Hasselblad comes with a camera that takes 400-megapixel photos from six shots

Hasselblad has announced the H6D-400c MS. The medium format camera has a 100-megapixel sensor, but with multi-shot technology, where the sensor is shifted six times, the device can take 400-megapixel photos.

The Hasselblad H6D-400c MS is intended for studio recording and reproduction work where the subject does not move. The 400-megapixel photos are composed of six shots. First, the sensor is shifted four times exactly one pixel, so that the full color information of each pixel can be captured. The sensor then shifts half a pixel two more times to increase the resolution of the end result. The result is a 2.3GB 16bit tif file with dimensions of 23,200×17,400 pixels.

Hasselblad MultiShot

Inside the camera is a mechanism that can make the sensor move just the right amount. Such multi-shot technology is also used in cameras from other brands, for example Olympus and Panasonic use it in their compact system cameras. However, those manufacturers use the sensor’s image stabilization system, rather than a mechanism specifically made for the pixel shift.

It is also possible to use the camera in a normal position, then the device takes 100-megapixel photos and the functionality is comparable to that of the Hasselblad H6D-100c. The H6D-400c is the successor of the H5D-200c, that model had a 50-megapixel sensor and could take pictures with a 200-megapixel resolution by combining shots.

Hasselblad will sell the camera from March and the body will cost 39,999 euros separately, excluding VAT. The manufacturer will also rent out the H6D-400c itself and that costs about 400 euros per day.