Hasselblad

Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish company that makes special cameras, photo tools, and image scanners. It is located in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company is famous for its classic cameras that were used a long time ago. One of the most exciting uses of Hasselblad cameras was during the Apollo program when the first humans landed on the Moon. Almost all the pictures taken on the Moon were made with special Hasselblad cameras.

Former Hasselblad headquarters built in 2003 (now occupied by Sveriges Television AB)

In 2016, Hasselblad made a big change by creating the world’s first digital compact camera for medium-format photos, called the X1D-50c. This made it easier to carry and use these special cameras. Even today, Hasselblad makes about 10,000 cameras each year from a small three-storey building. Their cameras are special because they capture very clear and detailed pictures, which is why they are used by many professional photographers.

Company history

Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish company that makes special cameras and image scanners. It started in 1841 in Gothenburg, Sweden, as a trading company by Fritz Wiktor Hasselblad. Later, his son Arvid Viktor Hasselblad became interested in photography and started a photographic division.

Hasselblad 2000 FC M with Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8 T* lens

During World War II, the Swedish military asked Victor Hasselblad to help design a special camera for airplanes. This led to the creation of the HK7 camera. After the war, Hasselblad continued making cameras and other products. In 1948, they released the 1600 F camera, which was very important for professional photographers.

The big breakthrough came in 1957 with the 500 C camera. This design became the basis for many Hasselblad cameras for many years. In 1962, NASA started using Hasselblad cameras for space missions, which made the brand very famous. Hasselblad continued to develop new cameras and later moved into digital imaging.

Main article: Victor Hasselblad

In space

Several different models of Hasselblad cameras were taken into space, all specially changed to make them easier to use. NASA chose these cameras because they could change lenses and film rolls easily. The cameras were adjusted so astronauts could use them while wearing spacesuits.

The Blue Marble taken with a 70-millimeter Hasselblad camera using an 80-millimeter Zeiss lens

The first of these special cameras were used on the last two Project Mercury missions in 1962 and 1963, and they continued to be used during the Gemini spaceflights in 1965 and 1966.

Apollo program

After a serious problem in 1967, NASA made sure all equipment was very safe to use in space. Special electric cameras were first used on Apollo 8. On Apollo 11, three special cameras went to the Moon, and one was left there with film magazines. Later missions also used Hasselblad cameras, and today there are 11 of them still on the lunar surface, with only the film magazines brought back to Earth. Apollo 15 also added a long lens to the cameras.

Products

Hasselblad is a Swedish company that makes special cameras and tools for taking and scanning photos. They are famous for their medium format cameras, which make very high-quality pictures.

Hasselblad 1600F with Kodak Ektar 2.8/80 mm lens

The company started with classic cameras like the HK-7 and SKa4, and later became well-known for its use during the Apollo missions, where astronauts took pictures of the Moon with Hasselblad cameras. Over the years, Hasselblad has made many different cameras, including the V System and the H System, which allow photographers to change lenses and other parts easily.

Today, Hasselblad also makes digital cameras and scanners, helping photographers capture and store images in many ways.

Hasselblad camera timeline
System	1940s										1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s										2020s
System	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Early		HK-7
Early		SKa4
6×6 (FP)									1600F
6×6 (FP)														1000F
6×6 V															Super Wide					Super Wide C (SWC)																					SWC/M									903 SWC												905 SWC
																		500C														500C/M (500 Classic, 1990–92)																								501C			501CM
																																																	503CX						503CXi			503CW (503CWD, 2006)
																											500EL					500EL/M													500ELX				553ELX											555ELD
																																						2000 FC					2000 FC/M			2000 FCW				2003 FCW			205 TCC			205 FCC
																																																							203 FE
																																																								201 F				202 FA
																																																								FlexBody
																																																										ArcBody
135 XPan																																																											XPan					XPan II
645 H																																																															H1, H1D			H2, H2D		H3D		H4D			H5D				H6D
44×33 X																																																																	X1D			X1D II			X2D
																																																																	907X
																																																																	CFV			CFV II		CFV 100C

Model	Sensor	ISO range	ISO range (with Phocus)	Capture speed	HC lens factor	Eq. focal length	Display	Storage
H3DII-31	33.1 mm × 44.2 mm, 31 megapixels, 16 bit	100–800	100–1600	1.2 s	1.3	31 mm	3" OLED	CF
H3DII-39	36.8 mm × 49.0 mm, 39 megapixels, 16 bit	50–400	50–800	1.4 s	1.1	28 mm
H3DII-50	36.8 mm × 49.0 mm, 50 megapixels, 16 bit	50–400	50–800	1.1 s	1.1	28 mm

Model	Sensor	ISO range	ISO range (with Phocus)	Capture speed	HC lens factor	Eq. focal length	Display	Storage	Video recording
H4D-40	33.1 mm × 44.2 mm, 40 megapixels, 16 bit	100-800	100–1600	1.1 s	1.3	31 mm	3"	CF
H4D-50	36.8 mm × 49.1 mm, 50 megapixels, 16 bit	50–400	50–800	1.1 s	1.1	28 mm	3"	CF
H4D-60	40.2 mm × 53.7 mm, 60 megapixels, 16 bit	50–400	50–800	1.1 s	1.0	28 mm	3"	CF
H4D-200MS	36.7 mm × 49.1 mm, 50 megapixels, 16 bit 200 megapixels in multishot mode	50–400	50–800	1.1 s	1.0	28 mm	3"	CF	None

Model	Sensor	ISO range	ISO range (with Phocus)	Capture speed	HC lens factor	Eq. focal length	Display	Storage	Video recording
H5D-40	32.9 mm × 43.8 mm, 40 megapixels, 16 bit	100–800	100–1600	1.1 s	1.3	31 mm	3"	CF
H5D-50	36.8 mm × 49.1 mm, 50 megapixels, 16 bit	50–400	50–800	1.1 s	1.1	28 mm	3"	CF
H5D-60	40.2 mm × 53.7 mm, 60 megapixels, 16 bit	50–400	50–800	1.1 s	1.0	28 mm	3"	CF
H5D-200MS	36.7 mm × 49.1 mm, 50 megapixels, 16 bit 200 megapixels in multishot mode	50–400	50–800	1.1 s	1.0	28 mm	3"	CF	None

Model	Sensor	ISO range	Capture speed	Shutter speed	Flash sync speed	Display	Storage	Video recording	Host connection type
H6D-50C	CMOS, 50 MP (8272 × 6200 pixels, 5.3 × 5.3 μm), 43.8 × 32.9 mm, 16 bit	100–6400	1.7–2.3 s	60 min to 1/2000 s	Flash usable at all shutter speeds	3''	CFast card, SD card or tethered to Mac or PC	HD (1920 × 1080p)	USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s) Type-C connector, Mini HDMI, Audio In/out
H6D-100C	CMOS, 100 MP (11600 × 8700 pixels, 4.6 × 4.6 μm), 53.4 × 40.0 mm, 16 bit	64–12800	TBD	60 min to 1/2000 s	Flash usable at all shutter speeds	3''	CFast card, SD card or tethered to Mac or PC	HD (1920 × 1080p) UHD/4K (3840 × 2160p)	USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s) Type-C connector, Mini HDMI, Audio In/out
H6D-400C MS	CMOS, 100 MP (11600 × 8700 pixels, 4.6 × 4.6 μm), 53.4 × 40.0 mm, 16 bit	64–12800		60 min to 1/2000 s	Flash usable at all shutter speeds	3''	CFast card, SD card or tethered to Mac or PC	HD (1920 × 1080p) UHD/4K (3840 × 2160p)	USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s) Type-C connector, Mini HDMI, Audio In/out
H6D-400C MS	Single-shot 100 MP 4-shot 100 MP 6-shot 400 MP	64–12800		60 min to 1/2000 s	Flash usable at all shutter speeds	3''	CFast card, SD card or tethered to Mac or PC	HD (1920 × 1080p) UHD/4K (3840 × 2160p)

Model	Sensor	ISO range	Capture speed	Shutter speed	Flash sync speed	Display	Storage	Video recording	Host connection type
X1D-50c	CMOS, 51 MP (8272 × 6200 pixels, 5.3 × 5.3 μm), 43.8 × 32.9 mm, 16 bit	100–25600	2.0 fps	60 min to 1/2000 s	Flash usable at all shutter speeds	3.0''	Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC	HD (1920 × 1080)	USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s) Type-C connector, Mini HDMI, Audio In/out
X1D II 50C	CMOS, 51 MP (8272 × 6200 pixels, 5.3 × 5.3 μm), 43.8 × 32.9 mm	100–25600	2.7 fps	60 min to 1/2000 s	Flash usable at all shutter speeds	3.6"	Dual UHS-II SD	2.7K (2720 × 1530) HD (1920 × 1080)	USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s) Type-C connector, Audio In/out

Collaborations

Sony

In 2012, Hasselblad started making new designs of digital cameras from Sony. At a big photography show in Germany, they announced a new camera without a mirror that used Sony parts. This camera, called the Lunar, used a good camera part from Sony and was sold as a very fancy model. It came out in the summer of 2013.

Later, Hasselblad also made a smaller, easy-to-carry camera from Sony and called it the Stellar. They kept working with Sony to make special versions of their cameras, selling them under the Hasselblad name for higher prices.

Mobile phones (OnePlus and Oppo)

In 2021, a company named OnePlus made a big agreement with Hasselblad to improve the cameras in their phones. The OnePlus 9 series was the first to have these better cameras.

In 2022, another company, Oppo, also started working with Hasselblad for three years to make better cameras for their phones. The Oppo Find X5 was the first Oppo phone to use this technology, and later models like the Oppo Find X6 and Oppo Find X7 also included it.

Company publications

Hasselblad used to publish a magazine called the Hasselblad Forum until 2007. After that, they started a new magazine called Victor. You can read Victor online as a PDF, but you need to sign up to see it.