Here are the improvements and changes we thought were most important. This list is not comprehensive on purpose, so consult the above release notes if completeness is your goal.

Performance

• The time it takes to generate a preview (important for fast tethered performance) has improved
• The responsiveness of Color Editor is MUCH improved
• Processing, especially when using an 8 core machine is MUCH faster
• Browsing to a folder, and browsing from file to file within a folder is faster

New Camera Support

• Tethered support for Nikon! D3, D700, D300, D200, D80, D60, D40x, D40
• 5D Mark II (raw file only, no tethering)
• Canon G10
• Nikon D3X

Features

• Computer Based Camera Control (currently P65+ and AFDII/AFDIII only) for shutter, aperture, and EV adjustments.

• Load/Save Workspaces allowing you to save the position and state of your windows

I had a conversation with Chris Lawery while on the way home from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon recently; part of the conversation centered on my thoughts and feelings of Cambos newest technical camera, the RS 1000.

I’ve recently made a move from what was my primary camera kit, Phase One AFD III and P30+ to a technical camera. I was able to test the RS this past October while at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and the test, as short as it was sold me on the camera.  Coming back home to Tucson I returned the test camera to Capture Integration and immediately ordered one along with a 35mm lens.

I’ve had my RS now for just shy of 90 days and while it’s a short time I will state that I believe it to be one of the best landscape kits I’ve ever had the pleasure to either own or use.

It’s the end of December now and as I’ve already said above, I’ve used the RS1000 on two different trips, both to the Grand Canyon and on numerous occasions around Tucson.  The next major trip for me is at the end of January 2009 when I travel to Crescent City CA to photograph the giant redwoods and do some coastal imagery as well.  I plan on using the RS in the redwoods and probably switch to the Phase One AFD III for the coastal shots.

In moving to the Cambo RS1000 I also had to make a move from the digital back I had previously used, a Phase One P30+.  The P30+ had served me well during the time I had it allowing me to capture stunning landscapes throughout the Southwest as well as our recent trip to Alaska however it just wasn’t suited to be mated to a technical camera.  I had originally looked at and almost brought a Phase One P45 when I was researching my first digital back but for whatever the reason had decided to purchase the P30+, a move I never looked back on nor regretted.  Now with making the move to a technical camera I knew from my research I would be faced with either keeping the P30+ and buying another digital back – a move that just wasn’t financially smart or using the P30+ as a trade-up for the P45+ which I did.  Speaking of digital backs, yes the P65 looks great and yes I’d take one in a heart beat if given one (okay there’s a big hint Phase One) however there’s that financial thing again.

One last comment about the Phase One P30+ back as I don’t want to give the impression that it failed me in any way.  This back allowed me to produce a 2-shot image later merged into one panorama at 30×60 which is stunningly clear in ever aspect.  The image is so well regarded that it only hung on display at our gallery for one week before it sold.  And yes I see the same level of detail in the images taken with the P45+.  So here’s the end of this part – if anyone is thinking of buying a P30 or P45 my suggestion and recommendation is do it!  And to be completely honest and aboveboard you need to contact Capture Integration and no I don’t work for them nor do I own any stock in the company.

It’s All About the Nodal Point

There’s been a heck of a lot written about the Cambo Company and just about all of it is very good.  Cambo has a body, the WDS that has been around for quite awhile.  The WDS allows one to shoot both digitally or with film.  While in the early stages of my research I had contemplated the WDS and in fact was on the verge of ordering one.  The WDS has one drawback that affects my workflow; I like taking multiple images then using Photoshop CS4 to produce large, in your face panoramas.  It’s all about movements and the lens nodal point in producing the type of an image I take and that was the Achilles heel of the WDS - the movements.  While the WDS offers movements it does it at a sacrifice of moving the lens.  The back of the WDS offers left and right movements while the rise and fall are on the lens itself thus introducing the possibility of error.  This still would be a better solution to what I have been using with my Phase One 645; I normally use a Really Right Stuff Ultimate-Pro Omni-Pivot Panorama kit to accomplish this.  Please don’t take this the wrong way as RRS makes some incredibly great photographic gear (just look at my bank account).  I’ve used the Omni-Pivot to capture great images with both my 35mm and medium format however it can’t compete to what a good technical camera offers.

Cambo made a decision to design a camera body similar to the WDS but to make it strictly for digital.  What they came up with was the Cambo RS 1000, a body that has a smaller footprint than the WDS with all the movements at the rear.

Here’s an exercise anyone can do who isn’t clear on the concept; take your left hand and make a circle with your fingers; that’s the lens.  Now with your right hand held open place it next to your left hand and move only your right hand.  If you did it the way I hope you did that demonstrates the digital back (your right hand) making all the movements (left, right, up and down) while the lens (your left hand) stayed in one place.  You wind up using what is called the lens circle to its fullest while keeping the lens stationary; achieving a rock solid nodal point on your lens eliminating distortion of your images.

Multiple images taken with the Cambo RS 1000 then later processed into one panorama gives you a workable image file that is well over 99% usable.  I’ve actually achieved image files using both a single row two image as well as two rows, two columns that once Photoshop had completed the merge that at least one side and more that likely two were perfect while the other two sides had a partial row of less than ½ pixel missing. This is drastically different from stitching panoramas when you rotate the (a la the RRS panoramic heads) where large swaths of the corners have to be sacrificed in post production in order. With in-image-circle stitching there is less post production, no loss of quality at the edges, and at the time of capture you know exactly what the final composition will be.

Before anyone starts, this image is an example only prior to any LCC being done; I want you to see the amount of white showing on the top, left, and bottom so please don’t be put off by the color shift which is quickly and easily removed using Capture One’s built-in LCC.

Close-up crop of the corner, showing what amount of the image is lost after stitching:

What’s next?

I’m still in the process of obtaining large panoramas of the southwest and am also testing the waters regarding layering multiple images each with a slightly different focus to achieve an image that is crystal sharp from my toes to the horizon, all the while using the Cambo RS 1000.

Recommendations:

If I were asked my recommendation I would offer the following based on my experience:  If you want to take stunning images of landscapes think very hard about the Cambo RS 1000 – it won’t let you down.  If you want a backup camera (I refer to this as my point and shoot) get either a Mamiya or Phase One 645 AFD III.  If you want the very best digital back money can buy – Phase One.

In closing here’s a rundown of my landscape kit:

Cambo RS 1000 with:

• 35mm lens
• 72mm lens

Phase One 645 AFD III with:

• 80mm lens
• 28mm lens
• 75-150 mm lens
• 300 mm lens

Phase One P45+

Here’s a quick plug for Capture Integration.  Call them and talk to them, after about two minutes you’ll see why they are the best.  They care about not only selling the best equipment there is they care more about the person they sell to.  Finding a good camera dealer (especially medium format) is much like a marriage – you both need to be in it for the long haul.  I’m proud to call Capture Integration a friend.

Thanks for listening or in this case reading…

Don

Don Libby
Iron Creek Photography
Tucson AZ
520-603-7862
www.IronCreekPhotography.com

Granted, I’m not positive the Pentagon’s use of a particular brand should be automatically considered a ringing endorsement given that they once used frozen bats as a method of bomb delivery. However, it’s still neat to see our product on a system on which I’m sure millions of dollars and hundreds of hours were spent.

Surprise I arrive in San Francisco to meet up with Jack and Guy on Tuesday morning and I get a message on my iPhone, “Surprise, Guess What? We are heading to Yosemite in the AM!, Attached are the directions and meet you at the cabin. BTW can you pick up a few items for dinner, Guy is cooking, we need some oregano, pueblano peppers and oh some wine and vodka!”. Also keep in mind Lance that there is no cell coverage, but we do have internet.

I am guessing they kept this as a surprise for me traveling out west personally with one of the few P65+ prototypes floating around so I did not let anyone know of our where-abouts and chance getting hi-jacked.

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P65+ preview with Guy and Jack from GetDPI.com

I thought that it would be great to get some real world experience with the P65+ out in the field. Me being a technical sales person/relationship builder it is not very often I get an opportunity to really have hands on with the gear that I represent (this is no reflection on my knowledge of the products). It is just that I often give up “my turn” to allow others to test and play then I listen to their feedback and sit in awe looking at their images. Now it is my turn to spend time out of the office, actually very far from the office with two well-respected photographers (and current Phase One customers).

So what better way to not only test the new P65+ out then to do it with Jack and Guy of GetDPI.com. My relationship with these two goes back over a year ago when prospect at the time (now friend/client) Jim Stone recommended that I check out their forum. I went over to the website and perused through the topics and information, and of course I was drawn directly to the Medium Format area. I have to say at the time it was sparse. I threw up a few posts, started to get the buzz out about this new forum that I felt had potential because of the people running it and their members were open to new things and helping each other out. It was truly a community that was growing. As time passed I realized that this destination was like its founders, laid back, genuine and full of knowledge.

Over the past year I have had the opportunity along with my colleagues at CI to contribute to the forum and be part of multiple workshops. Our involvement has kind of changed the way I feel people are evaluating their new investments in high-end digital products. Where else can you go on a shooting trip or workshop and have access to multiple Phase One digital backs, camera platforms, lenses and professional advice from seasoned veterans in the industry. It is one thing to hold a new camera system over a counter and get advice from someone who looks at it as a ‘box’, but another to actually use it in the field shooting a sunrise, or models and sunsets along side your current gear.

Anyway I am digressing. The purpose of this blog entry is to document the evaluation of the new P65+ camera back next to its siblings the P45+ and P25+. We have all three systems with us along with a Cambo RS1000 with full compliment of lenses. We were planning to have some other technical cameras, but we can save that evaluation for another time (plus I had to carry it all, already my pack is about 35lbs full of toys and $$$). The important thing is we will be using the highest quality digital lenses from Schneider and Mamiya.

Gear bags between all three of us contains:

• P25+
• P45+
• P65+ (prototype, had to beg borrow and steal to get this bad boy)
• (3)Phase One 645AF bodies
  • 28mm  D
  • 35mm
  • 55mm
  • 80mm D
  • 120mm D
  • 150mm F2.8 D
  • 210mm
  • 300mm
• Cambo RS 1000
  • 24mm
  • 35mm
  • 47mm

More to follow here on the GetDPI.com thread.

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Just a taste of the images:

(A full-frame and 100% crop. Click for larger versions. Shooting notes and discussion on GetDPI thread.)

Special thanks to Dave for allowing me to travel out here, Doug for covering the office while I am out here, and of course Steve Hendrix from Phase One for arranging the p65+ for us.

Our trainings discussed below have come and gone. However, we got such strong feedback from the attendees that we may schedule another series. Please call us at 877.217.9870 if you are interested and we’ll get back to you if and when we do. In the meanwhile, chalk up on the User’s Manual linked below.

We are proud to participate again on our third workshop by supporting the GetDPI.com members with Phase One gear ,a variety of technical camera systems and our knowledge /support. This is a perfect time to try and learn about new equipment or learn how to better utilize your existing equipment. Is also a great networking event to share your passion of photography with others.

Click here to see a video from the recent lighting workshop that we assisted with (thanks to Carlos Prio/Fielddominace) for putting this together: http://www.fielddominance.com/getdpi/ .

Here are the details on the upcoming workshop from GetDPI.com:

First one, the timing is Wednesday January 28th start time in Moab, Utah and this will be our shoot and raw processing and Photoshop workshop which will end on Saturday January 31st. (Actually we meet in Moab Tuesday evening for cocktails, then start with a Wednesday morning shoot.) We will have teaching and image sharing modules in here and also have some manufacturer’s reps with us in Moab. Given the economy we decided to lower the price to help get more folks to come. This one is 1195.00 but we need to have at least 10 people commit to even hit the go button. We need to confirm first, but once confirmed we have enough folks, we’ll need full payment. December 15th is our final decision date.

We also decided to add a mini option on the front end of this workshop if folks are interested. This would start on Monday morning the 26th in Sedona, move through Flagstaff and then stopping in the Monument Valley area on our way to Moab. So Jack and I will be starting in Phoenix and this would be a good airport to fly into then rental car up and back to Moab. I would suggest the carpooling idea with a fellow attendee, but that’s up to you. We will provide a list of who is starting on the front end. The cost on the front end is only a additional $199 dollars if you do the Moab workshop, $399 by itself. As you know Moab is a target rich shooting area and Sedona and Flagstaff are as well . So lot’s of great images to be taken and being the winter the chance of snow on mountain tops is almost a guarantee. Last year we got a full blown storm in Moab which led to spectacular imagery, we hope for the same this year!

Our magic number to make this a go is 10 so please get back to us ASAP. If we get 10 yes, then we’re on. As always, this is open to all formats and all camera’s plus all levels of experience. Once we have a idea on the numbers more details will follow shortly. We really hope you can all attend as you know we have a lot of fun together and the learning experience is top notch.

Please reply to both Jack and I with a yes or no so we can try and make this happen: Jack@GetDPI.com and Guy@GetDpi.com.

Update: If you’re a Windows user you can follow this link for Phase One KB Article 1158 on uninstalling on Windows.