Think 24 megapixels is a lot for a digital camera? Try 80. That’s the count of the IQ180 from Phase One, a Danish manufacturer that specializes in image sensors much larger than your typical DSLR.
The IQ180 is actually a camera back for a medium-format camera system, and it includes an image sensor, LCD screen, and some electronics. Popular in the early 1900s, medium format is now used almost exclusively by pros. Because of the needed resolution and the size of the image sensor, medium format cameras have been slower to move to digital. Phase One’s IQ180 moves the category forward not just with megapixels, but with features like a touchscreen display and a high-speed USB 3.0 connection.
Phase One calls the IQ180’s 3.2-inch screen a “retina type” display, no doubt an attempt to get in on Apple’s hype about its iPhone 4 screen. The touch controls feature and easy way to zoom, and the screen automatically adjust brightness and contrast based on ambient light. Offloading huge images is speeded up with the USB 3.0 and FireWire 800 connections.
MoreAlthough 80 is a big megapixel count compared to your average DSLR, the IQ180 isn’t the highest-resolution image sensor ever built, however. That title is debated since the definition of “camera” can get blurry, but Fermilab recently boasted a 570-megapixel image sensor designed for probing deep space.
Phase One’s IQ180 is part of a line of camera backs that includes 60- and 40-megapixel model, too. They’re compatible with some Hasselblad models as well as Mamiya ones (with adapters).
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