Phase One IQ4 on Alpa 12 Pano | THE Best for Panorama Stitching

[@aleksandar2161]

It's a good day when you upload. Time to get coffee, and enjoy this.

[@mathphotographer]

Enjoy! :) Thanks Aleksandar.

[@blende5.693]

Alpa is definitely one of my dream camera, specially the swa 12. The Swiss perfection is outstanding. Including the iq4, unbelievable and a real beauty. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@mathphotographer]

Fully agree, Alpa makes beautiful and highly functional cameras for Pro Photographers.

[@MaxRevs911]

Great video explanation of the ALPA 12 Pano Rosewood. This video plus my own research led me down that path to purchase. I already had a PhaseOne XF and IQ4 so the ALPA was a good companion for sharing the back between the two cameras. In the video you talk about the size lf the ALPA 12 Pano and finding a way to carry it. I purchased a Nomatic backpack which works well to carry the camera, digital back, several lenses, batteries, lens hoods, etc. If you would like to see a picture please let me know and I will ;provide that to you. You also comment on the ALPA lens hood which you state mey be produced via 3D printer. While I did buy that hood I subsequently bought a Cambo AC-324 lens hood and adapters. This lens hood collapses to nearly flat with its accordion pleat body and provides better lens shading than the round ALPA hood. Just wanted to thank you for this very detailed video of the ALPA 12 Pano and share my experience with the backpack solution and lens hood.

[@kentsquires7350]

This is a great video with excellent explanation and beautiful imagery. Thank you for taking the time to create this outstanding video. I am now looking into an ALPA camera body as I already have the PhaseOne IQ4 150 digital back. This looks like a great addition to the XF camera system and a fabulous tool for landscape/architectural work.

[@8KHDRVideoBySittipong]

Wow. A very compact and high quality camera setup

[@PatrickWilson-k9n]

Fantastic, very informative video. Keep inspiring and educating us. Thank you.

[@JanGodrie]

A very nice setup indeed. I wish more camera manufacturers would implement frame averaging because that’s a super handy feature to have!

[@mathphotographer]

I love this feature too :)

[@GKhanKutar]

Hey Matt! Thanks for sharing with us! The dynamic range and texture looks amazing. It would be so nice to see comparison video between IQ4 , Hasselblad X2D and GFX100 cameras with same settings and same focal lenghts lenses (or close) .

[@Sonofagreatdad]

Yes! I want that also!!!

[@mathphotographer]

Noted! I will see what I can do next weeks, its a lot of work to shoot in the same place with three different camera systems but I fully understand that this would be a burner video :)

[@GKhanKutar]

@@mathphotographer thanks math! Have a nice week

[@NRecob]

Would LOVE to see this!!!!

[@andymanson]

Great episode! No question that this is the best combo (by a substantial margin!) for this kind of work. Also, taking recent episodes into account, and for those on a tight budget - some impressive results are obtainable with the Cambo WRS + the 50 Megapixel Hasselblad back from the 907X. Scaling to >= 140 MP can happen in software. The money saved could fund a few trips to those places whose beauty warrants this type of attention to detail 🙂 In all cases this was a wonderful demo of what these systems can deliver!

[@mathphotographer]

Thank you very much, Manson. The Cambos are highly capable view cameras which can be combined with various cameras like the Hasselblad X2D, the Fuji GFX cameras and even the Leica SL2. I actually have them in the studio, maybe in the course of the year I will post a comprehensive video about the Cambo.

[@BruceChapman-j3p]

Awesome video. I too would love to see you do a video on the Cambo system as I just got a Cambo Actus-XL-35 and Rodenstock APO 90mm f5.6 Digital.@@mathphotographer

[@JjackVideo]

I like the intro where you just kept on zooming into the picture. Incredible

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks! Shows the resolution reserves of these images.

[@NikCan66]

Always thoroughly enjoyed and educational information 😀

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks again!

[@NikCan66]

@@mathphotographer your the standard of reviews that others can't replicate

[@RS-Amsterdam]

Great video ... however at 7:03 it is not 5 mm but 5 degrees. (Yes, I pay attention) Beautiful images. All together a nice combi system and IMO for 800 euro all together, money well spend Thanks for sharing and a great weekend my friend !

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks RS, I know you always pay attention to the tiniest details, much appreciated. And of course you are spot-on right again :) Enjoy the beautiful Sunday, in Switzerland we had a bit of snow this morning but now kind of clear air and good weather, so will grab my X2D later the day and go for some blue hour shots in Canton Zug ...

[@uabpsab]

Excellent as always! Please make a video about your printing also.

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks for the idea! And thanks for the great feedback.

[@ducgerard2361]

Fabuleux système qui coûte le Prix d une belle voiture... mais il Fait bon rêver devant la beauté et La qualité de cet ensemble hors du Commun. Merci pour cette vidéo Comme toujours magnifiquement Réalisée. Sorry today i m too jazzy To use english....

[@mathphotographer]

Many thanks, much appreciated feedback.

[@stromcek1000]

Excellent 👌👍

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks!

[@dawster1949]

Superb video! Amazing results with this setup. I notice Alpa makes an adapter for the Fujifilm GFX. I appreciate the Fuji is missing some of the advantages of the IQ4 back but I guess this could still produce great results?! I’m wondering if a GFX100S with its handgrip will fit and still allow full shift movement though…?

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks for the great feedback! For the GFX cameras I recommend to also look at the Cambo Actus where you can get adapters to fit the Hasselblad X2D, Fuji GFX and even Leica SL(2)(-S).

[@dawster1949]

@@mathphotographer Thank you 🙏 😊

[@n2kos]

Incredible!!! two questions, 1) why not use the Phase One XT camera with digital connectivity? 2) what is your computer spec to process 200 mega pixels? Thanks for another great video 👍

[@mathphotographer]

Many thanks John. I also have the XT body, see videos on my channel and the ones linked in the infobox below this video. What makes the Alpa so cool is the quick grid-locked horizontal shift mechanism. Its just so easy and a pleasure to work with it. Clearly on the XT body you get more features and also communication between lenses and IQ4, spot-on comment.

[@zoltankaparthy9095]

Yes, yes. Excellent review again. As has been mentioned I would love to see a comparison of images between the X2D and the Phase One IQ4. Is the four times greater price reflected in the image quality? Schoen und vielen Dank.

[@mathphotographer]

Noted! :) Thanks Zoltan.

[@mfoismurphy143]

May I ask you opinion SB34 your recommend put in front of DB or behind the lens? E.g my Len is 90mm look forward your reply thanks

[@victorfeinstein1815]

Hi, which camera do you recommend this one ore the phase one xt.I am using Fujifilm GFX 100s with canon tse 17mm and 24mm, is the IQ differences is huge between GFX 100s to phase one IQ 4 150MP?Thanks in advance

[@vannoz66]

Hi just a question. Since you are from Zurich, do you also have a channel in German?

[@mhc2b]

I have always admired the Alpa cameras! In reference to the IQ4, can you please clarify what the "Frame Averaging" does. I either missed it along the way, or didn't see where there was a discussion on what it actually does. So it looks like it takes multiple images and then does something with them. But what? Thanks. FWIW - I have used Hasselblads for over 50 years, currently using the X2D. Since there are virtually no Shift lenses available, I do utilize the nodal points of my XCD lenses for pano-stitching, with better-than-average results. But, unfortunately, I still lose quite a lot of pixels in the stitching. Thanks again for a great, informative video.

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks Michael, here is a video on my channel about "Frame Averaging" explaining everything you need to know about that feature: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i56Wgqminp2Hpq8 and here is a Phase One sponsored page and video about it: photography.phaseone.com/inspiration/frame-averaging-and-creative-control-with-paul-reiffer/

[@victorfeinstein1815]

Hi, I am writing to you once again and I would like to hear your honest opinion.Because you have experience with Phase one XT camera with IQ4 150MP digital back, which one do you prefer, the Phase One XT or Alpa Pano 12?What are the pro and cons of each camera compared to the other one.Thanks in advance.

[@nelsonclub7722]

Sir you are living my dream - I am stuck with a 907x on a small slider - !!! This is excellent - well done on a super informative and thoroughly detailed review - I Can dream your dream - I may be tempted by the smaller Alpa which takes the 907x - take care

[@lnz971]

poor you!

[@nelsonclub7722]

@@lnz971 I have been Pro for forty years and cameras like these are just tools for the job - I've never been tempted to go down the Phase One route because of the cost versus what I would have to sacrifice in terms of all my Hasselblad related kit which is all interchangeable - if I had to start again with just landscape based work - this would be a beautiful set up - try not to get salty - someone has to own them!!

[@lnz971]

@@nelsonclub7722 get salty? why?

[@nelsonclub7722]

@@lnz971 "poor you' ????

[@lnz971]

@@nelsonclub7722 il was ironic :) btw i have X2D + HTS 1.5 + HC 100 2.2 - HCD 24 and also a lot of canon gear. So... I'm not salty

[@petermendelson5839]

Great video! Looks like the hyperfocal distance was 15.54m - did you set that on the lens or did you focus on an object at that approximate distance in the scene? Also, do you recall what length you set frame averaging to? I am always trying to decide how long to set it. I am using the Cambo 1600 tech cam - love how it switches from horizontal to vertical in a few seconds, plus it fits in my Compagnon Element backpack and can easily be taken in and out through the side access panel with the back and lens on it....

[@mathphotographer]

I set the hyperfocal distance on the lens, and frame averaging I set to 2mins ... could have done longer but light faded out very quickly in the blue hour.

[@christopherleggettphotography]

Don’t understand why it only has 5 deg. Vertical shift and 30 lateral

[@ArthurAbramovPhoto]

Hi! Can you send a link to the panorama in google drive? Thanks)

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks Arthur but this image will get sold to clients so I cannot share a full resolution sample via Google drive.

[@andyvan5692]

at 2:56 you should FIRST shutdown the back, as is apparent there is NO baffells between the lens and the sensor, so if charged up, the sensor will attract dust!, so probabbly best to shutdown this and cap the sensor surface first, it is ~$15,000 AUD after all, and the less you expose the sensor to the cleaning solutions the longer it will last.

[@bassamhassan1119]

Hi, if you would go to Ukraine to cover the war for one month (to tell story with your camera) what kit would you take with you

[@mathphotographer]

Oooops - that's a tough question. For a war photography job the camera needs to be robust, quick in autofocus, reliable in battery life and with good image and video quality. My choice would likely be the Leica SL2-S with just one lens, the Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90 f/2.8-4 ASPH. I have the SL2-S in the "Reporter" version which is in particular known to be especially robust and reliable, see here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYXYkpWvnM6AiZI

[@dietmarwenzel2746]

Sicherlich eine der präzisesten Kameras der Welt, aber warum sollte es mit einer arca swiss weniger gut gehen?

[@mathphotographer]

Correct - there is no exclusivity here. It just matches my workflow in panorama photography very well, its a pleasure to shoot with and the IQ4 clearly is the best digital camera sensor in the world. So a really good combo, but there are other good combos too of course. Like having the IQ4 on my XT camera body from Phase One or shooting the IQ4 on a Cambo view camera.

[@dietmarwenzel2746]

@@mathphotographer It s a great tool, no doubt. I ve done a lot of pictures (Weltkulturerbe) stitched by 2 4x5 Velvia with the Rm3di. It worked great and the files (scanned by Flextight) are huge.

[@dietmarwenzel2746]

@@mathphotographer p.s. The reason why i work with arca ist, that they have the 4x5 inch size. Alpa has not. C est domage, pour moi

[@andyvan5692]

you also forgot one thing, as the IQ4 is NOT on an XT or XF body, you need to change the shutter behaviour, aka latency setting in the menu, this says how the shutter behaves, does it wait for a signal from a lens?, or do you have a 'double tap' cable, aka one with a 'wake-up' button included which gives you 5-15 sec. to press the shutter, or the button on the back, or the back button alone. plenty of options, BUT one warning, like the H system hasselblads, you MUST connect the flash x sync cable to the BACK, NOT the pc port on the lens!, as it is the 'digital' shutter you are using, not the leaf shutter in the lens!! this applies to all backs, when used on a 'technical camera' like the linhof technika, Alpha, or other make LF camera system, as this digital shutter is used with these too.

[@t-money561]

So weird these expensive systems exist and yet there is still no square format digital, no medium format digital, no cheap medium format like a holga. For $50 in 1990, you could buy a camera and make a 4 foot square print, now you cannot do that at any price.

[@mathphotographer]

Thanks Taran, agree on sensor size, would be great to go beyond the 53.4x40mm size but seems it gets very expensive to produce larger sensors.

[@blitsa6251]

Alpa 12 Pano красивая вещь но цену что за нее хотят она вряд ли стоит. за нее хотят почти 11к и 5к как б.у. в ней 1,5 кг массы. я уверен ее себестоимость вряд ли выше 300$ продавали бы за 1200$ чем не бизнес и максимум 3,5к но нет цена такая что китайцы повторят это

[@mathphotographer]

Thank you, Blitsa, and yes, this is a very expensive gear and you can get close to it by much more affordable cameras and lenses. This system is made for those who want the very last quantum of image quality squeezed out and then also have clients who pay for that extra quality.

[@gokayk4885]

too sharp

[@ReneKraaijeveld-bi6kk]

Alpa is a good brand, pity they depend on Phase One, the most unreliable system. If your on a trip, better use a film back, or rent second digital back Phase 1, reliability you need as pro photographer.

[@slothsarecool]

Alpa is cool, but digital is boring, I would rather slap a film back on this

[@n2kos]

You could use film of course but it would need to be 10x8 sheet film to get close to the 150mp digital back.

[@mathphotographer]

Agree with John, you can use film of course, see here: www.alpa.swiss/pages/faq#general When you scroll down you find the following text: "Currently, film backs are available for the formats 6x9 and 6x7. ALPA/Linhof film cassettes can only use type 120 film. ALPA also offers adapters for Mamiya RB and Horseman. These adapters allow using the backs of the Mamiya RB (6x4.5 to 6x8) on the ALPA. We recommend the motorized versions for its higher precision and the ability to use 120 and 220 type of rollfilm. These backs and film cassettes from Horseman (Arca) are mostly available on the second-hand market."

[@PHILIPBOVEY]

You can’t use a film back on the Pano but you can on the Alpa XY (if you can find one)

[@PHILIPBOVEY]

To be exact, you can’t use a film back unless you have an SB lens (which limits the choice) and an adapter between the rear of the body and the camera.