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Reviewed.com is the first site posting a first impression review of the [shoplink 41116 ebay]Hasselblad HV A-mount FF camera[/shoplink] . And they like this camera more than the previous Hasselblad Lunar and Stellar Sony camera clones:
The grip, for instance, is coated with a lovely soft-touch material that’s stamped with the iconic Hasselblad “H” to give it texture. It’s a tiny little touch, but shows the care the designers used in crafting the exterior appearance. he top plate of the camera is made from machined aluminum, which Hasselblad claims has “far more qualities” than the magnesium alloy typically used in modern DSLRs. Among those qualities: corrosion resistance, toughness, and durability. Hasselblad has also coated the body with a PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating that it claims is second only to diamond in terms of hardness.
What I didn’t know is that Hasselblad produced only 100 of those cameras. One of them is owned by David Beckham (Source: DailyMail UK). And thanks to a massive $7,999 price drop you can buy on of the other 99 cameras on [shoplink 41116 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] and at BHphoto (Click here) for a more “affordable” $3,999 price.
32 Responses
I bought two HV’s. Already own two a99’s.
The HV is simply the most rugged and stable AMount camera you could ever imagine. That machined aluminum body is far more rigid than the standard Sphony magnesium. The HV feels better than a Maxxum 9TI, Leica R9, Contax RTSIII. It’s in a league all its own.
Absolutely NO body flex with extra large lenses. The HV feels like it is hone from one solid block of diamond.
Hasselblad sculpted a nice ridge between the front control dial and the on/off switch. The way Sony should have done it to prevent confusion between the two controls. A7RII could learn a big lesson here.
The raised shutter button is fabulous, and excellent for knuckle shooting vertical shots. It’s wonderful.
The hand grip protrudes much further at the bottom than a99 grip, making for extra nib to land the pinky finger underneath. I can’t tell you how extremely comfortable and secure the HV is to hold with VG, or without. The H grip rubber is incredible, holding the hand that touches it.
The top plate buttons and protrusions are sculpted for better tactile feel than a99.
The ruby embellishments atop the video record button and on/off switch are much more useful than internet mockery deceives. First, they are the exact same color as the lens hood markings on the ZA lenses… So they match perfectly, and make perfect sense once seen together. They also provide extra dimension to the buttons, with greater tactile feel. They serve a good purpose beyond standard a99 buttons.
I know this all sounds silly. But you can’t expect that a camera four X the price of a99 does’nt come with nuanced refinements that only a long lived German company can offer beyond a gaming company’s butchering of the fine Minolta 9 series. The HV is a no BS camera that puts the most robust CaNikon offerings to shame. Sphony could learn a lot from some simple embellishment that Hasselblad awards. If you ever get a chance to hold one, please do. You’ll never want to put it down.
Bravo Hassy! Thanks for giving us the ultimate AMount that Sphony isn’t visionary enough to realize.
I thought Hassy was Swedish?
It certainly is.
I’m embarrassed and thankful for your correction.
Cool story.
“only a long lived German company can offer”
^^^But that is a gigantic FAIL right there.^^^
Yeah, that basic fail-fact kinda ruins it all. Cool story bro.
I’m not sure if this is sarcasm or not.
“The HV is a no BS camera”
LOL!
I think you might find this p.o.s is BS piled upon BS, on top of more BS ,on top of a mountain of BS, stacked up with stupid, ugly, tacky, monstrous greed that has bought about, and signified the downfall of a once great company.
Just wondering – Do you work for B+H or Hasselblad?
I think he is an artist. I would not think he works for B+H.
Sorry friend, I work for myself. Thirty five years self employed commercial ad/fashion tog.
WOW, what a lovely, sensitive, passionate comment. Thank you so much. The only passage I find a tiny bit bold, is the referring to “a long lived German company”. Otherwise, great stuff. Bravo “.”.
Yes my bad. Thanks for pointing that out. Silly of me.
“…The HV feels like it is hone from one solid block of diamond…”
What a beautiful shakespearean glow. I can’t get enough of it. I’m overwhelmed. This is poetry at its best, it’s art, only comparable to one thing: the HV itself.
Wish I had one of those cases for my A99!
Somebody tell Hasselblad that AMount is dead
I wouldn’t call this “first impressions”. It’s far more. A full fledged camera review, that beautifully points out the innovations, that the famous camera manufacturer is known for. I enjoyed every single word. I just miss an unboxing video.
Did I say, that I love SAR?
Just a humble suggestion to the SAR admin: It should read “Reviewed.com was the first site ….” instead of “Reviewed.com is the first site ….”. The review is from February 16, 2014. Nothing important, just a little misleading.
$3999 is same as regular A99 + CZ 24-70, so why buy Sony when you can buy this?
Would you buy an A99 for $1999 today?
No, but I might buy Hasselblad HV for giggles
Just giggles? No shiiiiits?
What??? Not sure????
sure you are dude. Good luck with the camera sales.
Ah, well, good luck with your clairvoyant skepticism. You seem to know more about me than I do. Here’s a hint, my “German” mistake should suggest validity to my report. A B&H or Hasselblad salesman probably wouldn’t have made such a foul error. I’m just a user who’s knowledge doesn’t go far beyond photography.
I hope you get to experience an HV one day. You might find that I’m actually telling the truth about all the ergonomic nuances pointed out. Simple to compare my comments with the product photos. Where is the discrepancy?
I agree with you that HasSony made a terribly greedy marketing blunder. But you surely cannot deny that it is a fine camera, ugly or not to you. You’ll note that I never claimed it was beautiful or ugly. I just reported on the ergonomics and stability. Sony would do well to plagiarize the subtle refinements for future models. Try thinking of the HV as extreme custom proof of concept… just like in cars and clothing, we hope the refinements trickle down to the consumer level. We’re all better served with such design evolutions.
HV? Did we miss the previous version – HIV? 🙂
It would be interesting if they (Hb) or Zeiss took an A7x and not only gave it the better design, but also “fixed” the idiotic Sony menu system.
Anyone know of it’s the 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* version one or two of the lens?
It is
Perhaps the they should kill the sony camera as an a mount and make them all Hassleblads. This is a sexy camera weather it is an a99 or not. People still buy Leica digital although its a Panasonic with less features.
Is it weird that I want this thing?
“you can buy one of the other 99” I see what you did there…
I still want this thing.