Phase One 120mm AF vs. 120mm MF

February 2, 2012 | Tech, Tech Features

First Thoughts

Several months ago Phase One recently released an autofocus version of its venerable 120D f/4 MF Macro. As the 120D MF has been a staple lens for many photographers and one of the sharpest lenses in the Phase One lineup, we wanted to put the two head to head in a quick shootout.

Before we get to the test images, below is a spec sheet highlighting some key changes and differences between the two lenses at a glance:

	Phase One 120mm MF	Phase One 120mm AF
Length (w/o hood)	4.40 in.	4.20 in.
Length Extended (w/o hood)	7.50 in.	6.25 in.
Weight	835 g / 1.84 lbs	960 g / 2.11 lbs
Filter Size	67 mm	72 mm
Max. Magnification	1:1	1:1
Min. Focusing Distance	40 cm / 1.3 ft	37 cm / 1.21 ft
Aperture Range	f/4.0 - f/32	f/4.0 - f/32

Despite the close numbers, a feature that doesn’t show on paper is the 120mm AFʼs updated metal lens hood with a rubber coated edge.

On the AF lens, autofocus is engaged by simply sliding the focus ring forward, revealing the word “AUTOFOCUS” on the lens barrel. The 120mm AF also employs a focus limiter feature that can be engaged with a switch on the side of the lens.

Our Test

For this test, we wanted to focus specifically on sharpness and overall image quality. We set up a basic still life scene with controlled lighting and locked down the tripod for a straight forward lens swap test. F/16 was selected because depth-of-field in macro photography is always a challenge and while f/16 may be slightly affected due to diffraction it is commonly used to gain practical depth of field.

• Camera: Phase One 645DF
• Digital Back: P65+
• Software: Capture One Pro (tethered w/ default settings)
• ISO: 50
• Shutter Speed: 1/100
• Aperture: f/16

During these tests, we found it best to engage the autofocus a minimum of 3-4 times in order to confirm that focus is achieved accurately. The limiter function was not used. The 120mm MF lens was focused over several frames by viewing 100% crops using the Focus tab & Focus Mask in Capture One to achieve as close to the same focal plane as the 120mm AF lens as was possible.

NOTE: The AF lens exposure was adjusted -.1 while the MF was boosted +.5 to even the exposure on all test photos.

Full Scene MF

Full Scene AF

100% Crop MF #1

100% Crop AF #1

100% Crop MF #2

100% Crop AF #2

NOTE – Phase One has yet to release a datasheet for the new lens, so as soon as we can get our hands on that we’ll happily share that in comparison to the existing data for the 120MF and compare the data directly to real world images.

Conclusions

This test was specific to image sharpness at f/16 for both lenses, we will be expanding on this test with an in-depth diffraction test, as well as comparing the minimum focusing distances of both lenses. Also, seeing that many photographers may use this lens as a portrait lens, we’ll also use more typical portrait focusing distances and apertures to re-evaluate the sharpness and overall image quality.

In Stock

We have 120mm AF lenses in stock; they can be ordered through our eStore or by calling us at 1-877-217-9870.

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EJJI 10K Rechargeable Battery

February 2, 2012 | Tech, Tech Features

Overview

Last week we previewed a rechargeable battery cartridge for the Phase One/Mamiya 645 camera bodies from EJJI. We wanted to put the battery through its paces in order to see if the battery will actually power a body for 10000 frames as claimed.

One of the first things we noticed about the 10K battery was that the base (the part visible when inserted into the camera) is nearly identical to that used by Phase One & Mamiya, right down to the texture. However, we found that the battery is a bit of a tight fit in DF bodies – but does work, and slides a bit smoother on the older AFD1 we tested later. On both bodies the last 2mm of insertion require a bit of force to seal and lock the battery in place.

 

The Test

We rigged up a Phase One 645DF w/ a P20 digital back on a tripod and pointed it toward a simple still life scene using only available light. Using the camera’s built-in intervalometer, we began firing images in 1/2sec intervals. After more than 3300 identical frames without any apparent change in battery status, we decided we needed to change testing methods since we did not wish to increase the shot count on our P20 by 10,000 frames.

After about 90min on the charger, the battery was  put into a Mamiya 645AFD with an empty film back and cable release. With the camera set to mirror-up and continuous drive we locked the cable release and started shooting. Since we did not have a way to digitally count the number of frames, we counted the number of frames captured per minute (roughly 84fps) and just kept track of the number of minutes it ran for.

At just short of 90min or about 7500 frames, we blew the shutter on the older AFD body we were testing with. This all occurred with the battery indicator on the body showing full charge throughout. We decided to attempt to drain the battery inside a DF overnight with the camera left on (set to never sleep) and the custom function set to Lithium Ion batteries. The battery survived for nearly two days.

Conclusions

This battery is significantly more stout than the often fragile battery cage that is standard for the 645 bodies as it is simply made of more material. Clearly the performance is quite impressive. Since we have yet to find a point where the battery shows a change in charge status (e.g. showing “half full”). So we can not yet tell if the battery will simply die without warning, or if it still as fresh as the indicator shows and has thousands of frames left in it. Look for an update to this test once we’re able to get a definitive answer on when & how you might expect this battery to fully discharge.

Pre-Order

As a result of this testing we are placing a large order with the manufacturer. Once they arrive we’ll put it on our eStore. But if you would like to place a pre-order to be at the front of the line (before we even put the item up on our eStore) please call 877-217-9870 or email info@captureintegration.com.
The price is $219 per battery and $109 per charger, or $499 for a kit of two batteries and a charger.

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Capture One 6.3.3

January 4, 2012 | Tech, Tech Features

Phase One posted Capture One 6.3.3 today.

We will be downloading and testing the release in the coming week.

Enhancements:

• Better color noise suppression in previews.
• Improved ISO 400 and ISO 800 noise settings for P20, P20+, P21, P21+, P25 and P25+.
• Linear film curves for Leaf Aptus-II and Afi-II series backs.
• New firmware for a number of Leaf backs.
• In addition, a number of minor improvements.

Camera Support:

• The following cameras have been added:
• Canon S100 (preliminary)
• Fuji X10 (preliminary)
• Nikon J1, V1, P7100 (all preliminary)
• Panasonic DMC-GX1 (preliminary)
• Ricoh GR DIGITAL IV (preliminary)
• Sony SLT-A35, DSLR-A450 (all preliminary)

About Capture One Updates

Capture Integration is constantly testing new releases of Capture One and has many customers who are kind enough to keep us informed about their testing. We recommend a user update critical software or their operating-system only when:

1. The update contains an improvement, new feature or bug fix which is relevant to the user (“if it isn’t broke – don’t fix it”)
2. The update has been out long enough to give a sense of whether it contains any nasty bugs
3. The user has time/desire to do a complete test of anything workflow critical (e.g. tethering, processing, retouching, printing etc)
4. The user has a complete bootable backup of the computer. We recommend SuperDuper.
5. The user has the time to do a clean install. This means removing the previous version before installing the new version in the case of a software update. For an OS that means doing a erase+install.

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IQ Firmware 2.01 Released

December 23, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Phase One just released firmware 2.01 for IQ series digital backs that solves an issue in 2.00 where a 645 DF camera could not use Mirror up with Schneider Kreuznach Leaf shutter lenses.

Click here to download the new firmware.

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Firmware 2.0 Issues with DF MUP

December 21, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Update: Phase One has released v 2.01 IQ Firmware to fix this problem. Read More.

We are investigating an issue with the Phase One IQ series, whereby the camera locks up and will not capture an image. The issue appears to only happen when using this combination:

• Phase One IQ back with 2.0 firmware
• Phase One DF body (confirmed with 1.21, 1.23, and 1.25 firmware)
• DF Body is in MUP mode
• A Schneider Leaf Shutter lens is being used (e.g. 80LS)
• The Leaf Shutter is being used

We are unsure if this affects all IQ backs or just the IQ180. We are unsure if it affects all units or just a subset.
Based on our investigation so far) this only occurs when the Leaf Shutter is being used. This means as a workaround you can use the custom function “Shutter in” accessed via the DF menu of the IQ back to disable the Leaf Shutter and use only the focal plane shutter. Of course if use of the Leaf Shutter is critical to your application (e.g. you need fast flash sync) this workaround will not be acceptable.

For now we’d recommend DF users to hold off on the 2.0 firmware update if they ever (even rarely) use mirror up mode.

Update: 12:45pm
Phase One is aware of the issue and has posted 1.47 firmware to allow users affected to downgrade. They promise a revised 2.X firmware “very soon” to correct this issue.

If our customers have any questions about this they are of course welcome to call or email. Or just stay tuned to this page as we learn more.

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Splash Screen for IQ Back

December 14, 2011 | Tech Features

Firmware 2.0 for the Phase One IQ Enables the “Splash Screen” feature which allows you to brand the back with your logo. However, they have not yet posted instructions (we assume they will in the very near future). So for those of you early adopters that want to install and use this feature right away here is what you do.

1. Format a CF card in the IQ back, then insert it into a card reader on your computer
2. In Photoshop create a new document 800×480 in the sRGB color space
3. Arrange/create your graphics/logo as desired to fit inside that canvas
4. Save it as an “BMP” at “24-bit” called “splash.bmp” to the main/top level of the CF Card (i.e. not a subfolder)
5. Eject the CF card from the Computer / Insert the CF card into the IQ
6. On the IQ select [Menu > Display > Splashscreen] Load From CF card
7. The back should display “Successfully Created New Splash Screen”

Update: Phase One has now posted an “official” Knowledge Base article that confirms the above procedure.

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Phase One IQ Firmware Update

December 14, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Update: We are investigating a serious issue with this firmware. Read More.

Phase One released the IQ back earlier this year with a few of the promised features not yet completed. Most of these were added and improved upon with firmware 1.33 and 1.47. This firmware update 2.0 released today (December 14th, 2011) completes most of the remaining features on the original target list (the remaining two are noted at the bottom of this article).

Features & Fixes

• Language (French, Italian, German, Spanish, Swedish, Russian, Korean, Japanese and Chinese)
• 645DF camera control from Capture One
• 645DF custom settings control from the IQ digital back
• New Splash Screen option in Menu > Display > Splash Screen for display of custom image (up to 800 x 480 px) at startup.
• Support for Schneider Kreuznach USB controlled shutter (Native – no need for special setting)
• New Aerial setting in Menu > Camera Mode for use with special Aerial applications.
• General speed improvements for all IQ digital backs, especially on the H platform.
• General stability improvements for all IQ digital back

Install Instructions

Update should be performed with the digital back disconnected from the camera, and without FireWire or USB connected. Also make sure you have a fully charged battery in the IQ back.

• Download the latest IQ Firmware from phaseone.com.
• Transfer the .fwr file to an empty compact flash card and insert it into the IQ’s compact flash card slot.
• Select “Update Firmware” from the Firmware menu.
• After upgrade the digital back will have to be rebooted, a full reboot is performed by removing the battery from the IQ back, and reinserting it.
• After rebooting select [Menu > Restore Defaults] to ensure the back is on default settings.

Note: If you have any issues with the update, the “Restore Firmware” option will revert to the factory installed firmware version. If you experience errors you can use the menu “Dump Log” to transfer Log information to the CompactFlash card – this log file you can use to send to support for further analysis

Standard Note of Caution

Note: Capture Integration firmly believes that professionals who rely on their cameras for their reputation and income should avoid doing any major software or firmware updates immediately upon release. We have seen problematic firmware updates from Apple, Canon, Leica,  While we have no specific reason to be hesitant with this particular update we recommend waiting several days for our in-house testing and the results of updates of our early-adopter customers before updating your IQ firmware.

Final Features Still to be Completed

This firmware does not enable two features. These will be enabled in a future firmware update.

• UDMA7 Support
• USB3 Port Support
• Turn on both the body and back from body.

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DF Body AF Accuracy vs Speed

December 7, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Background: How do Autofocus Systems Work?

Autofocus systems work by detecting contrast in the image, and measuring how that contrast changes as the lens focuses in and out. When the contrast is high “enough” the autofocus system tells the body it’s ok to take the picture.

Contrast means the difference between the brightest and darkest area of the image. This is why autofocus systems sometimes have problems trying to focus on smooth surfaces; even when in focus the brightest and darkest area of a smooth subject are not that different. Autofocus systems also have a minimum amount of light they can see, which is why autofocus systems can struggle in dark environments and why the DF Body projects a red pattern of light on to the subject.

One Size Does Not Fit All

But how contrasty is contrasty “enough”? For most cameras the manufacturer sets this threshold and you have no control. This one threshold is used no matter what kind of photography is being done. Take two extremes: tripod-based landscape photography and run-and-gun photojournalism, even though the two applications have completely different priorities from the photographers point of view. In slow, precise, diligent landscape photography there is no problem giving the camera as long as it needs to scan through various focus distances to determine the focus with absolute precision. In run-and-gun photojournalism the photographer is very concerned with the camera taking the picture quickly so that they can capture a particular moment, expression, or event; for this kind of photography if the autofocus engine is “pretty confident” it has the right focus it is more important to the photographer that the image is captured immediately than to wait another fraction of a second for the autofocus engine to re-scan the focus-range again to gain higher confidence of focus.

The upshot is that no focus system can perfectly fit every need, especially in medium format where larger sensors, higher resolution, shallow DOF, and sharper lenses demand higher standards of focus accuracy and larger/heavier lenses make it harder to achieve this accuracy.

The Solution? Give the Photographer Control

Phase One and Mamiya worked together to devise a creative solution to this issue and implemented it in the DF Body: the autofocus system can be set (via custom function #19) to either “speed” or “accuracy”. Understanding the advantages of each mode is critical to easily getting consistent focus.

Speed: The autofocus system will allow the camera to fire when it’s “fairly sure” of the focus. It is recommended you use a higher f-stop (e.g. f/8-f/16) when using this mode so that slight variances of focus will be covered by the depth-of-field.

Accuracy: The autofocus system will continue to scan focus back and forth until it is “very sure” of the focus. This can result in some “hunting” especially if the subject is low-contrast. However it provides the highest degree of assurance that the image will be perfectly focused on the intended subject, even when shooting wide-open (e.g. f/2.8)

Which Mode Should You Choose?

The default mode is speed. Whether you should change from the default “speed” to “accuracy” depends on your shooting style. If you’re shooting tabletop, product, landscape, architecture, interiors, etc then the “accuracy” setting will improve your focus accuracy and only cost you a fraction of a second more when the camera occasionally hunts for the perfect focus position. If you’re shooting moving subjects handheld the [Speed] setting will reduce the frequency with which the focus hunts and decrease the time between pushing the shutter release (or starting the focus using rear-button focus method).

Advanced hint: in [Speed] mode you can half-tap the shutter to focus the camera, and then release and half-tap the shutter again to fine-tune the focus. The final effect is similar to using [Accuracy] mode. When making major changes to focus distance (e.g. from infinity to a close-up or vice-versa) this is often needed when in [Speed] mode as the initial focus attempt often comes up a bit shy of moving the focus all the way to the subject.

How Do I Change Modes?

1. Rotate the main body dial  to CF (for “Custom Functions”)
2. Rotate the shutter dial until you are on CF#00 (“SEL”)
3. Rotate the thumb-dial until you’ve selected to use Custom Function Set A, B, or C.*
4. Rotate the shutter dial until you are on CF#19 (“AF_2″)
5. Rotate the thumb-dial until you’ve selected to use Option 0 [Speed] or to Option 1 [Accuracy]
6. Rotate the main body dial back to your desired shooting mode

Users of the Phase One P40+/P65+ can also use the interface on the digital back “DF Setup” to access and change the setting. The Phase One IQ will also allow for control of the DF custom functions on the back’s LCD in a future firmware update.
*When using the [blank] Custom Function Set (rather than A, B, or C) the camera uses all defaults and you cannot change any custom functions. This ensures that any user can pick up any DF and put it on defaults by simply changing CF#00 to [blank].

Note: Error in User Manual

The current Phase One DF User Manual (v1.3 – download) corresponds to the current firmware (1.21 and later); however, on page #99 it misidentifies the default as being [Accuracy]. The actual default is [Speed]. In previous versions of the Phase One user manual and firmware the settings for [Accuracy] and Speed were swapped; using previous user manual versions with the current firmware would lead to setting the body exactly opposite of what you intended.

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Capture One 6.3.2 Released

November 3, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

A minor bug-fix update has been posted for Capture One. It fixes an issue caused by OSX 10.7.2 whereby brushes and mouse cursors would not display properly, leaving many users scratching their heads.We will be testing Capture One 6.3.2 in the coming week to let our users know about it’s stability and real-world performance.

Download Capture One 6.3.2

Other bug-fixes / Improvements

• Fixed an issue causing MobileBackups to show up as a volume in the library tool.
• Improved colors and noise defaults for Samsung NX11
• Both PEF and DNG format for all Pentax models now supported
• Support added for Olympus Pen E-PM1
• Support added for Samsung NX200
• Support added for Pentax Q

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10.7.2 Breaks Brushes in C1 6.3.1

October 13, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

We have tested the latest version of OSX, released this week, 10.7.2.

In Capture One 6.3.1 this update appears to have broken the brush tool used for spot/dust correction and local adjustment layers. These tools remain useable but the cursor no longer changes to an outline of the brush, and instead remains a standard cursor.

For this reason we’d recommend most Capture One users not to update to 10.7.2 until there is an update to Capture One to address this.

Update: this also applies to other cursors like the white balance cursor (thanks Paul for reporting this).

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Capture One 6.3, CI Certified

September 15, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

As usual we have been testing the latest version of Capture One on a variety of Mac machines under both 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and 10.7 (Lion). We test Phase, Leaf, Mamiya, and Canon tethering. We do extensive LCC testing and work with large sessions.

In this case we are happy to report that Capture One 6.3 has passed all of our testing with flying colors. Nothing is perfect, but we have found 6.3 to be rock solid, very fast, and otherwise very polished.

For customers with 10.6 or 10.7 we strongly recommend Capture One 6.3.

The usual caveats apply. See the bottom of the original Capture One 6.3 Release blog post for those caveats.

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Capture One 6.3, Lion Supported

September 7, 2011 | Tech, Tech Features

Update: We have now tested Capture One 6.3 for enough time to draw a strong conclusion. Read More.

Capture One 6.3 is now available for download at phaseone.com. If you are upgrading from version 3, 4, or 5 please see our article on Saving 10% on Capture One Pro.

Lion (OSX 10.7) Compatibility

• Lion Style Fullscreen (when using Lion)
• Lion Style Scrollbars (when using Lion)
• OpenCL supported in Lion
• Keyboard Shortcuts now works
• Importer no longer crashes
• Several minor artifacts/issues in Lion

General Enhancements

• Improved Wide-Angle Tech Camera LCC algorithms
• Schneider 150mm LS lens added to Lens Correction

Camera Specific Improvements

• Enhanced support for Samsung NX10 and NX11
• Improved noise defaults for IQ180
• Improved noise defaults for Olympus ZX-1
• Improved default colors for Fuji X100
• Support for Olympus E-P3 and E-PL3
• Preliminary support for Sony NEX-7, NEX-5N, SLT-A77, SLTA65

Bugfixes

Editorial Comments

We believe professional photographers should continue to hold off on adopting Lion as the OS on their production computers (especially if they tether). New Mac OS releases always contain significant bugs (often affecting Capture One users). These bugs often persist for a few months after release. While we have been running release candidates of 6.3 with few, if any, glitches we’d encourage caution when changing your OS. It is easy to consider it “just another upgrade” – you should not; it is a major and fundamental change to the software on your computer.

About Capture One Updates

Capture Integration is constantly testing new releases of Capture One and has many customers who are kind enough to keep us informed about their testing. We recommend a user update critical software or their operating-system only when:

1. The update contains an improvement, new feature or bug fix which is relevant to the user (“if it isn’t broke – don’t fix it”)
2. The update has been out long enough to give a sense of whether it contains any nasty bugs
3. The user has time/desire to do a complete test of anything workflow critical (e.g. tethering, processing, retouching, printing etc)
4. The user has a complete bootable backup of the computer. We recommend SuperDuper.
5. The user has the time to do a clean install. This means removing the previous version before installing the new version in the case of a software update. For an OS that means doing a erase+install.

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