Following the overwhelmingly positive response from the professional photographic market, Hasselblad has extended the tilt and shift capabilities of its lenses by developing its ingenious HTS 1.5 tilt and shift adapter, originally designed for its HCD28mm, HC35mm, HC50mm and HC80mm lenses, to work with both its HC 2.2/100mm lens and its set of 13mm, 26mm and 52mm HE extension rings for macro photography. Staying true to its philosophy of camera integration, Hasselblad has also introduced digital feedback from the HTS 1.5 to the H3D camera and Phocus software by logging in the metadata of the image files all adjustments of the HTS. On the H3D camera this feedback adds on-line control of the exact tilt/shift movements, and it enables the automatic execution of Hasselblad’s digital lens correction to optimise image quality, eliminating color aberration, distortion and vignetting. When photographers subsequently browse through the metadata, they can see the exact tilt, shift and rotation applied for each shot.

Christian Poulsen, Hasselblad Chief Executive Officer, says, “We are extremely excited about this product. Thanks to its extreme portability, the HTS 1.5 will not only bring creative image control to demanding applications such as architecture and landscape photography, but opens the doors to a wide range of exciting new creative application areas. This means more creativity for all photographers in their current shooting style as well as the opportunity to enter into new areas of photography.”

The HTS 1.5 is also a telephoto converter, extending the focal length of a mounted lens by a factor of 1.5. The lens’s image circle is enlarged by that same factor, which creates a big enough margin for tilting and shifting, while also preserving the character of the lens. The shift ranges up to 18mm and the tilt up to 10 degrees, while rotation either left or right extends to a maximum of 90 degrees.

Expanding on Hasselblad’s camera integration strategy, the HTS 1.5 delivers a new groundbreaking level of image quality and precision, never before achieved with a tilt and shift camera. The HTS 1.5 is equipped with integral sensors on all axes that tell the camera exactly where the lens is positioned and what its optical axis point is, so that correct perspective and lens alignment are obtained automatically within the camera. The sensors also communicate key data to the camera in order to enable Hasselblad’s digital lens correction for optimal image quality. Certain lens movements require that the image be re-focused, and with the HTS 1.5 solution, this occurs automatically too. These superior results are achieved by integrating superior digital technology with the benefits of superior optic movements.

Poulsen concludes, “The continuing need for optical image control is clear from the large number of photographers who use some form of hybrid camera for movement shots. These ‘mix and match’ capture systems don’t provide the optimum format or performance gained by integrating superior digital technology with the benefits of superior optic movements. At Hasselblad we don’t want to talk about view cameras or large- or medium-format, but rather of an integrated professional image capture system, designed to offer the maximum flexibility and benefits to its user. Today’s technology should deliver a system that will satisfy the most demanding photographer with any project they are undertaking and I believe that the H3DII and accessories such as the HTS 1.5 have gone a long way towards helping photographers to achieve that goal.”

The Hasselblad HTS 1.5 adapter is priced at €3,600/$5,395/£2,950 excluding tax and will be available from January, 2009.