14 DAY TRIAL // Sony is known to develop some of the best image sensors on the market and the fact that rival companies like Nikon chose to use one of its sensors on the company's best digital SLR cameras (D800, D800E) comes to confirm this.
Recently, two high-end camera and optics manufacturers (Phase One and Hasselblad) have announced what each claimed to be the “world's first” medium format camera system with a 50MP CMOS image sensor.
For those of you who don't know much about medium format cameras, previous models come with a slower CCD sensor that made shooting using an ISO value higher than ISO400 almost impossible. Using the new CMOS sensor, medium format cameras will be able to handle noise very well even when used at its maximum sensitivity (ISO6,400).
From a recent interview with Phase One's officials, we found out that Sony's sensor is used in both IQ250 and Hasselblad's upcoming H5D-50c model making us wonder how both cameras will perform.
We've already seen a brief test performed by LuminousLandscape using the new Phase One IQ250 digital camera back at its highest ISO setting (ISO6,400) and the results are quite impressive
While Hasselblad only made a formal announcement and didn't show an actual camera or at least reveal its specs, Phase One's IQ250 digital back is already available for purchase for a price of $34,990 / €24,990.
If Sony is manufacturing this new CMOS sensor for medium format camera systems, there's a possibility that we will soon feast our eyes on the company's first medium format shooter.
Moreover, other important players on the market may also consider entering this exclusive segment. For a few years now, Canon is rumored to work on the company's first medium format camera system, but nothing came out to confirm or infirm this supposition.