What is Hasselblad up to?

[sahe69]

" Curiosity’s killing you, isn't it?

What if we were to tell you that our little surprise is something that can help you get famous?

What if we were to tell you that we can put your work in front of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, absolutely free of charge?

What if we were to tell you that you still have to wait until February 1st to find out the rest?"


To me it looks like Hasselblad will be offering a free Flickr account with a purchase of their equipment. 😛

 

[MaxElmar]

Should be something poised as a direct competitor to Leica S2. Maybe slightly less expensive. Fuji lenses, etc.

 

[250swb]

Hmmm, interesting idea that Hasselblad should come up with the concept of 'slightly less expensive' after all this time.Steve

 

[Jamie123]

" Curiosity’s killing you, isn't it?

What if we were to tell you that our little surprise is something that can help you get famous?

What if we were to tell you that we can put your work in front of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, absolutely free of charge?

What if we were to tell you that you still have to wait until February 1st to find out the rest?"


To me it looks like Hasselblad will be offering a free Flickr account with a purchase of their equipment. 😛

For the price of the camera, it better be a pro account! 🙂

 

[ZlatkoBatistich]

It really does sound like a specially branded version of Flickr. The teaser does not suggest a new camera or product, but rather some sort of service:
"something that can help you get famous"
"put your work in front of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, absolutely free of charge"

 

[Olsen]

When writing this, it is 9 hours to launch. Which will be 18.00 local time in Gothenburg (Oslo, Stockholm, Paris etc.), well after working hours. Which leads me to suspect that the launch will happen somewhere on the East Coast of USA. New York? Since it will be 12.00 local time over there by then.

 

[KM-25]

It really does sound like a specially branded version of Flickr. The teaser does not suggest a new camera or product, but rather some sort of service:
"something that can help you get famous"
"put your work in front of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, absolutely free of charge"

I really hope not, do we need yet one more "Freetography" venue that takes a big steaming dump on hard working and talented professionals?

And the link is giving a 404 message by the way.

 

[daveisbest]

Seems the launch is a new camera, called the H4D-40. http://www.hasselblad.com/countdown

Looks interesting, but expensive.

 

[sper]

They made a big deal over this...another camera is not exactly a revolution. Is it supposed to be a 'budget' model or something? Man what a letdown. First the iPad now this...

I was really hoping for that digital SWC.

 

[j_fletcher]

Ha ha! Well that was worth the wait!!!

 

[shadowfox]

And let me guess... that video is shot using the new camera.


Yawnnn!!

 

[mervynyan]

How much? Cheaper than S2? on par with D3x?

I sign up for events in NYC if I can make it. Anyone going?

 

[ferider]

The question is if it's cheaper than the M9 🙂

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

Does anybody else think the name sounds awfully close to WD-40? Its the solution for the squeaky noisy image.

 

[varjag]

Really hard to get excited about Hasselblad these days.. no amounts of astroturfing and engineered drama helps.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Sounds like competition for the Leica S2 and Phase One.

 

[StuartR]

Unless this is under 10,000 dollars, it is just same old same old "entry level" medium format. Priced less than the top of the line, but still very far out of reach for most photographers and for most types of photography. I notice they were using Steve McCurry in the video -- do you really want to do National Geographic style photography in the developing world with a 10,000+ USD camera?

 

[Doug]

Affordability is relative, and I don't see much point in criticizing something that's out of one's financial reach. People have different priorities, and even if it's possible to pay for the new Hasselblad or Leica or Alpa, it may be more important to look after the kids' college fund or one's retirement. If it makes sense professionally then that's a different matter too.

if, as a non-professional, we do scrape together the cost of the high-end gear, I'd hope we wouldn't obsess about it to the point that risk prevents us from using the camera when it could fulfill its function. Of course use ways to reduce risk, e.g. not setting stuff down next to your chair at the cafe; use it with discretion... IMHO coddling the gear would simply waste that hard-won cost.

 

[Doug]

Interesting technology, that True Focus...

 

[StuartR]

Doug -- I don't think there is anything wrong with them pricing the gear high, I just don't think that a 20,000 dollar camera opens up too many doors for "a new generation of young photographers", which is how they were marketing the camera. I used medium format digital myself, but later decided to sell it because I did not think the image quality was worth the exorbitant cost -- for me, film does the job better for less money. Don't get me wrong, I think it is going to be a great camera, but the marketing does not line up with the reality, in my opinion. This is just the same old thing -- an excellent medium format digital camera in the entry level bracket, but still priced at 20,000 dollars. This camera will only be bought by well-established professionals, rental studios and wealthy enthusiasts. I certainly don't begrudge them it, and as I said, I went that route myself at one time. But I think the way it was marketing as a game changer is definitely not the case.

As for using the equipment, I agree, if you have spent your hard earned cash on it, you owe it to yourself to use the kit as much as possible. But when it comes to true heavy-duty field use in the developing world (which they imply by showing Steve McCurry etc), I don't think most people would choose this sort of camera even if they could afford it. It is not weather sealed, it is not as flexible as 35mm DSLR's, and the cost of backup and replacement are exponentially higher. And there is the fact that you are photographing with something that costs more than most of the people there make in 10 years.
When it comes to opening up high resolution photography to younger photographers, I think it is more realistic to look at cameras like the Canon 5DII and Sony A900.

But anyway, I like Hasselblad a lot (one of my favorite cameras is the 203FE), but I think the marketing people here got a bit carried away with this one.