We're used to seeing Hasselblad cameras in high places; last month the firm launched a 100-megapixel drone, and the company isn't shy about reminding people its cameras have been used on the moon. Now Hasselblad has announced another sky-bound shooter with the A6D-100c. The updated medium-format aerial camera system sees resolution boosted up to 100-megapixels, and dynamic range increased to 15 stops.
The A6D-100c follows on from the A5D which was launched in 2015 and is again an industrial device aimed primarily at aerial surveying and mapping users. The headline attraction this time around is the jump to using a 100-MP medium-format CMOS sensor, where its predecessor was only available in resolutions up to 60-MP. This new sensor also enables a ISO range of 64 to 12800, and offers a dynamic range of 15 stops, compared to the 14 stops of the A5D.
Because it's meant to be used mounted rather than held in the hands, the compact body of the A6D-100c lacks physical features such as the grip and control buttons of cameras like the H6D-100c. It's also designed for use with aerial versions of H System lenses which feature locking mounts to minimize vibration and flexing, and keep the image plane and sensor parallel even if the camera is being bounced around.
Nine of these lenses are available covering a focal length range of 24 to 300mm (24-mm, 28-mm, 35-mm, 50-mm, 80-mm, 100-mm, 150-mm, 210-mm and 300-mm) which should cover most aerial applications, and Hasselblad says these units ship with their focus precisely adjusted and fixed at infinity. The exposure time for the aerial lenses has also now been improved up to 1/4000 of a second.
Because aerial cameras like this are often used in situations where more than one device is shooting at any time, there's the ability to synchronize eight A6D-100c cameras to shoot within 20 microseconds of each other using a simple bus-type cable connection. This eliminates the headache of dealing with un-synchronized exposures in post processing.
Hasselblad says the new camera will also be available with or without a filter for infrared captures. This will be of use for aerial analysis photography such as surveying the environment and crop management.
There's no news yet on exactly how much an A6D-100c (or eight) will set you back, or when it will be available. However, users can request a demo via the Hasselblad website.
Product page: Hasselblad A6D-100c