Phase One News: XF Body, IQ3 backs, 35LS, 120LS, C1 8.3, Website

[MarkoRepse]

Is the viewfinder any bigger? Brighter is mentioned but what about size? Is manual focusing easier?
Do backs with firmware for the XF work with the RZ67 Pro IID too? What about a 645AFD (the very first Mamiya version and here I mean does it trigger the shutter and capture an image, nothing else)?

[Doug Peterson]

Actually the size increase is more significant, IMO than the brightness increase.

If you hold both up to your eyes (turning the cameras in opposite directions to get them vertical) you can view the world in a sort of [DF+ / XF] Binocular configuration. Holding them like this lets you make very easy direct comparison. It also makes you look rather dorky (will post a picture later for full self depreciating experience).

The XF Viewfinder is:
- slightly brighter
- slightly less warming (more accurate)
- a good deal larger
- detachable (allowing WLF option)
- moderately heavier
- more specific in showing the AF area*

Whether you can focus manually is something I'd rather leave to you to test for yourself as a great deal depends on your eyes, your normal working distance to the subject, and your typical working apertures. But yes, the increased size of the viewfinder should provide a better tool for manually focusing.
 
*Notably the currently shipping XF bodies do not have the new ground glass, but will receive them when they are ready. The final shipping ground glass has two rectangles, both smaller than the circle shown in the DF+ ground glass, and the smaller of which is quite tiny. They represent the average and spot focus areas respectively. I played with an XF with this new ground glass in Copenhagen and it is, in my opinion, a big improvement as far as indicating to the user exactly what the AF sensor is looking at. But we'll have to wait until that final ground glass starts shipping to get wider (less biased) opinions.

Update: here's a photo of us testing it: https://instagram.com/p/5PtQ4ri51K/?taken-by=digitaltransitions

[JamesJetel]

Steve, thanks, I'm finding it a pleasure to use so far. It's the first camera I've used in a while which made me feel like I might benefit from a comprehensive tutorial. As for the ISO -I gathered as much when the dial did absolutely nothing. Minor inconvenience I guess. Is that a fixable issue or are we with the 1 series out of luck?

Marko - Yes, the viewfinder is crystal clear, and I feel much more confident that I have focused properly. What this can be attributed to, Doug seems to have answered. Looking through the viewfinder has an unimpeded quality to it. I'm still not going to be shooting moving things at 2.8 though. Unless maybe at 800, at which point the files are mushy anyway.

A few notes from a quick shoot today. Forgive me for reiterating things that are probably listed somewhere.
- The new firmware has a few, new, more legible icons that help monitor back status. 
- Mirror up mode seems to be finicky. Some shots never came in or were never taken, though when I held the shutter button down a bit longer, it fired and captured reliably.
- it's easy to accidentally press buttons and end up in modes and places you didn't intend.
- I have to apologize less for camera slowing the shoot.

[FelixWu]

What about OOF areas? I do care about it when doing an environmental portrait.

[MarkoRepse]

Thanks for the detailed replies! I really like a good optical prism finder in a camera and it seems the XF has it. More so if using manual lenses. Cant wait to use one

[JamesJetel]

Felix - What about OOF areas do you want to know? I haven't put any different lenses on so I didn't expect a change.

[JoeKitchen]

I feel like I read somewhere that there would eventually be a split prism ground glass available.  Is this correct? 

[Paul2660]

I feel like I read somewhere that there would eventually be a split prism ground glass available.  Is this correct? 

Sounds like early bodies shipped with the old DF+ ground glass.  But that will be replaced with this, per Doug P.  Knowing how easy it is to scratch the ground glass when changing it, looks like it was not a good idea to be on the early out list for the XF. 

*Notably the currently shipping XF bodies do not have the new ground glass, but will receive them when they are ready. The final shipping ground glass has two rectangles, both smaller than the circle shown in the DF+ ground glass, and the smaller of which is quite tiny. They represent the average and spot focus areas respectively. I played with an XF with this new ground glass in Copenhagen and it is, in my opinion, a big improvement as far as indicating to the user exactly what the AF sensor is looking at. But we'll have to wait until that final ground glass starts shipping to get wider (less biased) opinions.

Paul

[Doug Peterson]

Quick update, we have discovered the cause of the incompatibility between the 80/1.9 and the XF. This lens has a slightly protruding lip around the rear element. It does not appear to have any function but is a fraction of a mm further back into the mount than with other lenses of this generation.

We've had the ring reduced down here in NYC and it is now mounting and operating normally. We need to do more testing to be sure, but I believe this is a complete fix to the issue.

More details soon. We're in the middle of Service Day.

[alifatemi]

Hi Doug, any test regarding new 80MB back noise in long exposure, say 60 min? generally is new back noise less or better than IQ280? any picture please?