The image quality of any camera system is only as good as the lens that forms the image. From the very beginning, this basic concept has guided Hasselblad's lens philosophy.
The V System offers the largest range of superior quality lenses of any medium format system. Their long expertise has resulted in lenses with unrivalled specifications, exceeding even the exacting demands of digital photography. Today's Hasselblad lens range is the result of mutual collaboration with the world's best optic crafters, such as Carl Zeiss.
Hasselblad lenses use high performance central lens shutters, making them stable, quiet, and particularly useful for flash work at fast shutter speeds or many other tricky lighting situations. Whether it is a fashion shoot in the studio or an action shoot using portable fill-flash on location, Hasselblad central shutter lenses deliver correct captures at flash sync speeds up to 1/500 sec. That is four times faster than comparable focal plane shutters. And thanks to the T* anti-refection coating and internal stray light reduction treatments, these lenses produce unbeatable image contrast and color saturation.
Compatibility is a word that appears regularly in connection with Hasselblad, though normally with regard to system rather than technique. Lenses that might otherwise be classified as first rate in the film world often do not meet the demands made from digital capture. Hasselblad V System lenses were specified and formulated so well that they actually exceeded digital requirements even before a practical digital capability was available. No need to re-invest in another series of lenses when using a digital back therefore. Techniques may change but Hasselblad lenses ensure that Hasselblad quality remains.
