14 DAY TRIAL // After stealing all the glory from Hasselblad by launching the world’s first CMOS-based medium format camera just a few months ago, Phase One returns with another cool product.
The Danish manufacturer has just unveiled its first aerial camera with 50MP CMOS medium format image sensor, dubbed the Phase One iXU 150 (via DirectionsMag).
If you are wondering what an aerial camera is, well, you should know the device is destined to be used in combination with a UAV or a drone.
The camera bundles an 8280-pixel cross-track coverage, so it means it can actually convey more details than a full-frame DSLR. The sensor can also shoot from ISO 100 to 6400.
Because it is an aerial camera, the device has to be light, so instead of aluminum, Phase One used magnesium in order to keep the weight down. Furthermore, the Phase One iXU 150 will be available in either visible light or Near-IR configurations.
The camera uses the company’s own Schneider-Kreuznach lenses and will be available with USB support and GPS / IMU direct communication support.
The Phase One iXU 150 will become available in July and will retail for the impressive price of $40,000 / €28,910, a rate certainly meant to keep the average consumer away.
Thankfully, the aerial camera was designed for industrial purposes, such as mapping applications, so the average Joe won’t have need of such fancy equipment.