Trivia question

[simonpg]

Well to liven things up around here I have a trivia question for everyone to have a go at.

It comes from an early edition of Forum and was a story that surprised me. This edition along with 3 others was for sale - all four for $5! Reading them recently made me wish that Hasselblad didn't kill it in favour of the large format Victor magazine.

Anyway, the trivia questions is:
What was the name of the specialist digital camera developed by Hasselblad and launched at Photokina in 2000?

Hints. Its specialist application was to enable artifact-free digital images from a multi-sensor camera. The camera in Hasselblad's words "compact" and was a JV development. It required the development of its own specialist Hasselblad lenses and also enabled the use of Canon EF lenses! It produced 12MB image files.

Secondly, What was the name of the sensor and who was Hasselblad's JV partner in this camera?

My guess is that what seemed a major breakthrough in 2000, was ultimately a still-born idea!

Good luck!

PS You may all be wondering what the prize is!! Well, the other day I was given a pack of Fujichrome Sensia 100 film. This batch is VINTAGE film - from 2004 Now, I have no idea if it is still OK, but it was always refrigerated, so maybe it will be fine. Therefore, the LUCKY winner will receive a role of 2004 vintage Sensia 100 all the way from Aus

 

[terrydent]

That's easy! The Hasselblad Dfinity. It had a Foveon sensor in it. I think it took Canon or Nikon lenses! What were they thinking??? After Photokina I never heard of it again. Did they really sell any?

Regards, Terry

 

[polypal]

PS You may all be wondering what the prize is!! Well, the other day I was given a pack of Fujichrome Sensia 100 film. This batch is VINTAGE film - from 2004 Now, I have no idea if it is still OK, but it was always refrigerated, so maybe it will be fine. Therefore, the LUCKY winner will receive a role of 2004 vintage Sensia 100 all the way from Aus

Well this may have serious consequences on my holiday plans.
I was thinking of enjoying some real winter as in my part of the world there is not any.
My plans were the go to the North pole.
That means the roll of Velvia will have to travel from South Australia all the way up north.
Maybe I should make reservations on the South pole?
BTW no doubt that I will be the winner of this contest!

Paul

 

[jotloob]

Simon

I have never heard of that camera project .
So I will not be able to participate here .
But might be , you could supply some images of that camera .
Did it ever appear in a HASSELBLAD catalog ? ? ? If so , in which one ? ? ?

Jürgen

 

[polypal]

Simon,

It seems you are about to loose all 5 rolls of Vintage Sensia!

At the last camera fair I found quite a few roll films that were over the date.
I felt a bit guilty selling the B/W ones to a young girl.
Of course she is right. These films can be used without a problem.

I only use them to check spacing of film backs.........

Paul

 

[terrydent]

The Hasselblad DFinity​

 

[polypal]

New question.

Now that the mystery camera matter is solved I think I have another nice little thing to keep you busy:





It is a part of the Hasselblad system but I am sure it did not leave the factory in this condition.

The first with the right answer will get a free membership for the FUC.
Please don't spoil the fun by telling him or her its free any way.

 

[jotloob]

Terry

She is not a beauty and I am missing the release button .
But perhaps the shutter release was already controlled by an acustic device .
When you wanted to release the shutter , you just needed to whisper : VICTOR , and your image was taken .

 

[terrydent]

Paul, Is that a cable hook for the 500c series?

 

[jotloob]

Cable hook ? ? ?

Terry

Have a look into the albums . VINTAGE JEWELS .
Picture 4 of 7 .
The hook was a present from Paul .
I had not seen that little part before . So that gift was a great surprise for me and brought great pleasure into my little collection .

 

[polypal]

It WAS a cable hook.
This one was run over by at least a train and a fire tender.

Found at the camera fair in Houten Holland.
Wilko and I saw this one fitted to an EL body.
Of course we decided to confiscate this miserable little hook.
It has a place in my show case with funny objects.


Paul

 

[wbulte]

It WAS a cable hook.
This one was run over by at least a train and a fire tender.

Found at the camera fair in Houten Holland.
Wilko and I saw this one fitted to an EL body.
Of course we decided to confiscate this miserable little hook.
It has a place in my show case with funny objects.


Paul

It also proves these little thingies are not always lost, this one was quite stubbornly attached to the EL.

Wilko

 

[terrydent]

Jurgen,

I love your pictures of VINTAGE JEWELS, especially the super wide with digital back. It says a lot!

 

[simonpg]

Brilliant Terry!! You win the prize of vintage Sensia - just PM me your home address and it will be shipped without delay. I'm told that Sensia is like a great wine - matures over time!

The compatible lenses were Canon EF versions with plans that Hasselblad would build its own too.

Jurgen, I believe that no production versions were built. I only became aware of it when I read that old edition of Forum, which had a full report on it from Photokina. Interesting that Hasselblad selected the Foveon sensor (2 actually) for the camera. I believe it was to do with the "layer" technology that Foveon was based on (like Fujifilm products). That reminds me - I believe Foveon's inventor died late last year. However, if I am wrong here, Terry may know better.

However gentlemen, it was fun as too was Paul's little gem. I had no idea that such a thing existed.

Paul, your comment about the film is interesting, because a few months ago my lab owner told me (I had brought in a film that expired in 2005 but had been kept in a freezer since a month after its expiry date) that Fujichrome films (both consumer and pro versions) greatly outlive their official expiry dates. He said in normal home temperatures he has processed films up to 5 years expired, so film kept in a refridgerator should be reliably in good shape. Kept frozen he felt the film would have NO risk of going off. Well I have used films I have had frozen for 5 or more years after expiry (frozen around the time of expiry) and they are 100% spot on - colour, exposure etc..

Finally, reading through the 4 old copies of Forum I bought, reminded me of what a shame it is that Hasselblad stopped it in favour of Victor. In 2 of them they ahve terrific articles on the XPan too - with great pictures made by the XPan. Anyone else feel the same way??

 

[terrydent]

Simon, I know what you mean about the Forum magazines. I often look through my 2000 Hasselblad catalog fondly. The one with the giraffe on it. It has the 501CM, 503CW 555ELD, 202FA, 203FE, 205FCC, 903SWC, Flexbody, Arcbody and Xpan. A full complement of CFi, CFE and FE lenses, 40mm thorough 500mm.The Tele-Photo Power Pack! Tele-converters. PC Mutar shift converter. PCP80 projector. On and on and on! Oh well, enough of dreamland..........

 

[simonpg]

Wow!! What a catalogue Terry! I do remember drooling over a Hasselblad V series brochure about 15 years ago - beautiful monochrome brochure with such subtle graphics and layout and lovely B&W pictures of each camera model.

I was fixated reading the specs of each to understand how each model differed. Inside was a separate Aussie market price list - it brought tears to my eyes!! The realisation that I could hardly afford any model let alone a bunch of lenses was awful! Little did I know that the whole industry would be sent into turmoil by the digi-revolution and that mint condition Hasselblads and CZ lenses would be affordable and I would build a full kit over time.

Interestingly, used Hasselblad gear now has steadily increased in value here - equally reflecting the poor Aussie dollar, massive increases in new MF equipment prices, and (according to dealers) increased interest in MF.

I saw a week ago a dealer's 2009 price-list and was blown away by the prices of new V series lenses and accessories since 2008, e.g.:
80mm CFi = $6,000.00 (from about $4k) - the cheapest,
40mm CFi FLE = $9,000.00 (from about $5k) - the dearest (except the SA),
all in about 1 year!

BUT, amazingly, the prices of new A12 and E12 film backs are SO CHEAP - the former is about $550 and the latter about $400!!! Last year second hand versions were more and new backs were double this price! It seems that the E backs reflect the fact that Hasselblad dropped the 200 series and they probably want to clear out their stock.

 

[polypal]

I saw a week ago a dealer's 2009 price-list and was blown away by the prices of new V series lenses and accessories since 2008, e.g.:
80mm CFi = $6,000.00 (from about $4k) - the cheapest,
40mm CFi FLE = $9,000.00 (from about $5k) - the dearest (except the SA),
all in about 1 year!

It takes a while but these prices reflect the poor value of the $ at the moment.
As soon a foreign currency loses its value against your own money it is the right time
to buy Hasselblad or any other items in that foreign currency.
After a while prices catch up and the profit is gone.

 

[simonpg]

So true Paul. When I have bought mint Hasselblad gear I have always had to time my buy when the Aussie $ is 0.75c+ against the US$. It was how I managed to add my last Hassselblad lens to my V series kit - CF 60mm Distagon, nearly 2 years ago now.

It is in absolutely new condition and like the owner said it must not have been used more than 1 or 2 times - using a magnifier I could see no evidence of a hood having been fitted to it; absolutely no evidence the lens had been mounted to a body; remarkably not even 1 spec of dust inside the barrel! I bought through zBay because the guy was totally responsive to all email questions and emailed me extra pix I requested. But the pix he had on zBay were badly taken and poorly lit - no one else bid!

The great thing was it cost me no more than AUSSIE$900.00 including post, local tax. It came in its new box and even the original plastic bag etc..

I got soooooooo lucky! I had looked for one for 2 years and all were much more expensive and in just reasonable cosmetic condition - I prefer to buy used gear the way I would look after new gear - mint.

 

[polypal]

Simon,

Jürgen and you are 16.000 miles apart but both of you have exactly the same preference as to the condition of gear to buy.

Amazing.......


Paul

 

[wbulte]

Simon,

Jürgen and you are 16.000 miles apart but both of you have exactly the same prefenrence as to the condition of gear to buy.

Amazing.......


Paul

Alles nur vom Feinsten.. now what would the Aussie equivalent be?

Wilko
(bored stiff from scanning my 22 films exposed on Cuba, still 19 to go )