Features
The principal advantage of a medium-format-type camera comes from the quality it is able to deliver, and this is a result of the optics and sensor. Compared with a full-frame 35mm-style DSLR sensor, the 31-million-pixel CCD on the H4D-31 has a surface area roughly 1.7x larger and, despite the higher pixel count, still has physically larger photosites than those of either the Nikon D3X or the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III professional-level cameras. Files are saved in Hasselblad’s native 3FR raw format with a compressed size of roughly 40MB per image, which is a lossless compression that is claimed to reduce required storage space by 33% compared to Adobe’s DNG format.
The camera produces a 4872×6496-pixel image, which equates to a 16×21.5in print at 300ppi, or just shy of an A2 paper size. Not having the ability to output an accompanying JPEG file will seem a little strange to a 35mm-style DSLR user, but it means that heavy processing can be saved for the PC or Mac.
The camera allows an ISO range of 100 to 1600, which is more than sufficient for most shooting situations on this type of camera. The capture rate is around 0.7 frames per second, or 42 frames per minute – time enough for the flash heads to refresh between shots. The H4D-31 uses compact flash for storage and can make use of the full 90MB/s transfer speeds of the Extreme Pro cards. It also features a FireWire 800 connection to allow the camera to be tethered directly to a computer and save images straight to the hard drive.
Hasselblad H-series cameras are modular in their make-up. This means that the included viewfinder can be swapped for a waist-level chimney finder, a GPS receiver can be added, and the sensor unit can even be detached and then reattached to any view camera with a Hasselblad H adapter. There are currently 11 H-series lenses ranging from 28mm through to a 300mm f/4.5 (an equivalent of roughly 22mm and 240mm on 35mm format respectively), all with autofocus. C-type lenses from the V system can also be mounted using an optional CF lens adapter. The sample we used came with the 35-90mm f/4-5.6 HCD and Macro 120mm f/4 HC lenses.
The H4D-31’s metering system offers a choice off spot, centreweighted and centrespot, but no sign of a full evaluative mode. The interesting part, though, comes in the camera’s focusing. The autofocus is a single-point system but comes with a few tricks up its sleeve, namely a new AF assist light and a facility called True Focus. When shooting with a shallow depth of field, focusing with the centre point and then recomposing can result in a slight change in focus distance as the camera is tilted. The Absolute Position Lock processor features sensors to detect the angle of the camera and adjust the focus if needed. This allows the subject to remain at its sharpest.
The shooting modes allow a choice of PASM settings, but the camera also allows you to load and save profiles that control a wide range of the features, much like custom modes. Built into the viewfinder module is a pop-up flash – a very unusual but welcome addition to such a professional camera, and great for adding fill-in or triggering other flash heads.
