Hasselblad H System discontinued

[NickT]

We it's not exactly unexpected but the H system is now discontinued after 21 years.

Great post from the esteemed Dave Gallagher here:

https://www.captureintegration.com/the-end-of-life-for-the-hasselblad-h-system/?fbclid=IwAR3n8NAbguigKwxlLrTjWahqm6IL5-6sG0o41VWRVdoaqhZMBPYr6YkguEg

[BobShaw]

The H6D has been discontinued since at least November last year.

[Steve Hendrix]

The H6D has been discontinued since at least November last year.

It's never been officially declared discontinued by Hasselblad and remains on their website. However, well before last fall we were encountering dead ends for inventory checks for certain H components from our Hasselblad distributer. What prompted this notice from us is that our Hasselblad distributor this week officially sent us an EOL on all products.

While Hasselblad has not stated anything officially and the product remains on their active website, it's not unusual for manufacturers to drag out or soft pedal an end of life situation with a product line. Certainly if they have any remaining inventory at all, which they now do not.

One has to say this was a very successful product from Hasselblad in that for much of the past 20+ years, the dominant camera platform for medium format use was the Hasselblad H (often with a Phase One digital back attached). This was a go to in our rental department for many years (not to mention sales of course). I don't wish so much that it would continue as that the large sensor size would continue, but that seems not in the cards. Onward with the X platform!


Steve Hendrix/CI


Steve Hendrix/CI

[BobShaw]

It's never been officially declared discontinued by Hasselblad and remains on their website. However, well before last fall we were encountering dead ends for inventory checks for certain H components from our Hasselblad distributer. What prompted this notice from us is that our Hasselblad distributor this week officially sent us an EOL on all products.

Internally i think it has been dead for some time.
I wrote to Hasselblad support last November about an error on the support website.

"There is an error in the website at
https://www.hasselblad.com/learn/tips-and-tricks/battery-handling/
Figure 1 and 2 have the same text
Figure 2 should read Finding exact battery level on H6D system."

The response was
"We will verify this information, but as the H6D system cameras were discontinued, I don't think that the user manual will be modified.
However, thank you for your feedback."

It would have taken 5 minutes to fix and there will be a lot of H gear in use for a long time yet.
I am a little disappointed that user feedback seems to be no longer important.

[Joe Towner]

From Feb 2022...

Yea, not sure why, didn't get a specific answer, but there is no communication as to why.

Parts shortage, maybe?
New product, not likely.
Discontinued quietly, I sure hope not.

It's a sad day, no matter how you slice it.  The H series was different, and is still IMHO the best feel in hand. 

August 6th will be 10 years with my H4D-50, need to take it out shooting today.

[Steve Hendrix]

From Feb 2022...

It's a sad day, no matter how you slice it.  The H series was different, and is still IMHO the best feel in hand. 

August 6th will be 10 years with my H4D-50, need to take it out shooting today.

Yes, you have to console it. Give it a hug, hold it close, and You're still my good buddy ....


Steve Hendrix/CI

[BFD]

I wonder if they are discontinuing repairs also. They closed the NJ repair center and "moved" it to the DJI Hollywood location. When I sent a 35-90 in for repair a few months ago, they said the repair would cost $1600 but instead they will just send me a new lens. The lens came from Sweden and was orange dot (my lens was not). I think they have a ton of inventory left of the HC lenses and it doesn't sound like the technicians moved out from NJ to CA.

[Steve Hendrix]

I wonder if they are discontinuing repairs also. They closed the NJ repair center and "moved" it to the DJI Hollywood location. When I sent a 35-90 in for repair a few months ago, they said the repair would cost $1600 but instead they will just send me a new lens. The lens came from Sweden and was orange dot (my lens was not). I think they have a ton of inventory left of the HC lenses and it doesn't sound like the technicians moved out from NJ to CA.

I don't think any of the legacy New Jersey technicians moved from New Jersey to Burbank. Our concern was not so much with expertise (training and knowledge can be acquired), but with renewing the type of relationships we'd forged with Hasselblad over the years. In our case, our involvement with customer technical issues is much more intensive than almost anywhere that one purchases high end photographic equipment. And a big part of that is our relationship with the manufacturer. Critically, they have to understand that our standards for customer service may be different than others. Sorry if that sounds a bit like commercial, but that is the reality. So we invested a lot of effort to forge new relationships with the new team, and it took some time, but there's a good understanding in place now.

I can't predict what will happen with regard to repairs. For the most part, in the USA manufacturers generally hold to a 7 year rule (continuing to service and repair for 7 years from the last time the product could be offered new). We're into that period now. If we do encounter any No Longer Repaired situations, we'll communicate it, but so far, everything that has gone in has come back ship shape.


Steve Hendrix/CI