12 DIGITAL CAMERA^ MARCH 2020Medium-format marvels
Paul Reiffer’s ultra high-resolution Phase One system1 Phase One
XT camera
“My landscape camera
body,” says Paul, “and the
most digitally integrated field
camera solution available on
the market today.”2 Rodenstock
HR Digaron-
W 32mm f/
Wide and incredibly sharp,
this lens has a precise
carbon-fibre shutter.3 Phase One
XF camera
Coupled with ultra-sharp
‘Blue Ring’ Schneider
Kreuznach lenses, this is
Paul’s main commercial
body, and his first-choice
camera for high-res images.4 Schneider
Kreuznach
35mm LS f/3.
“My XF 35mm lens is my
go-to for landscape shoots
on the XF body,” says Paul.
“One of the sharpest lenses
that Phase One makes, this
optic allows me to see almost
impossible details way out
into the distance while stilldelivering a wide-angle
view in one shot.”Phase One
IQ4 digital
back 150MP
“This is my workhorse – the
pinnacle of image quality
thanks to 151MP of full-frame
medium-format sensor built
into a system that delivers
stunning colour rendition and
Automated Frame Averaging.”Phase One
IQ
Trichromatic
digital back
100MP
“Prior to the IQ4, this was the
mainstay of my commercial
shoots, with near-perfect
colour accuracy and
fantastic low ISOs.”Rodenstock
HR Digaron-
S 23mm f/5.
“This is the widest lens in the
XT range. It allows me 112º of
view with super-sharp images
from edge to edge, plus the
ability to shift up/down,
left/right for crazy-large
cityscape stitches.”(^12)
As powerful as the
XT may be, it’s still
very portable.
dial on the manual-focus Rodenstock XT-HR
Digaron-W 32mm f/4 lens, uses focus peaking
to get the scene sharp. While entering the
required aperture, shutter speed and ISO, Paul
checks how the settings affect the simulated
exposure. He takes a couple of single shots
(1/8 sec at f/8 and ISO 50) before changing to
Automated Frame Averaging, dialling in two
and a half minutes and firing the shutter.
To produce a single 200MB raw file from
the sequence of images requires up to half a
terabyte of data shifting, Paul explains. “The
previous challenges of reducing noise from
long-exposure sensor heat are offset by
the averaging function’s ability to perform
a black reference [s e n s o r re c a lib r atio n] in
fractions of a second – instead of having to
shoot the same exposure length all over again.”
Paul checks the eventual image on the Live
View screen, adjusts some of the settings and
takes another shot. “The digital back displays
shadow and highlight warnings, but most of
them can be recovered,” he says.
With the light fading fast, we move to
the Portland Bill lighthouse. This time the
frame-averaged exposure is 210 seconds.
Viewing all the images afterwards, I see why
Paul will never need to pack a lens filter again.
The images are incredibly detailed, with real
depth and rich colours. The exposures look
identical, but outside of frame averaging,
the sheen of the sea could only have been
achieved by using a neutral-density filter. Could
we soon be seeing an innovation as amazing
as this in the mainstream market, I wonder?
It could be picked up by a forward-thinking
brand, says Paul. But for now, he and Phase
One have this niche to themselves, and are
pushing the boundaries of digital imaging.
one
to
one
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