Seitz launches 160MP camera

yipyipboo

yipyipboo

yipyipboo

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look at this monster :p

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/01/21/seitz_launches_160mp_camera/1

In the market for a new digital camera, but want something with a decently high resolution? Well, Seitz Phototechnik has exactly what you're looking for in its new 6x17 camera: 160 megapixels of glorious colour.

I'll say that again: one hundred and sixty megapixels. Yes, that's insane. You'll need a fairly hefty PC, too though: each image in 48-bit uncompressed TIFF format comes out at a rather hefty 900MB. The resolution of each photo is 7,500x21,250: that's almost 77 times the resolution of a 1080p high-definition video.

Looking like some kind of steampunk prop, the camera has a pair of chromed hand grips at either side of the body. I'm not entirely certain why, if I'm honest: at a whopping 45cm width and weighing 4.5 kilogrammes you're unlikely to be taking snapshots with it when you're out-and-about.

It's not much cop for taking action shots of fast-moving subjects either; the camera manages to capture such a prodigious resolution through 'scanning back', which works in much the same way as a flatbed scanner, moving the sensor along a predetermined route to capture a series of smaller images which are automatically pieced together into a larger whole. Although the new camera has one of the fastest scanning backs around, capable of capturing a full-resolution 6x17 image in a single second, it's still too long to capture fast motion.

There's no compatibility with memory cards, either: instead, the camera comes equipped with a gigabit Ethernet port for zipping the photos off to a host PC. If you really need to be out and about – and you've been building your muscles – the company offers a tablet PC which can strap to the back to make it 'portable'. Hmm.

If you're needing the ultimate in high-res photography you probably won't let the drawbacks put you off. The cost of joining the ultra-high-def set? £21,817, lens extra - and that's just the base model. Better start saving up now, then.
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You'd think the reviewer would have realised this camera is aimed at landscape photographers mostly doing long exposures, who if currently shooting using the same 6x17 format in film, spend about £8 to £10 every time they press the shutter, and who will have no issues with portability because this camera doesnt worsen what they already use, in fact it probably helps if the laptop is smaller than all that film.
 
He obviously doesn't know much about photography as he seemed impressed it costs £22k.
Considering Medium format camera prices this is quite a bargain, although this is clearly more specialised.
 
Alex53 said:
You'd think the reviewer would have realised this camera is aimed at landscape photographers mostly doing long exposures, who if currently shooting using the same 6x17 format in film, spend about £8 to £10 every time they press the shutter, and who will have no issues with portability because this camera doesnt worsen what they already use, in fact it probably helps if the laptop is smaller than all that film.
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Yup, this camera is most likely aimed at commercial Landscape and Architecture photographers who at the moment will be using 30-40MP digital backs. And at £22k its quite the bargain compared to current setups.

Edit; Reading the comments;

I really wonder what the market is? Who the hell needs this?
I have a 7.1 mp casio exilim for taking snapshots and I only use 5mp of it. I know that there are semi professional photographers around here who need more res but I don't.
just my 2 cents
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lol.
 
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Is this old news or an upgrade? I remember seeing something almost identical last year.

I'm not sure about the "no action shots" bit either becuase one of the examples given was a surfing championships or something like that. While the whole image might not have occurred at the same time each individual person within the frame was pin sharp.

EDIT: It's even older than that - dpreview have a copy of the original press release from October 2006.
 
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rpstewart said:
I'm not sure about the "no action shots" bit either becuase one of the examples given was a surfing championships or something like that. While the whole image might not have occurred at the same time each individual person within the frame was pin sharp.
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Without actually looking, maybe it has a lower res. 'action' mode where the sensor stays put?
 
todd flanders said:
OK, it's good for landscape photographers, but do they really need their images to be *that* big? Whats the use?
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medium format cameras are quite a significant amount larger and more cumbersome than this is.

to the landscape or architecture photographer, i imagine this will be a very usefull tool.

however, i don't think the resolution of this will actually be high enough for the demanding landscape photographer. i've read somewhere that a 4x5" image out of a medium format camera has about 500 "megapixels" of resolution.
 
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