Hasselblad Cameras.

<p>I am just a amature photographer, so see my following comments and questions as typical rambling from a amature.</p>

<p>So tell me, why are Hasselblad cameras around 30K? I assume these cameras are for either professionals that make the cash to be able to afford them or rich people that can afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars on pretty toys.<br />I look at these cameras and think, "Looks like the Bentley of cameras", but is there really something about these cameras that owners believe they are worth every penny?</p>

<p>With that kind of money I could afford a Canon Mark3 and outfit a spare bedroom into a digital darkroom.</p>

<p>Educate a amature please...lol.<br />T.</p>

<p>Sure...<br>

These aren't "the Bentley of cameras," they're the Mack Truck of cameras and are meant for people who shoot for high-end offset reproduction with studio lighting. If your final output isn't the printed page and your needs are typically outside the studio, that Canon will almost certainly be better for you.<br>

There's another issue too; some aspects of professional photography pay very well and are highly competitive. In those situations, having the same or better files than the other photographers bidding on the same job will make a difference. Compared to the costs of having a staff and studio, some medium format gear isn't much at all.</p>

<p>As you correctly assume, digital medium format cameras are used by professionals and occasionally by well-heeled dilettantes. There are several factors which justify the cost.</p>

<p>Quick turnaround time is key to keeping clients happy, and if your competition is able to meet ever tighter deadlines using digital capture, so must you. The quality of digital capture is very high - better than film in this lofty realm. Nearly all commercial work is rendered in digital format, and skipping the film/scanning step is a big boost to productivity and quality in itself. Finally, a busy photographer might easily spend $15-30K a year on film and processing (including courier service), which makes the payback time attractive.</p>

<p>If you get a payback of 2 years or less, it's equivalent to getting 20% interest on your investment. (Your homework assignment is to learn how to calculate discounted cash flow return on investment - DCFROI.)</p>

<p>Hasselblad film cameras are much cheaper like the older V series. Even if you look at the H2 film versions they are only about $3K or $8K with viewfinder and 80mm lens.</p>

<p>A better way to phrase your question would be "Why do medium format digital backs cost $10-20 thousand?" The sensor size is huge compared to even 35mm full frame like the 1Ds Mark III which means low yield. They also have very low volume which also increases the cost. The quality is also excellent which manufacturers can use to justify a higher price.</p>

 

<p>I was at a golf tournament once and I asked one of the professionals how much his lens cost and he said I don't know, I did not pay for it. So I just figure in some cases the company is paying for the equipment. But if the photographer is paying then probably because he/she is a professional and needs the gear. People buy the stuff they need for their business. There are always people with deep pockets that buy stuff like that for snapshots. A hobbyist like myself is well served with an ordinary DSLR (D200). I would rather go on a trip to Europe then have a D3x. </p>

<p>Hasselblads are for toy freaks. There are PLENTY of cameras that will take pictures just as good. After all, the person ultimately takes the picture not the camera. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>"There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are." Ernst Hass.</p>

</blockquote>

 

<p><em>Hasselblads are for toy freaks. There are PLENTY of cameras that will take pictures just as good. After all, the person ultimately takes the picture not the camera.</em></p>

<p>What egalitarian drivel. It is true that the photographer makes the decision when and where to point the camera, but as with any craft it is necessary to use the proper tools. Would you shingle a roof with a tack hammer?</p>

<p>For what it's worth, I wouldn't mind going to Europe WITH a D3x, but I'll have to settle for an Hasselblad :-)</p>

<p>As I stated in my original post, I am a amature, (I make little money off my prints, so I don't even want to consider myself a professional). Heck I don't even like to call myself a photographer just "a guy that likes to take pictures". </p>

<p>I assumed there was some kind of reason why A) They are expensive and B) People buy them.<br>

I'm happy with just keeping it simple with my rebel.</p>

<p>T.</p>

<p>As I stated in my original post, I am a amature, (I make little money off my prints, so I don't even want to consider myself a professional). Heck I don't even like to call myself a photographer just "a guy that likes to take pictures". </p>

<p>I assumed there was some kind of reason why A) They are expensive and B) People buy them.<br>

I'm happy with just keeping it simple with my rebel.</p>

<p>T.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I wouldn't mind going to Europe WITH a D3x, but I'll have to settle for an Hasselblad</p>

</blockquote>

<p>No wonder you haven't a clue-!</p>

<p>One Hasselblad, B&H has it for $44.000.00.</p>

<p>If you peruse the Hasselblad pages at KEH.com you will see that used film gear, while not "cheap", is affordable without selling the farm. Medium format film is a way to get results equal to or better than top of the line, small format DSLRs at a fraction of the cost, even considering the cost of a Nikon film scanner.</p>

<p>Nearly every digital back made can be fitted to a 200/500 series Hasselblad. Hasselblad CFV (16MP) and Mamiya ZD (22MP) backs are priced in the range of the high-end Nikon and Canon DSLRs, and a few backs find their way to the used market. KEH had an Hasselblad H2D camera (22MP) with lens and finder for under $9000. </p>

<p>Going back to the original post, "...is there really something about these cameras that owners believe they are worth every penny?" The answer is yes, for reasons cited.</p>

<p>A) Why are they expensive? Because the sensor is large, bringing up the costs of the sensor and the electronics for it and because these cameras are sold in much smaller quantities than small-format DSLRs.<br>

B) People buy them because the image quality is better than with smaller formats. Also, using longer focal lengths lenses for the same field of view means a different depth of field than would come out of a small-format camera.<br>

As mentioned, second hand film Hasselblad cameras are not that expensive and many other medium format brands are cheaper. However Hasselblad gear is generally of very high quality and I've found it to actually be quite comfortable to use (save for a couple of oddities). The newer digital Hasselblads should actually be fairly modern (AF, non-tethered digital, nice zooms).<br>

As my camera dealer said, H-series Hasselblads are for pros who have a steady stream of paying jobs.</p>

<p>Amateur. It's French. </p>

<p>If you've never focused through an old Hasselblad, you've never focused. </p>

<p>The film Hasselblads were expensive because they were finely crafted cameras with interchangeable backs, and Zeiss lenses. The 500 series is a complete system with compendium lens shades, extension tubes, etc. I have used a 500CM for over 20 years, and got it because I did quite a bit of architectural photography work. I used the Hasselblad with a Polaroid back for lighting tests and then to shoot details using both transparency and negative films. </p>

<p>As stated previously by several posters, the digital Hasselblads are expensive because the medium format digital sensors are expensive. Although, you can get a digital Hasselblad starting at about $14K (16mp back). If you look at other medium format backs by Leaf and Phase One, the Hasselblad digital systems are competitively priced.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Hasselblads are for toy freaks.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>They're tools not a life style choice...and if you view them as a tool, you buy what you need to get the job done. You can easily hand hold a Hasselblad, you cannot do that with an RB67 - and I've never liked the clunkiness of Bronicas...</p>