Hasselblad H6D 100c Review
The H6D100c camera system is the flagship medium format camera from Hasselblad launched in April 2016. The Hasselblad H6D is a modular system that gives the professional a choice of 2 digital backs. The 50c which has a 50 megapixel CMOS sensor 43.8mm x 32.9mm (8272 x 6200 pixels, 5.3 x 5.3 μm) and the 100c which as the name suggests houses a 100 megapixel CMOS sensor 53.4mm x 40.0mm, (11600 x 8700 pixels, 4.6 x 4.6 μm) For the past 2 years, Hasselblad have very generously loaned me the H6D100c system over the Christmas period to photograph the London New year’s fireworks display. And while I had it, I put it to use.
The Hasselblad H6D100c is a beautifully crafted camera, the moment you pick it up you know that it was crafted by the finest engineers out of the best materials available. The build quality is superb. Ergonomically the camera is superb all the buttons and dials are at your fingertips without having to fumble around for them and are completely customisable. The new touchscreen interface is simple to use, a swipe up or down, left or right brings up new intuitive menus, and keeps the trinity of exposure accessible and simple to use. The Hasselblad H6D is a modern camera that remains true to Hasselblad’s heritage.
The Hasselblad H6D is no small camera. The camera plus a selection of lenses and a sturdy tripod is a serious weight to carry; you will certainly know you have one in your camera bag as you walk around in the woods, I certainly did. However the satisfaction from using it makes carrying the weight around worth it as the simplicity of the design lets you just focus on your photography, which is made more worthwhile when you get the files home to look at.
The 100-megapixel medium format sensor produces the most incredibly detailed files that I loved exploring and with 15 stops of dynamic range you can shoot into the morning sun while retaining shadow detail in your foreground. As you would expect from any Hasselblad system the images are crisp, pin sharp, with a rich beautiful and natural colour palate.
