Phase One had taken wraps off its 100-megapixel camera, aptly called the XF 100MP. The company has co-developed this sensor with Sony and is available immediately for purchase with a Schneider Kreuznach 80mm LS lens for $48,990 (approximately Rs. 33.5 lakhs) and is backed by a 5-year warranty.
The camera is designed for professional photographers and features the first ever CMOS sensor with 16-bit colour output. You also get 15 stops of dynamic range which should help in capturing finer highlights and more detail in shadows. ISO range is also impressive and ranges from 50-12,800. The XF 100MP also enables extremely long exposures of up to 60 minutes in full 100-megapixel resolution.
Speaking on the launch, Henrik Hakonsson, Phase One CEO, said, "This is the highest performing system that we have ever created, benefiting from a multitude of Phase One exclusive innovations developed to support our amazing customers in creating the ultimate images. The XF 100MP Camera System delivers unparalleled dynamic range, retaining unmatched detail in both highlights and shadows, packing 101,082,464 active high quality pixels."
The XF 100 MP also features some of Phase One's proprietary features like the Honeybee autofocus system, vibration reduction for sharper stills, and accurate viewfinders for both the prism and waist-level viewfinder. The camera also supports Wi-Fi and HDMI-out for live view. The touchscreen display renders live-view at 30fps, thereby eliminating lag. Another cool addition is EFCS or Electronic First Curtain Shutter. What this does is effectively reduce vibrations during capturing a still, especially at high shutter speeds. Images are saved in Phase One's new file format, which was developed to best capture the 16-bit images.