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Image: Phase One

Phase One has announced the XC 40, a new edition of its ‘travel-friendly’ XC camera that was previously only sold with a 23mm lens. Like the XC 23 – which used to just be called the XC – the XC 40 is available with the company’s IQ4 digital back, which includes a 150MP 53.4mm x 40mm medium format sensor.

That gives the 40mm Rodenstock lens a 26mm full-frame equivalent focal length, which is a fair bit tighter than the 15mm equiv. lens found on the XC23. And while the 23mm had a maximum aperture of F5.6 (F3.6 equiv.), the 40mm one opens up to F4 (F2.6 equiv.), providing 1EV more light.

The complete XC 40 package. Image: Phase One

Both XC models include features like automatic metering, WiFi, a touchscreen interface, and USB-C. Of course, the main draw is the sheer image quality that you can get in what Phase One describes as a “straight-forward, travel-friendly and compact design.” The company hasn’t released specifications for the XC 40 specifically, but the 23mm variant weighed 1820g (4.0 lbs); it seems unlikely the version with the new version will be substantially different.

Phase One also now sells the XC 23 and XC 40 camera ‘bodies’ separately, meaning that anyone who bought the original camera won’t have to buy an entirely new IQ4 digital back to get the 40mm focal length. Each body costs $20,290, while the complete XC kit costs $62,490.

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