Phase One A-Series

[Doug Peterson]

Phase One A-Series will be coming soon to NYC.

[gdh]

Appears to be Alpa TC with one of 3 IQ2's and an iPhone--is there anything I'm not seeing? I use my IQ280 on my Alpa Max for critical work--and the Alpa Rodenstock lenses--does this do anything better or other advantage? I'm not trying to be cynical, but seriously curious.

As nice as it may be, please tell me that this isn't the long promised and awaited PhaseOne new camera

[Doug Peterson]

Appears to be Alpa TC with one of 3 IQ2's and an iPhone--is there anything I'm not seeing? I use my IQ280 on my Alpa Max for critical work--and the Alpa Rodenstock lenses--does this do anything better or other advantage? I'm not trying to be cynical, but seriously curious.

As nice as it may be, please tell me that this isn't the long promised and awaited PhaseOne new camera

This is NOT the new Phase One camera. Investment in an entirely new ground-up SLR body is Phase One's highest R+D priority at the moment, and is entirely unrelated to the Phase A-Series.

Differences from buying an Alpa TC and P1 IQ2 back separately:
- Delivered as a package. Warrantied as a package - 5 years, all components.
- Calibration* done by factory (though we as a dealer can do this with an Arca and Cambo kit)
- Includes tilting iPhone holder.
- LCC for supported lenses loaded at factory and automatically corrected on LCD and in Capture Pilot.
- Bit lower cost than the related bits and pieces sold separately. Similar to DT's exclusive Arca Bundles.

*In the case of the A-Series mechanical shims are included to make sure focus alignment is perfect to the back. When we calibrate an Arca kit is via an offset, and when we calibrate a Cambo kit it is via a lens helical adjustment. All three methods accomplish the same thing.  

[Steve Hendrix]

- Bit lower cost than the related bits and pieces sold separately. Similar to DT's exclusive Arca Bundles.

This is not the case at all. The pricing is virtually the same, whether you buy the A series as a kit, or whether you buy them as individual pieces. There is no discounted savings in buying this as an A Series Kit. In addition to the factory loaded LCC's, and the shim calibration (which any authorized Alpa dealer can do), you have the benefit of some longer warranty on the lens and camera body, though the number of warranty repairs we've seen with Alpa tech cameras and Rodenstock 35mm HR lenses is practically none. As well as some branding elements with the A Series.

But pricing is no less than buying the components individually.


Steve Hendrix
Capture Integration

[Doug Peterson]

This is not the case at all. The pricing is virtually the same, whether you buy the A series as a kit, or whether you buy them as individual pieces. There is no discounted savings in buying this as an A Series Kit. In addition to the factory loaded LCC's, and the shim calibration (which any authorized Alpa dealer can do), you have the benefit of some longer warranty on the lens and camera body, though the number of warranty repairs we've seen with Alpa tech cameras and Rodenstock 35mm HR lenses is practically none. As well as some branding elements with the A Series.

But pricing is no less than buying the components individually.


Steve Hendrix
Capture Integration

My math (or exchange rate) must have been off.

It's an interesting contrast with our Arca Bundles which DT offers, which are lower in cost than buying separately:
https://digitaltransitions.com/blog/dt-blog/photoplus-specials

[Steve Hendrix]

My math (or exchange rate) must have been off.

It's an interesting contrast with our Arca Bundles which DT offers, which are lower in cost than buying separately:
https://digitaltransitions.com/blog/dt-blog/photoplus-specials

I don't see what one has to do with the other, or what's interesting about the "contrast".

Yes, your math was way, way, off.



Steve Hendrix

[bcooter]

I don't see what one has to do with the other, or what's interesting about the "contrast".

Yes, your math was way, way, off.



Steve Hendrix

Fellas,  go sit in a corner and do a time out.

Doug you can use the Iphone viewer (click the calculator app) to work on your math and Steve you can look in a Broncolor catalog and FIND ME SOME MORE HMI's.

Seriously when I received the spam, oops sorry, e-mail notice on this camera I viewed it on my phone and I thought cool, Phase finally gets it, "they've build a competitor to the RED Epic.
I hope it autofocuses".



IMO

BC

[synn]

Yeah, I really got my hopes up when I saw the headlines.


What I would like Phase to do (And I hope they will) is to create a new body with interchangeable viewfinders and a foldaway mirror. OVF + PDAF for the CCD backs and EVF + CDAF for the CMOS backs. That will be a truly backwards compatible and future proof solution that will make existing and future customers happy.

[gdh]

At the top of my wish list in case anyone reading, is mirror-less so I can bracket 3 or 5 shots when needed--now I have to do individually since I shoot in the mirror UP mode to minimize vibration.  So when the ad said "mirror-less" I got really excited . Anyway, it looks like a nice setup for sure but appears nothing really new.  I'm relieved it's not the waited for Phase One camera--I'm very anxious to see some stats--I volunteer to ALPHA test or at least beta

[bcooter]

This is NOT the new Phase One camera. Investment in an entirely new ground-up SLR body is Phase One's highest R+D priority

Doug,

I assume Phase is taking a new camera seriously, but if they go the "old" route of an only optical viewfinder, then they will arrive at the wrong moment.

CMOS allows for mirrorless, heck their could be a mirror up function where mirrorless and optical finders could reside on the same body (and not just the back of the camera).

I was semi joking about the RED, but love em' or hate em' at the time RED built a camera that broke new territory and couldn't be denied and with 3d so important to Hollywood's bottom line in China, the Epics are used in a lot of production, more than most dp's want to admit.

In other words they built a camera that many people needed, rather than just wanted.

There is a big difference.

(And BTW:  RED's prices are expensive . . . almost as much as your Phase A series)

IMO

BC

[mi-fu]

PhaseOne has been talking about a new SLR for YEARSSSSSS......... 

[Ken R]

Doug,

I assume Phase is taking a new camera seriously, but if they go the "old" route of an only optical viewfinder, then they will arrive at the wrong moment.

CMOS allows for mirrorless, heck their could be a mirror up function where mirrorless and optical finders could reside on the same body (and not just the back of the camera).

I was semi joking about the RED, but love em' or hate em' at the time RED built a camera that broke new territory and couldn't be denied and with 3d so important to Hollywood's bottom line in China, the Epics are used in a lot of production, more than most dp's want to admit.

In other words they built a camera that many people needed, rather than just wanted.

There is a big difference.

(And BTW:  RED's prices are expensive . . . almost as much as your Phase A series)

IMO

BC

RED is a great of example of what happens when the Will and Money of one man come together to make a great product. Jim Jannard was fed up with the Digital Cinema Industry Marketplace and he had the money, connections and most importantly will and vision to do something about it. And he sure did. The core of his vision was not only making a great, modular digital cinema camera but that it be affordable enough so that indy filmakers could buy it.

That said the Phase One A-Series seems like a really good bundle. I know I know most of you here just cringe at this and look it at it as just a marketing ploy of existing components that anyone can put together but the rigs are very very cool nonetheless.

Regarding the New PhaseOne camera I am sure it will be an SLR style camera since most PhaseOne backs out there are not CMOS.

[eronald]

I applaud this rock-solid release, as a case of established and mature tech being well combined. Everything here is "obsolete", and it's all useful to its target audience

Although I do think that a mini-iPad would be a better "viewfinder". And in fact a much cheaper one than the phone.

As for Red,  I think that Sony is going to come in very strongly in the spring with hi-rez and video/stills products that may well break the 50MP barrier in a 35 mm combined stills/video SLR at $4K. I think they will be supplying recording and editing tools as well, now that it looks like they finally "get" UHD.

I'm off to get a GH4, waiting for the future has got to me, and as a journalist I've just realized that video has taken the place of still illustration, as publication has moved to the web .

Edmund

Doug,

I assume Phase is taking a new camera seriously, but if they go the "old" route of an only optical viewfinder, then they will arrive at the wrong moment.

CMOS allows for mirrorless, heck their could be a mirror up function where mirrorless and optical finders could reside on the same body (and not just the back of the camera).

I was semi joking about the RED, but love em' or hate em' at the time RED built a camera that broke new territory and couldn't be denied and with 3d so important to Hollywood's bottom line in China, the Epics are used in a lot of production, more than most dp's want to admit.

In other words they built a camera that many people needed, rather than just wanted.

There is a big difference.

(And BTW:  RED's prices are expensive . . . almost as much as your Phase A series)

IMO

BC

[eronald]

PhaseOne has been talking about a new SLR for YEARSSSSSS......... 

Sony went mirrorless, Phase is going bodyless

Edmund

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

I would say it makes a lot of sense for sensors with well working live view. But I don't really see the use for an iPhone on a pancake camera with live view, unless integrated with shutter. (OK, now I understand that it is integrated with the back using WiFi, great!)

Factory shimming makes sense, but should really not be needed with the 0.012 mm tolerance PhaseOne backs are specified to have.

Could I afford, I would buy, with an IQ-250 and with no iPhone, and I would buy from Steve.

Best regards
Erik

[rogerxnz]

Hi, Doug
Sorry I missed saying hello at PhotoPlus. I saw you in your booth but you were always engaged with customers.

Anyway, regarding the A-Series, do you still need to dappen down the CCD sensors with a 6– or 8– stop ND filter when using LiveView in sunlight?
Roger

[Doug Peterson]

Hi, Doug
Sorry I missed saying hello at PhotoPlus. I saw you in your booth but you were always engaged with customers.

Anyway, regarding the A-Series, do you still need to dappen down the CCD sensors with a 6– or 8– stop ND filter when using LiveView in sunlight?
Roger

The expo was much better attended this year than previous years. We were all pretty surprised. I nearly lost my voice by the end! Sorry I missed you!

Yes. Ccd versions of the a series still need nd filters (or stop down to like f/22) for outdoor live view. The IQ250 version of course has great live view in any light.

[bcooter]

As for Red,  I think that Sony is going to come in very strongly in the spring with ...........

........I'm off to get a GH4.

Edmund

Edmund,

Before you talk about Sony eating everyone alive, since RED sold the first affordable 4k camera . . .

Sony has made, or introduced, 5 4k cameras, with multiple lens mounts, one still waiting on a 3rd party 4k recorder, one took 8 to 9 months to receive a proprietary 4k recorder, one not on the shelf.

Sony has closed their computer division, stopped the development/sales of their NLE (Vegas) closed their Sony Stores.

In all this time, tiny RED has only changed form factors once, continued with the same processing suite that gets updated monthly, bought a film studio and opened new stores.

My first RED ones still shoot as well as any modern camera, given the fact that they came out of the box shooting 4k, 444, with 12/14 bits.  The first R1's can still use the same SSD media, viewfinders and lcds as the newest.

In other words the Epic did not exactly obsolete the R1.

Yea, Sony can obviously make anything.  Sticking with a strategy seems to be more difficult for them.'

But you know this, or you would be buying a Sony instead of a little panasonic.  

IMO

BC

[eronald]

J,

 Everything you say about Red is correct. They identified the target buyer's needs, designed the best feasible product to meet them, shipped, and stayed the course with a single-minded focus.

 The Panasonic is because I need something I can hold in *my own* little hands and use with no fuss in a single-user or two man crew; I did a quick test and for my usage, when no long zoom is needed, the only real issue with the Panasonic is the baked-in WB, but of course you know that too ...

 I don't know why there is no raw-shooting 4K super-35 camcorder out there at a reasonable price point. There must be a reason but I can't figure it out. I would sell all my stills kit and buy the Sony FS7 in a minute if it did Raw to card internally, rather than needing a bulky extension and an external recorder that turns it into a monster. All non-camcorder solutions tune into octopus solutions usable with a crew, but not for ENG. No normal human being wants to walk around with an SLR in a cage with a strapped on viewfinder and an external recorder and enough cables to use to dry one's washing.   

Edmund

Edmund,

But you know this, or you would be buying a Sony instead of a little panasonic.  

IMO

BC

[Ken R]

J,

 Everything you say about Red is correct. They identified the target buyer's needs, designed the best feasible product to meet them, shipped, and stayed the course with a single-minded focus.

Thats what you get thx to autocratic design and vision/focus. Jim J took the bull by the horns and just did it with (i am sure) a lot of big companies rooting against him. He gave them the finger and continued on. He had enough money and complete control.

Too bad he was not interested (or at least fully committed) in Medium Format Digital.