为什么哈苏相机这么贵 | 这么贵：英语精读讲义

Do you recognize this photo?

你认得这张照片吗？

What about these?

那这些呢？

They were all taken with a Hasselblad camera. 語法

它们都是用哈苏相机拍摄的。

It's a name every photographer knows. 語法

每个摄影师都知道这个名字。

But if you wanted to buy this Hasselblad camera, 語法

但如果你想买这台哈苏相机，

you'd need over $30,000,

你得花超过3万美元，

and that doesn't even include the lens. 語法

而且这还不包括镜头。

So why would anyone pay so much for a camera? 表達脈絡

那么，为什么会有人花这么多钱买一台相机？

And what makes Hasselblads so expensive? 語法

哈苏相机又为什么这么贵？

To understand why people love Hasselblad cameras, 表達脈絡

要理解人们为什么喜爱哈苏相机，

it helps to look at this image.

不妨看看这张照片。

If you zoom way in, you can see incredible detail. 短語動詞

把画面放大很多倍，你就能看到惊人的细节。

The photos are fantastic,

这些照片确实很棒，

but it's a little more complicated than that. 表達脈絡

但事情并没有这么简单。

Hasselblad has been making cameras for 80 years, 語法

哈苏制造相机已有80年，

but they weren't always this expensive.

但它们并非一直都这么昂贵。

In 1948,

1948年，

Hasselblad's first consumer camera cost around $500,

哈苏首款消费级相机售价约为500美元，

or about $5900 today.

相当于今天的约5900美元。

And adjusted for inflation, 用詞

如果按通货膨胀调整，

its film cameras from the '70s cost around $5300.

它在20世纪70年代推出的胶片相机约合5300美元。

But when the company transitioned to digital, 短語搭配

但当公司转向数码技术时，

the price exploded. 習語

价格暴涨。

In 2004,

2004年，

Hasselblad's first digital camera sold for around $24,000.

哈苏首款数码相机的售价约为2.4万美元。

That was more than a 200% price increase from its previous model,

这比上一代机型涨价超过200%，

which used film.

而上一代使用的是胶片。

Okay,

好吧，

so it's expensive.

它确实很贵。

But what actually makes this camera different?

但这台相机到底有什么不同？

Hasselblad's high-end cameras consist of three main parts: 短語搭配

哈苏的高端相机主要由三部分组成：

the digital back, the body, and the lens. Just the digital back, 用詞

数码后背、机身和镜头。单是数码后背，

which includes the sensor,

其中包括传感器，

costs over $26,000.

就要超过2.6万美元。

The Hasselblad sensor is unique in the way that it's much larger in an area.

哈苏传感器的独特之处在于，它的面积大得多。

The individual pixel is bigger,

单个像素也更大，

and that provides lower noise and wider dynamic range. 用詞

因此噪点更少，动态范围更广。

Take a look at this photo of a motorcycle. 短語搭配

看看这张摩托车的照片。

When you zoom in,

放大之后，

you can clearly see the texture of the handle and the wear on its tires. 用詞

你可以清楚看到车把手的纹理和轮胎的磨损痕迹。

Larger sensors capture more detail,

传感器越大，捕捉到的细节越多，

and Hasselblad's is one of the biggest available. 語法

而哈苏的传感器是市面上最大的传感器之一。

Its cameras are what's called medium format. 用詞

它的相机采用所谓的中画幅。

Basically,

简单来说，

it means the sensor is big,

这意味着传感器很大，

and it's what makes these cameras so expensive.

这也正是这些相机如此昂贵的原因。

Your smartphone camera sensor is around this big.

你的智能手机相机传感器大约只有这么大。

A popular professional camera, like the Sony A7R,

索尼A7R这类热门专业相机的传感器

is much larger.

要大得多。

But it looks tiny compared to Hasselblad's sensor.

但和哈苏的传感器相比，它看起来还是小得可怜。

When medium format technology transitioned from analog to digital, 短語搭配

当中画幅技术从模拟转向数码时，

the medium format sensors became extremely expensive

中画幅传感器变得极其昂贵，

and the camera systems became extremely expensive and very niche. 用詞

相机系统也变得极其昂贵，市场非常小众。

The sensor in this camera is actually made by Sony,

这台相机的传感器其实由索尼制造，

but Hasselblad has its own proprietary calibration process 用詞

但哈苏拥有自己专有的校准流程，

to achieve the colors and image quality it wants.

以实现它想要的色彩和画质。

It's very useful for the skin tones or the reproduction of the artwork and so on

这对于呈现肤色、复制艺术品等用途非常有帮助，

where you really need to make sure that the colors you have in real life 短語搭配

因为在这些情况下，你必须确保现实中的色彩

are the ones that will end up later in the photographs.

最终能原样呈现在照片里。

Medium format cameras are mainly used for product and fashion photography,

中画幅相机主要用于产品和时尚摄影，

as well as art reproduction. 短語搭配

以及艺术品复制。

Photographers who need this type of specialized technology

需要这类专业技术的摄影师

can't use off-the-shelf consumer cameras, 用詞

无法使用市面上现成的消费级相机，

and these shoots usually take place in a studio 短語動詞

而且这类拍摄通常在影棚里进行，

where the camera's bulky size isn't an issue.

相机体积庞大也就不成问题。

But there's another factor that makes Hasselblad cameras unique. 表達脈絡

但还有另一个因素让哈苏相机与众不同。

Unlike other companies, 表達脈絡

和其他公司不同，

Hasselblad doesn't mass produce its cameras. 用詞

哈苏不会大批量生产相机。

It makes them in small batches assembled by hand. 短語搭配

它采用小批量生产，并由人工组装。

This is partly because Hasselblad doesn't make that many cameras.

部分原因是哈苏本来就不生产那么多相机。

Hasselblad doesn't disclose exactly how many cameras it makes, 語法

哈苏没有透露相机的确切产量，

but in 2018,

但在2018年，

The Verge reported that Hasselblad's yearly production was under 10,000 units.

The Verge报道称，哈苏的年产量不到1万台。

Other manufacturers like Canon produce millions of cameras each year.

佳能等其他制造商每年会生产数百万台相机。

But this process also ensures that each camera meets Hasselblad's quality standards. 短語搭配

但这种流程也能确保每台相机都符合哈苏的质量标准。

Here in production,

在这里的生产部门，

we have people that work here for over 30 years.

有些员工已经工作了30多年。

And for special uh tasks,

而对于一些特殊的，呃，工作，

we have people that they just do that task,

会有专人只负责那一项，

nobody else can do that.

别人都做不了。

Hasselblad assembles its cameras here,

哈苏相机就是在这里组装的，

in Gothenburg,

地点是哥德堡，

Sweden.

位于瑞典。

Remember this old photo?

还记得这张老照片吗？

Production today looks pretty similar.

如今的生产场景看起来与之十分相似。

Its facility is more like a lab than an assembly line. 語法

它的工厂更像实验室，而不是装配线。

Here, each component is tested, connected, and soldered.

每个零部件都会在这里经过测试、连接和焊接。

But learning how to adjust each part isn't easy.

但学会如何调校每个部件并不容易。

Assemblers rely on both precise instruments 講解

组装人员既要依靠精密仪器，

and the sound and feel of each component to know that it's working properly.

也要凭借每个部件的声音和手感，判断它是否正常运作。

My favorite part is the mirror assembly.

我最喜欢的部分是反光镜组件。

This part.

就是这个部件。

I know that's not working well because of the click. 短語搭配

我听这个咔嗒声就知道它运转得不正常。

You have to work here maybe just in assembling these parts,

你也许得在这里专门组装这些零件，

maybe months,

一练就是几个月，

until you're capable of making it right. 語法

才能把它做好。

When you charge $30,000 for a camera,

一台相机卖3万美元时，

quality control is a top priority, 短語搭配

质量控制就是重中之重，

and assemblers take their job very seriously. 短語搭配

组装人员也会非常认真地对待自己的工作。

The whole process requires a lot of patience.

整个过程需要极大的耐心。

You will end up learning to be very careful while mounting these tiny parts. 講解

你最终会学会在安装这些微小零件时格外小心。

Otherwise,

否则，

you will run into different issues afterward while testing the camera. 短語動詞

之后测试相机时就会遇到各种问题。

Assemblers complete a camera in around 6 to 8 hours,

组装人员大约需要6到8小时完成一台相机，

but calibration can take up to a third of that time. 短語搭配

但校准最多会占去其中三分之一的时间。

What's unique about Hasselblad cameras 語法

哈苏相机的独特之处

is that each sensor is individually calibrated and tested

在于每个传感器都会单独进行校准和测试，

to a single pixel level,

精确到单个像素，

which is very time-consuming and quite unique in this industry.

这非常耗时，在业内也相当独特。

But pressure to deliver a consumer-focused cameras has increased.

但推出面向消费者的相机所承受的压力也越来越大。

In the past few years, 語法

过去几年里，

Hasselblad has released more affordable cameras,

哈苏推出了一些价格更亲民的相机，

around $6000.

售价约为6000美元。

These cameras have a smaller sensor compared to other more expensive models. 短語搭配

与其他更昂贵的型号相比，这些相机的传感器更小。

But competition in this price range is steep.

但这个价位的竞争十分激烈。

Sony's latest Alpha 1 camera costs a bit more, 語法

索尼最新的Alpha 1相机价格稍高一些，

but it can shoot 8K video and has super fast autofocus.

但它能拍摄8K视频，还拥有速度极快的自动对焦。

And while the sensors on cheaper cameras aren't as large,

尽管较便宜相机的传感器没有那么大，

those cameras pack more features that appeal to a wide range of photographers. 講解

但它们功能更多，能吸引各类摄影师。

Hasselblad says that it's working to introduce more entry-level medium format cameras, 短語搭配

哈苏表示，正在努力推出更多入门级中画幅相机，

but that it will continue to support its high-end customers. 短語搭配

同时也会继续为高端客户提供支持。

And for many photographers who need uncompromising image quality, 用詞

而对于许多不愿在画质上做任何妥协的摄影师来说，

this Hasselblad continues to be worth the price. 短語搭配

这台哈苏依然物有所值。