30 minutes with Fujifilm’s medium-format mirrorless GFX 50S

Fujifilm made the biggest splash at Photokina with the GFX 50S, a mirrorless camera with a giant sensor stuffed into a fairly compact body. When it arrives early in 2017, the company will be in the weird position of having APS-C and medium-format cam...

Hasselblad’s X1D is a medium-format mirrorless camera

Yes, the rumors were true: Hasselblad has been working on a world's first type of mirrorless camera. Today, the Swedish company officially took the wraps off of its X1D, a compact shooter with a massive 50-megapixel, medium-format CMOS sensor. That i...

Hasselblad stops production of V System cameras (updated)

Hasselblad stops production of its last V System camera

Almost by definition, Hasselblad is a company steeped in tradition -- it's hard to be ultra-trendy when your camera systems cost as much as a new car. We shouldn't be surprised, then, that the company is only just getting around to halting production on its last V System camera, the 503CW, 17 years after the first models rolled off the assembly line. Interest has simply dropped off quickly in the past five years, the company says. Support will continue, and accessories will sell while they last, but the emphasis from now on will be squarely on digital-first H System cameras like the H5D. Whether or not you're mourning the loss, there's no question that the V System has survived a lot during its lifetime, including the transition to digital shooting and new management. We'd say it's worth pouring one out for a true veteran of medium format photography.

Update: Just to clear the air, the 503CW has been in production for 17 years -- the V System in any form has been active since 1957, since before digital was even a twinkle in Hasselblad's eye.

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Source: Hasselblad (1), (2)

Hasselblad stops production of V System cameras (updated)

Hasselblad stops production of its last V System camera

Almost by definition, Hasselblad is a company steeped in tradition -- it's hard to be ultra-trendy when your camera systems cost as much as a new car. We shouldn't be surprised, then, that the company is only just getting around to halting production on its last V System camera, the 503CW, 17 years after the first models rolled off the assembly line. Interest has simply dropped off quickly in the past five years, the company says. Support will continue, and accessories will sell while they last, but the emphasis from now on will be squarely on digital-first H System cameras like the H5D. Whether or not you're mourning the loss, there's no question that the V System has survived a lot during its lifetime, including the transition to digital shooting and new management. We'd say it's worth pouring one out for a true veteran of medium format photography.

Update: Just to clear the air, the 503CW has been in production for 17 years -- the V System in any form has been active since 1957, since before digital was even a twinkle in Hasselblad's eye.

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Source: Hasselblad (1), (2)

Leica reveals S-System medium format digital photography lineup

Leica reveals SSystem medium format digital photography lineup

Leica wasn't about to let everyone else hog the spotlight at Photokina this year. The company took the wraps off more products than you could possible cram into one post (or two, or three...). But among the more intriguing is certainly the new S-System -- an update its pro-series medium format line. The sensor and accompanying board have all been refreshed, with the 30 x 44mm sensor cramming 37.5 megapixels into its expansive CCD surface. The 16-bit color depth is complimented by a wide ISO range of 100 to 1600, which should cover you for almost any imaginable application. A dual shutter design gives photographers the choice between the camera's built in shutter or the integrated one on the CS lens line, which allow for flash sync at shutter speeds as high as 1/1,000 of a second. Leica is touting the improved speed of its medium format internals, but with the ability to capture just 1.5 fps in continuous mode, it might not be the ideal action shooter. Still, the ability to capture 32 consecutive RAW images at full resolution, thanks to the 2GB of buffer memory, is quite impressive.

The digital viewfinder is a three-inch LCD, capable of displaying 16 million colors representing the full sRGB color space. Of course, the VGA resolution isn't anything to write home about, but it should get the job done. The integrated two axis leveler, displayed on the viewfinder, should help avoid oddly angled portraits, while the integrated GPS receiver will let you keep track of every remote mountaintop you capture in full resolution majesty.

Of course, no new camera product line would be complete without some lenses as well. In total four are launching alongside the new body, including the first zoom (30-90 MM F/3.5-5.6) and tilt/shift (120 MM F/5.6) members of the family. Rounding out the lineup is a 24mm superwide angle lens and a close-up accessory that shortens the focal length of one of the existing mounts by about three and a half feet. For more info, check out the source link.

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Leica reveals S-System medium format digital photography lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hasselblad H5D coming December with new focus system, design, up to 60 megapixels

Hasselblad H5D brings new autofocus and design, no shortage of damage to bank accounts

Medium format camera fans, brace for impact: there's a new Hasselblad coming. The H5D supercedes the ages-old H4D with a True Focus II system that -- we're told -- is both more accurate and immediately confirms its lock. Hasselblad has also reworked the body for a more rough-and-ready feel, giving the H5D bigger controls, an extra-bright viewfinder and better weatherproofing. A new RAW + JPEG capture mode, improved wide-angle-to-macro lens conversion and a fresh 24mm f/4.8 lens have also been added to tempt studio photographers. If all this sounds alluring, H5Ds will be available in 40-, 50- and 60-megapixel versions (plus 50- and 200-megapixel Multi-Shot variants) this December. We likely won't know the effect on our bank accounts until at least a September 18th media event, but we wouldn't assume any kind of populist pricing -- Hasselblad's tendency towards five-digit figures may limit any first-hand exposure to a rental.

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Hasselblad H5D coming December with new focus system, design, up to 60 megapixels originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 03:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hasselblad cuts H4D prices by up to 23 percent, might let you afford rent

Hasselblad H4D

Hasselblad is typically known for everything but price cuts, and sometimes goes in the opposite direction. As such, we're more than a little caught off-guard by a round of price cuts on what's usually considered the definitive medium format camera line. The 'entry' H4D-31 has been cut down by as much as 23 percent; we're not sure we'd call it a steal at $11,995 without a lens, but it's now an option if you think even a Nikon D800's full-frame sensor is puny. Price slashes aren't reserved for the bargain models, either, as even the 200-megapixel, status symbol H4D-200MS shaves enough off the cost (now $35,995) to be a worth look for those sitting on the fence. You can get the full details at the source link, and you won't have to survive on ramen noodles for a year to shoot billboard-sized photos.

Hasselblad cuts H4D prices by up to 23 percent, might let you afford rent originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 20:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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