Hasselblad’s 40-megapixel X1D? Into the sea with you! Why would you even bother taking photos on that piece of junk when you could use HB’s 400-megapixel H6D-400c instead?
Before we get to the H6D-400c’s specifications, let’s have a look at the results first, shall we? This is a preview of the 400-megapixel image, taken by photographer Göran Liljeberg, using a HC 4/120mm macro lens.
The picture above doesn’t really do the capture justice — the fully-zoomable version is available on Hasselblad’s website. It’s definitely worth a gander.
If you’re wondering how Hasselblad managed a 400-megapixel sensor, well, it didn’t: it’s a 100-megapixel CMOS part measuring 53.4 x 40mm. As the “MS” in the camera’s name implies, it’s a multi-shot device. Basically, it takes a couple of images at slight offsets (which are then put together in post), to provide a much more detailed photo.
Here’s how the company describes the it:
Multi-Shot technology involves moving the sensor very accurately by 1 or 1/2 a pixel at a time with a precision piezo actuator, enabling the camera to capture more colour information and data than in a single-shot capture.
The captured images are then merged in Phocus, Hasselblad’s dedicated desktop software solution, to produce a single finished file with staggering amounts of detail and colour information. Multi-Shot capture does require tethering to a host computer, static subject, and controlled studio environment.
Two modes are available: four and six-shot. The former delivers a 579MB, 16-bit TIFF with a resolution of 11,600 x 8700, while the latter cranks out a 2.4GB image at 23,200 x 17,400.
The price reflects the camera’s niche uses, coming in at $US47,995, or $60,070 Australian. You could by 600 PS Ones with that sort of money.