why no hasselblad 50-150 zoom?

[robert_c_harvey]

I love my hassy, and the great lenses in the system. However, if they made a wide angle to slightly telephoto zoom it would be so much more convenient! Is it the cost? Is it the optical quality that wouldn't meet Carl Ziess standards? The 140-280 I've used , but it's only telephoto. A general purpose zoom which just about every small and medium format camera manufacture makes, would be so much more convenient! Any thoughts?

[ulrik_neupert]

Hasselblad has introduced a new zoom lens, the FE 4.8/60-120. It is produced in Japan and for the 200 and 2000 series cameras only. Look at it at the Hasselblad homepage. Ulrik

[kornelius_j._fleischer]

Please keep in mind that your Hasselblad is a camera with fully mechanical central shutter. In a zoom lens there are several lens elements axially moving when zooming. The diaphragm needs to move axially, too. Otherwise the lens becomes rather bulky. Or the speed varies. This would not be acceptable in a camera without TTL metering. So this is the obstacle for a 50-150 zoom: The diaphragm/shutter component needs to move axially with zooming but remaining fully controlled mechanically by the camera body (shutter cocking, aperture stop down, shutter releasing). Systems with electric shutter (like Rollei 6000) or focal plane shutter (like Hasselblad 200 series) can solve the problem more easily or cost effectively.

Since man can fly to the moon, a zoom 50-150 could, of course, be made. But it would come at a cost. This in turn would keep the quantities down which again would lead to a high price.

However, I can imagine that engineers at Hasselblad and Zeiss devote some thought to this issue...