Image credit: Colamanago. The Rec button looks like a Ruby!
Editor’s note: Dear readers! I can’t go at photokina because I have work to do in Berlin. If you have some nice photokina picture to show feel free to send me your images at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com. If you want you can also send me your name and website link to credit the picture. I look for pictures of the new Sony cameras but also of the three new Zeiss primes, the Sigma lenses and of course the Hasselblad stuff. Thanks guys!
Now back to Hassleblad. Popphoto reports about the new Hasselblad Lunar camera that “Hasselblad has done a fair bit of tinkering with the insides, which they claim make it more “precise” in its operation. There’s also a new interface for navigating the camera.” And about the lenses: “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.”
As correctly stated by some of our readers Hasselblad itself usually outsources the Lens design to Zeiss and Fuji. There are Hassleblad [shoplink 14329 ebay]Distagons (here on eBay)[/shoplink], [shoplink 14330 ebay]Sonnars (here on eBay)[/shoplink] and so on…
74 Responses
I wouldn’t count on Hasselblad making any lenses (or contracting Zeiss to) for this camera. They couldn’t even be bothered to make any changes other than cosmetic ones to the camera itself, somehow thinking that their badge alone was worth a 500% markup.
If that’s the case, you can expect the same philosophy applied to lenses. The “two more lenses” on the way are probably taking a while because Hassy is deciding how many gaudy stickers they want to put on the original Sony lenses.
For a Sony-user, the news about Hasselblad is not very interesting in my opinion. The camera-market is quickly getting like the automobile-industry with badge-engineering ruining old brands. I guess the only lenses Hasselblad will touch are Sony or Zeiss ones that will be covered in a new silver-paint to go with the camera, and then sold at a high markup. Considering that Hasselblad don’t make their own lenses and are not a lens-designer, I wouldn’t expect anything else.
Are you kidding? Hasselblad is a major breakthrough for E-Mount and brings Sony into a position like the MFT-Group of having established an industry standard and therefore stabilises lens manufacturers’ businesses a lot when developing for E-Mount. This is really big news…
Think again…
re-read the news carefully. It quite clearly says that the changes they made are more then just minor cosmetics, and so it suggests Hassel put more into this lens then just painting it black and pasting a badge onto the barrel.
Jeez… what’s up with whole this negativity. Somehow I don’t see so much bashing under every camera Leica releases which is Panasonic with red dot for twice the price – Hassel at least bothers to do something more with it. I’d applaud instead of throwing trash. Sure, most of us can’t afford it, but it doesn’t automatically mean that it’s a total crap.
ok now, so hassel goes all out to pimp out the body, but they went and put all their effort into making the “hassel” edition lens, aside from the logo and lens hood, look EAXACTLY like the standard sucky 18-55 kit lens?
For now they use Sony’s 18-55 – you can see it quite clearly of shots from Photokina. Still we don’t know much about final lens from hassel besides few graphics.
First get me a real lens, let people test it, then judge it. Making a judgement of something you know nothing about besides seeing few concepts made in photoshop is foolish to say at least.
Are they doing more with it?
As far as I’m concerned, the camera can look like a pile of garbage if it takes good photos and is well priced, so I wouldn’t give a blinged up rebadging the time of day. As such, I find the whole thing woefully misguided. I’m sure people who care deeply about cosmetics to think differently, but that doesn’t make my position wrong.
I havde to agree with those who strongly doubt there will ever be any special Hasselblad lenses. The idea of saying such thing is pretty stupid marketing nonsense.
Hasselblad today have NO manufacturing capacity. They are a brand management company only.
The idea of rebranding a Sony camera and to release it almost TWO years after its initial release is nothing but lame and will not fly.
Sony, in the meantime, will have a whole range of newer generation cameras already.
This Hasselblad camera will sell in so limited numbers, that creating special lenses for it is not a commercial opportunity.
And BTW, Hasselblad broke off any cooperation with Zeiss almost ten years ago – much to Zeiss’ regret at the time. Since then, Hasselblad has been owned by changing, shortsighted and profit-optimizing capital fonds, and the latest one of these is now trying to earn a few bucks by making this charade.
I wish them luck. They will surely need it, IMO.
What got me excited is
“There’s also a new interface for navigating the camera.”
Does this mean that the blads will have a new (hopefully better) menu system and NEXes can “borrow” some firmware.
I certainly would like to know what Hasselblad has done better with the “insides” that Sony hasnt done or couldnt have done. Let me guess, a “better” jpg engine.
About the lens, who cares about the 18-55 mm kit zoom, even if HB can improve it. It is a lens that sells for 100-200 $ depending on how you buy it. It is the high grade lenses from Zeiss that matters. Will Zeiss agree to HB stepping in and “improving” them ?
Hassel got quite a long history of cooperating with Zeiss (eg. first “space” camera from Hassel used Zeiss glass). Right now they are using Fuji resources, but who knows? Perhaps they’ll return back to cooperating with Zeiss. I’m quite sure that Zeiss would be like it as well – not only it’s a matter of prestige, but also possible additional profits for Zeiss (not significant, but still: money is money).
better to showcase body only with no lens, then to showcase it with a hssael endorsed “worst lens” kit lens?
if you improve the worst lens of the bunch, is it still a piece of shittt?
My kit lens compares pretty damn close to my Zeiss lenses. This is hand held wide open in a bakery. Its not a bad lens. https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/329920_10152115252105217_445764228_o.jpg
Randy, your kit lens is probably fine for you.
But no way does it belong in the same spheres as true high-end glass does.
Regarding Zeiss. Yes sure Zeiss already makes lenses for both Hasselblad and Sony Nex, so that fits well into Zeiss portfolio. But will Zeiss allow Hasselblad to humilate them by taking their lenses and “make them better”, better than Zeiss can do ? Putting on a Hasselblad label and tell customers that this lens is an improved version of a Zeiss lens. Of course Zeiss will not allow that.
Jesper I have been a Professional advertising photographer for 24 years. Do I think the kit lens compares to my Zeiss and Rodenstock glass? no. Does it do a pretty good job for the type of camera it is HELL YES. When my book is published in the next couple of months on China. its 100% done with sony c3 and kit lens. (because white dude in china with a camera everywhere draws attention) But I don’t own much 35mm style gear. My impression comes from comparing this to my large and medium format gear.
This is a 1:1 crop of that bread from my little trip to the mountains
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslittle/7932406930/ I don’t really think you can say there is one thing wrong with that.
Not impressed, my iphone does better!! Why would I need an apsc camera?
what if the best kept secret is that this will be a FULLFRAME mirrorless? direct competition to the leica m! and the lens is just to throw people off and get them talking that it is a joke? this body frame is noticeably larger than the nex7 body. and considering how small rx1 is, why cant this be a fullframe? the rx1 was extremely tightlipped until the very final release days.
everyone would definitely balk at price no matter the quality of such a fullframe mirrorless from just sony, so what if it had more prestige than a red dot? this is not just selling sensors to them as a customer, but having a part in it as a partner.
Hasselblad already confirmed it was APC-C
ill be there tomorrow 🙂
I find it interesting that it features an iISO hotshoe….. 😀
Yea, that’s quite weird. I’d expect hassel using their own hotshoe.
modern hassel lenses – not zeises – it is fujinon. Old hassy series V has zeiss lenses much better the new fujinon but without AF.
But Fuji won’t allow their lenses to be used on E mount when it’s in direct competition with X mount.
With top Nikon and Canon camera slowly pushing into the large frame market its logical for Hasselblad to counterattack.
What will be interesting to wait and see is whether they do brand-based selling for a snobs or actually try to create a premium brand for professionals.
I can see the market for the latter and would be very interested in development in this end. Having said that I would not expect an especially designed Hasselblad lenses yet, or anytime soon. It is big investment and market need to be ready.
Every time I see this Hassy Nex camera I think its a practical joke, it is tremendously hideous.
I agree!
Leica sells rebadged Panasonic cameras, with profit apparently. So Hasselblad selling rebadged Sony cameras is not surprising.
Note that Leica doesn’t do almost ANYTHING to Panasonic cameras. They just apply fresh paint, put sticker, update firmware and re-sale it for twice as much. Hassel at least got some more ambitious approach.
Twice the price vs 5 times the price in this case.
Except they actually do something to improve the body, unlike Leica.
What exactly is “improved” with this monstrosity?
“–Note that Leica doesn’t do almost ANYTHING to Panasonic cameras. They just apply fresh paint, put sticker, update firmware and re-sale it for twice as much. Hassel at least got some more ambitious approach.–”
Leica also doubles the warranty and you get better software included (Adobe Lightroom) not that I care for this rebranding. In the price range of the Hasselblad Lunar however we are talking $6500 for a modified NEX-7 which is Lunacy. That is Leica M territory which is not a rebranding of someone else’s product.
Something is going on between Sony, Hasselblad, Zeiss and Fuji? A joint alliance of some sort?
– Hasselblad working together with Sony on new products
– Zeiss and Fuji are the 2 lens manufacturers of Hasselblad (could we see Fuji lens for E mount in the future?)
– Zeiss used to provide autofocus lines to Sony (probably under an agreement with Sony not to provide autofocus lens to others) but now will also extend this Fuji’s X-mount
– Sony selling its sensor and EVF to Fuji.
Wait till Olympus join the party then we can assemble a team of Avengers!
holy shit!, that movie button still on there O_O
so far Hasselblad has never designed any lens but always left it to other knowledgeable manufacturers like Zeiss, Schneider and Fuji. i doubt whether they will do so now because it would mean that will need a whole new expertise they do not have yet….
Hasselblad designs their lenses using a BASE design reference. A biogon or a plannar is a type of lens group. That then has to be adjusted to work with each type of camera and focol length it works best at. Of course they work with Zeiss and whom ever. Just like Apples A6 is a snapdragon base that is then made better by apple in house chip designers. OH and FYI ALL H series Hasselblad are made my Fuji so the new lens will probably say Hasselblad on it and be made by Fuji just like all other modern hasselblad lenses
The camera may be luxurious, but what I see on the pictures looks cheap. The quality of manufacturing seems inferior. Cheap plastic look, parts not fitting well or badly aligned, …
Judging by this video there seems to be a lot of craftsmanship put into it
http://vimeo.com/49667699
FF to about 2:20
What a monstrosity!
Bearing in mind that it (supposedly) comes from a snowy land it should be know as the “Abominable Snow Cam”!
Talk about pimping it out!
The dream is (was) that Fuji joins the E-mount…
Sony/Fuji just as Pana/Oly did…
But unfortunately it is too late…
I couldn’t give a toss about what it looks like, it’s yet another bitch-slap to the CaNikon lot who throughout the years said Sony will pull out of the market. Their silence is deafening…
What do you mean by “silence” ??? Just visit dPreview or other websites – there’s so much hate going towards both: Sony and Hassel that it’s just unbelievable.
Hassel did more then Leica does every 2 years. They released product that at least partially makes sense (if you forget about price for a while), and announced entry into E and A-mount, possibly including a first A-mount Full Frame DSLR since the legendary Alpha A900.
Personally I’m very happy with it and find it one of the most important news of Photokina 2012.
But obviously Sony haters can’t stand that and keep on throwing BS under every single news about Hassel and Sony cooperation.
It’s not hate. It’s laughter.
same shit.
Especially when people are totally clueless about Hassel’s plans or what will be it’s DSLR and already jump into conclusions like idiots.
Nothing’s funnier than a Canon fanboy who thinks a 10 year old ‘L’ lens is better than a Sony Zeiss with stabilisation. Or their lower DR sensors are better…
Hex FF yet, but there is THIS.
I will buy an hassy lunar only if it will cost 221312412k euros
The Hasselblad Lunar is a very expensive skin for the NEX-7. If its buyers are really lucky, it got a firmware update.
Wood? Looks like there has been a boat designer working for Hasselblad.
Holy shit.
Current Hasselblad lenses are crap if compared with old Zeiss and Schneider ones.
Current Hasselblad cameras are in some ways inferior to the Pentax and Leica offerings, and for many tasks inferior to a D800E, although it is a different story.
this camera is laughable, Hasselblad lenses are decent but not stellar…
SNE – NYSE index rises these days too.
“Hasselblads own lenses coming ?”.
My take on the probability:
That Hasselblad will stick a Hasselblad label on an existing Sony Nex lens and do nothing to it apart from added bling-bling and markup = 100% probability.
That Hasselblad will stick a Hasselblad label on an existing Sony Nex lens and do something minor to it apart from added bling-bling and markup = 50% probability.
That Hasselblad will stick a Hasselblad label on an existing Zeiss Nex lens and do nothing to it apart from added bling-bling and markup = 1% probability.
That Hasselblad will stick a Hasselblad label on an existing Zeiss Nex lens and do something minor to it apart from added bling-bling and markup = 0% probability (No way will Zeiss allow another company to “improve” its lenses).
That Hasselblad will design new Nex lenses via Fuji, and release them with a Hasselblad label = 1% probability.
That Hasselblad will persuade Fuji to redesign existing Fuji X-mount lenses for E-mount, and release them with a Hasselblad label = 0.1% probability.
That Hasselblad will design all-new Nex lenses completely in-house, with no help from Fuji, Zeiss or Sony = 0% probability.
100 + 50 + 1 + 0.1 = 151.1%?
The various possibilities does not exclude each other.
Having 100% probability for one item excludes anything else.
They’re multitalented.
Skywalker, you should go back to school.
If one thing will happen for sure, then probability of alternative scenarios is null. If you think a school is needed to know that – I’m sincerely sorry for you.
Sorry, but when stating percent of probability, they can only add up to 100%. It’s all pointless conjecture at this stage anyway.
That would be correct if the possibilities were mutually exclusive, which they are not.
For example, Hasselblad could decide to have relabelled Nex lenses (100% probability, it seems it is a fact) and ALSO design their own lenses via Fuji for example (1% probability they will do that). In this case you dont add the probabilities to get a 100% sum, you also do not add them together to get 101%. You do not add then together at all.
The co-operation between Hasselblad & Sony will only bring positive benefits to A & E-mount users, so don’t understand all the negative sentiment here.
Hasselblad is wise in choosing the best APS-C Body (Nex-7) to enter the mirrorless compact market, which Sony has the biggest market share (APS-C).
I believe with Hasselblad’s reputation the 3 new lenses should be of high quality (comparable to Zeiss), hard to imagine they’ll attach a $200 rebranded Sony lens on a 5000Euro Body. But bottomline is we’ll have 3 additional E-mount lenses to choose from, especially the 18-55mm kit zoom which Sony is the only option now.
That Hasselblad doesn’t design their own lenses is a misconception.
The old lenses for the analog cameras were indeed designed and made by Carl Zeiss as well as some some odd lens from Schneider Kreuznach.
The modern lenses from the last decade are however named Hasselblad and neither Zeiss, Schneider or Fujinon for a reason. They are indeed from beginning designed by Hasselblad in Gothenburg, Sweden with Fujinon in Japan finalizing the design and producing the lenses.
Here’s an interesting read about lens design from Hasselblad themselves:
http://www.hasselblad.se/media/1663143/the_evolution_of_lenses.pdf
That means it is not at all unlikely we will see real Hasselblad lenses for both the E- and A-mount that are not rebadged Sony or Zeiss lenses.
EnPassant, thanks for the Hasselblad article.
Even if Hasselblad has some lens design capability, do you think that Fuji will agree to make lenses for a platform that competes head-to-head with their x-mount cameras ?
Maybe we are witnessing a slowly progressing divorce between Fuji and Hasselblad. Hasselblad medium format cameras are progressing at a snails pace. All of MF is under pressure from FF DSLRs. Fuji decide to start their own high-end APS-C camera line.
Hasselblad decide to divert into APS-C via a strong partner.
So they shake hands and part ways.
Actually I think it will be about the same as Sony selling sensors to Nikon. For Fujinon its just another business that will generate more profit.
Fujinon is the brand name for lenses used by Fujifilm cameras. Selling the X-lenses with Sony E-mount (If technically possible) would surely take away one of the most exclusive parts of the Fujifilm X-mount cameras and would be as revolutionary as if Nikon would sell their lenses with the Canon EF-mount as well.
However if the lenses are designed by Hasselblad and sold with that name and only produced by Fujinon then all these problems are avoided and Fujinon can make profit from lenses for both Fujifilm and Sony cameras! It’s really a win-win situation for Fujinon! And for Sony’s customers who will get a wider choice of lenses!
While I can’t say for certain, I would bet that Fuji’s lens business eclipses their X line of cameras. Sure they wouldn’t sell the X lenses to Sony but you better believe they’ll make Hassey’s lenses for the right price! Just look at Cosina and Zeiss–Voightlander and the ZM lines are very similar. Or look at Apple and Samsung. I’m not 100% sure Fuji would be the manufacturer of Hassy’s lenses (if they make them) but I don’t think you can exclude the possibility just because Fuji now has a competing mount. Heck, making the lenses might convince Hassy to license the design to Fuji which I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if the lenses are actually good.
All that said, I find the Hassy body fugly. I love the utilitarian-ness of the class Hasselblad cameras. The modern digitals are Ok. This mess is . . . a mess. Excited by the news, glad I can’t afford the camera. If the FF NEX is a Hassy exclusive model I will be pissed and I wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
I can’t understand the negativity. Even if Hasselbad only take a NEX and E-mount lenses, pu t a sticker on it and sell it at 10000000000 dollars, what can possibly be wrong with that? (Unless you own Hasselbad stock).
The negativity stems from the expectations that Hasselblad was going to introduce a digital version of the XPan or a mirrorless MF camera. Instead we got a re-badge of an existing Sony NEX which was the last thing anyone ever expected or wanted.
Why would anyone expect that? Neither Hassel nor Sony ever hinted anything alike, nor we got any rumors of such thing.
I can expect Sony releasing 500 lenses next year – should I cry out my frustration all over the Internet if they won’t comply with this idiotic expectation?
I’ll be at Photokina at saturday and will send you pictures (if it isn’t too crowded to take a look at the new stuff).
Try to make a shot of A99 on white background! Wikipedia needs an image of it for the Article! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Alpha_99
Today is the 1.April ?!
“Good” SONY tuning : some spoilers and “fullmoon” price…
If that red gem is a video record button, I’m going to have to go to the bathroom for a bit of vomiting, because that is the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen.
1. the big tide..already FF not af-c
2. the lens, even from zeiss, or leica, schneider or others. to see is to belive.
3. hassel has made a creation. 50x, 20x, even fuji’s body H series.
but in case of lunar, it’s not creation but decoration even zeiss or FF body.
it’s not revolution,
old days, people buy the hassel w/o any question!
but nowadays, well….how many people buy this lunar system???