Hasselblad ends support for H system

Hasselblad has officially discontinued its H system of medium format DSLR cameras. The news was broken on the website of the camera supplier Capture Integration. Capture Integration is a specialist supplier of medium-format camera equipment.

What is medium format?

Medium format cameras have a sensor that is larger than a full-frame camera. Full-frame digital camera sensors are based on the size of a frame of 35 mm still photography film. However, medium format camera sensors were originally based on the larger 120 mm film format. As larger sensors have more megapixels, they, therefore, take images with higher image quality. Medium format cameras are often used by landscape or fine art photographers.

What has Hasselblad done?

Hasselblad has stopped taking new orders for any products in the H system range. In addition, all products are marked as out of stock. It’s a decision that has been coming for some time, though. The company last issued a new product back in 2016. The H6D system camera was also advertised as “a new chapter in medium format photography” at the time. However, the lack of new products shows that Hasselblad was not looking to develop the H system further since then.

What will happen to Hasselblad now?

In 2017 Hasselblad was bought by drone manufacturer DJI. The company has also developed a new X series of medium format cameras. However, these are mirrorless rather than DSLR cameras. According to Capture Integration, the mirrorless X series has been a huge success for Hasselblad. In addition, Capture Integration said that three new X series lenses released by Hasselblad were still on backorder as demand was so high.

What we think

The trend for camera manufacturers has been to move away from DSLRs and towards mirrorless designs for some time now. This is true for the full-frame market, and the actions of Hasselblad show that it is also the case for medium format cameras. While some users will be unhappy at the decision to discontinue the H system, at least the future of the famous Hasselblad brand seems secure for now.

Pete Tomkies
Pete Tomkies
Pete Tomkies is a freelance cinematographer and camera operator from Manchester, UK. He also produces and directs short films as Duck66 Films. Pete's latest short Once Bitten... won 15 awards and was selected for 105 film festivals around the world.

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