This article is about Victor Hasselblad AB, the Swedish company.

Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Victor Hasselblad (March 8, 1906 - August 5, 1978) was a Swedish inventor and photographer. ... The Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography is an award granted to a photographer recognized for major achievements. The award - and the foundation - was set up from the estate of Erna and Victor Hasselblad. ... A private company is a company that is independently owned. ... A genre [], (French: kind or sort from Greek: γένος (genos)) is a loose set of criteria for a category of literary composition; the term is also used for any other form of art or utterance. ... For other uses, see Gothenburg (disambiguation). ... Victor Hasselblad (March 8, 1906 - August 5, 1978) was a Swedish inventor and photographer. ... A holding company is a company that owns part, all, or a majority of other companies outstanding stock. ... A subsidiary, in business, is an entity that is controlled by another entity. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... A size comparison of medium format film, left, and regular 35 mm film. ... This article is about the photographing device. ... For other uses, see Gothenburg (disambiguation). ...

The company is best known for the range of medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II.

Perhaps the most famous use of the Hasselblad camera was during the Apollo Program missions when man first landed on the Moon. Almost all of the still photographs taken during these missions used specially modified Hasselblad cameras. Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America (NASA) using the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, conducted during the years 1961 – 1975. ... Still frame from the video transmission of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the Moon on 20 July 1969. ...

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 and quality of available lenses.

Company history

The company was established in 1841 as a trading company. In 1888, Hasselblad became the sole Swedish distributor of photographic products from Eastman. In 1908 the company established a separate photographic division (Fotografiska AB) to respond to the growth in the photography market. Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is an American multinational public company which produces photographic materials and equipment. ...

World War II

During World War II, the Swedish military captured a fully functioning German aerial surveillance camera from a downed German plane. The Swedish government soon realised the strategic advantage of developing such a camera, and in the spring of 1940 approached Victor Hasselblad to develop such a camera. In 1941 this became the first Hasselblad camera, the HK7. The camera HK7 used 80mm film and had two interchangeable lenses. Between 1941 and 1945, Hasselblad delivered 342 cameras to the Swedish military.^[1] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Victor Hasselblad (March 8, 1906 - August 5, 1978) was a Swedish inventor and photographer. ...

Post-war

After the war, camera production changed into civilian cameras. The first non-military camera, the 1600F, was released in 1948. The 1600F was superseded in 1952 by the 1000F, which was replaced in turn by the 500C in 1957. The first Supreme Wide Angle camera was released in 1954. The first motor-driven camera, the 500EL, appeared in 1965.^[2]

The move to digital

In 1985 Hasselblad established the subsidiary, Hasselblad Electronic Imaging AB, to focus on digital imaging and transmission systems.^[3]

In January 2003 Shriro Group acquired a majority shareholding in Hasselblad. The group had been the distributors for Hasselblad in Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia for over 45 years. ^[4] Shriro Group is a private company headquartered in Hong Kong. ...

In August 2004, Shriro Sweden, the holding company of Victor Hasselblad AB, and Swedish subsidiary of Shriro Group, announced the acquisition of high-end scanner and digital cameraback manufacturer, Imacon. The intent of the move was to accelerate Hasselblad’s ambitions in the professional digital photographic sector.^[5]

The move was perceived as part of an industry-wide move to respond to the trend away from film to digital. Christian Poulsen, chief executive of Hasselblad after the merger, said, "They finally realized there was no future. It was impossible to keep Hasselblad alive without digital.".^[6]

Imacon is a manufacturer of digital photography equipment, e.g. digital camera backs. A digital camera back is an item of high-end digital photography equipment. ...

Hasselblad cameras in space

A closeup view of the Skylab space station taken with a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad camera using a 100mm lens and SO-368 medium speed Ektachrome film

Several different models of Hasselblad cameras were taken into space, most specially modified for the task. ^[7] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 604 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1185 × 1176 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 604 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1185 × 1176 pixels, file size: 1. ...

The Hasselblad cameras were selected by NASA because of their interchangeable lenses and magazines. Modifications were made to permit ease-of-use in cramped conditions and while wearing spacesuits, such as the replacement of the reflex mirror with an eye-level finder.

Modifications by NASA technicians were further refined and incorporated into new models by Hasselblad. For example, development of a 70mm magazine was accelerated to meet the space program.

The first unmodified Hasselblad 550C cameras were used on the last two Project Mercury missions in 1962 and 1963. They continued to be used throughout the Gemini spaceflights in 1965 and 1966. Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States. ... Gemini may refer to In astronomy: Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac Gemini (astrology), the astrological sign Project Gemini, the second US manned spaceflight program Gemini Observatory, northern and southern hemisphere twin large telescopes In film and television: Gemini (2002 film), a Tamil film starring Vikram and...

A general program of reliability and safety was implemented following the Apollo 1 fire in 1967, addressing such issues as reliability and safe operation of electrical equipment in a high-oxygen environment.^[8] Apollo 1 is the official name given to the Apollo/Saturn 204 (AS-204) spacecraft, destroyed by fire during a training exercise on January 27, 1967, at Pad 34 (Launch Complex 34 at Cape Canaveral - then known as Cape Kennedy) atop a Saturn IB rocket. ...

EL electric cameras were used for the first time on Apollo 8. A heavily modified 500 EL, the so called Hasselblad Electric Camera (HEC) was used from Apollo 8 on board the spacecraft. Three 500EL cameras were carried on Apollo 11. An even more modified Hasselblad EL Data Camera (HDC), equipped with a special Zeiss 5.6/60 mm Biogon lens and film magazines for 150-200 exposures, was used on the moon surface on the Apollo 11 mission. All following NASA missions also had Hasselblad cameras on board. The photographic equipment and films used on the 5 subsequent flights were similar to that taken on Apollo 11. On Apollo 15, the 250mm telescopic lens was added. During the Space Shuttle period cameras based on the 500 EL/M and 553 ELX were used.^[9][10] Apollo 8 was the second successful manned mission of the Apollo space program, in which Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders became the first humans to orbit around the Moon. ... The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fourth mission to land on the Moon. ...

Hasselblad Products

Cameras

A timeline of Hasselblad Cameras, 1948 - 2007

• 1600F (1948 - 1953)
• 1000F (1953 - 1957)
• V-System 500 (1957 - 2005)
• V-System 503 (1988 - 2006)
• V-System 503 (1965 - 2006)
• V-System 2000 and 200 (1977 - 2004)
• V-System Superwide (1954 - 2006)
• V-System Flexbody (1995 - 2003)
• V-System 503 (1997 - 2001)
• XPan (1998 - 2006)
• H-System (2002 - date)^[11]

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 798 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (930 × 699 pixels, file size: 38 KB, MIME type: image/gif) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 798 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (930 × 699 pixels, file size: 38 KB, MIME type: image/gif) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

1600F and 1000F

Hasselblad 1600F with Kodak Ektar 2,8/80

Hasselblad's first civilian camera was launched in 1948. It was a 6 x 6 cm format focal-plane shutter SLR camera. First simply known as the “Hasselblad Camera” it was later named "1600F” after its highest shutter speed of 1/1600 sec and “F” for “focal plane”. The camera was revolutionary for the time with its modular design that allowed exchanging lenses, viewfinders and film magazines. The shutter was made of thin stainless steel which was light and durable enough to withstand the high acceleration forces of this fast shutter. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 530 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1836 × 2076 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 530 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1836 × 2076 pixels, file size: 1. ... Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. ... Ektar was a color 35 and 120 semi-professional film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1989, which used the common C-41 process. ...

The 1600F cameras did show a couple of problems (especially the first series) so a number of changes were introduced during the production period that lasted from 1949-1953. The 1600F was initially released with the Kodak Ektar 2.8/80 mm and the Ektar 3.5/135 mm lens. Only prototypes were made of the Ektar 6.3/55 mm and the 5.6/254 mm lenses. Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. ... Ektar was a color 35 and 120 semi-professional film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1989, which used the common C-41 process. ...

The successor of the 1600F was the 1000F (1953-1957). The 1000F was named after its reduced shortest shutter speed of 1/1000 s. The 1000F has a different shutter mechanism and proved to be more reliable and robust than its predecessor. During production of the 1600F, Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen had become a supplier of lenses for the 1600F/1000F cameras. Zeiss supplied the lenses Distagon 5.6/60 mm, Tessar 2.8/80 mm, Sonnar 3.5/135, Sonnar 4.0/250 and Sonnar 5.6/250 mm. Towards the end of the 1000F production period a Dallmeyer 5.6/508 mm lens made by Cook and Perkins, England, was also available, but did not fully cover the full film format. Oberkochen is a town in the Ostalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... The Zeiss Tessar is a famous photographic lens design conceived by Paul Rudolph in 1902. ... A Sonnar 135mm from Carl Zeiss Jena The Sonnar is a photographic lens design originally patented by Carl Zeiss, notable for its relatively light weight, simple design and fast aperture. ...

Hasselblad 1000F and especially 1600F-cameras are very rare on the secondhand market and usually not in working condition because of age, neglect, lack of spare parts and qualified repairmen. Many cameras suffer from corrosion of the chrome rims. Nevertheless a fully restored Hasselblad 1000F or 1600F is an excellent photograhic tool and a joy to use.

V-System

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

The Hasselblad V-System evolved out of Victor Hasselblad's desire to develop a flexible camera system. This system includes interchangeable bodies, lenses, viewfinders, winders, film magazines and holders, and other accessories. Problems with the focal plane shutters in the 1600F and 1000F cameras and especially the increasing importance of electronic flash led to the development of the manual leaf shutter based medium format 6x6 (6x6 cm or 2¼x2¼ in.) 500C SLR camera in 1957 which offered flash synchronization at all shutter speeds. The 500C was joined by the motor driven 500EL SLR camera in 1964. These two cameras, together with the Superwide Camera (SWC) which was introduced in 1954 as a wide angle camera using the excellent Carl Zeiss Biogon 38mm f/4.5 lens and built-in levels for exacting architecture photography, formed the core of the V-system and shared most accessories (with a few exceptions). All accessories are extremely robust, and well-designed. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2170x1838, 344 KB) Summary Description = Hasselblad 503 CW with Zeiss F-Distagon 3,5/30 and digital back Ixpress V96C (16 MB pixel sensor) Source = Author Date = 2006-03-12 Author = Hannes Grobe Licensing File links The following pages link to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2170x1838, 344 KB) Summary Description = Hasselblad 503 CW with Zeiss F-Distagon 3,5/30 and digital back Ixpress V96C (16 MB pixel sensor) Source = Author Date = 2006-03-12 Author = Hannes Grobe Licensing File links The following pages link to... Carl Zeiss in middle age. ...

Throughout the life of the V Series, Hasselblad has been incrementally updating the cameras. The 500C gave way to the 500C/M, the 501C, and finally the 501C/M as the basic manual. The SWC was replaced by the SWC/M, the 903 SWC, and finally by the 905 SWC. The 500EL's replacements included the 500EL/M, 500ELX, 553ELX, and the 555ELD. Added later to the line were cameras that included TTL/OTF (through the lens/off the film) flash metering the 503CX, which was replaced by the 503CXi and the 503CW. Also added was the 2000/200 series of focal plane shutter cameras starting with the 2000FC, 2000FCM, 2000FCW, 2003FCW and then followed by the 201F, 202FA, 203FE, and 205FCC, which added a level of automation to the V series. There were also two series of medium format view cameras developed related to the V series: the FlexBody and the ArcBody.

The EL-Series

In 1964 Hasselblad started production of a motorized camera, the 500 EL. Apart from the housing that incorporates the motor drive and the NiCd-batteries this camera is similar in appearance and operation to the Hasselblad 500 C and uses the same magazines, lenses and viewfinders. This camera and its successors: The nickel-cadmium battery (commonly abbreviated NiCd or NiCad) is a popular type of rechargeable battery for portable electronics and toys. ...

• 500 EL (1964-1970)
• 500 EL/M (1971-1984, introduced user-interchangeable screen),
• 500 ELX (1984-1988, introduced TTL-flash sensor and larger non-vignetting mirror),
• 553 ELX (introduced new internal light-absorbing coating and use of AA-batteries), and
• 555 ELD (1998-2006, introduced new mirror mechanics and electronic contacts for communication with digital backs)

have been and still are used mainly as workhorses in photo studios. This camera type became also very famous when it was used in the US Apollo lunar exploration program. As an outgrowth of the experience with NASA cameras a photogrammetric version of the Hasselblad 500 EL/M, the Hasselblad MK70, was constructed with specially calibrated components.^[12]

X-System

The dual-format X-System comprised the XPan and XPan II, and was Hasselblad's first camera to use 35mm film. Built with a rubber-covered titanium and aluminium body, they were designed as a coupled rangefinder camera with interchangeable, compact lenses.

The XPan reverted to the focal plane shutter, offering 8-1/1000s, and flash sync from B (max. 270s) – 1/125s.

The intent in releasing the XPan was to provide medium format image quality on 35 mm film. The XPan utilised the entire area of the 35 mm film for either panorama or 35mm format, providing a panorama effect without masking the film or reducing image quality. This technique produced a panorama negative almost three times larger than traditional masking and over 5 times larger than that of APS cameras.^[13] Panoramic photography is a style of photography that aims to create images with exceptionally wide fields of view, but has also come to refer to any photograph that is cropped to a relatively wide aspect ratio (see Panoramic format) While there is no formal definition for the point at which... Masking is a drawing technique invented in Japan in the mid- to late 20th century employed in comics and animation. ... An Advanced Photo System (IX240) film cartridge Advanced Photo System (APS) is a film format for still photography. ...

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. Fujifilm Holdings Corporation or Fujifilm ) is a Japanese company known for its photographic film and cameras. ...

H-System

Hasselblad launched the H-System at Photokina in September 2002. Photokina is a trade fair for the photographic and imaging industries. ...

H1

The H1 departed from previous Hasselblad cameras in several respects. Hasselblad moved away from the traditional 6x6 format to 645 and included autofocus lenses.

It was in large part manufactured by Fuji and featured Fuji-made lenses, leaf prisms and film backs, thus departing from Hasselblad's long association with Zeiss.

The H1 had a number of other innovations, including:

• replacement of the removable dark slide with a fold-out lever
• inserts and backs that could accept both 120 and 220 film
• automatic film advance
• digital back integration
• electronic leaf shutters with timing from 1/800 seconds down to 18 hours^[14]

As with the V series, most H1 and H2 series components were compatible with another.

H2D

H3D

Hasselblad took what many perceived as a further radical change of direction with the H3D ^{[citation needed]}, when it effectively abandoned the fundamental principles of interchangeability and backward compatability. The new H3D lenses and backs were no longer compatible with H1, H2 or V-series cameras, though the waist-level finder could still be used. Hasselblad's official position on the move away from interchangeability was:

"In truth, [the H2] was a great film camera to which a digital back could be fitted, and...Hasselblad started to look at ways that image quality and functionality could be enhanced even more through better integration...The H2 camera has not, in any way, been diminished by Hasselblad’s separate development of functions specifically for the integrated H3D. However, lacking the necessary integration of the new camera engine and Hasselblad Flexcolor software, these functions cannot work on the H2."^[15]

The H lineup has progressed including models packaged with a digital back (film backs are still usable)^[16][17][18]:

A pixel (a contraction of picture element) is one of the many tiny dots that make up the representation of a picture in a computers memory. ... An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a light-emitting diode (LED) made of semiconducting organic polymers. ... CompactFlash (CF) was originally a type of data storage device, used in portable electronic devices. ...

Scanners

When Hasselblad merged with Imacon in 2004, it acquired Imacon's existing range of Flextight scanners. In 2006, Hasselblad launched two additional Flextight models, the X1 and the X5. In computing, a scanner is a device that analyzes images, printed text, or handwriting, or an object (such as an ornament) and converts it to a digital image. ...

• The X1 had the ability to scan positive/negative film at 6300 dpi optical resolution, and a 60MB/minute scan speed.
• The X5 added A4 reflective scanning, a batch / slide feeder, active cooling to keep noise down, 8000 dpi optical resolution, and a 300MB/minute scan speed.^[19]

Dots per inch (DPI) is a measure of printing resolution, in particular the number of individual dots of ink a printer or toner can produce within a linear one-inch space. ...

Company Publications

Hasselblad published the Hasselblad Forum until 2007, when it was replaced by the new large-format journal, Victor.

See also

• Hasselblad Award
• List of Swedish companies
• Zeiss
• Medium Format

The Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography is an award granted to a photographer recognized for major achievements. The award - and the foundation - was set up from the estate of Erna and Victor Hasselblad. ... This is a list of Swedish companies: A&E design Asea Brown Boveri (Swedish-Swiss) Alfa Laval Akzo Nobel (Swedish-Dutch) Arla Foods (Swedish-Danish) Arla Plast Autoliv ASSA ABLOY AstraZeneca (Swedish-British) Atlas Copco (Swedish-Belgian) Avanza Axel Johnson Group Axel Johnson AB Axfood Bodum Group (Danish) Ordning & Reda... Carl Zeiss in middle age. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

• Nordin, Richard (1997). Hasselblad System Compendium. United Kingdom: Hove Books, 286. ISBN 9781897802106. 
• Wildi, Ernst (2000). The Hasselblad Manual 5th Edition. Amsterdam: Focal Press, 360pp ill.. ISBN 024080385X. 

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official site.
• Shriro Group acquisition announcement.
• Hasselblad Historical.
• Hasselblad Historical's V-System Close-Up Calculator.
• http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Hasselblad
• Hasselblad's Xpan A brief run-down of Hasselblad's Xpan by New Zealand panoramic photographer, Matthew Joseph.
• Xpan Review - by Chris Groenhout
• the current home of the Hasselblad User Group - an active mailing list of Hasselblad users