Mamiya, Phase One and Profoto announce First Vertical Grip With Built-in Flash Technology

The Mamiya/Phase One V-Grip Air for 645DF Cameras was co-developed with Profoto.

ELMSFORD, NY, COPENHAGEN, TOKYO, and STOCKHOLM, August 23, 2010 - Mamiya and Phase One, leaders in open platform medium format digital camera systems and solutions, and Profoto, the light shaping company, today announced the Mamiya/Phase One V-Grip Air. This is the first product resulting from these companies’ collaboration.

The Mamiya/Phase One V-Grip Air is not only the first vertical grip with a built-in wireless flash trigger; it is also the first and only wireless flash sync solution for a medium format camera system that is capable of delivering sync speeds as fast as 1/1600s. The new V-Grip also offers owners of Phase One and Mamiya 645DF cameras more shooting styles, and delivers longer camera battery life through power integration and easy firmware upgrades.

"Profoto’s innovative flash system technology is legendary in our time," said Henrik Hеkonsson, President and CEO, Phase One. "Profoto’s commitment to system diversity complements Phase One’s open platform approach to ensure photographers have options to choose the best systems to support their unique requirements."

"Profoto is recognized globally as producing the most innovative flash equipment in the industry" says president of Mamiya Digital Imaging, Toshio Midorikawa. "By combining resources with Profoto, Mamiya and Team Phase One, we are able to offer photographers the most practical tools for their profession."

Built-in flash technology from Profoto lets photographers trigger a flash simply and wirelessly from the V-grip Air. The wireless flash triggering system is an out-of-the-box solution that works with all current and most modern Profoto flash systems. It is also possible to leverage the wireless flash triggering with other flash brands by using an optional receiver unit from Profoto.

"We share Phase One’s and Mamiya’s passion for pushing the limits for our customers," said Anders Hedebark, CEO, Profoto. "It is great to be working with companies that lead the medium format market in applied innovation for photographers. Our cooperation in designing the V-grip Air marks the beginning of new and better workflow tools we plan to be offering to professional photographers in the future."

The V-Grip Air unit features all the same camera controls and functionality as on the 645DF camera. An integrated L-bracket is available for portrait-mode mounting on a stand. The unit runs on the same type of battery used in Phase One and Leaf digital backs with a backup option to use standard AA type batteries.

Pricing/Availability
The Mamiya One V-Grip Air for 645DF camera systems is priced at $1290. A L-bracket/handstrap standalone package is $299. Both are scheduled to begin shipments in latter September.

The Profoto transceiver is $199 and is available from Profoto. More information is available at http://www.profoto-usa.com.

###

About Profoto
Photographers know Profoto as the "light shaping company." Founded in 1968 in Stockholm by photographer and engineer Eckhard Heine and photo-equipment retailer Conny Dufgran, Profoto has achieved a worldwide reputation for the precision and reliability of its products and the innovation of its technology. Profoto equipment is used by the world’s leading photographers.
For more information about Profoto products, please see http://www.profoto-usa.com/.

About Mamiya
Mamiya is a world renowned manufacturer of medium format cameras and lenses with 70 years of dedication to the professional photography industry. Mamiya’s products are endorsed by photographers globally for their durability, quality and flexibility. Mamiya has its head office in Tokyo and is represented by local dealers on all continents. More company information is available at: http://www.Mamiya-usa.com.

Mamiya and Mamiya Digital Imaging are registered trademarks of Mamiya Digital Imaging Co., Ltd. All other brand or product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

About Phase One
Phase One is the world’s leader in open-platform based medium format camera systems and solutions. Phase One medium format cameras, digital backs and lenses are designed to deliver superior quality image capture and investment value. Phase One’s Capture One software helps streamline capture and post-production processes for both medium format and DSLR cameras. Phase One products are known for their quality, flexibility and speed enabling pro photographers shooting in a wide range of formats to achieve their creative visions without compromise. For more information about the products, visit the Phase One web site on http://phaseone.com.

Phase One is an employee-owned company based in Copenhagen with offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Cologne and Shanghai.

Phase One is a registered trademark of Phase One A/S. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.