Hasselblad announces CFV-50c digital back for its V-system medium format cameras

 

 

In a move that caught everyone entirely by surprise, Hasselblad today announced a new dedicated digital back for its famous V-system medium format cameras -- the ones that have been to the moon. With the CFV-50c back, any V-system camera that has been built since 1957 can instantly be propelled into the 21st century.

For those worried about the classic look of their V-system camera, there's good news: the CFV-50c digital back is styled in exactly the same way as V-system film backs, except for the buttons and 3" display on the back, of course. From any other angle, though, it will match the style of your V-system body seamlessly.

Even though the back sports a large 3" display and supports live view, the camera can still be used with classic 90-degree viewfinders. And here's the best part about the CFV-50c: just like its predecessors, the CFV-39 and CFV-50, it doesn't need any cables or other kinds of connections to work with a V-system camera body. Just attach it to your camera like you would a film back, and you're good to go.

According to Hasselblad, the CMOS sensor inside the CFV-50c has the same performance as the one found in the H5D-50c, though they do not mention whether it's actually the same sensor. It supports ISO speeds between 100 and 6,400 and outputs 3FR raw files with 16bit color to a CF card (or directly to a tethered computer.) At a size of 43.8x32.9mm, the sensor has a crop factor of 1.45x compared to classic 6x6 medium format film.

Hasselblad quotes a €11,000 (US$15,000) price tag for the CFV-50c, which means it's really only for die-hard V-system fans and those serious about using their existing V-system equipment with digital technology. When and where the CFV-50c will be available hasn't been announced so far.

More information on the CFV-50c digital back can be found on Hasselblad's website.

(via Petapixel)