The King of Medium Format Digital

In every photographers life there comes a point of envy and wishing for the best, the top of the line.  Few products hold that cachet like a Hasselblad camera.  Since its introduction to the US market in 1949, it has been the totally modular, full-featured camera that photographers were yearning to possess.

The forethought of modular design has kept Hasselblad at the top of all medium format cameras for over fifty years.  Over the years, as designs changed or technology improved, Hasselblad made it easy to upgrade any one module at a time.  Well the time has come for the great upgrade, an all new electronic, auto-focus, auto-exposure, 22 Megapixel Digital Single Lens Reflex super camera – the Hasselblad H 1 D.

This model is a medium-format DSLR at its best. The 22 Megapixel sensor is 37x49mm. This allows the pixels to capture the dynamics of virtually any light situation to create a noticeable improvement over smaller format digital capture.

The H1D camera now provides a directly digital result.  The control of all key settings uses the integral H1D controls, including ISO speed rating, white balance, exposure mode and focus mode.  The grip display even shows a detailed histogram of the exposure.  Immediate image and exposure checking is provided via the H1D color preview display and by acoustic exposure feedback.

There is no need for CompactFlash cards, micro drives or other storage media.  In the studio the H1D can be tethered directly to a Mac or PC computer.  The H1D includes a portable separate 40Gb Image Bank that safely and rapidly stores all images.  Up to eight hours of constant computer-free shooting is provided from a single charge.  Up to 850 images can be stored, with each viewable on the two-inch color preview display that also offers image browsing and ultra fast zooms.  Back in the studio, a computer displays an automatic contact sheet, allowing active image browsing with a 100 images transferred every 2.5 seconds.

To ensure maximum shooting speed throughout its lifetime, the storage media is specially sectored and formatted to prevent fragmentation.  The Image Bank automatically loads its power requirements straight from the FireWire cable when connected to a computer.  Alternatively, while on the road, it can be powered with a standard L-size rechargeable battery.

Thanks to its unique Double Duration Circuit technology (patent pending), the H1D runs more than twice as cool as similar digital camera systems, for cleaner images, true 16bit color depth and double the battery life.  This is an important aspect, as electronically generated heat can create noise in a digital image, thereby limiting the dynamic range, density and image quality.

Easy-to-use software tools, full process color management, fast preview downloads, and a large output accurate preview, produce control over capture.  Tiff tags including preview, metadata, and a history log of all settings used with the raw image data provide future-safe information retention.

There are few who have missed the fact that the digital revolution is upon us.  Information in all its forms is being broken into ones and zeros, being transmitted through the air, over wires and computers, and being manipulated and edited in ways previously impossible.  The H1D enables true versatility and is without a doubt the most fully featured, digital-ready medium format camera on the market today.

Learn more about the Hasselblad H1D Digital Camera.