User's Manual

56
Tethered to a computer
When tethered to a computer, you can control many camera functions using the
FlexColor soware. Even if you never shoot while connected, you will probably connect
the camera to your computer each time you want to download your images, though you
might instead use a compact-flash card reader and/or connect your Image Bank CF or
FireWire disk directly.
Connecting to a computer
To connect to a computer, simply attach a FireWire cable from the FireWire port on
your computer to the port on the side of the sensor unit. e port on the sensor unit is
protected behind a self closing flap. Simply align the cable connector as indicated by the
illustration on the flap, then press the cable connector against the door to open it and
continue to press the cable into the socket until it stops and is held in place.
Shooting with FlexColor running
When you are connected to a computer, the following rules apply:
• The destination medium and location are controlled from FlexColor.
• All exposure settings, including ISO, aperture and exposure time, are controlled from FlexColor
if you choose to expose from FlexColor.
• Focus is controlled only from the camera . You must therefore set the focus (manually or
automatically) before making an exposure from FlexColor.
• The screen and menu system on the sensor unit are disabled.
• The sensor unit will take power from the FireWire cable if it is available (not all computers
supply power here, notably laptops). This will help conserve the battery power of the H2D/
CFH. However, you must still have a charged battery connected to the H2D; the camera
body requires this battery in order to operate.
When initiating a shot from FlexColor, the computer sends a signal to the sensor unit,
which triggers the shutter and strobe lights (if any). e sensor unit then sends the
image back over the FireWire connection to the computer, where it is displayed on the
computer screen and saved as a 16-bit-per-color 3F file in the currently selected folder
of the computer hard disk.
3F is a proprietary Hasselblad format for storing raw captures. It contains the complete raw
image exactly as it was captured by the camera, plus technical details that enable FlexColor
to process and display the image correctly. It furthermore stores a complete history of the
FlexColor settings that you have applied to each image and stores meta-data such as camera
settings, image name, photographer, copyright, etc. When you load images into FlexColor
from the camera or external media, the 3FR files are converted into the 3F format. If you
prefer not to use FlexColor, then you can export files directly to DNG or other format and
use Adobe Photoshop, for example.
Please refer to the FlexColor Soware Reference manual for further instructions about
taking pictures using FlexColor.