Hasselblad H4D-31 (2010–2012)
The H4D-31 was Hasselblad's attempt to bring medium format digital to a slightly wider audience, or at least to the photographer willing to spend roughly the price of a small car. It launched in 2010 at £8,995 (ex VAT) with an 80mm lens, or €9,995 before tax. It was pitched as the more accessible sibling to the H4D-40, aimed at professionals moving up from 35mm DSLRs and at V-System owners ready to go digital.
The camera pairs an H4D body with a detachable 31-megapixel CCD back measuring 33.1 × 44.2mm. That is nearly twice the physical size of the largest full-frame 35mm sensors. Resolution is the headline. Reviewers noted its ability to resolve super-fine detail, and the principal advantage of the format comes from that combination of optics and large sensor. It shipped with the HVD 90x viewfinder, designed for full performance over the larger sensor. It was offered in two configurations: one bundled with an 80mm prime, the other with a CF-lens adapter for attaching V-System glass. Both came with Hasselblad's Phocus 2.6 software.
The defining technology is True Focus with APL (Absolute Position Lock). It refines autofocus so the precise focus point holds even when you recompose, which helps at close range with shallow depth of field. One owner on a Russian-language forum, writing in late November 2011, was thoroughly impressed. He described the detail as "stunning" and said sharpness held across the entire frame, not just at the point of focus. He admitted to shooting hastily without a tripod and still getting sharp results. Another forum user called it "a different galaxy." Amateur Photographer wasn't cited in our records, but the reception data we have is uniformly positive on image quality.
The practical downsides are real. Spare batteries ran about €230 each, and owners suggested you'd want at least a second, possibly a third. Lenses were the big investment. "Practically every lens" meant shelling out €4,000-5,000. Service is a concern. Repairs must go back to Sweden (the "Hasselblad homeland"), since no one in Russia or Estonia was qualified to fix them, and turnaround could take a couple of months. One forum user estimated a hypothetical shutter repair at €1,000, though no one could find an official shutter-life rating anywhere. Opinions on shutter reliability split. One owner hadn't seen mass complaints, while another personally knew someone who'd had a failure. The body is metal and plastic in dark gray, measuring 155 × 147 × 130 mm and weighing 1,740g, with ISO 100-1600, shutter speeds from 64 seconds to 1/800s, and CompactFlash storage.
Production ran from 2010 to 2012. The H4D-31 was discontinued, but used bodies still surface occasionally. Kamerastore has listed them, and eBay carries H4D-series gear.
- 31MP CCD sensor, 33.1 × 44.2mm
- ISO 100–1600
- Shutter 64s–1/800s
- CompactFlash storage
- 155 × 147 × 130 mm, 1,740g
- True Focus with APL autofocus
- Launched 2010 at £8,995 (ex VAT) / €9,995
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.