(UPDATED) Hasselblad announces new 5.000 Euro E-mount camera and partnership with Sony!

Hands-on picture by Engadget. More pics at SystemKameraForum.
Wow, if you ever had the question how to make an APS-C sensor camera as expensive as possible than Hasselblad finally gave you the answer. They just announced a 24 Megapixel APS-C sensor mirrorless camera with Sony E-mount! The camera uses the same Sony NEX-7 sensor and costs…5.000 Euro! It will be available in black, silver or titanium colors and four types of wood grip (beech, olive, pear or mahogany). I can already see the long store lines of people to buy this….Saudi Arabians, Rich Golf Players, Hedge Fonds managers, Mitt Romney…
The good news is:
1) We finally have a second camera maker on board of the E-Mount system (Although the first camera is nothing else than a NEX-7 with a lot of expensive materials around it). Hasselblad said that there will be: “new products for DSLR and compact camera segments”
2) That’s the most intriguing point. Hasselblad leads the medium format market. And this could be a key partnership to develop FF or MF DSLR or Mirrorless cameras. Imagine a Hasselblad XPAN (here on eBay) alike mirrorless camera! That yes would make me grab a credit card…until I realize that I will never have the money to buy this.
—
And here is the official partnership press release (Source: Sony Press Center):
Hasselblad and Sony usher in a ‘new dawn’ with a long-term partnership that will enable the high-end medium format camera manufacturer to diversify for the first time into new market segments.
The Swedish company Hasselblad, pioneer and developer of the H System, the world’s most advanced medium format digital camera system – used by top professional photographers all over the world – has decided to work with Sony Corporation to cultivate new markets for photo enthusiasts and consumer digital imaging products. Hasselblad is keen to expand and develop its product portfolio to include a new range of advanced mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (a.k.a. compact system camera), which will be followed by new products for DSLR and compact camera segments.
Hasselblad and Sony have agreed further on plans for the two organisations to work together in efforts to achieve technical and engineering breakthroughs in various photographic technology challenges.
Said Dr. Larry Hansen, Hasselblad Chairman and CEO: “Following talks with Sony – the key player in the serious photographer and enthusiast market spaces – we are delighted to announce the emergence of a new dawn for Hasselblad. This partnership will enable us to access an area of the photographic sector, which we have never reached out to before, by tapping on Sony’s excellent state of the art technology and spirit of ground breaking innovation. Owning a Hasselblad, made in Sweden, will no longer be just a dream for many photographic enthusiasts.”
Shigeki Ishizuka, President, Sony Digital Imaging Business Group, added: “This is a very exciting partnership because Hasselblad’s loyal customers with deep attachment to this prestigious photography brand get familiarised with Sony’s industry-leading camera technologies. We believe that we can further enhance our digital imaging development and manufacturing expertise through this partnership, so that we will be able to offer increasingly attractive products to our customers for years to come.”
More pics: Courtesy of SystemKameraForum.







Daemonius
9 months ago |I want same stuff they are smoking. It must be really GOOOD stuff!
Sahaja
9 months ago |Maybe belladonna.
Looks like a bad trip to me
Bruno_dn
9 months ago |Hahaha! I thought exactly like you when I discovered this Star Trek Next Generation look like stuff! (For the Original Serie, look at http://www.digitalbolex.com/)
Florian
9 months ago |Shouldn’t actually cameras get better with the time?! What went wrong here? Hasselblad made such great and innovative cameras back in the 70s and 80s.
Ken
9 months ago |I’m more interested in the a-mount FF dSLR Hasselblad is planning
Geert
9 months ago |You would need a second body for spare parts
Sky_walker
9 months ago |+1 Ken.
Sahaja
9 months ago |That will probably just be an A99 with some weird stuff stuck on it and selling at 4x the price.
puretide
2 weeks ago |From the looks of the fashion NEX 7 you can expect
A99 with wood bits carbon fiber bits …..All seems abit amature to me
pimp my cam
9 months ago |Gonna pimp my NEX with “H”
German Guy#1
9 months ago |This is really good marketing idea by Sony
Even if Hasselbald does not sell more then 100 (some collectors maybe- the rich ones) , Sony will gain some Nex-7 buyers because they think the get a Hasselblad (without some fancy accessories like leather and so one) for 1000€ instead of 5k. Really a good deal! For Sony, that’s a good return for the investement in ( sorry, cooperation with) Hasselbald.
documensony
9 months ago |Correction:
Hasselblad is no more a camera manufacturer. It’s a brand management company.
All excisting Hasselblad cameras and lenses are rebranded Fujifilm cameras and lenses. Fuji sell this gear within Japan, Hasselblad sell them outside of Japan.
This new camera is obviously made by Sony and is a revamped and rebranded Sony Nex 7 camera.
Personally I do not see this flying.
dagump
9 months ago |actually I don’t think so…
Hasselblad:
* provided the highest Resolution: 200Mpix Multi-Shot capture for the ultimate in still subject capture.
* Started the cheaper medium format cameras initiative: Entry price for the H4D-31: €9,995 / $13,132 before tax
—
Sony:
* Production of the most powerful sensors
* invented the SLT technology
* First Full Frame sensors in none SLRs …
—
that’s just some points of many others, which tell me:
Sony and Hasselblad are future oriented!!!
Bart
9 months ago |Sony didn’t really invent the SLT technology. as a concept for a non-moving mirror ‘SLR’ it was first used by Canon. Also, the Olympus E-10 and E-20 use a very similar technology.
And the idea of a ‘semi translucent’ mirror is just silly, if it were semi translucent it wouldn’t be able to produce any useful pictures. Its semi transparent instead. The idea of such a semi transparent mirror is about as old as the first beam-splitter.
obican
9 months ago |Someone reads Ken Rockwell
Randy S.
9 months ago |actaully Mamiya leaf started that with the aptus 65s add III package. at $14k
DalaaBachoPhotography
9 months ago |I think this will be overall a good thing for Sony. Much like the Panasonic/ Leica Relationship brings a selling point to the Lumix line I hope this will give Sony More marketing Clought…. If A company like Hasselblad will put it’s name infront of Sony products that says a lot
Sam Kanga
9 months ago |Can we take this one to the moon and leave it there too? – This is my first impression only of the design, and the understanding that it is an NEX-7 underneath.
Once I count to ten and take a deep breath, I’ll take a closer look at the specs and see if there is any Hasselblad magic dust they added to improve an already very good APS-C camera.
So sad that they are playing the dopey luxury game, it might be lucrative for them, but I was really hoping for something innovative from Hasselblad that would add to our choices at this interesting time.
Sam
P D
9 months ago |That is ugly…
Thanks “H” for joining the party though. I hope that it helps build Sony Inertia and market share.
physica
9 months ago |I will buy the NEX6 /w Zeiss or Schneider Lens instead….
Dennishh
9 months ago |SAD!
rogers f
9 months ago |IDIOT DESIGN HASSELBLAD AND TEKNOLOGI JUST COPY PASTE SHIIT
Jiri
9 months ago |Glad to have my NEX-7
Sahaja
9 months ago |I think this was probably designed by a Klingon.
Rich O
9 months ago |LOL, that’s so true!
Bear
9 months ago |it’s using the old Minolta hot shoe? this is already outdated design!
Rich O
9 months ago |LOL, so true!
Joe
9 months ago |I believe this is what’s known as jumping the shark.
Kurry
9 months ago |=[]= OMG can’t event touch the dial….
what for nex 7 design that dial?
SO THAT WE CAN EASY DIAL THE SETTING!
Dave
9 months ago |I would not say that Haselblad is leading the medium format market.
I think that Danish Phase-One are the leaders and most innovative. They own Mamiya, Leaf and Phase One. although I would say that the finish on a Hasselblad are better.
Joscha
9 months ago |Take what arguably constitutes the cleanest and most radical APS-C camera design on the market, and glue carcinomic protrusions to it until it mutates into the fugliest abomination HR Giger could come up with. It looks as if the Zerg got hold of a NEX-7, exploded its guts and grew tumors and prostheses on them. Yuck!
Steve
9 months ago |This is just like the Leica copy of Panasonic except they go overboard with the cosmetics. I don’t see this adding anything as the firmware is likely exactly the same as the Sony equivalent.
I don’t see what the big deal is.
One More Thought
9 months ago |This is great for Sony…the Hasselblad partnership will only enhance the brand name of Sony in photography.
As for this camera, yes, it’s just a rebranded NEX 7…way overpriced…but it’s a toy for the very very wealthy…a fashion accessory. But it will add credibility and legitimacy to the Sony NEX series…now Sony can claim that they have a camera good enough to be used by Hasselblad. Now Sony can say, hey, you want a Hasselblad for cheap…get the NEX 7…it’s the same device.
Sony is really making inroads into the photography arena.
Jocelynne
9 months ago |I am compelled to agree with most of the above mss.
I am hoping that Hasselblad will be adding some of its serious, i.e. professional quality, technology and not just decorations right out of Star Wars.
I am a Hasselblad user, in addition to being a Sony Alpha “tog”. So, in this marriage between Sony and Hasselblad, I would like to see offspring which are true genetic combinations of the two parents.
My very best wishes to the happy couple. May they have beautiful, intelligent, healthy babies.
LG
9 months ago |Very steampunky.
Bruce Bachand
9 months ago |Yeah.. that nails it!
Nevermind
9 months ago |It’s hedge funds not hedge fonds..
Mando
9 months ago |Kinda ridiculous, but if attracts the “for the outside body looks” of the camera then more money to develop a FF nex-8 for us regular style nex-7 users
obican
9 months ago |As if Sony wasn’t making enough bodies for E-Mount lenses
Rooru S.
9 months ago |WTF… I just want them making lenses for E-mount, that’s it. Not interested in that…thing, whatever.
Rooru S.
9 months ago |By them, i’m talking about Sony.
dj
9 months ago |Hideous. Absolutely hideous.
Dima_Medvedev
9 months ago |Oni sovsem ebanulis’ =((
steph
9 months ago |APS-C for 5’000 hahaha… why not 1″ ???
steph
9 months ago |the ideal camera for Flash Gordon!
Judd
9 months ago |So basically this is a $4000 camera case
Gunnar
9 months ago |well the first thing that Hasselblad should get out of this “cooperation” is a design lesson from the Sony designers.. just to teach them the very basics, its obviously highly needed!!
rmitsch
9 months ago |I am just wondering who is waiting for a camera to pay pay for a golden camera grip. It sounds more like a luxury product than a tool too me. So let’s see how big is the target group – I am really curious…
daenur
9 months ago |“Oni sovsem ebanulis’ =((” – Dima, +1
this thing is ugly as hell. also, it’s an E-Mount
a redesigned/rebranded Hasselblad A99 may bring some new users though (well, not in Russia anyway, maybe in Europe)
Taz
9 months ago |This thing looks ugly and expensive! omg
TM
9 months ago |“When it starts shipping at the beginning of next year, the Lunar will come with a kit lens that looks very much like the 18-55mm Sony kit lens. According to the rep, though, it is Hasseblad glass, which is why it wears the Hasselblad badge. Two more lenses are apparently on the way, but it will even use E-mount lenses.”
Source: http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2012/09/hands-hasselblad-lunar-interchangeable-lens-compact-seriously-beefed-nex-7
The question is, are these just re-branded Sony lenses or new developments.
admin
9 months ago |re-branded I guess.
Stephen Linhart
9 months ago |For the extra money you get the better focus speed that the NEX 7 lacks. I actually find this price less surprising than the RX1 because it is a fairly small premium for the Hasselblad name compare to what people pay for the Leica name.
MaurizioP
9 months ago |I found the dedicated website:
http://www.hasselblad-lunar.com
MaurizioP
9 months ago |From
http://www.hasselblad-lunar.com/index.php/main-specification/technical-specifications-chart/
Body only Approx. 420 g !!!
dac38
9 months ago |Ha ha … Mitt Romney doesnt buy hassels. He’s already got a 100 leicas and a museum to hold them.
Kingrenas
9 months ago |Some video link from Hasselblad how they design and make the camera.
https://vimeo.com/49667699
Carl
9 months ago |Lensrentals are such masters of satire.
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/09/product-announcement-lensrentals-looney
Lee Mullen
9 months ago |I reckon this will be HEAPS better than the NEX-7!! It even LOOKS heaps better!! Hasselblad and VIDEO!! isnt that a first???
Gan Eden Video
Australia
WTH
9 months ago |At least we now know why Sony didn’t release the Medium Format camera prototype.
Looks like someone gave Sony a reach-around!
Bundasz
9 months ago |Now everybody has a idea what a Hassi normaly is worth -> 20% of what they want to have on the “free market”..
AG
9 months ago |What the H?
Stay away from drugs.
Raynor
9 months ago |Absolutely gorgeous!
And goes nicely with my Bugatti.
Hasselblad lunar
8 months ago |I really love design no metter what other say. Look on this like on cell or car industy.
Exp iphone vs vertu.
Some people are pro, some people thinks that they are pro, sam are amatur and some want fancy products no metter of price.
John
7 months ago |This partnership will give SONY access to Hasselblad’s shift sensor technology. The sensor shifts half the distance between sensor sites … to the right, down, and down/left … then puts those 4 captures together … quadrupling the megapixels. So on a stable surface, a 24MP sensor can make a 96MP file. Now if they go all the way toward where we are all headed, they will make those sensors round … to maximize the utility of the image circle … enabling the user to crop out the most pleasing rectangle or square post-capture … while reducing the need to consider exact framing when shooting. Then SONY will own photography.