Phase One Announces XT Digital Medium Format Field Camera

Phase One Announces XT Digital Medium Format Field Camera

After teasing a new release over the past few days, Phase One has finally unveiled the new XT digitally-integrated field camera.

The XT is built with the “best of everything” according to Phase One. It’s a travel-friendly design familiar to technical cameras, like the Phase One A-series, but with easier to use controls and advanced functions for any skill level. “The XT Camera System is designed to elevate both your creativity and image quality by providing the best possible components, in the smallest possible package with intuitive controls, all of which allows you to focus on the moment,” said Phase One Product Manager Drew Altdoerffer.

The new camera system features a two-action shutter release, horizontal and vertical movement dials shifting 12 millimeters up, down, left, and right, an X-shutter lens interface, and a detachable Arca Swiss type tripod foot that can be rotated for landscape and portrait orientated shooting. It was exclusively designed to be used with the IQ4 150MP, IQ4 150MP Achromatic, and the IQ4 100MP Trichromatic medium format digital backs.

Three Rodenstock lenses are available for the XT system including the XT HR 70mm f/5.6, XT HR 32mm f/4, and XT HR 23mm f/5.6. The electromagnetical X-shutter is capable of shutter speeds ranging from 1/1,000 seconds to 60 minutes and uses carbon fiber shutter blades which are tested to over 500,000 captures. Each aperture module uses five curved blades.

Landscape photographer Reuben Wu using the Phase One XT camera system.

Pairing up the XT with Phase One’s IQ4 150MP digital back will cost $56,990, with lenses ranging in price from $8,990 to $11,990. More information on the Phase One XT and how to book a demo can be found on their website.

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Ryan Mense is a wildlife cameraperson specializing in birds. Alongside gear reviews and news, Ryan heads selection for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day.

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27 Comments

I mean....it's nice and everything.

Can't help but wondering what the point is though and the price...well. I'm sure there are architecture/landscape/etc folks out there who can/will/should make an argument for this product.

Studio and Advertising for Reproduction Photo. Deal with Art Directors and you will soon see they are not fans of the DSLR line.
151 MP 16 Bit on MF blows em and all smaller formats away.
Don’t confuse screen web with 4 color magazine reproduction..

It’s advertised as a field camera though.

Yep, those studio product shots will look awesome at web res...

We used to have a 2-1/4 adjustable camera with a Phase One back in the jewelry studio where I freelance. Everything in that studio is shot with a Mk IV now.

VERY few people will ever need this in a studio. This is a rental item at best.

I have and that's only true to a certain extent. I've used a 16MP M4/3 camera on a number of commercial projects and not a single one has been rejected.

But I know...the games must be played.

I've been in pre-press and advertising for almost 40 years. NOBODY needs this camera. For anything.

The GF is now officially a 'po man's medium format camera...

The GF is your Corolla and your Phase One is your Cadillac...

It was a joke...

Umm, OK, I'll take 2 of those.

Why not three? One for each lens.

The Phase One system makes me wonder what pieces you need to be called a "camera". The back has all the stuff and the lens is the lens. Is a shutter release and a tripod foot really a "camera"?

Good comment...

Personally I think the best guess for where cameras are going is to become modular with compatible parts across many manufacturers. The end user customizes it to what they want/need

I hope so, it's hard enough to find flashes that work with every manufacturer having their own hotshoe. I'm not sure if the economics work right now though unless they can get you into a "system".

Sound... I expected it to be more expensive.....

Very excited about this camera body. Rodenstock lenses are beyond everything. Pairing them with a 150MP back is going to create some truly extraordinary results.

Another fact that's getting skimmed over is that this system provides a brand new shutter for technical camera lenses. Since Copal shutters have been discontinued lens manufacturers have been offering to ship lenses without shutters at all, relying on the electronic shutters in digital backs like the IQ4, or using a crazy cumbersome eShutter with cables, power sources, and all kinds of crazy. The XT is an elegant answer to that problem.

That guy in the photo looks like he's too worried about dropping the camera to take a good picture.

Because this camera was designed to be used handheld out a car window?

Another camera that no one wants, can afford; see article above?

Now if it had a selfie mode, it would be a game changer....

Other than possibly rental houses and rich kids, who would buy into such a system?

You have to be crazy to spend that kind of money on a camera.

If you are in the business of producing very large prints of the absolute highest quality (and selling them) then super high-res MF is the only game in town. Nothing else comes close. If you are not doing this, then this is not the camera for you. Think why top video people use Arri Alexas at $100,000+, but some people insist their A7s does just as good a job!

Yes Nick, but they rent the Arri's and own the A7s.

No argument about Fuji vs Phase - I did say super-high res MF, not specifying which ones. They are all exceptional IMO.
And just curious, if the BMPCC camera is that good, why do people use Alexas? Could it be that there is more to it than just pixel peeping?