Phase One's IQ180 Camera Offers 80 Megapixel Resolution

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When I first heard about the Phase One IQ180, I thought it was some kind of joke, or possibly a typo. But the more I read about it the more I discovered that this was, indeed, an 80 megapixel camera. And the rest of the specs on this thing were equally impressive–the only downside was, so was the price tag.

First off, yes, this is an 80 megapixel camera. That’s better than five times higher resolution than most cameras you’ll see in stores right now. The IQ180 is also packing a 3.2 inch retina-style (yes, just like the iPhone 4) touchscreen display, as well as a set of standard button controls. You’ll get Focus Mask and a kind of Live View system to ensure the pictures are precisely what you want. Since you’ll be dealing with some huge files, it also packs a USB 3.0 connection (which also serves as a charger for the onboard battery) and a full gig of buffer memory. It’s even sealed against weather-related damage (not that I’d want to try submerging this camera or anything, but taking pictures of a thunderstorm is now a distinct possibility.

Of course, all this put together means you’ve got one thoroughly awesome camera going on here, but not surprisingly, it will come with an equally awesome price tag. One of these will retail for $43,990 when they finally hit shelves this April.

And if that sounds like way too much money for a camera, well, take heart, as they’ll have a bone to throw to those of us who might only have 20 grand to drop on a camera, when they release the 60.5 megapixel and 40 megapixel versions later this summer. However, there’s no word yet on just how much the clearly lesser versions will cost, or how many withering stares you’ll have to endure for having the temerity to insist that that’s way too much to spend on a camera when, for the same price, you can buy some entire houses.