H System is now discontinued

[NickT]

Well I guess it had to happen.

After 21 years Hasselblad have made the decision to discontinue the H system.

My history with Hasselblad goes right back to when the bought Imacon, I had some great times in Denmark, end of an era.

Great post from the very knowledgable Dave Gallagher here:

https://www.captureintegration.com/the-end-of-life-for-the-hasselblad-h-system/?fbclid=IwAR3n8NAbguigKwxlLrTjWahqm6IL5-6sG0o41VWRVdoaqhZMBPYr6YkguEg

[bdp]

Wow, sad but inevitable. It was an amazing camera platform, with clever features like True Focus. It was hard for me to move over to the X platform, in many ways it's still inferior and feels slower to use than the H but if you want that beautiful HNCS then it's the only option! I also think the H6 was not as reliable as the previous H bodies - mine was replaced and went back to Sweden 6 times in it's lifetime due to overheating issues. That ultimately drove me to invest in the X system. The X1D seemed to also suffer from reliabiliy issues until the X1DII was released. If they finally finish the X2D I might consider that, but not worth spending the money right now so happy with the X1DII.

Thanks Nick for any input you had that made the H what it was.

[Ralf Mueller]

Yeah the writing was on the wall for some time, still feel a bit sad. Got into the H system in 2008 with the entry level H3DII-31 and eventually upgraded to H6D-50c in 2017. The H6D has gone through a sensor unit replacement four years ago and since then works reliable, hope for many more years to come. I must say that I like the rendering of H lenses more than of the X lenses but that is my personal subjective opinion, maybe because I got used to H images over the years. The OVF of the H is to die for, name me old school but I like the view finder so much more than the EVF of the X (and don't have to switch the camera on to see something)
Anyway, fare well H, when my H6D body passes away the lenses will start a second life on the X 🤩

Thanks Nick for your many valuable contributions to this amazing camera system.

[Dustbak]

Yep, not sure when I started using H. It was with an Imacon Ixpress back. I still have a lot of Ixpress accessories (cables, adapters, shims, etc.) It could very well be close to 20 years. Not sure where to go to next. The X2 probably for studio work eventually. All other stuff is now Nikon Z,a change from Nikon F that I made almost 2 years ago. Which is kind of the same switch...

[bdp]

I know what you mean about the lenses Ralf. I did a back to back test with the HC80 and the XCD80 and they render quite differently, especially if you shoot close to wide open. The out of focus areas are busier with the X lenses, and it needs to be 2/3 stop further open to get the same blur as the HC lens.

I wish all new lenses, 35mm brands too, put more of an emphasis on the character of the lens rather than just sharpness from corner to corner. The sharpness is appreciated but seems to come at the expense of character.

[ashdown]

I know what you mean about the lenses Ralf. I did a back to back test with the HC80 and the XCD80 and they render quite differently, especially if you shoot close to wide open. The out of focus areas are busier with the X lenses, and it needs to be 2/3 stop further open to get the same blur as the HC lens.

I wish all new lenses, 35mm brands too, put more of an emphasis on the character of the lens rather than just sharpness from corner to corner. The sharpness is appreciated but seems to come at the expense of character.

I have to agree. I recently traded in my XCD 80mm. It's a great lens, almost perfect technically but I didn't feel it had the character of the HC 80mm with wider apertures. Like the HC 100mm, if you can forgive it's foibles wide open it is a really special lens and underrated in my opinion. Stopped down they are all easily good enough for me.

[Andy Miller Photo UK]

Yes the writing has been on the wall for the H6D; and while I luv my X2D-100C there are still real issues with it and the lack of new lens deliveries. [where is the firmware that allow us to use live view when tethered to Phocus and many others]; but it was the delays to the shipping of the XCD 2.5/90V that has me worried - now end of July — I simply are worried about H and what they are doing.
—- a whole new product line to leapfrog the awesome IQ4150 C and A backs and the Stella lenses
— departure from high end digital focus on the X series and small medium format
— something else along the lines of further integration with DJI
I simply don't know and nothing I have read gives me any clues.

[MSuser]

Yes the writing has been on the wall for the H6D;

As it has for every DSLR of nearly any brand or type for the past decade. The one exception seems to be Pentax who has staked out a claim on that market. The size of the DSLR market in 2022 was 11% of what it was in 2012. Writing on the wall that big is hard to miss.

[where is the firmware that allow us to use live view when tethered to Phocus and many others];

In Sweden and Denmark under development, like it was with the X1D II when it was new, would be my guess.

but it was the delays to the shipping of the XCD 2.5/90V that has me worried - now end of July — I simply are worried about H and what they are doing.

Of the 4 new products announced, 3 began shipping soon after and have been selling as fast or faster than they can make them. Only one, the one with a new shutter design, has had a delay. What makes that one item more relevant than the other three to cause worry? The glass is three-quarters full.

[Mark Thompson]

It looked like the H series was discontinued way before they announced it. Sadly there is nothing to replace the H6D-100c aside from an IQ4150. The resounding thing for me is the immense satisfaction each time I press the shutter release on the H series cameras. My first was an H3D-22, that CCD sensor was so beautiful. I traded it for the H6D-100c and it was sad to be sending my old camera away. I bought an H3D-39 as a back up camera which comes in handy from time to time but I really do love the H6D.

I pestered Hasselblad more than once for a 6x6 H7D, having placed the HCD lenses in a view camera, I was feeling pretty confident that the vignetting was not going to present any issue. And with DJI directing things I thought their LiDar unit could be fitted to a new HV90xIII in place of the flash. The body would not be able to support the mirror any longer due to a change in the sensor aspect ratio, so new HV90xIII would need an EVF too. Imagine a 130MP 6x6 sensor, 11600px x 11600px thats still compatible with all the existing H series lenses!

They always wrote back saying great ideas ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[mmanesh]

I am a happy user of an X2D and fairly new to hasselblad to be honest. I love the form factor of the X series and their lenses — smaller for example compared to the GFX series for sure. That said, even I was thinking about getting an H series body as the sensor is bigger and the glass has brillier character. Sad to see this system die.

[drmuzk]

I can no longer find a replacement battery for my H6D, does that mean the only way I can power it is with DC adapter?? Thanks, JZ

[mar-ko]

I can no longer find a replacement battery for my H6D, does that mean the only way I can power it is with DC adapter?? Thanks, JZ

JZ,
I never tried this myself—and this rather old information—, but maybe this thread about replacing batteries in H grips is helpful:
https://www.getdpi.com/forum/index.php?threads/regenerating-your-dead-hasselblad-h-battery-grips.49212/

[docholliday]

I can no longer find a replacement battery for my H6D, does that mean the only way I can power it is with DC adapter?? Thanks, JZ

Just rebuild them like I did: https://www.hasselbladdigitalforum.com/index.php?topic=7056.0