Tag: f-stop gear

I just returned from a great couple of days over in Munich, where I had the opportunity to test out the Phase One IQ250 camera and their RAW converter software, Capture One Pro 8. The invite came from the camera bag company f-stop, who have been working in collaboration with Phase One to educate their staff pros in both the hardware and software that the Phase One produces. Excited by the prospect, I made the trip over to Germany along with a select group of other European photographers for an experience with these amazing camera systems.As you can see in the shot above, the system I was shooting with looks like the quality piece of equipment you’d hope for with such a high price tag attached. For approximately €35,000 you’ll be able to afford a kit consisting of the IQ250 digital back, with a 654 DF+ body and 80mm lens. Medium format cameras nearly always carry the high price, so many will not be surprised by the large amount for the camera. The question is though, why would Phase One put a camera that has traditionally been used in studio conditions in the hands of f-stop pros, who are renowned for specialising in outdoor and adventure photography?This is where the money starts being accounted for. The IQ250 digital back carries a new 50mp CMOS sensor that revolutionises low light capabilities. It allows the camera to capture images when in low light situations at ISO 6400 with very little noise, just like a pro DSLR that most of us are accustomed to use. Older sensors are often unusable after ISO 800, so shooting as the sun went down would be almost impossible, along with freezing action with fast shutter speeds. This new sensor allows the camera to become much more versatile, including being more suited to be used in outdoor environments, fitting the f-stop photographer profile exactly.In order to experience the cameras, we headed over to one of Munich’s most famous attractions, the Eisbach river wave. With about 20 minutes to play around with the camera, I made my way around a sport that I rarely shoot and tried to capture an image or two that I liked. I loved the intuitive feel of the camera, along with the reassuring sound that accompanies a medium format camera as the shutter release is pressed. I did find the battery usage to be a little frustrating. The camera I had a chance to use lost performance pretty quickly in the cold temperatures. I wonder how many batteries i’d have to carry around if using this system up in the snow? I’d say that was my only initial qualm though as everything else screamed quality including the ability to sync with the Profoto strobes at pretty much whatever speed I wanted and the 3.2 inch touch screen. I was never too sure about having a touch screen on a camera, but this felt buttery smooth to scroll through the shots as they accumulated.Once done, it was back to a small gallery to be shown our way through their RAW converter software, Capture One Pro 8. Being a Lightroom user for a good few years now, i’m always a little intimidated to see new software. My initial reaction was much the same this time around despite having had a few days to play around with it before meeting in Munich. Honestly, I was blown away by it. Having sat through an hour tutorial to show us the basics, I felt comfortable enough to edit all of the images that are in this blog post. I’d heard that the software was superior to Lightroom in the processing of the images and having imported some of the shots to both programmes, I can see the difference right away.With first impressions at a high, it will be interesting to see if I make the switch to Capture One Pro 8 for all of my work. The question of whether it will be easy to find a balance between both programmes so that my workflow remains efficient is one that will be answered in the coming months.In the meantime I just need to find some deep pockets as I feel that the move over to medium format cameras in the outdoor world is a trip that I don’t want to miss.