Phase One Pushes Megapixel Boundaries

January 4, 2016

By Laura Brauer

While 2015 saw the launch of seriously high-resolution cameras (Canon’s 5DS, Sony’s a7R II), 2016’s megapixel war has just opened with a boom. Phase One has just released a medium format back with a 100-megapixel CMOS sensor co-developed with Sony.

By way of comparison, the previous CMOS sensor used by Phase One and other medium format camera makers topped out at 50-megapixels.

phasemainimage

The 100-megapixel IQ3-100MP back boasts a native ISO of 50-12,800 and also offers 16-bit color—the first for a CMOS sensor, the company said. The camera can also shoot in 14-bit color if a photographer wants to optimize for a faster workflow and smaller file size. The IQ3-100MP can deliver up to 15 stops of dynamic range, Phase One said.

Additional features include:

* 60 minute exposures

* electronic first curtain shutter to reduce vibration (this mode activates automatically when the back is set to Vibration Delay mode or when Mirror Up is activated)

* touch-screen display

* 30 fps live view

* HDMI output for live view via an external field monitor

As you might guess, 100-megapixels doesn’t come cheap. The camera back will sell for $48,000–and that’s before adding lenses and camera body. It will work with the existing XF system components announced last year. If you want to peep some pixels, Phase One has uploaded TIFF files from the new back here.