@ilhokun :: Hasselblad to release Leica S2 competitor

Hasselblad to release Leica S2 competitor
By ilho. 2010/02/03 05:53

카테고리 :: PHOTO

Hasselblad has released details of its H4D-40 medium format camera system, which is says will bring the advantages of medium format to high-end 35mm photographers. The announcement comes weeks after Leica started shipping its S2 37.5 million pixel resolution digital SLR

Hasselblad's release of the H4D-40 hadn't been expected. Last year, in a conversation with BJP, Christian Poulsen, then CEO of Hasselblad, had confirmed that the firm would only release two models of its H4D system with resolutions of 50 and 60 million pixels.

However, in the last few weeks, and following Poulsen's resignation from his position, Hasselblad has been communicating about the arrival of a new model for 35mm photographers. The announcement was under embargo until 10 February, but leaks in the media have led Hasselblad to cancel the embargo on 02 February.

The H4D-40 camera, which is available now, features a 33x44 mm CCD sensor with 40 million pixels and provides almost twice the capture area of the largest 35mm DSLR sensors, towards high-end 35mm professionals, says Hasselblad.

'Most high-end photographers understand the advantages that a Medium Format system has over smaller formats,' adds Hasselblad's new CEO Larry Hansen. 'But many younger photographers have never been exposed to larger format photography. Medium Format DSLRs have evolved equally dramatically, maintaining - and even in some cases increasing - the quality gap that has historically existed between small format and larger format systems.'

He continues: 'The fact that our large sensors have millions of pixels more than 35mm sensors is known, for instance, but the superior image quality that results, in terms of color, detail, and clarity, is not as well known. Likewise, many photographers are not aware of the fact that the larger format of the H System cameras provides a considerably shallower depth of field range, making it much easier to utilize selective focus to creative effect. When combined with True Focus, this opens enormous creative possibilities and technical accuracy. Add to this the modularity of the H4D-40 with its choice of bright image viewfinders and an extensive accessories program, and you get a feature set that makes a Hasselblad system, today, more than ever, a crucial component of any professional photographic toolbox.'

The H4D-40 sports most features of the H4D line such as new low noise color filters, the TrueFocus technology, the Hasselblad Natural Color Solution, which can achieve consistent color reproduction using a single color profile, and digital lens correction technology to remove 'any trace of distortion, vignetting, or chromatic aberrations,' say Hasselblad.

The H4D-40, with a viewfinder and 80mm lens, retails at £12,995. For more information, visit hasselblad.com. Images of the H4D-40 will be available on 04 February, according to a Hasselblad's spokeswoman.