為什麼哈蘇相機這麼貴 | 這麼貴：英語精讀講義

Do you recognize this photo?

你認得這張照片嗎？

What about these?

那這些呢？

They were all taken with a Hasselblad camera. 文法

它們都是用哈蘇相機拍攝的。

It's a name every photographer knows. 文法

每位攝影師都知道這個名字。

But if you wanted to buy this Hasselblad camera, 文法

但如果你想買這台哈蘇相機，

you'd need over $30,000,

你得花超過3萬美元，

and that doesn't even include the lens. 文法

而且這還不包括鏡頭。

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

那麼，為什麼會有人花這麼多錢買一台相機？

And what makes Hasselblads so expensive? 文法

哈蘇相機又為什麼這麼貴？

To understand why people love Hasselblad cameras, 表達脈絡

要理解人們為什麼喜愛哈蘇相機，

it helps to look at this image.

不妨看看這張照片。

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

把畫面大幅放大，就能看到驚人的細節。

The photos are fantastic,

這些照片確實很出色，

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

但事情並沒有這麼簡單。

Hasselblad has been making cameras for 80 years, 文法

哈蘇製造相機已有80年，

but they weren't always this expensive.

但它們並非一直都這麼昂貴。

In 1948,

1948年，

Hasselblad's first consumer camera cost around $500,

哈蘇第一款消費型相機售價約500美元，

or about $5900 today.

相當於現在的約5900美元。

And adjusted for inflation, 用詞

如果依通貨膨脹調整，

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

它在1970年代推出的底片相機約合5300美元。

But when the company transitioned to digital, 片語搭配

但當公司轉向數位技術時，

the price exploded. 慣用語

價格暴漲。

In 2004,

2004年，

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

哈蘇第一款數位相機的售價約2萬4000美元。

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

這比前一代機型漲價超過200%，

which used film.

而前一代使用的是底片。

Okay,

好吧，

so it's expensive.

它確實很貴。

But what actually makes this camera different?

但這台相機到底有什麼不同？

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

哈蘇的高階相機主要由三個部分組成：

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

數位機背、機身和鏡頭。光是數位機背，

which includes the sensor,

其中包括感光元件，

costs over $26,000.

就要超過2萬6000美元。

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

哈蘇感光元件的獨特之處，在於它的面積大得多。

The individual pixel is bigger,

單一畫素也更大，

and that provides lower noise and wider dynamic range. 用詞

因此雜訊更少，動態範圍更廣。

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

看看這張機車的照片。

When you zoom in,

放大之後，

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

可以清楚看到把手的紋理和輪胎的磨損痕跡。

Larger sensors capture more detail,

感光元件越大，捕捉到的細節越多，

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

而哈蘇的感光元件是市面上最大的感光元件之一。

Its cameras are what's called medium format. 用詞

它的相機採用所謂的中片幅。

Basically,

簡單來說，

it means the sensor is big,

這代表感光元件很大，

and it's what makes these cameras so expensive.

這也正是這些相機如此昂貴的原因。

Your smartphone camera sensor is around this big.

你的智慧型手機相機感光元件大約只有這麼大。

A popular professional camera, like the Sony A7R,

Sony A7R這類熱門專業相機的感光元件

is much larger.

要大得多。

But it looks tiny compared to Hasselblad's sensor.

但和哈蘇的感光元件相比，它看起來還是小得可憐。

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

當中片幅技術從類比轉向數位時，

the medium format sensors became extremely expensive

中片幅感光元件變得極其昂貴，

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

相機系統也變得極其昂貴，市場非常小眾。

The sensor in this camera is actually made by Sony,

這台相機的感光元件其實由Sony製造，

but Hasselblad has its own proprietary calibration process 用詞

但哈蘇有自己專有的校準流程，

to achieve the colors and image quality it wants.

以呈現它想要的色彩和影像品質。

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

這對於呈現膚色、複製藝術品等用途非常有幫助，

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

因為在這些情況下，必須確保現實中的色彩

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

最終能如實呈現在照片裡。

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

中片幅相機主要用於產品和時尚攝影，

as well as art reproduction. 片語搭配

以及藝術品複製。

Photographers who need this type of specialized technology

需要這類專業技術的攝影師

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

無法使用市面上現成的消費型相機，

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

而且這類拍攝通常在攝影棚裡進行，

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

相機體積龐大也就不成問題。

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

但還有另一個因素讓哈蘇相機與眾不同。

Unlike other companies, 表達脈絡

和其他公司不同，

Hasselblad doesn't mass produce its cameras. 用詞

哈蘇不會大量生產相機。

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

它採小批次生產，並以手工組裝。

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

部分原因是哈蘇本來就不生產那麼多相機。

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

哈蘇沒有透露相機的確切產量，

but in 2018,

但在2018年，

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

The Verge報導，哈蘇的年產量不到1萬台。

Other manufacturers like Canon produce millions of cameras each year.

Canon等其他製造商每年會生產數百萬台相機。

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

但這套流程也能確保每台相機都符合哈蘇的品質標準。

Here in production,

在這裡的生產部門，

we have people that work here for over 30 years.

有些員工已經工作超過30年。

And for special uh tasks,

而對於一些特殊的，呃，工作，

we have people that they just do that task,

會有專人只負責那一項，

nobody else can do that.

其他人都做不了。

Hasselblad assembles its cameras here,

哈蘇相機就是在這裡組裝的，

in Gothenburg,

地點是哥德堡，

Sweden.

位於瑞典。

Remember this old photo?

還記得這張老照片嗎？

Production today looks pretty similar.

如今的生產場景看起來跟它非常相似。

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

它的廠房更像實驗室，而不是組裝線。

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

每個零組件都會在這裡經過測試、連接和焊接。

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

但要學會如何調校每個零件並不容易。

Assemblers rely on both precise instruments 講解

組裝人員既要依靠精密儀器，

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

也要憑每個零件的聲音和手感，判斷它是否正常運作。

My favorite part is the mirror assembly.

我最喜歡的部分是反光鏡組件。

This part.

就是這個部分。

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

我聽這個喀噠聲，就知道它運作得不正常。

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

你可能得在這裡專門組裝這些零件，

maybe months,

一練就是好幾個月，

until you're capable of making it right. 文法

才能把它做好。

When you charge $30,000 for a camera,

一台相機賣3萬美元時，

quality control is a top priority, 片語搭配

品質控管就是重中之重，

and assemblers take their job very seriously. 片語搭配

組裝人員也會非常認真看待自己的工作。

The whole process requires a lot of patience.

整個過程需要極大的耐心。

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

最後你會學會在安裝這些微小零件時格外小心。

Otherwise,

否則，

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

之後測試相機時就會碰到各種問題。

Assemblers complete a camera in around 6 to 8 hours,

組裝人員大約需要6到8小時完成一台相機，

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

但校準最多會占去其中三分之一的時間。

What's unique about Hasselblad cameras 文法

哈蘇相機的獨特之處

is that each sensor is individually calibrated and tested

在於每個感光元件都會個別進行校準和測試，

to a single pixel level,

精確到單一畫素，

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

這非常耗時，在業界也相當獨特。

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

但推出消費者導向相機所承受的壓力也越來越大。

In the past few years, 文法

過去幾年來，

Hasselblad has released more affordable cameras,

哈蘇推出了一些價格更親民的相機，

around $6000.

售價約6000美元。

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

和其他更昂貴的機型相比，這些相機的感光元件較小。

But competition in this price range is steep.

但這個價位帶的競爭十分激烈。

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

Sony最新的Alpha 1相機價格稍高一些，

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

但它能拍攝8K影片，還有速度極快的自動對焦。

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

儘管較便宜相機的感光元件沒那麼大，

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

但它們功能更多，能吸引各類攝影師。

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

哈蘇表示，正在努力推出更多入門款中片幅相機，

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

同時也會繼續為高階客戶提供支援。

And for many photographers who need uncompromising image quality, 用詞

而對許多不願在影像品質上做任何妥協的攝影師來說，

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

這台哈蘇依然物有所值。