Phase One IQ250 Review

BTS_TheGrind_header

Phase One IQ250 Review

What a day it was… we were one of the first studios in the United States to get our hands on the new Phase One IQ250.

I recently switched to the medium format platform because of straight up image quality. I don’t care what anyone says, put a 35mm up against a medium format camera and the difference is incredible.

Its not just about megapixels. There are lots of things to consider megapixels is just one of them. Quality of the pixels, dynamic range, low light performance, etc.

Now, I am not going to lie. The IQ260 is a great commercial camera, landscape, portrait, etc, but man-o-man, when it came to weddings, I was not loving it. Low light was challenging about ISO 400 and the frames per second were honestly, just not realistic for weddings that move in real time.

Enter the IQ250… game changer! 50 mega pixels, up to ISO 6400, 14 stops of dynamic range, 1.2 frames per second (no I am not a sports photographer needing 30fps), and incredible detail and low light performance at ISO3200. I was just blown away.

For me, the switch is a no-brainer. Now, for the first time, I feel comfortable working weddings using a medium format camera.

Check out the images below, just incredible detail in both a studio environment with controlled lighting and using natural light in a high ISO environment.

Don’t be intimidated with medium format. Sure, they have models that cost as much as a new car, but these are cameras that hold their value in the marketplace. There are a ton of options. Leasing, refurbished, used, etc are all viable options and allow you and your work to stand out from the crowd.

If you are interested – try one first! Connect with Capture Integration and they will hook you up! Great service, great company – with one goal – making sure you have the right equipment for the job.

See some of our test shots below.

Settings

Phase One IQ250

80mm Schneider Lens

f4 @ 160th // ISO 100

4 Alien Bee 800s with 2 softboxes in the front and 2 kicker lights in the back to light up the chiffon.

CF000503_v1

 

Settings

Phase One IQ250

150mm Schneider Lens

f9 @ 125th // ISO 1600

Available light

 

CF000537

Here we are with an image at ISO 1600 zoomed in to 147%. Look at the detail and low noise. I am just blown away with the performance of the camera in low light situations.

Screen Shot 2014-02-04 at 9.42.46 PM

Settings

Phase One IQ250

80mm Schneider Lens

f11 @ 125th // ISO 3200

Available light

CF000519

The performance of the camera in low light is just incredible. Here you can see where we zoomed in to 131% the image is completely usable.

Screen Shot 2014-02-04 at 9.44.29 PM

 

 

 

 

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Murray

    I used to shoot wedding with a Hasselblad 500CM and Kodak Vericolor 160, back then we always added a splash of flash to brighten up a dull day and add a little something so the idea of shooting at anything above 400 was inconceivable. This may just be the game changer we have been waiting for.

    great review.

  2. Kerry

    Great review Sal and such a lovely model! I used to shoot med format at weddings back in the film days and haven’t felt comfortable going back since digital. Now I’m going to have to reconsider. May have to sell off my kids for scientific research to afford one *wink. Thanks for the article!

  3. Greg

    It looks great on my laptop screen, I would image a high quality print would look amazing. Good Job Sal.

  4. Bob Brents

    Wow, and it helps any pic to have a great model

Leave a Reply

Want more content like this?

Check out our recent posts

yt thumbnail lightingsetupsforhighschoolseniors

Quick and Easy Lighting Setups for High School Seniors

Lighting doesn’t have to be complicated when it comes to your photography lighting set-ups. In this video, we show you some easy ways to get beautiful portrait lighting in a quick and easy way.

This studio lighting tutorial is perfect for beginning photographers and advanced photographers as well.

Read More »
yt thumbnail octaboxvsbeautydish

Octabox VS. Beauty Dish // Which is better?

These two completely different lighting modifiers will deliver completely different results with the same exact set up.

In this lighting tutorial, we showcase the difference in the two different lighting options. both portrait images look amazing, but I think creatives will like one over the other.

Which do you like the best?

One is softer and the other more specular.

In this video, we used the Westcott FJ200 and their octabox and beauty dish offering.

Read More »