Hasselblad H4D-40 to be launched on Feb 10th

[paul_jones]

Back to Hasselblad: This is what I had hoped to see after the Ball dropped on New Years Eve, below on the right -- larger viewfinder; larger LCD; 22 megapixels that would open in any software; Vertical Grip for advertising photographers. Who cares what is costs; if they made it right, it would sell. They have already covered the megapixel race, for those guys that want to walk up to the 30x40 sunset shot from three inches away, and say, "Wow, look at how sharp that tree branch is". What is needed now is a more portable, smaller-file, faster-to-process type camera, for commercial photographers. At least that's what I need. I'm sick of the awful CA in these Canon files. The other massive issue, to me, is autofocus, due to the miniscule tolerances now, with digital. Maybe this Hasselblad invention really does it; time will tell.

I am waiting for the excellent piece of retouching to make it into photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com. How 'bout that cloning technique?

cameras always looked better black. i had a play with a gx645 when i was in tokyo recently, and it looked a lot more solid and professional, and all that was different was the color.

 

[tho_mas]

I have spoken to Hasselblad and they are going to employ a special team to make a camera to Mr Tucker's exact specifications.
As Mr Tucker's specifications change daily I'm sure they will be very busy.

Admittedly the rants get a bit old (though funny to read mostly) but as far I followed it the specifications were always quite the same.
(Maybe with the expection of the finder features he asked for only once: red light warning at f16 and a fog machine at f22   )

[bcooter]

cameras always looked better black. i had a play with a gx645 when i was in tokyo recently, and it looked a lot more solid and professional, and all that was different was the color.

Paul,

You don't have to buy a Fuji, just carry this screen shot around in your wallet and you can tell people this is the way the camera really looks.

[attachment=19969:Picture_3.png]

BC

[gwhitf]

I have spoken to Hasselblad and they are going to employ a special team to make a camera to Mr Tucker's exact specifications.

Nick,

You lost your sense of humor somewhere along the way. Shame about that. I guess you got too close to Hasselblad. And now, the truth hurts. And if you'll note the archives here, any time that the absense of a Vertical Grip gets brought up, there is a CHORUS of "I'd sure like that too" behind mine. I tried my best to get behind the H system, multiple times, but in the end, it's simply a tripod-based, clunky approach to mobile, fast-moving assignments. If you read the archives, you'll see that I was Medium Format's most ardent supporter, until it simply became apparent that Mega-Megapixels was all they really cared about. And so many of my friends -- all once Medium Format shooters, making big money, simply chucked it and moved to Nikon or Canon. So it's not just me. Shoot at me all you want -- I'll gladly take the arrows. But if you surveyed most demanding ad shooters these days, they've simply, (and sadly), abandoned Medium Format, due to the demands of the current marketplace.

[rsmphoto]

Nick,

You lost your sense of humor somewhere along the way. Shame about that. I guess you got too close to Hasselblad. And now, the truth hurts. And if you'll note the archives here, any time that the absense of a Vertical Grip gets brought up, there is a CHORUS of "I'd sure like that too" behind mine. I tried my best to get behind the H system, multiple times, but in the end, it's simply a tripod-based, clunky approach to mobile, fast-moving assignments. If you read the archives, you'll see that I was Medium Format's most ardent supporter, until it simply became apparent that Mega-Megapixels was all they really cared about. And so many of my friends -- all once Medium Format shooters, making big money, simply chucked it and moved to Nikon or Canon. So it's not just me. Shoot at me all you want -- I'll gladly take the arrows. But if you surveyed most demanding ad shooters these days, they've simply, (and sadly), abandoned Medium Format, due to the demands of the current marketplace.

Whew! Nasty, nasty, nasty. Well, to each his own. From this diatribe I guess Hasselblad should be thankful that most pros aren't ad shooters! But really, why is it that negativity rules so loudly on this forum?? What ARE you trying to accomplish with this endless whinging? This is stuff that has been repeated endlessly here. Move on and tell us what you DO like. It's as if some people here have a never ending vendetta against particular MF mfrs., like they've been personally affronted by designs that don't happen meet their particular needs. To say the least, this latest chapter in the endless re-hashing of the perceived faults, flaws, and shortcomings of MF is beyond tiresome.

[aaron]

Nick,

You lost your sense of humor somewhere along the way. Shame about that. I guess you got too close to Hasselblad. And now, the truth hurts. And if you'll note the archives here, any time that the absense of a Vertical Grip gets brought up, there is a CHORUS of "I'd sure like that too" behind mine. I tried my best to get behind the H system, multiple times, but in the end, it's simply a tripod-based, clunky approach to mobile, fast-moving assignments. If you read the archives, you'll see that I was Medium Format's most ardent supporter, until it simply became apparent that Mega-Megapixels was all they really cared about. And so many of my friends -- all once Medium Format shooters, making big money, simply chucked it and moved to Nikon or Canon. So it's not just me. Shoot at me all you want -- I'll gladly take the arrows. But if you surveyed most demanding ad shooters these days, they've simply, (and sadly), abandoned Medium Format, due to the demands of the current marketplace.

Totally agree with the last line!
It has been painful to watch Hasselblad in particular loose user after user. They appear to have no actual development plan at all.
I started to list the ridiculous decisions they have made over the last few generations of H 'development' but really it would take all night.
Then you hear talk of how they are going to bring out a camera which will compete with the top 35mm, and what do you get? a $20,000 crop sensor!
This is suppost to win over the pros using the 1ds and D3x? I dont think so. The sad thing is they dont just need to win them over, they need to win them back, and you need to try a lot harder to do that. Medium Format owned the pro market, thats now history.

And whats the main selling point of the H4D- It might be able to focus better than your H3d. Do you think it will focus as well as a two grand nikon?
But hey, at least those expensive lenses you bought for your H3D will work properly on the H4D-40, pity about the H4D60 though, but you dont mind if they crop a little, right?

Who knows what they will come up with next. (really, i doubt even they do  )

[Streetshooter]

"why is it that negativity rules so loudly on this forum?? "

What utter rubbish. This forum shows a balanced view af far as I'm concerned. The fact that some posters tell it like it is,  is a breath of fresh air in my opinion. If I'm about to shell out big bucks for a camera I want to hear about the shortcomings of the gear from people who use it in the professional world.

[asf]

Whew! Nasty, nasty, nasty. Well, to each his own. From this diatribe I guess Hasselblad should be thankful that most pros aren't ad shooters! But really, why is it that negativity rules so loudly on this forum?? What ARE you trying to accomplish with this endless whinging? This is stuff that has been repeated endlessly here. Move on and tell us what you DO like. It's as if some people here have a never ending vendetta against particular MF mfrs., like they've been personally affronted by designs that don't happen meet their particular needs. To say the least, this latest chapter in the endless re-hashing of the perceived faults, flaws, and shortcomings of MF is beyond tiresome.

Probably because these companies used to make cameras for working pros, and still act as if they do, trading on their "pro" credentials from the past. The ones that whinge are the ones that shoot for a living. For the happy ones, many of them seem to be workshop leaders or otherwise associated with manufacturers/retailers.

[lisa_r]

Even with a vertical grip I would think it would feel all off balance, with the viewfinder sticking our of the left side and all.
I would think that you could get one of the almost full-frame 645 backs with too many megapixels (40? 60?) shoot horizontally for commerce, and simply crop for vertical.  Fashion your own viewfinder mask, set up an auto crop thingy in C1, and it should work just fine. No?
Then you could take the mask out and shoot full-frame horizontal files for your 40x60 sunsets ;-)

I am not personally doing this, however. I have been shooting for major ad agencies in NY with my Canon and no one bats an eye. I use the 70-200 lenses with that nifty rotating tripod collar and go horiz to vert in a second, no problems.

[gwhitf]

Probably because these companies used to make cameras for working pros, and still act as if they do, trading on their "pro" credentials from the past. The ones that whine are the ones that shoot for a living.

I usually don't talk about this much because it dates me, but I remember little Victor when he was a small lad, back in the Old Country. I was on the Curling Team with his father. Even then, little "Square Viccie", as I called him endearingly, would sit in the snow and fashion snowmen in square blocks -- not at all like the other little tykes, that made the normal rounded snowmen. Not many people know this, but early in life, Victor actually invented the term "block of ice"; it was a perfect cube, and therefore, never needed to be tilted on its side, before it melted.

I've bookmarked this link about Victor, and it's ironic that it's a "Find A Grave" site, because surely, every month when Hasselblad mails out that slick magazine that touts this grey plastic-feeling 645 camera with the nameplate of "Victor", for sure he does a complete flip in his grave:

http://tinyurl.com/ykw2468

Please read the complete link above -- it gives thorough background on his vision for the system. Ironically, until very recently, there was no word for "closed" in the Swedish language; that is a recent development by the youngsters. His vision was interchangeability.

Later, at Inventors University, he met a schoolmate, Henry Ford, and they made a pact to come up with marketing slogans. Ford chose, "You can have it in any color, as long as it's black", and little Victor chose, "You can have it in any format, as long as it's 6x6 square, but in chrome or black".

Every month, when my issue arrives, I shed a tear for him, knowing that he meant for the Hasselblad to be one size only: 6x6 cm. And unlike a good pancake, it never needed flipping.

Victor was always a quiet man, very studious, and always focused on perfecting the square format. So quiet and scholarly that, in fact, the term "Being a Square" was coined after a very dull drinking party with Victor, where he sat quietly and tried to convert the cylindrical beer stein into a square mug.

So yes, sometimes the Old Timers, who know the history of Hasselblad, get a little impassioned when an absolutely perfect camera design gets distorted by the Younger Generation.

I apologize for my dedication and impassioned pleas, about the brand Hasselblad.

[EricWHiss]

I'm not all that sure that camera makers, particularly MFDB ones but all of them, are building to the needs of pros any more than Ferrari or Porsche build for the needs of racers.  They need stats like horsepower so that the bankers and real estate brokers can make a buying decision.  Not that this is bad because without a certain volume of sales/production there would be no development at all.   And maybe it's always been this way?

[EricWHiss]

GW
always appreciate your humor!

[shutay]

I usually don't talk about this much because it dates me...

You really had me going there for awhile...

Now maybe from VH's grave I might have a reason why I had such a fetish for square sensors, influence from ghosts of Hasselblads past? When I saw my Ixpress' square CCD, I just had to have it. Maybe I'll get a CFV one day.

[asf]

I'm not all that sure that camera makers, particularly MFDB ones but all of them, are building to the needs of pros any more than Ferrari or Porsche build for the needs of racers.  They need stats like horsepower so that the bankers and real estate brokers can make a buying decision.  Not that this is bad because without a certain volume of sales/production there would be no development at all.   And maybe it's always been this way?

Ferrari and Porsche still make real race cars. No one who buys a street Ferrari or Porsche does so because they think it is a race car, or one built for the needs of race car drivers. And a camera like the d3s or 1d4 is very much aimed at the pro market.

[EricWHiss]

Ferrari and Porsche still make real race cars. No one who buys a street Ferrari or Porsche does so because they think it is a race car, or one built for the needs of race car drivers. And a camera like the d3s or 1d4 is very much aimed at the pro market.

True but their race cars look nothing like the production cars and cost millions each.  At least Hasselblad is still selling cameras, still coming up with new technology and products, but I'll bet that a significant percentage of their sales are to the amateurs and I'm saying that's okay.  Look at the GetDPi forum - probably 90% amateurs and 10% pros quite possibly less.  My point being that the companies may have more market selling points than just the needs of the pros.  For example a pro racer would probably not want a 12 speaker sound system taking up space and weight in their car, but most of their customers would.   It may be that MFDB manufacturers experience a significant percentage of customers thinking mega pixels or fast AF is the most important thing.

[Dustbak]

Let's not forget another thing. Nowadays too many pros make not enough money to remain a really interesting market. I would find it totally understandable that camera manufacturers don't dare to rely heavily anymore on pros as their major market.

Pointers to their pro equipment are in many cases to convince amateurs to buy it, so they can make a margin to sustain their business.

BTW, for my type of work the H is fine. for the 20% of other stuff I do I pick up the Nikon. What is the fuss about everything having to become the same shade of grey? (having said that I totally agree there is not much that has a better ergonomy than the D3).

[David Grover / Capture One]

What can I say?

I tend to stay away from negative threads like this as I will mostly only fuel the fire, regardless of my comments.

Its a very bleak picture that some choose to paint, and perhaps in individual markets this may well be the case.  But ill leave you with some information which I hope will reverse some opinions.

In ROW (Rest of World, not including our subsidiaries of UK, Germany, USA) we had a sales growth in January from 2009.  

Thats a growth, not a decline, not a flat result, a growth.  January is often a typically difficult month as well.

Mark Tucker - I am truly sorry we don't build a product that you feel you can use, but who knows in the future.  There are equal amounts of people who live and work by their H system, or any other MF system who find 35mm doesn't cut it for them for all situations.

Another example..

Today I will visit a photographer (Not a 'Dentist' which unfortunately has become the nickname for any photographer who is not a working pro) who has been flown from the other side of the world to do a three day magazine shoot and a top London studio and then another location which I wonder how they managed to ever get permission to use.  He has been quietly using his H2 and CF39 back for years.  Yes, I am sure we could offer additional features to him, but he still feels it serves his needs better than other platforms.

I understand the industry is going through rapid change and we still have more work to do, but we are in a better position than we have ever been to do this.

Best,




David

[David Grover / Capture One]

At least Hasselblad is still selling cameras, still coming up with new technology and products, but I'll bet that a significant percentage of their sales are to the amateurs and I'm saying that's okay.....

It may be that MFDB manufacturers experience a significant percentage of customers thinking mega pixels or fast AF is the most important thing.

Actually Eric it depends very much on the country.

UK - Very few amateur sales
China - Significantly more!

etc etc...  So you could see a swing from Pro to Amateur as much as 80/20 to 20/80 depending on the country.  It is SO different around the world.

What you also say about MP is very true.  Whenever we release a new model with an increase in MP, it outstrips the sales of the lower mega pixel products regardless of photographer.

So at last count...

31/39 = 50% sales
50      = 50% sales

Again this also varies country to country.  As I have said before it varies so much around the world.  If we take Italy, there is a big MultiShot culture there for us.. some countries, much less.

I think the most successful photographers I know look to the globe for their work.  It seems crazy to fly a guy from New York to London for a detergent shoot, as you could find several local guys who could do the same job, but it happens.

Best,



David

[bcooter]

What can I say?

I tend to stay away from negative threads like this as I will mostly only fuel the fire, regardless of my comments.

David,

I think what you take as a negative thread could easily be turned around to positive criticism, or better yet, things your customer would like to see, especially at the price points medium format demands.

Let's be realistic about this Dave, you company started the ticking clock marketing effort with a promise of something to turn the dslr owner into a Hasselblad buyer, which fueled more hope than substance, because the only real thing the ticking clock offered was 10 more megapixels and maybe a half stop more iso sensitivity and regardless of phine phocus or whatever it's called, it's still mostly just more megapixels.

As far as growth, I'm glad Hasselblad is growing, but I think you're under a misconception that every US photographer is on his/her last legs and can only afford a 5d2 and a zoom.  That is way far from the truth and many people I know had a decent year last year and are on the start of a good year today.

Still, most of them I know are not running out to replace their medium format backs for 10 or 20 more megapixels because no clients  I know are asking for that.

I will agree that the professional photography market is going through changes but most of that is just current economics, not any cosmic change in the universe, or I-pad frenzy publishing.  The average consumer is not buying like they did a few years ago, hence corporations are requiring much more from their marketing budget than  they did two years ago

If you can take any message from gwitif, it would be here is a loyal hasselblad customer that on three occasions has tried to make the H system work for him and each time his successful business and client demands has put him back into the dslr mode, but I guess this is getting off point.

So with that in mind . . .

Obviously you're an intelligent good business person and like most good business people I'm sure you attempt to put yourself in your client's perspective so I suggest this.

Take two cameras.   Your Hasselblad 4d and a Canon 1ds3.   A macbook pro and 23" monitor for each and a schedule of twenty advertising sessions per day, with multiple talent, lighting from high lit flash, to lower light continuous.

Most sessions you shoot tethered, some you shoot to the lcd screen non tethered and after the talent has cleared hair and makeup you have exactly 5 3/4 hours  a day to shoot.

At the end of each day you have exactly two hours to rename master files, backup files on multiple drives, process out and correct jpegs, build web galleries and upload to a server.

Now write out two checks.  One for $100,000, the second for $200,000.    If you complete these tasks on time you pocket the $200,000, if not you hand the client the $100,000 check.

Which of the two camera systems will you select?  Remember this is your money.

BC

[David Grover / Capture One]

David,

...... but I think you're under a misconception that every US photographer is on his/her last legs and can only afford a 5d2 and a zoom....

......Take two cameras.   Your Hasselblad 4d and a Canon 1ds3.   A macbook pro and 23" monitor for each and a schedule of twenty advertising sessions per day, with multiple talent, lighting from high lit flash, to lower light continuous.

Most sessions you shoot tethered, some you shoot to the lcd screen non tethered and after the talent has cleared hair and makeup you have exactly 5 3/4 hours  a day to shoot.

At the end of each day you have exactly two hours to rename master files, backup files on multiple drives, process out and correct jpegs, build web galleries and upload to a server.

Now write out two checks.  One for $100,000, the second for $200,000.    If you complete these tasks on time you pocket the $200,000, if not you hand the client the $100,000 check.

Which of the two camera systems will you select?  Remember this is your money.

BC

This is definitely not my conception, as otherwise we would be dead in the water.

I don't know what you hope to achieve by your second puzzle?  Naturally I would reach for the 1ds3 with a schedule like that.