium format camera systems and solutions. Phase One medium format cameras, digital backs and lenses are designed to deliver superior quality image capture and investment value. Phase One's Capture One software helps streamline capture and post-production processes for both medium format and DSLR cameras. Phase One products are known for their quality, flexibility and speed enabling pro photographers shooting in a wide range of formats to achieve their creative visions without compromise.
Phase One is an employee-owned company based in Copenhagen with offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Cologne and Shanghai.
For more information about the products, visit the Phase One web site on www.phaseone.com.
Phase One is a registered trademark of Phase One A/S. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
[Via Photography Blog]
oh my!
When you're stuffing that stocking, don't forget that these prices don't include the digital back.
WOW, and still I would just be happy with a GH1.
Wait, whats the point of this?
Not being a dick, just asking.
To take hot smoking pictures of Julia Roberts...
I´ve always been amazed what Phase 1 produces, I remember way back when digital camera´s went to like 3-4MP they already released backends who went to 20+ MP with special technique´s. Though they are leading in digital camear´s and backends I always wonder how long it takes before the regular camera´s get this...
Medium format cameras provide more resolution due to their larger sensors (than 35mm), though the latest full-frame DLRs are catching up. Poster-shooting, I suppose, would be a key job for them. I guess their optics must be incredible as well, and there's other reasons they photographers like them. But still, very much a specialist tool - landscapes photographers and the like love them, though they're a threatened market increasing niche-fied since full-frames are catching up quickly.
This is what prosumer DSLRs need not to be. Medium format are for people that KNOW why they would use larger megapixel count, not for people that are TOLD they need more than last year.
Why is this camera good or important?
All DSLR cameras have flash sync speeds around 1/125th of a second or slower. The photographer is forced to shoot in that range. With leaf shutters, it does not matter which shutter speed the photographer uses but these shutters generally have a max speed of 1/500th of a second (vs 1/2000th+ on a DSLR). A medium format camera that allows the use of the leaf shutter lenses at flash sync speeds 3x the average, that's something to celebrate.
No longer is the photographer solely relying on just a burst of light to stop fast motions. The camera can now keep up!
@EM1
Actually most modern dSLRs can sync at around 1/180 - 1/250. Older Nikons could actually handle 1/500 thanks to a hybrid shutter (ironically the D40 is their last model with this feature). But yeah, still much slower than these leaf shutters.
Don't forget the digital back, Ross. The prices you list don't include the back. Include the back and you're looking at a 20K system. No thanks. I'll wait for the P645D (fingers crossed that it'll hit south of 10K).
camera equipment is getting ridiculous...how about putting down the equipment and using your own eyes to see the world...we spend more time worrying about what lens to use or what settings would be best to use than actually "seeing" the true beauty that we are trying to capture...a picture can do no justice to what it actually is like to stand at the foot of a place like Yosemite falls and gaze up at its wonder with your own eyes....people would actually rather look at a photo or a video rather than go experience something like this themselves...it truly saddens me
Yeah, you know what loopyoyo. You're absolutely right. Why would anyone ever want to go some place in the real world when they could just start up Google Earth or MS Flight Simulator and zip around, take the Grand Canyon for example, way more fun on a computer than in real life.
GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEAD LOOPYOYO; that whole bit above, sarcasm, yep, every bit of it.
There's a time and place for almost everything. INCLUDING spec-whoring. I do think it's a bit like that saying about lawyers though, "how 99.99% of them give the rest a bad name." If your profession is photography then by all means go be a spec-whore, just as long as you can bring home teh bacon. :) Read schmitty338 reply below for more idiot-busting info, man.
@ myself:
If my second and third sentences don't make sense according to what loopyoyo wrote, I blame me waking up extra early today.
My point still stands though!
Ummmm...most, if not ALL photos are taken so that moments of beauty and wonder, such as those you described, can be SHARED with other people and REMEMBERED for years to come. It has nothing to do with enjoying the moment. Hell, most people who will see the pictures taken with pro cameras will never be able to afford to see the objects of its photos.
This is especially true for professional med-format cameras like this....NOBODY is taking this camera on their annual vacation to take casual snapshots of landmarks. This is for PROFESSIONAL (READ: Getting paid) photographers to take pictures that will likely end up on the side of a bus, building, wall, and other things that need to maintain sharpness when blown up to very large sizes, or inspected at high magnifications.
^ That was a reply to loopyoyo, btw. (I hit the back button :-()
phase 3: profit
Hi guys.
(My real point is the last sentence..)
I'm a pro-shooter, in that I make a living doing this.. to me there are 2 things that are important in digital photography:
1. Full frame sensors.
2. Photography market that will bear them.
To back up point #1, I have to tell you that I shoot using Canon gear, utilizing a wide range of lenses, from the TS 17mm shift lens for architectural work, to the long telephotos for fashion and the likes. Without the full frame sensor, all my lenses would not be usable to their full potential that they were designed for. Of course the gigantic increase in (technical) resolution that the big digital backs offer would be fantastic, but realistically, I have never needed to shoot anything that would be reproduced at that size. Perceptually, my 16 mpixel Canon EOS 1Ds MKII rig, looks as good as a 39 mpixel anything either on a cover of a mag or on a billboard. I have a massive selection of lenses to choose from and back-up bodies are cheaper.
Onto point 2: As a tech-head I love gear. I think every photographer does. There are sensors out there 39+ megapixels, that almost cover the full 645 format, (I haven't checked for some time) that I would LOVE to own. But realistically for most markets, those tools of the trade are out of reach for most month-to-month budgets and simply don't make sense on the books.
You know what else does not make sense? A 1/600th of a sec shutter speed, on a med format camera. I can see this feature as a single must-have feature on any of the Canons or Nikons out there. A system-seller. And I hope that both these companies have something coming soon.
That's a *flash* sync speed of 1/1600
Sync speeds that fast in a SLR will never happen. The focal plane shutters cannot move fast enough to expose the whole frame evenly to allow proper exposure.
Fast flash speeds like this are common for leaf shutters only.
Canon 1D syncs to every shutter speed it has, but it has a electronic shutter in addition to the mechanical. I think the Nikon D40 has the same.
Also there is High Speed Sync flashes, but that takes too much juice and flash power.
I'd buy it just for the design--just look at those lines. Makes every other SLR look fugly. Too bad I'm a college student and can barely afford to eat :-(