I bought the Phase One P30+ for its ISO performance and it only took a handful of test shots to see that P30+‘s ISO 400 and 800 essentially matched the Canon 1Ds Mark III’s ISO performance. And in the studio the Phase One P30+ ISO 100 files were pristine. If judging the P30+ solely on its file quality, then Phase One P30+ was a winner, but much to my surprise the 1.3x crop left me wanting “more”. The cropped viewfinder looked about the same size as the Canon 1Ds Mark III’s, so there was not a medium format experience when framing the image. And the camera taunted me with the frame lines - showing exactly how much of the 645 frame was lost to the crop factor. The 1.1x crop of the larger sensors never bothered me, but 1.3x was too much.

A friend said he would buy the P30+, so I was free to peek over the fence at greener pastures. After some back and forth with Optechs Digital, a Phase One P65+ was purchased and the P30+ had a new home in sunny Florida. The Phase One P65+ is a considerably larger financial commitment than the P30+, but I am ready to wrestle with medium format again. Historically medium format has been my kryptonite and my ability to reliably achieve accurate focus withers to all-time lows. Normally, focusing is a non-issue with dSLRs and rangefinders, and I am very content with my averages:

1. •Canon 1Ds3 with auto-focus lenses is ~95% in-focus
   

2. •Canon 1Ds3 with manual focus lenses is ~60% to 80% in-focus
   

3. •Leica M9 is ~80%-90% in-focus
   

4. •Medium Format is ~33%-50% in-focus
   

If shooting in the F5.6 to F11 range, medium format is relatively easy. But I push the odds and try to shoot F2.8 and F4 far too often, and lenses like the Mamiya 200mm F2.8 APO kick my butt. And to make things worse, even if I get focus right, because my previous medium format kits were ISO 50 based, shutter speeds often dropped into the 1/60-1/80th as the sun light faded away. So medium format landed another jab --- camera shake... And just in case the odds aren’t bad enough, another issue is the Mamiya viewfinders. The focus screens do not “pop” into focus. On the Canon 1Ds Mark III I use the S focus screen and it really does help. Unfortunately Mamiya and Phase One do not offer a similar type focus screen.

The Phase One P65+ has pretty decent ISO performance, so shutter speeds should be fine. But that is not enough to ensure a healthy keeper-rate. To improve the odds I ordered the Really Right Stuff MH-01 monopod head. Compared to handheld shooting, a monopod is a hassle, but it is a midpoint between handheld shooting and a tripod. Though, I suspect at some point I may have to follow conventional wisdom and use a tripod. The Phase One DF kit with the back and a lens is fairly heavy (7 to 9 pounds depending on the lens), so a monopod is essentially a must-have for long days. I also ordered a Brightscreen Micro-prism Proscreen. If shooting just auto-focus lenses, then the micro-prism probably would not be necessary. However, most of the lenses I want to use are manual focus and I need all the help I can get!

I am hoping (praying!) with these accessories that the in-focus keeper rate is in the 70-80% range. I dare not hope for better out of fear of jinxing myself. The Brightscreen has not arrived yet, but the RRS monopod head has, so today’s pictures are some random test shots. The goal was to bring home some files for editing purposes, and then punish the files in Photoshop. From top to bottom, the lenses used were:

1. •Picture #1 - Mamiya 645AF 35mm F3.5
   

2. •Picture #2 - Phase One 80mm F2.8 D
   

3. •Picture #3 - Mamiya 645AF 300mm F4.5 APO
   

4. •Pictures #4 thru 8 - Mamiya 645M 200mm F2.8 APO
   

The colors are somewhat reminiscent of Mamiya ZD, which makes sense since both sensors are made by Dalsa. Of course the P65+ file quality is much better than the ZD. The P65+ files are essentially noise-free at ISO 50 and the dynamic range is impressive. The Phase One P65+ file quality is amazing - easily the best files I have edited to date. There is definitely alot of potential quality, but if I cannot nail focus, then it does not matter how good a sensor is. For now everything is good, but in a month or so the newness will have worn off and the expectations will mount. With some luck the Brightscreen will be here by then and all this worrying about focus business will be a distant memory.