Hasselblad Digital Camera, Manual

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14
THE HASSELBLAD MANUAL
With the constant and rapid changes in digital cameras, selecting the larger Hasselblad
digital format will likely keep the equipment updated for a longer time period reducing
or eliminating the danger that the equipment will become outdated within a short time, a
common fear with the rapid and constant new developments in digital camera equipment.
Working with the larger digital Hasselblad format, rather than the digital SLR cameras that
other photographers use, may also help professional photographers to attract new clients for
high paying quality jobs and keep these clients for future assignments.
Just as in fi lm photography exposure is another determining factor for image quality but
in digital work, perfect exposure is even more critical, something to remember especially by
photographers used to the great exposure latitude of color negative fi lms. Digital exposures
are even more critical than they are with transparency fi lms.
SENSOR SIZE AND FOCAL LENGTH OF LENS
The 36.7 49 mm Hasselblad sensor is the largest sensor that can be fi t into a camera
designed for the 6 4.5 fi lm format, and is very close to the 42 54 image size of a 6 4.5
negative or transparency. This close size relationship between digital and fi lm images is advan-
tageous because the camera lenses cover practically the same area on this large sensor as
they do on a fi lm magazine 16. You do not have to re-think what focal length lens to use. The
conversion factor is only 1.1. The standard 80 mm becomes equivalent to one just slightly
longer with an 88 mm focal length. The 35 mm wide angle is still a superb wide angle lens
that performs like one of 38 mm. For all practical purposes you can use all the lenses as you
would, or have done, or still do when working with fi lm.
As discussed in more detail in the chapter on lenses, area coverage is determined by the
focal length of the lens in relation to the fi lm format or the sensor size. An 80 mm lens covers
a larger area on the 6
4.5 fi lm format than it does on 35 mm. On most digital SLR cameras
(except the full frame type) the sensor is much smaller than the 35 mm fi lm format, so you
need to work with a conversion factor of 1.5
or larger. Digital recording requires a wide
angle lens to cover the same area as the standard lens does in fi lm photography. Extreme
wide angle lenses are practically nonexistent for digital recording. The specifi cation sheets for
such digital cameras usually do not mention the actual focal length of the lens on the camera
but give you a focal length that is equivalent for the 35
mm fi lm format.
With a Hasselblad 36.7 36.7 sensor the focal length factor is 1.5 compared to the 2¼
square format so the 80 mm lens performs like one of 120 mm focal length. The 50 mm wide
angle covers the area of a 75 mm lens in fi lm photography. With a 33.1
44.2 sensor you
multiply the focal length of the lens by 1.25 compared to the 6 4.5 fi lm format, so the
80 mm lens covers the area equivalent to a 100 mm type on fi lm and can still be considered a
standard focal length.
IMAGE SIZE IN FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
Except for the XPan model, Hasselblad cameras are made for the medium format, which com-
bines many of the advantages of 35 mm and large format photography. By simply switching
the magazine on any camera model, you can record images digitally, on black and white or