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Tag Archives: Hasselblad

Hasselblad unveils its 2014 Masters

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– Fashion/Beauty: Bara Prasilova, Czech Republic

Held every two years, the Hasselblad Masters competition is open not only to users of medium or large format cameras but also active professionals with over three years experience using cameras that offered resolutions of 16MP or above.

This year, Hasselblad received more than 4000 entries from which 12 Masters were selected, each in their own categories.

The winners are:

– Architecture: Martin Schubert, Denmark

– Editorial: Antonio Pedrosa, Portugal

– General: Roman Jehanno, France

– Fashion/Beauty: Bara Prasilova, Czech Republic

– Fine Art: Rafal Maleszyk, United States

– Landscapes/Nature: Hengki Koentjoro, Indonesia

– Portrait: Dmitry Ageev, Russian Federation

– Product: Bryn Griffiths, United Kingdom

– Project/21: Paul Gisbrecht, Germany

– Underwater: Chris Straley, United States

– Wedding/Social: Joseph Goh Meng Huat, Singapore

– Wildlife: Rafael Rojas, Switzerland

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Winner in the Portrait category: Dmitry Ageev, Russian Federation

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Winner in the Architecture category: Martin Schubert, Denmark

Three giraffes and reflection in waterhole, Etosha NP, Namibia

Three giraffes and reflection in waterhole, Etosha NP, Namibia

See all the winners here

Where’s My Professional Mirrorless Camera?

I always enjoy reading articles on Peta Pixel, they know when to talk turkey, I think that is the phrase although I might be wrong, anyway they tell it as it is. This article about mirrorless cameras is so right

Let’s take a moment to reflect on mirrors. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, like the Olympus Pen E-P5 or Samsung NX300, have enjoyed increasing popularity over the past few years, and it’s become clear that they are more than a passing fad.

This motley collection of high-tech cameras filled the gap that existed between bulky DSLRs and compact cameras, but manufacturers are now starting to expand their mirrorless lineups in hopes of attracting a wider cross-section of photographers, including professionals.

However, efforts to court the professional buyer thus far have been misdirected, and they’ve focused on building luxury cameras rather than professional cameras. Mirrorless platforms have the potential to compete with, and outshine, even the most formidable of professional DSLRs, and camera manufacturers need to take note.

Manufacturers’ faith in a broad demand for mirrorless cameras is visible in their expanding lineups. While most of the current players — pretty much all of the big names in consumer photography — entered the mirrorless market offering just one or two models, there has been rapid expansion since then. For example, Sony’s NEX brand now includes four different lines, while Panasonic is actively selling more than ten different models of mirrorless camera bodies.

Part of this branching out includes a reach for amateur and casual photographers. While demand for conventional compact cameras is performing a spectacular dive, in large part due to the proliferation of smart phones, it’s not hard to imagine many amateur snappers being drawn to these middle ground offerings.

Meanwhile, some manufacturers have taken steps to court the professional market. These sorts of efforts may soon prove to be far more profitable than focusing on amateurs as demand for cameras with changeable lens systems, like mirrorless cameras and DSLRs, is picking up. These early efforts have produced some beautiful cameras, but their focus on style over substance may be missing the point.

If you want to read more of this, and I would, then go here

hasslunarhere is there take on the Hasselblad version of this less than useful camera type

The Hasselblad Lunar is the most egregious offender. For decades, Hassleblad defined the high water mark in professional studio cameras, but the Lunar, their first mirrorless offering, doesn’t come close to upholding that legacy.

To be fair, it’s a beautiful little work of art, featuring grips made of Tuscan leather and mahogany, but all the extra bells and whistles don’t hide the fact that it’s just a reworked Sony NEX-7. A reworked NEX-7 that costs more than $6000. For cameras like the Lunar, the primary goal isn’t to build a reliable professional tool, but rather to create a phenomenal user-experience.

More here

Photokina 2012: Hasselblad to launch mirrorless compact camera and full-frame digital SLR

From the BJP we learn:

Hasselblad has announced it is developing a mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera to be released in early 2013.

Hasselblad plans to use a partnership with Sony to enter each photographic segment with new digital SLRs and compact cameras, as well as tripods and mirrorless cameras.

“For us, the plan is to move very quickly over the next few months,” says Hasselblad’s chairman and CEO, Larry Hansen. “Our expectation is to show and launch cameras in every sector of the photographic market, while offering the best image quality available in each segment, relying on our collaboration with Sony.”

He adds: “We want to go back to our customers. Fifteen years ago, 65 percent of our customers were not professional photographers. Today almost 100 percent are professional. My goal is to make Hasselblad cameras accessible to all serious customers.”

As a result, Hasselblad will release, within the next year, a full-frame DSLR, a range of digital compact cameras, tripods and luxury accessories, as well as an interchangeable lens camera – the Lunar. “It’s a rather aggressive plan,” says Hansen.

Paul Graham wins 2012 Hasselblad award

Self-taught photographer becomes first British winner of international prize for recognition of major achievements, writes in The Guardian.

Paul Graham has been named as the winner of the 2012 Hasselblad award, which is presented annually to “a photographer recognised for major achievements”. It is the first time a British photographer has won the prestigious international prize. Previous recipients include Robert Adams (2009), Nan Goldin (2007) and William Eggleston (1998).

Graham, who had a major retrospective at the Whitechapel Gallery in London last year, is a self-taught photographer. He was born in Buckinghamshire and discovered photography through the books of great American pioneers like Robert Frank, Walker Evans and Paul Strand. He has lived in New York since the early 1990s. Graham first garnered critical acclaim with his early documentary work, including A1 – The Great North Road (1983) , a series shot in colour along the British motorway, and Beyond Caring (1985), which was shot in unemployment offices. Back then, Graham was a pioneer of colour in Britain, his work influencing subsequent generations of young photographers.”………MORE

Pittsburgh, 2004 (Lawnmower Man)From the series ‘A Shimmer of Possibilities’. Copyright of the artist, courtesy of Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London.The Foundation’s citation regarding the decision to award the 2012 prize to Paul Graham is as follows:

“Paul Graham is one of the most brilliant photographers of his generation. During the course of his nearly 40-year career, he has presented an extremely focused body of work, at once perfectly coherent and never monotonous. In images both sensitive and subtly political, he makes tangible the insignificant traces of the spirit of the times we do not normally see. With his keen awareness of the photographic medium, he has constantly developed innovative forms of working with all aspects of photography. This makes him a profound force for renewal of the deep photographic tradition of engagement with the world.”

More of Graham’s pictures can be seen here