Yesterday morning, I returned from Palm Springs where I was invited to meet with several Japanese camera executives. There is yet another medium format camera to be launched. The Brontax! Taking the best optics of the Zeiss Contax and rugged reliability of the classic Bronica medium-format camera, the Brontax DFI will launch this summer with seven new AF lenses plus the ability to use classic Bronica and Zeiss Contax mount lenses. The camera features a dual lens mount plus the ability via adapters to use Hassy V and FE mount glass. The new Brontax digital back is a direct competitor to The Leica S2 in terms of resolution. It is a 39 MP back that will use industry standard raw converters. Writing a DNG file, the camera joins Leica in support of the Adobe open raw standard.

I had a chance to shoot with the camera and it felt good. The viewfinder is bright and crisp. Camera feel was similar to the Contax 645 with a larger viewfinder than the Contax plus an ingenious vertical shutter that sync’s with strobes at 1/400th and slower. Focus was reasonably quick for medium format and included seven points across the frame. Using a CMOS chip, it shoots HD video which should be really amazing with the Hassy 100m F/2 FE lens. (I expect the prices on this lens to hit the roof and go beyond absurd)

The executives and marketing gurus were a bit coy about release dates, but the hints I got were by Photokina. I expect that the press releases and a few images from the camera will be available by the end of the photo festival this week.

A couple of friends were also in the meeting and commented how much they enjoyed the camera. One buddy is a well known celebrity shooter and he just photographed an actress who left a TV show before the end of her contract and showed me a few frames. The images were as good as any medium-format system that I’ve seen so far.

What impressed me about the camera was how the engineers took the many failings of medium-format systems and addressed them. Multi-focus viewfinder, reasonably quick autofocus, high-shutter speed sync, decent viewfinder plus the ability to use legacy lenses.

There were no NDA’s that needed to be signed.(Not sure why?) A test camera is being shipped to me later this week and I plan to shoot two aerial projects in the Midwest later this month. (alongside my trusty Nikon D3s/D3x combo)

I am pretty excited about this new camera. I’ve owned and used Bronica, Hassy V and H cameras, Mamiya 645 and continue to use my Rolleiflex TLR for film projects. I have to say this is the first medium-format camera that feels right. The ergonomic design is perfect, the viewfinder rocks and the capture rate is pretty decent for medium format, 1.2 seconds between captures and a buffer of thirty-seven frames. It requires the faster Sandisk or Lexar CF cards and the tethering is via a Firewire 800 or USB connection.

Thats it for now. I’ll write more as soon as the camera arrives and I’ve had a chance to shoot a few frames.