TECH ProDuct reviews
Far Left: Another view of the
Phase One 645DF camera.
Left: The IQ180 kit, which
includes the Phase One 645DF
camera, an 80mm f/2.8 lens,
and the 80MP digital back,
retails for the heartstopping
price of $47,990.
THE HIGH & THE LOW
The Achilles’ heel of this system and other medium-format backs is that they’re traditionally poor performers when shooting at high ISOs in low light. Phase One
is one of the few companies to address this problem
with its Sensor+ technology, first introduced in the
P65+ era backs. Sensor+ employs pixel scaling, also
known as binning, which combines the data of four
pixels into one to increase the light sensitivity while
decreasing noise.
The immediate effect of this is that it allows you
to shoot at ISO settings higher than most competing
medium-format cameras offer. In particular, the IQ180
and its brethren are able to capture images at ISO 1600
and 3200, which are levels more common on DSLRs
than 645 camera systems. The downside is that be-
cause it’s combining pixels, image resolution dips pre-
cipitously to 20 megapixels.
international limited-residency
MFA
THE BOT TOM LINE
Okay, so here’s the dilemma. You’ve read the review—
or parts of it, I hope—and now want to know what it
all boils down to. Is the IQ180 really worth $43,990?
(Just writing that number stops the heart a little.) All I
can tell you is what I’ve said already in the nearly 3,000
words above: This new medium-format back is not
only a major upgrade from the previous model, it’s a
giant leap forward in digital imaging technology. All
bells and whistles aside—and the IQ180 has many of
them, not the least of which is its nice new 3.2-inch
touchscreen—this is the best image capture device for
studio photography we’ve ever tried. It’s also an excellent field camera and I can think of few other systems
I’d prefer to use for landscape photography (as long as
its not in extremely wet shooting conditions). So yes,
it’s worth the price but you have to decide whether it’s
worth it to you.
www.hartfordphotomfa.org
Faculty and Lecturers Include:
Alec Soth, Mary Frey, Dr. Jörg Colberg, Michael Schäefer, Doug Dubois,
Justine Kurland, Alice Rose George, Jörg Sasse, Adam Bartos, Ute Mahler
Robert Lyons, Director
University of Hartford | 200 Bloomfield Avenue | West Hartford, CT 06117 | USA
Phase One IQ180
www.phaseone.com
Pros: Offers the best image quality of any
medium-format system we’ve tested; massive
amounts of resolution brings out exquisite
detail, making system ideal for shooting
large, billboard-size ad campaigns; 3.2-inch
touchscreen is a vast improvement over
previous model; logical, easy-to-use interface;
barely any shooting buffer delay; USB 3.0 and
Firewire 800 ports are a big help for tethered
shooting
Cons: LCD washes out in bright sunlight, not
as crisp as screens on pro DSLRs; less than a
frame per second shooting speed; CF card can
get stuck in slot
Price: $43,990 (for back alone)
