Medium Format Camera News

Phase One just launched the new XT camera system, a portable medium format camera designed for landscape photography.

Phase One just unveiled a major overhaul of its medium format camera system. Called the Phase One XF Camera System, the new medium format platform features several key upgrades, revamps, and additions including “robust, aerial-grade mechanics, advanced electronics, a new autofocus platform, new modularity options, new software and customizable touch controls,” according to Phase One.

Since this is my first foray into camera reviews, I’ll start with a little background info. I am an automotive photographer on staff at two of Shutterbug’s sister publications, Motor Trend and Automobile. Prior to Motor Trend I managed Silvio’s Photoworks in SoCal, and before that I was a manager at the equipment and studio checkout at Brooks Institute of Photography, where I got my BFA. I have used everything from 4x5s to my iPhone, old or new, film or digital. And ever since my dad first handed me his Pentax K1000 in fifth grade, my lens has been aimed at cars.

The video embedded below, which was posted just a few days ago by photographer Andrew Jamieson, of Andy Creative, lasts just four minutes and seventeen seconds but it’s already making photographers on the Internet go crazy with nostalgia over the glory days of film.

Photokina 2014 in Germany has been covered widely on the Internet already—including our own extensive reporting on the show on Shutterbug.com—so there’s no need for me to rehash the major announcements from the event, such as the latest full-frame cameras from Canon and Nikon and the like. My photo report here is aimed at sharing some wider ranging thoughts and perspectives on this important biennial show and what it told us about photography today and where it might be heading tomorrow.

Yes, as we predicted, there’s been a ton of new photo gear announced for the photokina 2014 show in Cologne, Germany. We’re still in Cologne covering the show and there’s been so much photo gear news this past week, it’s actually hard for even us to remember some of what’s been announced.

Despite innumerable premature reports of its death, medium format refuses to lie down. Instead, it polarizes increasingly into large-sensor digital (up to about 2x the size of full-frame 35mm) and highly specialized roll film--though the two biggest announcements of the show were actually traditional dual-platform (film/digital) SLRs.

Rollei deserves first...