Kodak Professional DCS Pro Back 645H unveiled

Kodak Professional have announced their latest medium format digital back - the Kodak Professional DCS Pro Back 645H - that is compatible with the new Hasselblad H1 camera system. The new Pro Back delivers the superior resolution, portability and functionality found in the award winning 645M and 645C digital backs.

The back features 16-megapixel resolution, integral battery and a fully featured LCD display. It delivers freedom of operation for fashion, portrait and wedding photographers - either in the studio or on location. The H1 camera features very fast and accurate auto focus functionality, as well as an integral fill flash. Plus, the DCS Pro Back 645H's overall design gives photographers the advantages of Kodak digital imaging while using a Hasselblad camera body specifically designed to host a digital back that accommodates a film magazine as well.

"Kodak has a history of leadership in digital camera backs, and with the introduction of the 645H, we once again advance our broad portfolio of digital solutions to meet the needs of our customers," said Clare Bruce, UK Marketing Manager, Kodak Professional. "By pairing the new H1 camera system with the portability, functionality and image quality of our medium format digital backs, we have created an ideal digital solution for professional photographers on the go."

The H1 camera body's contemporary design is specially designed for digital backs and film magazines. It features an all-electronic user interface that communicates with lenses, film magazines and the viewfinder. The H1 camera's LCD displays information from the digital back, providing photographers with quick access to histograms, format and white balance status. An added benefit for photographers is that the body is designed as a modular system that can grow with photographers as their shooting needs change.

"Kodak Professional brought the industry's first digital camera back to market, and we wanted to work with them to make our camera a reality," said Patrik Mark, Vice President of Business Development, Hasselblad. "Our ambition has always been to build a camera that gives photographers true medium-format digital portability.

With the development of the DCS Pro Back 645H, portable medium format digital photography has taken a major step forward."

This totally portable, feature-rich medium-format back is supported by Kodak Professional DCS Capture Studio, Photo Desk, and Camera Manager software, and the innovative DCS Custom Looks profiles. It includes Kodak's acclaimed DCR RAW and ERI-JPEG file formats. The ERI-JPEG file format provides professional photographers the ease-of-use of JPEG files with the image quality and colour/exposure control of Kodak's highly regarded DCR format raw camera files, to create the best possible images. In addition, it functions with the Kodak ProShots system software in a complete digital workflow, linking photographer, lab and customer.

With an equivalent ISO of 100-400, the 645H digital camera back helps photographers shoot in a variety of challenging lighting situations. It is compatible with many of the specialized digital back H1 camera functions and provides overall creative flexibility for zooming, cropping and re-purposing. An optional anti-aliasing filter offers the highest image quality.
The Kodak Professional 645H will be available in November, to coincide with availability of the Hasselblad H1 camera system through dealers of Kodak Professional digital photography products.