Hasselblad H2 user manual Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

For the sake of clarity, here are short and simple explanations of several terms, items and features mentioned in the manual that may be unfamil- iar to some.

Half-press / Full press – Shutter release button

The shutter release button can be depressed in two different ways. This distinction is referred to in the text as half-pressand full-presspositions. A half-pressis a rapid, soft press whereas a full-pressis a firmer and longer depression of the button.

Bar code

Some roll film brands have a Bar code which the H2 magazine can recognize and interpret. This automatically transfers the ISO rating and film length of the film to the camera and saves you from an incorrect setting. However, you might wish to rate the film at a different ISO setting, in which case you should transfer to manual ISO setting.

Bracketing

The practice of making extra exposures over or under (normally both) the ‘standard’ exposure to ensure the desired result. This is particularly useful when using transparency film in difficult lighting conditions. Easily set and controlled with the H2.

Custom setting

The setting chosen by the user that differs from the default set- ting.

Click / Press – On.Off button

The ON.OFF button can be depressed in two different ways which in turn cause different results. This distinction is referred to in the text as clicking and pressing. Clicking is a very rapid depressing of the button with immediate release whereas pressing is a longer depression of the button with maintained pressure.

EV

Exposure Value. It represents the standard photographic notation within exposure control. For example, if you change the aperture on a lens from f/11 to f/8, you will increase the exposure by 1EV. Similarly, if you change the shutter speed from 1/15s to 1/60s you will decrease the exposure by 2EV. A change in EV can therefore represent a change in aperture, shutter speed or a mixture of both. It is a simpler and more useful way of referring to the essential effective combination when making exposure settings without referring to the implications and sometimes confusing aspects of specific shutter speeds or apertures.

As a practical example, if you are using ‘exposure compensation’, the settings are in EV’s (often referred to as ‘stops’ in older de- scriptions) or fractions of EVs (or ‘stops’). Therefore an exposure compensation of +1EV, for example, will provide ‘one stop over- exposure’ and similarly an exposure compensation of -1/2EV, for example, will provide ‘ a half stop underexposure’.

See the chart in this manual for cross reference of EVs and their aperture/shutter speed equivalents

Default setting / factory setting

A standard setting that a device is set to in the first instance dur- ing manufacture and returns to if a setting change is halted or interrupted in any way.

LCD

Liquid Crystal Display. An electronic information panel. The grip and magazine both have LCD panels.

LED

Light Emitting Diode. Electronic devices used in information displays. The viewfinder display has LED’s to the left and right of the integral LCD panel.

Mid-grey / 18% grey

An important point to be remembered is that all photographic exposure meters / light metering systems are calibrated to provide a reading that will reproduce a ‘mid-grey or 18% grey tone’ from the measured subject tone. This is an international photographic standard upon which all exposure calculations must be based. The H2 has very accurate and sophisticated exposure measuring modes. Pre-programmed information is taken into account via the metering system when calculations are automatically made. This provides a very satisfactory compromise for a host of photographic situations and many users will certainly be very satisfied with the consistently high quality of results. Nevertheless, some situ- ations are either so technically difficult or open to interpretation that manual intervention is advised to ensure the desired result. Naturally, many seasoned users always prefer manual control but they base their calculations and decisions on much experience.

To illustrate this point, imagine the following example:

Pin two sheets of paper, one black and the other white, onto a grey wall. Take three exposures using an average light reading; a close-up of the black sheet, a close-up of the white sheet, and a distance shot of the whole wall including the two sheets. Without any manipulation, the first two exposures will produce a tone that is similar to the wall, namely, a grey tone; not black or white. The third exposure, however, will reproduce the wall as a grey tone while the two respective sheets now appear as black and white respectively, as originally observed.

However confusing this might at first seem, it is fundamental to mastering exposure calculations and exposure control. If you are at all unsure about this basic concept, you are strongly recommended to refer to a general photographic manual for a fuller explanation in order to obtain the maximum from your H2.

OTF

Off The Film - a literal description of the light measurement me- chanics regarding flash exposure measurement.

Profile

You can allow the H2 to be set according to ‘profiles’. These profiles are combinations of modes, methods and settings (custom or default) that suit specific photographic situations. By using a personal profile

-which you can create, name and save - the camera is immediately configured for a specific purpose without any need to check through the menus. This is a very rapid and secure way of working when repeatedly confronted with similar photographic situations.

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