Hasselblad announces a “mirrorless” A6D-100c Aerial Camera System

Today Hasselblad announced a “Mirrorless” version of thier H6D 100 megapixel camera. It’s named “A6D-100c” and it’s meant to be used as an Aerial Camera System.

Here is the full press text:

2017-05-17

Hasselblad Introduces a 100 Megapixel Aerial Camera System

Aerial photography delivers better results today than ever before and Hasselblad continues to grow its presence in the market, introducing more advanced products and applications for the aerial photographic industry. This is reflected in the Hasselblad A6D-100c, the latest evolution of Hasselblad aerial cameras.

Hasselblad cameras are developed by building on the shoulders of the previous generation of models which enables all of the prior advancements and branch-demanding features to be automatically included. This process allows Hasselblad to continually enhance and develop models. The A6D heralds a technological improvement that is noticeably greater than earlier generations.

The A6D Aerial camera includes a feature that allows up to eight cameras to be synchronized within 20 ?s. A simple bus-type cable connection is required between all cameras in the set-up. This feature completely eliminates any issues in post-production caused by un-synchronized exposures.

Product Manager Bjarne Hjörlund commented, “Available in 100 megapixel resolutions, the A6D camera combines the world’s best optics and sensors with a modern, compact design, resulting in a system that will ensure you attain the highest possible image quality. Hasselblad aerial cameras provide a range of important features that help deliver your imaging requirements”.

Nine H System lenses are available in aerial versions with secure locking mounts to minimize vibration and flexing which guarantees the image plane and sensor stay parallel at all times. These units ship with their focus precisely adjusted and fixed at infinity. The focal length range from 24 to 300mm of these lenses results in a horizontal AFOV of 96° to 10.2° covering most applications. The new generation of leaf shutters for the H lenses has an extended lifetime, which ensures reliability during flight.

In addition, the exposure time for the aerial lenses has been improved up to 1/4000 of a second, for sharp and crisp images. Traditionally, FMC systems typically only compensate for movement in a single direction, but the fast leaf shutter-based exposure time can both compensate for ground speed and the roll and pitch of the plane.

Near Infra-Red Photography

The A6D camera is available with or without Infra-Red filter for infra-red captures from 750nm to 1000nm to serve the needs of aerial analysis, such as environment surveying and crop management. NDVI, CIR and NIR imaging is possible with third party software.

Phocus SDK by Hasselblad

To facilitate the development of user specific software, Hasselblad offers a complete Software Developers Kit (SDK) which allows full control of camera and image processing from the user’s own software. To quickly get started using the A6D aerial cameras for photography, Hasselblad has created a simple but effective PC sample application which can capture and store RAW files coming from the camera. All source code for this application is supplied to allow the user to adapt to special individual requirements.

Technical Data Sheet:

Key Features

• Medium format 100 Megapixel resolution
• The A6D Aerial includes a feature that allows up to 8 cameras to be synchronized within 20 ?s.
• 9 of the H System lenses are available in aerial versions
• The exposure time for the aerial lenses is increased up to 1/4000 of a second
• The A6D camera is available with or without Infra-Red filter to allow infra-red captures from 750nm to 1000nm

Additional Features

• Reduced foot print designed to fit existing POD mountings
• Up to 15 stops Dynamic
• Improved external connectivity via stable LEMO connections
• Fits plane power with a power requirement of 12 – 24 volt DC
• FMS and multiple camera synchronization
• Secure camera mounting via 4 x M4 screws
• Lens locking mechanism with additional lens protector
• Onboard fast 500+ Mbytes/sec CFast2.0 storage with a capacity of up to 512 GByte
• External storage interface via locked USB3.0 type C-connection
• Fully mechanically fixed system to minimize effects of vibrations

For more information and sample images click here