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NuclearCrap
05-04-2006, 10:59 PM
H2D-39, the 39 megapixel digital camera

High-end Swedish camera manufacturer, Hasselblad have announced a 39 megapixel digital camera, the H2D-39. That's right: thirty nine million pixels.

You'd be forgiven for jumping around the room like Christopher Lloyd in Back To The Future shouting "1.21 gigawatts!" at this news. Thirty nine megapixels. Yes, we know, that's rather a lot.

Once you have picked yourself off the floor, let's talk about the details. It is, of course, a dSLR camera but it features a new CCD sensor that is more than twice the size of a regular 35mm camera's sensor at 36.7mm x 49mm. Consider for a second that the 12.8MP Canon EOS 5D has a 35.8mm x 23.9mm CCD and you begin to appreciate how insane the H2D-39 really is.

Hasselblad don't list a specific resolution on their website, but considering the EOS 5D produces photos at 4368x2912, we estimate the H2D-39 is good for something in the order of 8000x5000 in round figures in order to produce 39 megapixel images.

The basic camera starts at some US$32,000 though just like buying a BMW, expect to shell out plenty more for accessories like lenses, battery packs and no small amount on storage. Sure, Flash memory is pretty cheap these days, but a single photo taken at full whack on the H2D-39 will chew 78MB, or "only" 50MB with lossless compression applied. That's just ten shots on the 512MB card you got for Christmas that will hold over 200 photos at 5MP.

In fact, Seagate very kindly provided us with their latest 8GB Compact Flash card recently, good for over 3,200 photos at 5 megapixels. Use the same card in the Hasselblad, and you're looking at just 160 shots. Happily, the H2D-39 has a FireWire 800 interface and an optional 80GB external hard drive is available, allowing you to snap away to your heart's content.

You might want to invest in a tripod though - at 2.175KG (4.8 pounds) the H2D-39 rivals some notebook computers in terms of weight.

You can read the full specification PDF on the Hasselblad website, and post your comments on this loony camera in our News Discussion forum.

Source (http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/01/16/h2d-39_megapixel_camera/)

http://www.bit-tech.net/news_images/h2d-39_megapixel_camera/article_img.jpg
2ndclasscitizen
05-04-2006, 11:15 PM
Not really as exciting as you'd think, considering the size of a medium format sensor and those found in normal digital cameras. Google medium format and have a look. Oh, yes, and those things are monsters, even film ones.
NuclearCrap
05-04-2006, 11:18 PM
Not really as exciting as you'd think, considering the size of a medium format sensor and those found in normal digital cameras. Google medium format and have a look. Oh, yes, and those things are monsters, even film ones.

Lol I can't believe they're selling it for $40k. :D
2ndclasscitizen
05-04-2006, 11:45 PM
Then you gotta buy lenses, and then the LBA sets in...
Wouter Melissen
05-05-2006, 12:58 AM
The person that wrote that article is an idiot. It's not like this is big news.

EDIT: It's typical of the rediculous obesession with megapixels going on in the point and shoot marketplace.
Spastik_Roach
05-05-2006, 01:11 AM
I survive fine with a D-SLR with about 1/33th of the megapixels :)
2ndclasscitizen
05-05-2006, 01:24 AM
The person that wrote that article is an idiot. It's not like this is big news.

EDIT: It's typical of the rediculous obesession with megapixels going on in the point and shoot marketplace.
Easy, it's written by technology website, not a photographic one. Look up PC Mag's review of the DS and DL and you'll know what I mean
Lagonda
05-05-2006, 01:33 AM
It probably uses PhaseOne's 39MP P45 digital back. Which they already were selling at the end of 2005 ;)
McReis
05-05-2006, 03:49 AM
The person that wrote that article is an idiot. It's not like this is big news.

EDIT: It's typical of the rediculous obesession with megapixels going on in the point and shoot marketplace.


Yep. I was waiting for the point of the article in wich they would finnaly end up telling us the real features of the camera, but no. They kept talking about the 39MP instead of telling us about lens and such. Very uninsteresting article. And it's a way too heavy camera for those who already have to carry a ladder.
2ndclasscitizen
05-05-2006, 04:18 PM
It probably uses PhaseOne's 39MP P45 digital back. Which they already were selling at the end of 2005 ;)
I'm pretty sure Hasselbad makes their own
Lagonda
05-06-2006, 03:57 AM
I doubt that Hasselblad makes/designs the sensors themselves. I think it's just a PhaseOne sensor that Hasselblad puts into a Hasselblad back. But I could be wrong.
2ndclasscitizen
05-06-2006, 05:57 AM
You could be, I don't know. I've seen a fair bit of news about this spread around the net and never seen it mentioned. When Mamiya went digital, they designed their own sensor. Not that it really matters to them now
my porsche
05-06-2006, 10:34 AM
I doubt that Hasselblad makes/designs the sensors themselves. I think it's just a PhaseOne sensor that Hasselblad puts into a Hasselblad back. But I could be wrong.
its a kodak sensor, they also make other sensors for haselblad.
NuclearCrap
05-06-2006, 08:48 PM
Here's an article by a photography site. Looks like it does capture high-quality photos according to several other similar sites.

http://www.photographyblog.com/index.php/weblog/comments/hasselblad_h2d_39_39_megapixel_camera/