The article isn't very good in photographic terms. For example, the first sentence:
"Professional camera manufacturer Hasselblad, a storied company based in Sweden that's wrestling with the transition to digital photography, has been acquired by Ventizz Capital Partners."
is just ignorant. Hasselblad is the most modern of the medium format digital camera manufacturers, apart from some aspects of the Pentax 645.
Interesting development though. I guess the focus will be strongly on profitability now (and maybe a later re-sale?), but it might do Hasselblad well to be run by Europeans again.
p.1 #2 · Hasselblad sold to Ventizz Capital Partners
Yeah, the author of the article comes off as not very well informed if he thinks the transition to digital is just now occurring for Hasselblad, particularly given their history over the past decade.
I was very encouraged by this statement:
"Furthermore, we plan to develop Hasselblad cameras to appeal to a wider circle of ambitious photographers," said Helmut Vorndran, managing partner and CEO of Ventizz Capital Partners."
The article isn't very good in photographic terms. For example, the first sentence:
"Professional camera manufacturer Hasselblad, a storied company based in Sweden that's wrestling with the transition to digital photography, has been acquired by Ventizz Capital Partners."
is just ignorant. Hasselblad is the most modern of the medium format digital camera manufacturers, apart from some aspects of the Pentax 645.
Interesting development though. I guess the focus will be strongly on profitability now (and maybe a later re-sale?), but it might do Hasselblad well to be run by Europeans again.
Actually, while Hasselblad was the most modern of the MF makers for most of the last decade, they're now the least so, with PhaseOne/Mamiya, Pentax and Leica all delivering more advanced packages than the H4D's. Leica and Phamiya both offer mixed leaf/focal plane shutter solutions giving the best of both worlds with max shutter speeds of 1/4000 and sync to 1/800 (or 1/1600 for certain configurations of the Phamiya's). Hasselblad's also a generation behind in sensors compared to Phase/Leaf and has no answer to Phase's Sensor+ tech which allows max ISO's 2 stops higher than the ISO 800 most of the H-series backs are limited to via pixel binning. Pentax and Leica also offer usable higher ISO's via improved processing chains. Pentax is offering a true native wireless TTL flash and eclipsed Hasselblad in AF performance and also offers weather sealing, Leica also beats Hassy in AF performance, offers weather sealing and delivers a much smaller package. Leica and Phamiya also offer vertical grips (and the Phamiya grip does wireless flash sync).
Essentially Hasselblad's been sitting still and selling Ferrari-branded collectors items while the rest of the market has been seriously pushing the tech over the last 2-3 years.
p.1 #4 · Hasselblad sold to Ventizz Capital Partners
The fact that Phase One has pixel binning and focal plane shutters hardly makes them more technologically advanced than Hasselblad. Pixel binning is easily doable in software, and focal plane shutters are not advanced by any stretch. Phase also only has a couple of lenses with leaf shutters, whereas Hasselblad's entire line has them, so the Phase is severely limited for flash sync speeds for most lenses. The Hasselblad system has better integration between back, camera and lenses, and they have the True Focus technology. Their prism is the best on the market. The list just goes on. The Phase backs are arguably more advanced than the Hasselblad backs, but for the rest of the system, Phase has hardly moved beyond technology which was already available in film days. If I were to buy a Phase back, I would not be putting it on a Phamiya camera.
Leica's system is a lot newer, and thus has some advantages over both, but it is also a lot more limited. One resolution, no multi-shot, 4 lenses, no ability to work with technical cameras, and so on.
Anyway, this thread was distinctly not meant as a Phase vs. Phamiya vs. Leica discussion, but rather about the future of Hasselblad in their new owners' hands.
p.1 #5 · Hasselblad sold to Ventizz Capital Partners
carstenw wrote:
The fact that Phase One has pixel binning and focal plane shutters hardly makes them more technologically advanced than Hasselblad. Pixel binning is easily doable in software, and focal plane shutters are not advanced by any stretch. Phase also only has a couple of lenses with leaf shutters, whereas Hasselblad's entire line has them, so the Phase is severely limited for flash sync speeds for most lenses. The Hasselblad system has better integration between back, camera and lenses, and they have the True Focus technology. Their prism is the best on the market. The list just goes on. The Phase backs are arguably more advanced than the Hasselblad backs, but for the rest of the system, Phase has hardly moved beyond technology which was already available in film days. If I were to buy a Phase back, I would not be putting it on a Phamiya camera.
The prism's the H-series last real advantage. As of the 645DF, Phase has caught up on everything else you note except True Focus (which is a neat hack, but no replacement for a decent multipoint AF unit). Phase's leaf/focal plane shutter implementation is also very interesting, it's totally seamless (you know which shutter you're using only if you're paying attention) and also nets an extra stop of sync (1/1600) on backs capable of full integration with the 645DF.
p.1 #6 · Hasselblad sold to Ventizz Capital Partners
The H4D 40 does high quality ISO 1600 at full resolution unlike the Phase. Also the AF (speed ,accuracy, and True Focus) and shutter shutter lag is far superior to anything in the MF market.
And if you photograph people there is no better AF lens than the 100 f/2.2!
Pentax? Really? Maybe if you want to take a coffee brake between every shot and prefer to shoot everything stopped down to F/11 since old legacy lenses aren't good enough and new ones don't exist.
p.1 #7 · Hasselblad sold to Ventizz Capital Partners
mawz wrote:
The prism's the H-series last real advantage. As of the 645DF, Phase has caught up on everything else you note except True Focus
Phase has not caught up with the following of what I wrote:
- a full line of leaf shutter lenses (big advantage for fashion)
- True Focus (as you mention, except that this is not a hack, but a better workflow than pushing around a focus point while your subject is moving, unless you are holding down the release (does the Phamiya have multiple focus points?))
- the prism
and there are other things I have not listed, such as the HTS device, a really cool little thing, the ability to use a waist-level finder, as well as better back integration with certain tech cameras, etc.
As I concluded last time, Phase has an advantage in the backs, but the Phamiya camera is something which is rather tolerated than loved. I wish they would build a new one from scratch, to the level of build quality and advanced spec as their new IQ backs. That would be worth waiting for, but the Phamiya camera is a plastic fantastic hunk of junk I could never love. I prefer my Contax with a Phase back. Slower AF, but great quality and Zeiss lenses to die for, some of Zeiss' best lenses.
