MegaVision's innovative thinking has brought about another high performance digital capture device: the MonoChrome camera back.

Available in 6, 11, 16, and 39 megapixel resolutions, these E Series backs represent the pinnacle in monochrome capture quality. E Series MonoChrome images are better than color images converted to grayscale because:

1. They don't have residual artifacts left over from the color sensor's Bayer pattern filtration.

2. Without the Bayer filtration's ISO robbing filter factor, they utilize over twice the light from the scene, resulting in over twice the S/N.

3. The need for developing and the anti-aliasing filter common to Bayer pattern dSLR devices is eliminated. Without developing, there are no developing errors. Without the anti-alias filter, you can actually see how sharp your lenses are with our MonoChrome backs.

The quality of MonoChrome E back images easily surpass the quality of color captures converted to grayscale. The Bayer pattern imposes fundamental limitations when the lens is sharply focused on a finely detailed, high frequency reflectance. On color catpures, the fine detail on the order of one pixel in size at the focal plane will give rise to image artifacts due to color aliasing. Digital processing can reduce such errors, often to acceptable levels for color images. But there are numerous imaging situations (such as repeating patterns with a frequency at the focal plane close to the pixel pitch) which produce luminance moire that cannot be eliminated without considerable effort, and then, only at the expense of image quality.

Alias induced errors can only be fully eliminated by employing an optical low pass filter such as is normally integrated into dSLR's. These filters work by diffusing and obscuring the sharply focused fine details. After the low pass anti-alias diffusion, sharp edges turn into soft edges, commonly smearing color across pixel boundaries. The optical low pass filter is equally effective at reducing image sharpness as it is at reducing aliasing errors.

E Series Monochrome backs are tonally better than B&W film because digital capture doesn't suffer the contrast losses of film at the toe and shoulder ends of the characteristic curve. Digital sensors capture light energy linearly. Compared with several of today's popular film emulsions, the E Series MonoChrome back will deliver two additional stops of good detail in the shadows, and two more stops of detail in the highs. And, with no film grain, E Series monochrome images set the standard for high quality B&W.

A monochrome sensor isn't the only difference between shooting film and digital. Shooting film in high contrast light typically calls for the Normal-minus development for control of the highs, and a Normal-plus development for extra contrast in the lows. This special development requirement cannot be effected with film development but is easily accomplished with digital.

o Configuration: Standard MegaVision "E" Series Body
o Compatible Cameras: Hasselblad 500 Series (200 Series custom fit): Mamiya 645 Pro, RB and RZ; Contax 645; Bronica ETR-Si and SQB; 4x5 View Camera Adapter Available.
o Dynamic Range: 12 bits per channel: Grayscale-- 16 bit digitizing on 39 meg
o File Size E3 Mono: 6 MB 8-bit Grayscale, 12 MB 16-bit Grayscale, E 427: 11 MB 8-bit Grayscale, 22 MB 16-bit Grayscale. E 4 Mono: 16 MB 8 bit Grayscale, 32 MB 16 bit Grayscale. E6 Mono: 39 MB 8-bit Grayscale, 78 MB 16 bit Grayscale.
o Capture Rate: One image per .5 seconds (host computer dependent) E3 Mono, one picture per .75 seconds E 427 Mono, one picture per 1.5 seconds E 4 Mono, one picture per 3 seconds E6 Mono.
o CCD Area Array: 24mm x 36mm sensor; E3:2048x3072 pixels, 12 micron pixel size. E 427: 2672 x 4008 pixels, 9 microm pixel size. E 4: 4080 x 4080 9 micron pixels. E6: 7216 x 5412 pixels, 6.8 micron pixel size.
o Equivalent Film Speed: Adjustable; 100, 200, 300 & 400 ISO.
o Connectivity: IEEE 1394 Firewire 400
o PhotoShoot Software: Windows 2000, XP Home & Pro platforms. all Vista versions. Mac OS X scheduled after Windows development effort.
o Warranty: One full year, extended warranty available.