Accomplish beautiful fine art photographs with a Phase One P25+

For about a year I have been using a Phase One P25 (not yet the “plus” model) to do fine art photography. Shortly I will upgrade to the P25+.

FLAAR evaluating Phase One P25+ medium format digital camera back on Hasselblad V-series camera with Zeiss lens.

Also use a Phase One P25+ back for digitizing paintings for giclee

FLAAR already has a Cruse reprographic scanner for digitizing paintings for giclee. We also have a BetterLight for photographing watercolor and oil paintings to turn them into Giclee (as well as Epson, Canon, and HP printers).

So why would we also want a medium format digital camera to digitize paintings for giclee? Because the goal of an independent digital imaging testing institute is to look into all aspects of each major application.

Giclee is a booming business. BetterLight and Cruse each offer capabilities that differ from each other. Medium format cameras today have reached a level of quality where they too can digitize paintings.

Phase One P 25+ medium format digital camera back

But all companies that I have seen which offer medium format digital camera backs, whether Sinar, Jenoptik, Hasselblad or Phase One do not themselves have full-time experience with actually doing giclee. So the system that they sell is not complete and in most cases the system (especially lighting) is the wrong kind of lighting.

FLAAR is in the process of developing test studios for showing, and explaining, what you need (in addition to a medium format back) for photographing watercolor and oil paintings for reproducing as giclee.

Since Phase One offers a diverse array of medium format backs, and since a Phase One P25+ is the camera back that we have presently, this is the brand of digital camera back that we will feature.

As soon as other brands of digital camera backs become available for testing, we will consider adding them to our test, evaluation, review, and FLAAR Reports publication programs.

In the meantime, we are using the Phase One P25+ primarily for architectural photography and for fine art photography.

Do we consider a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III on par with medium format? Check our comments on this camera.

Nicholas Hellmuth using the Pase One P 25+ medium format digital camera back in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala.

First posted November 19, 2007.

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