Hasselblad to Release 200 Megapixel Camera

At this point in time, my Nikon D80 which I bought when it first came out is looking a bit aged, and compared to the latest releases from Nikon and others, it might even seem ancient. In one regard, there’s the simple 10 megapixel sensor, which pales in comparison to the 12MP and higher sensors that come included with today’s D-SLRs and even high-end point-and-shoots.

But no matter which camera you personally own, anything is going to seem lackluster when comparing it to one of Hasselblad’s upcoming offerings. Just last year, the company announced a 60 megapixel full-frame camera that for all intents and purposes, is more than enough for most anyone. But Hasselblad has certainly outdone itself with the announcement of a 200 megapixel model.

200 megapixels! Hasselblad hasn’t announced specifics yet, but with a sensor that large, the end image could be around 18,000×11,000 or around there, and that’s huge. Personally, I can’t think of a single reason someone would need an image quite so gargantuan, but I’m doubtful Hasselblad would produce what’s sure to be a $50,000 camera if there was no need at all.

With such lofty goals, though, the camera does have some limitations. The primary one is that any photo will take at least 30 seconds to capture, which rules out action photography or even portraits (unless you can find someone who can keep still like a statue for 30 seconds). Also, improved lenses are needed, and for that purpose, the company launched two new models, one 50mm f/3.5 and a 120mm f/4, priced at $4,000 and $4,500 USD, respectively.

If you’ve ever wanted to find a proper desktop wallpaper for your 10×6 display setup, you better start saving up your pennies for this baby.

Most digital cameras capture color with a checkerboard of color filters called a Bayer pattern over image sensor pixels; each pixel captures only red, green, or blue color information. The multishot technology shifts the sensor so the same pixel can capture each of the colors, ridding the camera of the need to mathematically infer the missing values of red, green, and blue.