Photography

Hasselblad enters interchangeable lens mirrorless camera market with Lunar

Hasselblad enters interchangeable lens mirrorless camera market with Lunar
The Hasselblad Lunar features various grip materials, including carbon fiber
The Hasselblad Lunar features various grip materials, including carbon fiber
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Hasselblad Lunar with tanned leather grip
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Hasselblad Lunar with tanned leather grip
The Hasselblad Lunar takes A-mount lenses using an adaptor
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The Hasselblad Lunar takes A-mount lenses using an adaptor
Various angles of the Hasselblad Lunar with wooden grip
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Various angles of the Hasselblad Lunar with wooden grip
Hasselblad Lunar with wooden grip
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Hasselblad Lunar with wooden grip
Hasselblad Lunar concept drawing
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Hasselblad Lunar concept drawing
Hasselblad Lunar concept drawing
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Hasselblad Lunar concept drawing
Hasselblad Lunar with black and brown leather grip
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Hasselblad Lunar with black and brown leather grip
The Hasselblad Lunar features various grip materials, including carbon fiber
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The Hasselblad Lunar features various grip materials, including carbon fiber
The Hasselblad Lunar interchangeable lens mirrorless camera
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The Hasselblad Lunar interchangeable lens mirrorless camera
The Hasselblad Lunar interchangeable lens mirrorless camera
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The Hasselblad Lunar interchangeable lens mirrorless camera
The Hasselblad Lunar will offer various luxury material grips
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The Hasselblad Lunar will offer various luxury material grips
View gallery - 11 images

Hasselblad, a name synonymous with medium-format cameras, has announced it will produce a mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera as part of a new long-term partnership with Sony that will see it chasing new market segments. But don’t expect to see the Swedish manufacturer churning out any budget compacts. The first model to come out of the partnership is the Lunar, which is described as a “state-of-the-art, Italian-designed ‘ultimate luxury’ mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera.”

Unveiled at a photokina press conference this week in Germany, the Lunar will pack a 24.3 megapixel APS-C size image sensor like that found in Sony's NEX-7. The company displayed a number of “work-in-progress” designs and wooden models of the Lunar to the media, and will offer the camera in different finishes at release, including carbon fiber, wood, and leather, with an aluminum body and titanium controls.

The Hasselblad Lunar will offer various luxury material grips
The Hasselblad Lunar will offer various luxury material grips

It will be powered by Sony's BIONZ processor with the ability to shoot at 10 frames per second and with 25-point autofocus. It also features a 3-inch rear display, a 2,359k-dot OLED electronic viewfinder and boasts an ISO range of 100 – 16,000. In addition to shooting stills with a 0.02 second shutter lag, the Lunar will also capture full HD video and features a sweep panorama mode that will automatically stitch together a series of shots to produce a high-resolution panoramic photo. The camera is compatible with E-mount or, with an adaptor, A-mount lenses.

“Luxury” obviously equates to expensive, with the Lunar to be priced from €5,000 (approx. US$6,500) when it hits the market next year. But Hasselblad won't be stopping there with plans to leverage the “new-dawn” technology collaboration agreement with Sony to enter other market segments next year. Can we expect a “luxury” Hasselblad GoPro-style actioncam in the future? Maybe not.

Source: Hasselblad

View gallery - 11 images
4 comments
4 comments
Steve Meltzer
I am sorry, but this is a Sony NEX-7 under all that nonsense. Costing several thousand dollars more than the actual Sony, it is the same camera and you are just paying for its branding and questionable, clunky, "Italian" designed handgrip and coverings.
I would never had expected something like this from a company like Hasselblad. It is very sad.
Nantha Nithiahnanthan
@ Steve Meltzer, I must say i agree with you. This looks like a very bad design exercise. At the very least they could have made it look elegant and made it weather proof and heavy duty.
Fahrenheit 451
Is Hasselblad going the way of Kodak? A once venerable brand reduced to rubbish?
Kevin Butcher
Yuk. A magnificent opportunity totally wasted. Shame on you Hasselblad -- get yourselves a new management team quick.