PHASE ONE’S IIQ RAW FILE FORMAT
Why IIQ RAW?
Increased sustained capture rate i.e. no image buffering during capture
Ability to store twice or three times as many images on memory card or hard disk
Fast file transfer to as well as from memory cards
Fast archiving of RAW files
Less power consumption and heat generation inside the digital back
On-the-fly image conversion i.e no time-consuming compression or decompression
Fast image browsing, zooming and panning of RAW files on LCD screen
IIQ RAW: Full image quality in compact format
Two things are essential to a professional photographer: Image quality and efficient workflow. Intelligent Image Quality RAW ensures that the photographer gets both at no extra cost! Shooting RAW provides the photographer with the best image quality. However, since RAW files contain the full image resolution captured by the CCD, they are often very large. Large RAW files take up storage space, may cause unwanted buffering during capture and are time-consuming to access, transfer and archive.
Intelligent Image Quality RAW, IIQ RAW, is as the name clearly states, an intelligent way of turning the full 16 bit image data captured by the camera into a compact completely lossless RAW file format. Data is converted before data is received by the internal memory buffer.
The IIQ RAW processor works like the human mind: Instead of storing all pixel information received from the CCD, it intelligently predicts the outcome based on experience and stores only relevant pixel information. This way the processor spends less energy on saving data and the RAW file it produces becomes much more compact.
IIQ RAW ensures and efficient workflow at no extra cost
Normally, compact formats are achieved by means of compression. What makes the IIQ RAW format unique is that it is completely lossless. Phase One never compromises on quality. Therefore, the default RAW file format on the Phase One P-series backs, IIQ RAW Large, can be processed in to a full resolution TIFF even though it is only half the size of a traditional RAW file.
The IIQ RAW flexibility does not stop here: The P-series also includes an optional IIQ RAW format: IIQ RAW Small. This format is based on the full 16 bit data captured by the CCD, however, unlike IIQ RAW Large it is not 100% lossless. However, in 99% of all jobs shot with IIQ RAW Small the photographer will not be able to see a quality difference. IIQ RAW Small provides the photographer with a number of workflow benefits: Enhanced sustained capture rate i.e. no buffer, ability to store three times as many images on the CF card and incredibly fast image transfer from CF card to computer. Time is money!
The world’s fastest RAW file format
In addition to the obvious benefits of having a compact RAW file format, the photographer benefits from the architecture of the IIQ RAW format. The IIQ RAW format is organized in such a way that relevant image data can be accessed extremely fast. For the photographer this means that functionalities such as zooming, panning or browsing captured images on the P-series’ LCD screen become amazingly fast. This makes tasks like checking focus or composition very convenient and has a positive impact on the entire photographic workflow.
IIQ RAW is available for Phase One’s H-series
IIQ RAW Large and IIQ RAW Small have been included in Phase One’s latest C1 RAW workflow software to make it available to Phase One’s H series as well. Obviously, IIQ RAW conversion is done after capture on the H-series and not on-the-fly like on the P-series, which makes the conversion slightly more time-consuming. However the benefits of having a smaller RAW file format are the same.