Photokina 2000: A few weeks ago Kodak announced a range of new sensors including a 4096 x 4096 16 megapixel beast. Well, now they've implemented it. Presenting the all new Kodak DCS Pro Back, a 16 megapixel medium-format camera back which can be used untethered (or tethered), dual PC Card slots, has a flip-out multi-angle LCD, Zoom and Pan image inspection (up to 1:1), FireWire (IEEE1394) connectivity and compatible with Hasselblad 555 ELD and Mamiya RZ film cameras. One additional big feature of the DCS Pro Back is Kodak's all new DCS Capture Studio 1.5 for acquisition and editting. No price yet announced.

At 16 Megapixels, Kodak Introduces World's Highest Resolution in a Digital Camera Back; Adds Exceptional Workflow, Untethered Freedom

DCS Pro Back Raises Bar for Studio, Location and Portrait Applications

COLOGNE, Germany, September 19, Kodak Professional today makes a dramatic addition to its industry-leading digital camera line by presenting the Kodak Professional DCS Pro Back - a Kodak-designed and manufactured medium-format camera back that features unprecedented 16-megapixel resolution and creates large, versatile 48-megabyte image files.

Providing untethered freedom of operation, a fully featured LCD with histogram, new-generation software for exceptional workflow and a host of other capabilities, the DCS Pro Back is designed for commercial location and tabletop photography and high-end portraiture applications. It will be especially welcomed by advertising and catalog photographers, table-top studios, and in-house and independent portrait studios.

Complementing the DCS Pro Back is Kodak Professional DCS Capture Studio Software, Version 1.5, a powerful stand-alone application for capturing and editing digital images. This robust but simple-to-use software delivers exceptional workflow and optimized image quality, using an open systems approach to color management that maintains the integrity of captured images for virtually all monitors and printers, computer platforms and imaging applications.

"The DCS Pro Back represents everything Kodak Professional has learned about digital image capture and workflow, studio and portraiture applications, and what photographers want after more than a decade of developing the world's best-selling professional digital cameras," said Jerry Magee, Worldwide Product Line Manager, DCS Capture Systems, Kodak Professional.

"This digital camera back marries Kodak's image science and color management expertise with important new photographic features and our own 4K-by-4K ITO sensor, representing the highest standard of image quality and light detection on the market," Magee said. "The result is large, precise, quality image files that are remarkably easy to capture, evaluate and process in a professional workflow."

The DCS Pro Back is a single-shot unit that is designed to afford photographers as much freedom as possible. Currently compatible with Hasselblad 555 ELD and Mamiya RZ film cameras, the camera back will in time have interfaces for a wide range of medium- and large-format camera systems. And the DCS Pro Back operates untethered, making it suitable for high-end location photography as well as studio work.

The fully featured LCD gives photographers critical real-time control over the images they take. The LCD screen has a full 90 degrees of movement for waist-level operation and can be controlled one-handed. In addition to acting as a viewfinder, the LCD provides instant review, a histogram for precise exposure control, focus check, and a built-in spot meter.

The DCS Pro Back can also perform 1:1 zoom and pan functions for precise images, and offers video review capability for high-angle or other out-of-reach camera placements.

More Than Twice the Resolution

The camera back's full-frame CCD delivers more than twice the resolution of any single-shot, medium-format camera back currently available. This sensor - measuring 36.86mm by 36.86mm - produces 48mb files with very low noise. A removable anti-aliasing filter, digital anti-aliasing solutions and a non-reflecting IR cutoff filter help ensure the highest image quality.

The DCS Pro Back captures images at the equivalent of ISO 100. It can capture an image every two seconds, and store up to eight images before writing to either internal PC cards or a host computer via an IEEE 1394 "firewire."

The hardware advances of the DCS Pro Back are complemented by new software that uses standard photographic terms. It includes familiar imaging tools such as masking/feathering, as well as sharpening tools and an eyedropper-style color selector.

The camera back's new-generation software understands how photographers work with images and greatly simplifies workflow. DCS Capture Studio Software, Version 1.5, gets the best possible quality out of the DCS Pro Back's pictures with time-saving intuitive features that let professional photographers concentrate on taking pictures. The software is initially available for Macintosh computer systems, with a Windows-compatible version planned for the future.

The back ships with ICC-enabled color management tools and other software specifically designed for photographic workflows. It can be powered either by internal rechargeable batteries or via a "firewire" cable attached to a host computer.

Service and support are provided by a highly trained team of world-class Kodak Professional digital imaging specialists.

The Kodak Professional DCS Pro Back will be available in the first quarter of 2001 from authorized dealers of Kodak Professional products. Pricing information is not yet available.