3FR

Hasselblad introduced 3FR in 2006 with the H2D, part of its H-system medium-format camera line, as the successor to earlier Hasselblad raw formats used with its digital backs. Like most manufacturer raw formats, it is built on a TIFF skeleton, but it is tuned specifically for Hasselblad’s medium-format sensors, storing unprocessed data at 16 bits per channel — a wider bit depth than most 35mm-format raw files, reflecting the greater dynamic range medium-format sensors typically capture.

Compression behavior has changed across Hasselblad’s camera generations: earlier bodies wrote 3FR with lossless compression to manage file size, while newer bodies more often save uncompressed 3FR, prioritizing simpler, more predictable file handling over storage efficiency — a reasonable trade-off for photographers whose entire workflow already assumes large medium-format file sizes.

For a DAM, 3FR sits in a moderate-risk category: Hasselblad is a long-established, currently active manufacturer with its own maintained software (Phocus), and mainstream tools like Adobe Camera Raw and Capture One support the format well. That said, it remains undocumented and proprietary, so converting to DNG for cross-team access and long-term archival is still good practice, particularly for studios and agencies where not every seat has access to Phocus or Capture One.