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Hasselblad Lunar interchangeable lens camera now shipping

Jun 10, 2013 at 18:32:36 GMT

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Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad is finally shipping the 'Lunar'. This 24 megapixel camera - essentially a rebadged Sony Alpha NEX-7 - was announced at Photokina last year, and comes with your choice of grips: black or brown leather, carbon fiber, and wood: mahogany or olive, to be precise. Initially there will be three Hasselblad-branded lenses, all of which are created by Sony: a 16mm pancake and 18-55 and 18-200 zooms. The Lunar includes the 18-55mm lens and is priced at $6995/£5280.

(Via Photo Rumors and Amateur Photographer)

CAMERA NEWS HASSELBLAD LUNAR

Comments

Total comments: 371

Jesus wept.

2 upvotes

"In the end, Hasselblad, with this new initiative, is hoping to attract a larger, younger audience to its range of cameras, says Peter Stig-Nielsen, Hasselblad's director of professional camera products."
- http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2206781/hasselblad-were-not-robbing-people-off-with-lunar-camera

Except that the younger audience does not have this kind of money and even if they had it, full frame makes more sense.

3 upvotes

There will be a Harvard case study on how to F@#! up an iconic brand. It will be called Hasselblad and Ventizzi Private Equity.

Dumbarses

0 upvotes

Victor is rolling hard right now. That 18-55 on there makes me want to puke. What's next, a Mamiya Nikon J3?!

0 upvotes

"Its A Sony"

0 upvotes

Look up Fiat Multipla or Pontiac Aztek if you think you haven't seen hideous.

7 upvotes

This is one of the strangest design decisions ever made.

0 upvotes

Then you need to look at the architecture of Frank Gehry. Then write back when you're feeling a bit less nauseous.

0 upvotes

his work is fantastic.This camera.no no

1 upvote

But who here will not crane their neck to look at one when the crowd around the Hasselblad booth at the next trade show is 6-deep? Be honest. Call it morbid curiosity or a side-show freak, you're going to want to take a look at it. If you get up to the counter and they let you hold one be sure someone takes a picture of you doing so - perhaps your kid with their new Pentax Efina (it's a $79.00 p&s with flowers stenciled on it). http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/06/04/Pentax-Ricoh-Efina-14MP-budget-compact-White-Blue-WG-3-rugged-waterproof-compact-camera
There are certain things you just can't make up.

0 upvotes

What has become of my favourite medium format camera?

Just because you have gone to the moon in 1969 with Apollo 11 does not mean you are so crazy now. Now, please come down to earth and design a more earthly camera for us, ordinary earthlings.

We are all waiting for you.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

They did. It's called a NEX7

2 upvotes

What would you call people who own this camera?

They are called "Lunatics".

7 upvotes

If any member of the DPR buy this camera, please say something! Sure that your camera will be tested here. Because otherwise it will be impossible to test this camera. All units are sold already :(
The list of pre-order is already quite large.

1 upvote

All seats on Virgin Galactic are sold out too. If memory serves, The Chrysler PT Cruiser was pre-sold-out before it hit the showroom floor and they sold out of pet rocks and beanie babies as well. Maybe I shouldn't have put those cans of Billy Beer into a toxic waste landfill after all. Still unhappy here about my red Leica flip-flops wearing out.

0 upvotes

Getting rid of the Billy Beer cans was a big mistake. They will be worth more than the Lunar soon.

0 upvotes

For something this butt-ugly, even a $699.50 sticker price would be unwarranted. Another overpriced junk-cam from left-behind-the-times Europe.

1 upvote

Someone should just sell wood, leather, and metal body kits that make stock NEX bodies look almost the same as these crazy-priced Hassys. Sell the body kits for a couple hundred dollars. It'd be a lot cheaper, and give you the same gawdy, warped, swoopy, ugly look that these Hassys offer.

0 upvotes

this betrays the margins that hasselblad is accustomed to.

after this faux-pas, they may see their high end camera prices put more into question.

2 upvotes

Not Lunar/nex7. but....Nuts-7

1 upvote

Ren Kockwell (sic) is salivating...

4 upvotes

The next model for the Hollywood set will be the "Hasselblad Lunar Tunes".

0 upvotes

Worry not , they'll supply this camera as "limited addition" alongside with some super car model or something

0 upvotes

Ever wonder why they only show the one side?

Because on the other side, there's nothing there!

1 upvote

Haha..I like that, "Now Shipping"...yeah, we have an order for 3 units in Japan, 4 more in Saudi Arabia, and the Chinese want 1 so they can reverse engineer it and put it on eBay. Is there anyway you can track sales of this game changer?

2 upvotes

I felt maybe I was a bit too harsh on my first observation, so I decided to take a second look at the "camera". I've seen alot of things in my 25 years of photography, but this...this thing is fugly. It is surely a toy and not a tool. I question its functionality. I'll bet that wood grip and sweaty palms are a match made in heaven. Those huge buttons on the top are...heck, what are they?! I wouldn't drop $5 on this gadget, much less $7000. It's obviously designed to draw attention; albeit, I wouldn't want to be the person getting the attention. Hass, if you're reading this forum, FIRE YOUR DESIGN TEAM! This is one of the few forums that I've been on that unanimously agree that a camera/company completely missed the mark. We are not fools, we are your sounding board. With all the excellent options that are out there for half the price, why would I buy this? Take heed.

0 upvotes

Well, it IS hideous....

But people pay huge sums for expensive Swiss watches with standard Seiko quartz movements which are also available in $300 watches.

But this was designed by an interior designer who specialises in rich men's yachts.

0 upvotes

I just bumped into this

http://www.antimonide.com/tag/s%C3%B8lve-sundsb%C3%B8/

0 upvotes

If Porsche took a Nissan Z drive train and chassis, and just put a new skin on it, and asked for $100,000, they would be laughed out of the room. So why is this not equally silly?

5 upvotes

if Porsche took the engine and chassis of a GTR then they would own the best ever built Porsche sportscar lol

0 upvotes

Lunar - the plural of Luni?

4 upvotes

I can't wait for the RX-1 Version!!!

3 upvotes

Please give us a Hasselblad forum NOW ! haha !

0 upvotes

Most of you people don't get it because you don't understand the mindset of the target market. I'm sure this ugly thing is not aimed at the US or Western Europe. It's target markets are the Middle East, Russia, and Asia where bling is king. And it may very well do fine enough in those places ... just as Nokia had some success selling over-priced old-tech blinged-up phones in its Vertu line. [Imagine a US$80K mobile phone with ruby encrusted keys... people bought it!] If you're putting fancy stuff on existing technology, you don't need to sell a whole lot of units to come out ahead, especially if you add some crazy-big margins.

BTW, I'm a NEX7 owner, and anyone whose ever picked one up will know it's a damn fine camera for an APS-C. That said, I would never buy this monstrosity even if I had that amount of change knocking about in my pockets

4 upvotes

I think you are totally right but this may hurt Hasselblad reputation. Or not.
Time will tell.
By the way, I am very, very happy with my Nex 7 too.

0 upvotes

Exactly. And given that there are so many other examples of ostentation it's surprising this concept is so difficult to grasp.

0 upvotes

Well, maybe in that case they should have imposed a news embargo on us Westerners so that or sense of price and aesthetics wasn't assaulted by this monstrosity. ;o)

The Chinese and Singaporean governments are great at overbearing control and secrecy. So perhaps Hassy should have released the cam to those markets and said to those governments "sssh! don't tell the Westerners"

:o)

As it currently stands, the markets in which they make most of their money (the West) are now looking at Hassy with disdain as a result of this mad device of theirs.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

i think sony has the wrong partner. should have team up with LV or Gucci lol

3 upvotes

Spectacularly ill-judged in every respect.

8 upvotes

Ha, ha, ha,.........................

0 upvotes

"Swedish" camera "manufacturer"?

5 upvotes

This is what Swedish porn has come into.

9 upvotes

Perhaps this camera could have been more accepted if it had been named the Loony. It won't attract photographers just posers, Leica have the same marketing ploy, charging a few hundred quid to stick a red dot on a Panasonic. Apart from my Nikon gear, what I call my Sunday morning camera is as Panasonic and I can assure you that produces some great pictures in spite of not having a red dot!!!

2 upvotes

I've got one too. But Leica made the lens and if I'd bought the red dot version the pics would look different because of different j-peg settings and I would have had a copy of lightroom a few years ago which would be no bad thing.

2 upvotes

One could really go to town with designer accessories for this one:
1.bodies made of steel or wood with cross-hatcing or suitable engraving,as in custom guns.
2.a simple retro look might be obtained with a fancy wooden body and bronze -plated lens (except for the inside of the lenshood)
3.a custom fabric(silk?), w.golden thread inlay carrying strap
4.Last but not least bodies bodies sculpted out of quality marble (Doric,Ionian or Corinthian style to be selected or optional)
GO HASSELBLAD GO! BE ALL YOUCAN BE!!!!!

1 upvote

Hasselblad used to be a camera manufacturer, but with this one they seem to be transformed into a design studio. What we seem to have here is a run of the mill camera in an expensive designers dress. Hasselblad's camera reputation will only be recognised when this camera seriously outperforms the Sony original. Otherwise it's all pretension with very little substance.

Comment edited 15 seconds after posting

5 upvotes

Hasselblad: Once considered the archetype of photographic equipment. Now nothing more than an ugly fashion accessory. How the mighty do fall.

4 upvotes

This thing looks more like it was made by IKEA than Hasselblad.

16 upvotes

Leica thanks you Hassenblad, You have saved them from having the most over priced and real bad photographic idea of 2013. This also saves Sony from their RX-1, but now the RX-1 seems like sheer genus. I have a lot real bad ideas for cameras , ask me. I work cheap and so are my ideas! This is a true sign to the end of days.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

6 upvotes

This is nothing compared to the new and revolutionary Leica X Vario! at half the price!! take that Hasselblad!

1 upvote

Where is all this rage coming from?

A simple overpriced gadget emblazoned with a Jurassic brand name?

Aah yes...

Anger is often times the result of an insult.

This gadget is an INSULT to all the intelligent consumers out there.

Nuf Sed.

16 upvotes

So sad. Many many years ago, before digital, buying a Hasselblad was a dream for me - and I suspect many others. Now, it seems that my dream company's latest offering essentially entails decorating a Sony camera. So sad.

7 upvotes

Don't worry, Blad still make a lot of superb and very expensive medium format cameras.

0 upvotes

No they dont they just rebadge Fuji medium format camera/lenses

1 upvote

Is anyone going to admit they hate it mostly because they can't afford it?

0 upvotes

Nope. I could buy one if it were important enough to me. I'm not rich enough that I could buy one given that it's not important to me. But ... even if I won a $250 million Powerball sweepstakes and opted to spent some serious money on camera gear, this would not be in the running. I'd consider Leicas (though I'd more likely buy an S2 than an M) ... I'd look at FF; I'd probably pick up an RX1. But I'd still consider this product line a joke.

11 upvotes

Not me. It's a ridiculously ugly housing on a perfectly ordinary camera. It's like buying a Toyota Camry with a bunch of burl wood trim and gold plated plastic. And the one in the photo isn't even clean!

5 upvotes

HaYell no. That has to be one of the ugliest cameras I've ever seen, and I've seen and used and tested many. The Sony NEX 7 is SO much more handsome than that abominable thing.

Looney is the perfect name for it. Go Roger.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

4 upvotes

to answer your question, no. the price is just adding insult to injury. Put a nex 7 next to it and the nex 7 looks to be worth more in elegance and styling than this camera. The blad above is a housing placed over a nex 7. point 1 is that it's an ugly housing. point 2 is that for that degree of ugly, you're paying quadruple what you'd pay for a nex 7.

The nex 7 isn't a cheap camera either. Pricing has little to do with it except to exacerbate an existing problem.

1 upvote

I could afford it. But I wouldn't be caught dead with it. It's embarrassing.

1 upvote

I cannot, for the life of me, believe they actually produced this thing. seven grand for a NEX 7, a camera that Sony will update soon, as well! I know that other manufacturers build luxury items, like Rolex watches. But really, would you buy a Seiko rebranded by Rolex for 5X the price? Honestly, I'd be embarrassed to be seen with this monstrosity. You spend 7 grand, and you get a mediocre Sony zoom lens. Great. I wonder, was the person who suggested this related to William M. Gaines?

8 upvotes

Going on shooting for nearly 45 years and when you think you have seen most things ............. naaa you haven't, LOL.

I would say get a grip, but it doesn't need any more, my goodness.

Danny.

11 upvotes

You got that right Danny boy!
Hey, being a fantastic wood-worker, you might get into a new business retrofitting something better looking to this? LOL

0 upvotes

Vulcan spaceship!

3 upvotes

ROFL

0 upvotes

The rich want to snap photos too.

2 upvotes

Does it take those flimsy plebeian SD cards or you replace the whole camera when the memory is full?

12 upvotes

I read many rants about the new Leica compact at 2200 Euros. But: this Leica is actually a new development, with a Leica Lens in front of the body. Honextly: I'd rather spend my money on the Leica than the Hasselblad. Victor Hasselblad is spinining in his grave in high speed!

4 upvotes

For shame, people. I bet you guys also laughed at the $7000 Sigma DP1 with wood burl veneer.

0 upvotes

7000 was after a substantial reduction! Maybe Sigma was a little bit wrong in pricing! :-D

0 upvotes

At least it looked nice. Yeah I gagged on my fried rice when I read the price but the "Looney" makes me want to throw rotten veggies at it in utter rage.

0 upvotes

I saw one of these a few weeks back at the photography-museum Fotografiska in Stockholm, another visitor carried it around his neck. The most striking thing is how ugly and cumbersome the camera is. I don't understand why they would make it so ugly... Haven't they learned from Leica that less is more. Honestly, this camera has nothing going for it. A couple of pretty mediocre rebranded Sony-lenses and an insane price-tag, while being uglier than most.

8 upvotes

OMG!! Are you saying you ACTUALLY saw one of these things in the wild, being carried by a human being??!!

And you didn't take a picture of this historical event as well as getting us a picture of the strange individual, so strange that they ought to be donated to medical science for examination when they die, who dared to carry this thing?!

You have failed big time and should be banned from all photography forums until you learn to be a bit more like Henri Cartier-Bresson i.e. capturing decisive moments (especially important moments in the history of mankind like this).

LOL!!

I would have to be paid BIG money to carry that thing around!!

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Maybe he worked for Hasselblad? Not that unlikely in Stockholm. So perhaps he was being paid lots of money to carry it!

1 upvote

Total comments: 371

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