Phase One image professor Niels V Knudsen welcomed the move as the ‘best news in many years for quality-focused photographers and imaging companies as Phase One works to consistently raise the bar in medium-format photography’.

The takeover has led to the formation of Phase One Japan.

Makoto Honda, who has been appointed president, said: ‘Phase One Japan is committed to developing new and custom-designed masterpiece leaf-shutter optics in partnership with top photographers, imaging companies and long-term design partner Schneider Kreuznach.’

Phase One says that its previous shareholding gave it a detailed insight into the camera and lens design, and production process, and ‘engineered important improvements through its close collaboration with the MDI team in Japan’.

In a statement, Phase One added: ‘With this transaction, Phase One now also takes total ownership for all aspects of design and development of medium-format camera systems, central shutters and lenses.’

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Earlier this year, Phase One launched the XF Camera System, which boasts a resolution of up to 80 million pixels, 14-stop dynamic range and up to 60 minutes of exposure.

It also houses a new AF system, the Honeybee Autofocus Platform (HAP-1), plus a OneTouch user interface touted as a ‘seamless combination of intuitive dials, keys and touchscreen interactions’.