Hasselblad

Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAS : Hasselblad

Hasselblad 503CW with Zeiss Distagon 3,5/30 and Ixpress V96C

Hasselblad is a Swedish manufacturer of high-quality still photography cameras based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company was established in 1841 as a trading company. In the 1890s, Hasselblad began distributing photographic products from Eastman. The photography branch grew, and during the second world war Victor Hasselblad was commissioned to develop an aerial camera for the Royal Swedish Air Force. After the war, camera production changed into civilian cameras. Introduced in 1948, the Hasselblad 1600F was a medium format SLR that became the camera of choice for many professional photographers.

Perhaps the most famous use of the Hasselblad camera was during the Apollo Program missions when man first set foot on the moon. All photographs taken during these missions used specially modified Hasselblad cameras.

Hasselblad cameras are still widely used by professional and serious amateur photographers. One reason is the superior image quality of 6x6cm size rollfilm over smaller film and digital sensor formats, along with a reputation for long service life.

In August 2004 Hasselblad merged with the Danish company Imacon A/S. Imacon is a manufacturer of digital photography equipment, e.g. digital camera backs.

Contents

1 XPan
2 H Series
3 V Series
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 External links

XPan

The Hasselblad XPan and XPan II are rangefinder cameras that allow the creation of panoramic photographs on 35mm film. They are re-branded versions of the Fuji TX-1 and TX-2. The XPan II has every feature of the original, but grants the user the ability to record thirty minutes exposures compared to the old max of three minutes. Electronic exposure information in the viewfinder is another additional feature of the XPan II.

H Series

The H Series cameras are Hasselblads SLR medium format cameras. They are designed to to be used with both film (6 by 4.5cm format) and digital backs.

V Series

Trivia

A Hasselblad camera is used by the comic book character Valentina by Guido Crepax.
12 Modified Hasselblad 500EL bodies and attached lens remain on the moon.

External links

[Official site].

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Hasselblad