Hasselblad - Medium Format Film Cameras

On my October 31, 2005 post, I mentioned that the Hasselblad cameras were "THE" cameras to use to capture weddings until digital arrived. It's true. People would clammer to photographers who used these cameras for wedding photography simply because they produced the finest images that film had to offer short of large studio view cameras. But they are still big and bulky compared to 35mm cameras and today's digital cameras. I think anyone who's ever watched a movie or TV show and have seen where a studio photographer is taking "fashion shots" of a model will recognize the Hasselblad. It's a very well known camera that only professionals used due to the high cost of the equipment. Hollywood knew that and they exploited it.

Pictured above are my Hasselblad cameras. I have two Hasselblads which can easily be used for wedding work today. But I prefer to shoot with my digital cameras because they offer superb image quality and handling flexibility for photojournalistic work. Can I still offer film today if you wanted it? Sure can. But why would you want it?

Today, digital offers a huge advantage at a cost savings as well. With digital, there's no film expense, development expense, proof print expense, negative retouching fees and most importantly, digital cameras allow me to move quicker and shoot faster! Plus with digital, I can upload images to the web for all your family and friends to see without having to "scan" film negatives (which is another expense!) Today, I can quickly shoot 2-3 times as many images as I could with a medium format camera at a lower cost as well.

So does the Hasselblad offer any distinct advantages today compared to today's digital cameras? Sure. If you intend to enlarge your images to say 30x40 or even 40x60 sizes... then perhaps you want to use a Hasselblad. But I'd say most clients don't do this. Most will only go to 8x10 or perhaps 11x14. Even 12x18 images are so good with digital that I dare anyone to be able to tell the difference between a digital shot and a medium format shot.

So, if you want lots of quality images at a fraction of the cost of using medium format equipment... go digital 100%. Most of my clients do just that. But if you have to have film, I've got you covered as well.