Phase One’s Schneider Kreuznach 45mm LS f/3.5 Blue Ring is officially here and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pre-production version to test it out earlier this week.
The “Blue Ring” series of lenses are designed to easily resolve detail for Phase One's newest 100MP medium format digital backs. While the Blue Ring Leaf Shutter (LS) lenses are larger and heavier than their Focal Plane (FP) counterparts, as soon as you see the incredible image quality they produce, you’ll forget all about the added bulk.
The 45mm is an obvious compliment to the new IQ1 & IQ3 100MP digital backs and is extremely well designed to resolve detail and maximize edge to edge sharpness and crisp microcontrast even in bright lighting conditions. Fringing and chromatic aberration are also minimized to make this an easy choice for anyone looking to capture all the detail they can in this focal range.
At a six thousand dollar price tag, this lens isn't cheap however, it provides great value when you consider the quality and resolving power that it can deliver.
Below are a few pre-production samples to judge for yourself.
All images copyright Robert Albertin 2016. Captured using pre-production Phase One Schneider Kreuznach 45mm LS f/3.5 Blue Ring lens, XF camera and IQ3 100MP digital back.
