Hasselblad Phocus 1.0

Hasselblad, a Swedish maker of medium-format cameras and lenses, has released v1.0 of a new program for Macs, Phocus. The software functions primarily as a RAW processor and workflow application, letting users import, catalog and export photos, and apply a variety image enhancements before engaging in-depth with tools such as Photoshop. Phocus will, for example, adjust for various lens errors, such as distortion, vignetting and color aberration.

A key focus of the software is moiré removal, which is said to be performed automatically on RAW files while still leaving image quality intact. The manual removal of moiré can otherwise be an extremely tedious procedure, requiring complex masking in dedicated photo editors.

The app additionally enables tethered camera control, with live video for shot positioning, and the ability to control lens motors on both medium- and large-format cameras. In cataloging users can add GPS coordinates to metadata, and have this linked directly to Google Earth so they can remember where a shoot took place.

Phocus is available now, though photographers must order a promotional kit to discover cost. Mac OS X 10.5 or later is required, as is 2GB of RAM; compatible devices include all Hasselblad digital backs and cameras.

by MacNN Staff