LS45

The LS45 Monochrome is ready for sale!

The “4×5 (5×4) Inch Digital Back”. To buy or demo, join our list.
Status July 2021: Monochrome is ready for sale! US$26,000 in the USA.

We have the first color sensor and working on color calibration. Samples of color photos to be given later.

LS45 Operation Introduction Video

LS45 Graflok Back

LS45 Custom Back

LS45 BA BASE

Use it like a film camera

Lenses with an image circle of 200mm should work fine. The sensor is a bit larger than a 4×5 film. Treat it like a monochrome film camera, with nearly unlimited film, and with the possibility to change the film type after shooting.

Being fat is lovely

People like to reminisce about medium format, fat pixel digital backs. Fat pixels are sharp, have great tones and range. The LS45 pixels are beyond fat, they are humongous. Diffraction is not much of a worry with big pixels.

Join the Interest List

Join the list to purchase and/or demo!
LS45: Expected USA price monochrome US$26,000
Color price: Decided after we find the yield
New lower price to be listed soon.

JOIN

STATUS: October 2020

COVID-19 is adding some months delay to the LS45.
Ordering the color CFA now. (We should have amazing color, the best color of any camera!). Expect 1.3 stops loss with the CFA, which means the hardware ISOs will be 100 and 800.
Working on an on-camera battery solution for those who want it. Using Gold Mount type batteries.
Mounted the back with a 5×7 Svedovsky camera. So we have a 5×7 and 8×10 Svedovsky mount ready.
Have finished Graflok and custom mounts. Will produce demos soon.

LS45 Video Page

Infrared (IR) Support

Excellent support for near IR and near UV, since there is no blocking filter fixed in the camera. Filters should be changed in a clean and dry environment.

Configurations:

Color or Monochrome

Graflok mounting back or Custom mounting back

Base Options:

AC only Bases:
LS45-BASE-BAP-01 AC only Base, lightweight case
LS45-BASE-BAS-01 AC only Base, strong extruded case

AC and battery lower-powered Bases, slower processing than the full AC models:
LS45-BASE-BBP-01 AC and battery Base, lightweight case
LS45-BASE-BBS-01 AC and battery Base, strong extruded case

Specifications:

4.7 x 5.5 inch high sensitivity, large pixel digital sensor
6.7 Mega Pixels – 6,720,000 pixels
50-micron pixel size (these are very large)
Live view for easy focusing
WiFi for remote viewing and control
Video mode with an optional 1920 x 1080. Up to 28 fps. Video output options TIFFs, DNGs, CinemaDNG, JPEGs, h.264
14-bit AD
No CFA, no AA, and no micro lenses. This allows large movements without affecting edge image quality.
Output to DNG, TIFF, and JPEG
Media: SD card slot, USB 3.1 external drive, internal 1,500 GB SSD
Tethered operation, by CAT5 cable or WiFi
The sensor plane is around 22mm behind what would be the film plan for the Graflok model. This may affect SLRs, but assumed not mirrorless cameras.
Dust – The sensor is large and can pick up dust. It is easy to remove the bellows and clean the sensor. Also, an FFC frame can be taken before a photo session, which works very well in removing most dust. The FFC frame is incorporated into the camera software.
All specifications subject to change

Suggested accessories:

Tablet or notebook for camera control and FFC
ND filters for shooting wide open, since the digital sensor is much more sensitive than film
A sturdy tripod
Large format 8×10, 5×7, or 4×5 camera and a lens
Sensor cleaning tools. We recommend Eclipse fluid, PEC pads, and a Giottos Rocket Blaster Dust-Removal blower. There is an external glass in front of the sensor glass so that if you damage the glass, it can be replaced.

HTML Camera Control

Control of the camera is done through an HTML interface. PCs, tablets, and phones may connect to the camera’s WiFi connection. A guest account allows users with a PIN to browse and download images on the camera. A wired Ethernet connection may also be used for camera control and image sharing.

Custom Curves

LargeSense cameras can import your PhotoShop actions and apply your curves to the linear images the camera takes. These are applied to the JPEG images saved, and shown as preview images, as well as being embedded in the raw DNG images.

Types of Shutter Speeds

You can set the electronic shutter with fractional, ms, or seconds.

LSR1 – The Real Raw

Storing all of the actual files used in an image in a ZIP file:

Unmodified 14-bit sensor readout saved in 16-bit files
Fixed Pattern Noise
FFC flat field correction
Dark noise file
Curve applied to the linear file
The processed JPEG, DNG, and TIFF of image

An LSR1 client program will allow further processing of the images.

Regular Firmware Updates

LargeSense will keep updating the interface software for all models of cameras. An abstraction from the hardware allows quick updating of the functions and user interface.

Mounting the LS45

4×5 film is near 4×5 inch, but smaller. In addition, it is held around the edges so there is less of an active area. The LS45 digital sensor is a bit larger than 4×5 inches.

5×7 Cameras are the best option for the 4×5-inch LS45 digital back to allow full coverage. This is also the easiest to mount. We have completed a mounting design with Svedovsky cameras. People love their existing 4×5 cameras, but to get the most of the sensor, a 5×7 or 8×10 body would be a better choice.
International Standard Graflok back. We plan to have Graflok mounts for easy mounting. It will not give full coverage of the sensor, so it should be around 4.6 MP. The sensor plane is around 22mm behind what would be the film plan for the Graflok model. This may affect SLRs, but assumed not mirrorless cameras.
Custom mounting for 4×5 cameras and others. This is expected to cost a little extra. Custom mounts will be made for the individual camera.

Planned Compatibility at Launch

FIELD CAMERAS

We have ordered a new Svedovsky 5×7 camera. It will fit the LS45 perfectly, and be smaller and lighter than the 8×10.

Svedovsky.com Svedovsky 8×10D, 5×7 and 5x7E will be fully compatible with a custom mounting plate. It should be ready by the time the camera launches. The cameras are affordable, solid, and good looking. The camera will have a custom modification by Svedovsky to handle the additional weight of the digital sensor compared to film.

Accessories

Bag bellows for wide angle on the Svedovsky 8×10W

Sample Images

Model:

Camera: LS45

Schneider Kreuznach G-Claron 9/305

Schott BG 38 filter

Photo Taken: June 5, 2018

Santa Clara, CA, USA

Model:

Camera: LS45

Schneider Kreuznach G-Claron 9/305

Schott BG 38 filter

Photo Taken:

Santa Clara, CA, USA

Model:

Camera: LS45

Schneider Kreuznach G-Claron 9/305

Schott BG 38 filter

Photo Taken:

Santa Clara, CA, USA

Model:

Camera: LS45

Schneider Kreuznach G-Claron 9/305

Schott BG 38 filter

Photo Taken:

Santa Clara, CA, USA

House

Camera: LS45

Schneider Kreuznach G-Claron 9/305

Schott BG 38 filter

Photo Taken:

Santa Clara, CA, USA

Stone

Camera: LS45

Schneider Kreuznach G-Claron 9/305 at f/90

BG 38 filter

Photo Taken:

Santa Clara, CA, USA

Extra Mounting Options

Many people have expressed strong interest in mounting the LS45 on their own 4×5 camera. There are issues with it, such as possible cropping of the sensor, weight, and infinity focusing. However, we’ll give it a try. Most likely a back for the camera, such as a film back, would be needed to construct a mount from.

Here are the cameras that have been requested:

4×5 Sinar X
5×7 press camera
Arca Swiss Basic 1
ARCA-SWISS 4×5; ARCA-SWISS Monolith 4×5; ARCA-SWISS Basic 1
ARCA-SWISS Misura 4×5
Bergheil 9×12
KB Canham 8×10
Cambo 4×5
Cambo Master
Cambo SC
Cambo SCX
Calumet CC400
Calumet View Monorail
Chamonix 045F-1; Chamonix 45H-1
Crown Graphic Graflex
Deardorff 4×5 and 8×10
Ebony SV-45U2; Ebony 45SU; Ebony RW45E
Ebony SV45-U2
Gandolfi
Gandolfi 5×4 field camera
Graflex KE-12 (2) 4×5 Super Speed
Graflex RB Super D (SLR)
Graflex Series D 4×5
Graflock Adapter for 4×5 or 8×10
Graflex back or graflok back camera
Graphlex super speed
Gottschalt DS-45; Gottschalt DS-45 M1
Gowlandflex TLR 4×5
Horseman 450
Horseman 45FA
Horseman 5×4
Horseman HD45
Horseman L
Horseman LX
Intrepid 4×5
Korona 5×7
Kowa Super 66
Linhof 4×5 Super Colur (Color); Linhof 4×5 Supercolor
Linhof Master Technika 5X4
Linhof Master Technika Camera 4×5; Linhof Majster Technik, Vintage Linhoff Technica
Linhof monorail
Linhof Technika 3; Linhof Technika 4×5
Linhof Technika camera (many submissions!)
Linhof Teknikarden
Linhof Technikardan 4×5
Vintage Linhof Technika 5×7
Meridian 45A
MPP 5X4 Monorail
Omegaview 45D
Phillips 4×5 (Horseman Back)
Plaubel Peco III
Plaubel Peco Profia 4×5
Plaubel Profia
Polaroid 110B converted to 4X5
Shen Hao HZX45-IIA
Shen Hao PBT45
SINAR Norma 4×5 and 5×7
Sinar F1 4×5
Sinar F2 4×5
Sinar P 4×5
Sinar P2 (With possible 8×10 change kit)
Sinar P2 –compatible; Sinar P2 4×5
Speed Graphic 4×5 Notes: mounting with custom back panel, around 5 MP with an opening of approximately 4.75 by 3.9 inches
Tachihara 4×5; Tachihara
Tokyo View 45c
Toya Omega View 4×5
Toyaview 4x5a
Toyo-View 45C / 45G / 45GII
Toyo 8X10 Field Camera
Toyo Field ( Sakai special camera) 5 x7 inch
Toyo Field 45AII
Toyo SV45u
TOYO VX125
Toyoview 4x5A; Toyo 45A
Universal 9×12 non-Linhof cut film folders
Walker Titan SF
Wisner 4×5
Wista Field DX
Wista VX; 4×5; Wista 45 SP; Wista RF
Zone VI Tachihara Field Camera

Cameras where mounting is not possible

Cambo Actus

How to Buy the LS45

You may join our LS45 Interest List and our mailing list,and we will update you when we’re ready for taking orders. For those who wish to demo the camera, we will offer those by appointment in Santa Clara, CA, USA.

Versions:

To reduce weight on the rear of cameras, the digital back is in two pieces, with power supplies and processing done in the Base.

Digital Backs:

LS45-GB-C Color 4×5-inch digital back, Bayer CFA, for 4×5 camera mounting on a Graflok Back

LS45-GB-M Monochrome 4×5-inch digital back, for 4×5 camera mounting on a Graflok Back

Base Units:

Each back needs to be used with a base:

LS45-BBA Battery/AC base for LS45, power saving. Gold Mount batteries. 2h+ usage.

LS45-BAC AC base for LS45. Faster than the battery version.

C – color (standard Bayer CFA)
M – monochrome

UV Photography

The LS45 might work well with UV-A. There are a few images with large enough image circles for the LS45.

Some lenses which might work with UV photography:
Nikon EL-Nikkor 135mm f/5.6 lens. Image circle should just fit the LS45.
Charles Beseler Company East Orange N.J. 18″ E. F. series 3 Big image circle

UV Pass Filters recommended:

Baader U-Filter
Hoya U-340 plus an E-CM500S
The BW403 filter is said to let in some IR light.

LS45-ES Enhanced Spectral

With enough demand, we may offer a version that goes deeper into UV and IR. UV cutoff is currently near 320 nm. Please inquire. Availability late 2018 to 2019.

LS45-COOL-2P-M Active-Cooled LS45 for Astronomy and Other Applications

Active cooling at a cost of more power consumption. This may benefit astronomy uses, though the sensor area may be too large for most telescopes and long exposures will be limited. Short exposures with a high base ISO will have low noise.

Some features which may benefit astronomy applications:

FWC of 1 Me- and higher
Non destructive readout. The sensor can be read each 1/30s while saturation increases.
No CFA or micro lenses. Other filters can be removed.

Sensor Glass

The Sensor Glass can be configured for different situations.

The standard glass:

Schott BG38 1mm AR coated – used to block UV and IR.
Schott CG400 1mm AR coated – used to block more UV

The glass can be changed by the user, but care is needed. The sensor will have no cover glass, so a table-top clean room is recommended. The sensor will have an air gap before the glass.

Portable Power

The LS45 AC Base uses international AC power. For outside use, you will need pure sine wave portable power. For people in the USA, there is the Paul C Buff Vagabond Mini™ Lithium. Paul C Buff is a company that sells great products at good prices and supports customers well.

The LS45 grounds the chassis for safety. Use appropriate caution outdoors with portable power. The Vagabond Mini™ Lithium is made to work only in dry environments. Check the inverter manufacturer’s information about grounding and outdoor safety. Don’t use any other equipment with the same inverter as the camera.

Size Matters

Sensor size is an important component of image quality. It brings out the “magical 3D quality” in images, and better tones.

LargeSense cameras have large pixels also.

A Portable Solution

The LS45 and Svedovsky 8x10D camera, along with accessories will fit into a large backpack, making it a portable large format digital solution.

Compliance

California Proposition 65 Warning: LargeSense cameras and other products contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

A special Thanks!

A special thanks to DIC Corporation for providing adhesive seal for the LS45. It is used as a dust and light blocking materal in sections for the camera.