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Top pros who work with exacting clients, and wealthy amateurs who demand nothing but the best possible image quality have always turned to medium format backs and cameras. Over the years resolution has grown from 16MP, to 21MP, to 39MP, and a couple of years ago to 60MP. Now, with the just announcedPhase One IQ180, the company's new flagship, that ceiling has been raised to 80 Megapixels.
Indeed, the IQ180 isn't the first 80MP back to be announced. Leaf (now owned by Phase One) announced their 80MP back in September, 2010. These backs are now starting to ship, and indeed I will have my hands-on review of theLeaf Aptus II 12online here within the next few days.

A New and Higher IQ
The big news isn't just that there is a new 80 Megapixel back from Phase One. Just as fascinating is the completely new design of the IQ backs. There are three new IQ backs, the Phase One IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 with maximum resolutions of 80, 60.5 and 40MP respectively.
Other than maximum resolution th...

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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.
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