Hasselblad's "game changer" 22nd of June?

[bdp]

Interesting quaote from Ming Thein - blogger and Hasselblad / Leica beta tester :


Ming Thein's commentary on the new camera:

let’s say I do have some knowledge about what this might be, and it’s at least twice as interesting as they promise:)

Stereoscopic camera?! 

[eronald]

Stereoscopic camera?! 

Selfie cam on the back

Edmund

[DrakeJ]

Selfie cam on the back

Edmund

With an extendable selfie stick

[synn]

Given how many constraints a smaller player might have in terms of R&D investment, a mirrorless MF camera with a fixed back and an adapter for current H series lenses is the most probable product.

It might be logical, but it is still twice as exciting for someone like me. For example, I could use it as a CMOS companion to my existing Mamiya kit and use my current lenses as well.

It will do for me what the Sony A7 series has done for many CaNikon shooters.

[MoreOrLess]

I was a 617 film shooter and I miss it.  Stitching does not do the trick for all situations (like the beach) and I don't like the common answer of "buy a high megapixel back and crop."  Why should we have to do that?  I had an IQ180 and throwing away 35 mpx to get my 617 format was not worth the money I spent on the device. We need a company to bring a true digital panoramic camera to fruition.  A high megapixel XPan would have my business in a heart beat.

That to me would seem to fit in with "game changer" most, indeed a lot more than the vast majority of such labelled announcements do and looking at the little image released it does to me bare some resemblance of an Xpan.

I can see the sense behind it as well since it would allow Hassleblad to target the Leica luxury amature market much more effectively than the H system does, trying to do that was obviously the reason for the Sony rebadges.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Agree on all points.

Best regards
Erik

Given how many constraints a smaller player might have in terms of R&D investment, a mirrorless MF camera with a fixed back and an adapter for current H series lenses is the most probable product.

It might be logical, but it is still twice as exciting for someone like me. For example, I could use it as a CMOS companion to my existing Mamiya kit and use my current lenses as well.

It will do for me what the Sony A7 series has done for many CaNikon shooters.

[torger]

It will not be a digital XPan, according to a source that's under NDA.

So my bet is still on mirrorless 44x33 body... and as some previous comments says the autofocus doesn't necessarily require a new chip (which otherwise was my biggest question mark), so it could then be the Sony. Hasselblad is a small company and the camera has probably been developed over a quite short period, so it must share technology with their other stuff. A MF mirrorless system based on the Sony seems like the lowest hanging fruit, and could still be termed "a game changer" as it would be the first camera of that type.

I think the native mount will be limited to 44x33, as the idea is that the H system is the flagship system, that is I think there will be no mirrorless body with 54x41 sensor size. There will be an H mount adapter of course, maybe V-mount too. Will it have a focal plane shutter? Probably.

The most exciting aspect is perhaps not about technology, but about price and target market. Will this be marketed as a luxury product, or like a real camera? Will the pricing be comparable to Pentax 645z?

[mcbroomf]

only Canon implements PDAF on silicone level - all others just mod the CFA, w/o any modifications to the "chip" itself.

I think the last revs of Sony's chips (A7x2 versions and a6300, not sure about the a6000), use PD on chip

"The a7R II features the latest iteration of Sony's continuously evolving autofocus system, in this case an implementation that uses both on-sensor phase detection (for depth awareness) and contrast detection autofocus (for high precision)."
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-alpha-7r-ii/11

[hexx@me.com]

The waiting is almost over but it doesn't make me feel any better What I miss is medium format digital (sold my back as it was really good up to ISO400 and found myself shooting more with Mamiya 6 and then scan). I'm hoping for some sort of Mamiya 6 camera with MF digital sensor and something that could take whatever lens you have via adaptor - that for me would be a game changer. As I mentioned somewhere else, I'd sell my M system and V body (would keep lenses for V). I'm not a professional photographer and living is taken care of by something else that pays relatively well for me to keep this as a hobby, therefore anything in the <£7000 would be extremely attractive to me.

reason for edit: typos, as always (also strange that my post, after long time, comes after my email rather nickname, what's going on?)

[bdp]

Well it also has a dial:

[Kevin Raber]

Luminous-Landscape will have a full information article posted on the home page on Wednesday at 2:30PM Sweden time.  Check back for all the details then.  Should prove to be a fun day.

In the meantime speculate away.  I can assure you the folks at HB are reading every post.

Kevin

[mcbroomf]

I know we've all seen these comments before but I thought it useful (perhaps just for me ) to put them together.

• "in the case of one wholly new model in particular, photography fans will be over the moon" Jonathan Margolis
• "still has plans to open up its professional dominated market to a wider audience" ... "from professional to the prosumer. That’s the arena we see as a next step" Oosting/CEO
• "Portability will be key - but how and which ways it will be portable is yet to be announced" Oosting/CEO
• "...something aimed at the prosumer - which we see as the dedicated amateur, passionate enthusiast, semi-professional etc. - already shooting with a DSLR. Part of this audience already buys into Leica and our first step would be to look at this area, prices and portability" Oosting/CEO
• "Not a X-pan" Nick T
• "Not a rebadged ..." Nick T
• "Not made by Fuji" Nick T
• Not just marketing fluff (my rewording, vis "game changer")  Nick T

Aimed at prosumer, to me means it's not priced in the "professional" band like digital backs, and pricing alone will allow a wider audience.  Portable: yes, MF mirrorless is a lot more portable than other MF options.  Already shooting DSLR: I take this to mean that if one is already shooting DSLR/FF then this is something to complement rather than try to move you from DSLR/FF, so a different format could do the trick.  Already buying into Leica: not sure what that means .. RF seems unlikely, electronic RF like the X-Pro?  I think someone already mentioned the port/cover in the 1st image.  I think this would allow RF on all lenses (with adapters for registration) to be used right?  Quite important for older non-AF lenses.

So I think that's my guess.  Digital RF, probably the 50MP Sony built in (ie not a separate back) as it's been out for a while and is probably cheaper than any newer offering to keep the price lower to enter the prosumer.  No AF, also to keep cost down.  New dedicated lenses?  Probably yes, 2 or 3 to start with.

Does this pass the "not just marketing fluff" comments and "game changer" quotes?
I think it probably does for me, although I'm not sure if I'll play the game (I do have a LOT of MF lenses though ) ...

[synn]

Well it also has a dial:

So it's not a chinese cellphone with Hasselblad branding.

[Chris Barrett]

I just want it to be something I can mount on my Arca 

[synn]

Guessing is fun.

Mirrorless, 44x33, touchscreen, wifi connectivity to iOS and Android with companion app, super short flage length allowing the use of legacy glass and even some 35mm format lenses with a big enough image circle and...

...Internally rotating sensor so that the user can switch orientation without rotating the body.

Something like that will effectively kill the tech cam market because with this mounted on an Actus/ Universalis, you can achieve almost everything a tech cam + traditional MFDB can do.

[hasselbladfan]

It looks like a Mamiya 7 with a smaller sensor and an EVP.

[Theodoros]

Something like that will effectively kill the tech cam market because with this mounted on an Actus/ Universalis, you can achieve almost everything a tech cam + traditional MFDB can do.

To the contradict... something like that will boost the tech camera market...

[Theodoros]

I just want it to be something I can mount on my Arca 

Exactly.... and have a portable camera that is of both large sensor as well as have an MFDB and shutter for the tech camera... Some think of PC lenses as being able to replace tech cameras... Well, they are no where near... One can't have distortionless solutions unless he uses a (properly set up) view camera...

[torger]

Everything points at the initial guess, 44x33 mirrorless system. I think it's a product aimed at a fairly broad consumer market, so I wouldn't expect anything odd (like range finder, panoramic/square sensor or moving parts), just an A7r but bigger, or perhaps more looking like Leica SL. Leica SL is there because the M isn't modern enough to attract a broad market, and I think it would be a mistake by Hasselblad to try pulling off anything retro.

It will probably be mountable to Arca/Actus, but I would be most surpised if any of the tech cam use cases have been considered at all, just as with the A7r it will work as a natural side effect of the mirrorless design. I don't think the product's target audience is professional photographers that's been long in medium format, but rather to consumers (or "prosumers", although I hate that word) used to high MP 135 cameras that want something bigger and better. It is in line with the comments we've seen from the company.

The A7r-II is $3.2k, Leica SL is $7.5k, Pentax 645z $7k, CFV-50c is $10k. What will this camera cost? My bold guess is $8.5k, and then I think I'm approaching the lower limit of what's reasonable to expect. But I don't think it can be too expensive if they intend it to be aimed at a consumer market and be a "game changer".

[synn]

They can price it at USD 8.5k.
Just don't do the usual camera maker math and convert 1USD to 1 EUR.