What's wrong with Hasselblad?

[pvdhaar]

Hasselblad has done it again. After the Lunar and Stellar, they've now got the Solar in the works:

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/first-picture-of-the-hasselblad-solar-a-mount-camera/

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

I would not be surprised if Hasselblad would be the next brand LEICA will take over when the new factory in Wetzlar is ready I guess they have all the tooling still there in Gothenburg for the V-system, just modify the lenses of S-system to fit V series hassy bodies and a new sensor 6x6 size...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40146285@N08/8371798268/

 

[helvetica]

It looks now that Hassy is coming out with a 50mp CMOS based sensor in March. That would explain why we have not heard much from them recently. This would also be the first CMOS based MFD sensor - and might go a long ways towards shadow detail.

As far as the rebranded Sony lines, to me they are a niche product - the niche being the growing Chinese luxury consuming class. China has some very interesting patterns in the consumption of luxury goods, and many of the world's companies are trying to pivot to figure out how to market to these new potential buyers. I think the iPhone 5C is also an example of this.

 

[DominikDUK]

It looks now that Hassy is coming out with a 50mp CMOS based sensor in March. That would explain why we have not heard much from them recently. This would also be the first CMOS based MFD sensor - and might go a long ways towards shadow detail.

As far as the rebranded Sony lines, to me they are a niche product - the niche being the growing Chinese luxury consuming class. China has some very interesting patterns in the consumption of luxury goods, and many of the world's companies are trying to pivot to figure out how to market to these new potential buyers. I think the iPhone 5C is also an example of this.

Wouldn't that be Imacon under the Hasseblad label. Hasselblad doesn't really exist anymore. The X-Pan = Fuji; H Series = Fuji; DigiBacks = Imacon; so where is Hasselblad certainly not in Sweden producing cameras or any other photo product. Hasselblad is an empty Hull used to market some great and not so great products. If someone buys new Hassys because of Victor Hasselblad A.B.'s past fame thenthey're fouls. That being said Fuji always made great products so did Imacon.

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

Wouldn't that be Imacon under the Hasseblad label. Hasselblad doesn't really exist anymore. The X-Pan = Fuji; H Series = Fuji; DigiBacks = Imacon; so where is Hasselblad certainly not in Sweden producing cameras or any other photo product. Hasselblad is an empty Hull used to market some great and not so great products. If someone buys new Hassys because of Victor Hasselblad A.B.'s past fame thenthey're fouls. That being said Fuji always made great products so did Imacon.

Hasselblad is STILL in Gothenburg., the factory is there, all the stocks. It is just MANUFACTURING that is impossible there, because the cost of production is almost impossible because of the wages, social security costs, demands for retirement costs etc. Volvo, Saab, many other brands have faced the same fate...

 

[DominikDUK]

Hasselblad is STILL in Gothenburg., the factory is there, all the stocks. It is just MANUFACTURING that is impossible there, because the cost of production is almost impossible because of the wages, social security costs, demands for retirement costs etc. Volvo, Saab, many other brands have faced the same fate...

The H and X-Pan are not only made by Fuji the were designed by Fuji. People including me bought Hassies based on the mfg quality in Sweden that's no longer the case therefore they are not longer real Hassies but Fujis, Sonys and Imacons in disguise ok Imacon is now Hasselblad but Imacon never made cameras only backs and scanners good ones I might add. SAAB another swedish brand I like did the same GM chassis with a GM engine and a Swedish body they at least made the body that's more than Hasselblad does for its H bodies.

 

[Lucadomi]

Maybe they could make a nice not too expensive dedicated medium format film scanner instead.
Just an idea.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

It is just MANUFACTURING that is impossible there, because the cost of production is almost impossible because of the wages, social security costs, demands for retirement costs etc. Volvo, Saab, many other brands have faced the same fate...

I think it's just plain disgusting, those workers demanding enough money to live on. Really, they should be happy to work for free making cameras and cars.

🙄

 

[noisycheese]

So sad to see the company that designed the camera to go the moon and leave us with such incredible photos taken by astronauts devolve into a marketing scheme.

JMHO, but Hasselblad lost its way when it killed off the 6x6 film cameras. Did that event coincide with the sellout/takeover (or whatever it was) by the investment group?

I think it's just plain disgusting, those workers demanding enough money to live on. Really, they should be happy to work for free making cameras and cars.

That's right, by God!

We photographers are supposed to work for free and not complain when self-entitled skanks steal our work off the interweb. Do Hasselblad employees think they are somehow better than the rest of us?? 🙄 😀

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

I think it's just plain disgusting, those workers demanding enough money to live on. Really, they should be happy to work for free making cameras and cars.

🙄

I promised the moderator ( after the Capa jitterbug) that I am not going to comment anything as bright as this, so this is not a comment, just a notion of the level of discussion...

 

[DominikDUK]

I doubt that Rangefinderfreak meant it this way. Sweden just like Austria has real high taxation on Income and very high payroll fringe costs in fact Sweden has the second highest taxation in Europe. So unfortunately there is a lot of truth in Rangefinderfreaks posting. It's not the wages that are killing the Swedish, Danish and Austrian companies and jobs in manufacturing it's the extremely high taxation. A company can afford to pay a lot of taxes if the make the money which was no longer the case with Hasselblad as well as SAAB no money.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I think it's just plain disgusting, those workers demanding enough money to live on. Really, they should be happy to work for free making cameras and cars.

🙄

Seconded. What's wrong with a handful of rice a day, or some mealy porridge?

"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society" -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. But then he was a notorious radical anarchist: one of many among the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

So unfortunately there is a lot of truth in Rangefinderfreaks posting. It's not the wages that are killing the Swedish, Danish and Austrian companies and jobs in manufacturing it's the extremely high taxation. A company can afford to pay a lot of taxes if the make the money which was no longer the case with Hasselblad as well as SAAB no money.

I agree with you, up to a point. As I see it, European companies gradually lost the initiative in providing saleable products for the consumer market. It seems to me that companies age just like people. Eventually, I think, they just wear out and become irrelevant, no longer producing new products that meet their markets' needs. Remember Angénieux, Bolex, Linhof, Plaubel and Ross, to take just a few examples? In their day, they were the inovators, the companies that were out in front.

I don't think that high taxes have anything to do with it, though. My view is that paying taxes is how we pay forward the debt we owe to the country that raised us, providing the education, healthcare, emergency services and infrastructure that allows us to thrive and prosper.

 

[DominikDUK]

I agree with you, up to a point. As I see it, European companies gradually lost the initiative in providing saleable products for the consumer market. It seems to me that companies age just like people. Eventually, I think, they just wear out and become irrelevant, no longer producing new products that meet their markets' needs. Remember Angénieux, Bolex, Linhof, Plaubel and Ross, to take just a few examples? In their day, they were the inovators, the companies that were out in front.

I don't think that high taxes have anything to do with it, though. My view is that paying taxes is how we pay forward the debt we owe to the country that raised us, providing the education, healthcare, emergency services and infrastructure that allows us to thrive and prosper.

Sejanus I agree with you but the problem in Sweden and Austria is that you pay more than half your income for taxes and social security (in Sweden 51% , in Austria around 50% to 51%) the same applies to small and mid sized companies. Another problem is that big companies don't pay any taxes or very low taxes giving them an unfair advantage over smaller companies Hasselblad AB is a medium sized company and its the small and medium sized companies that get shafted by the state not the big companies who can do whatever they want because supposedly they create most of the jobs which by the way is wrong most jobs are created by small and mid sized companies the biggies prefer to fire people in order to receive tax benefits and writeoffs.

So the last paragraph of your post would be 100% correct if the state would apply its taxation equally but it does not it favours big multinationals over small and midsized companies forcing the small and midsized companies out of the market.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

So the last paragraph of your post would be 100% correct if the state would apply its taxation equally but it does not it favours big multinationals over small and midsized companies forcing the small and midsized companies out of the market.

I cannot argue against that. A more refined tax system might bring us a new generation of camera makers, ready to take on the Sunrise Countries. How about the Sejanus 600 multi format folding camera with both film and digital recording?

😉

 

[DNG]

To answer the OP Question......

Hasselblad has figured out how to fleece the very rich with these "Pimped" cameras !!
That is what is wrong with them....

OR.... They know some will just hand their money over, regardless of what camera "Hasselblad" Pimped!!!!!

The Saying is true:

"A sucker is born every minute" 😛

 

[DominikDUK]

"Sejanus 600 multi format folding camera with both film and digital recording"
a dream come true 🙂

 

[Dez]

To answer the OP Question......

Hasselblad has figured out how to fleece the very rich with these "Pimped" cameras !!
That is what is wrong with them....

OR.... They know some will just hand their money over, regardless of what camera "Hasselblad" Pimped!!!!!

The Saying is true:

"A sucker is born every minute" 😛

I can think of another well respected camera company that seems to have become like that in recent years................

Cheeers,
Dez

 

[leicapixie]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134980

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134980

I guess we are all in for a shock.
A new Hasselblad H, with major new sensor!
Release in March..
i never could afford a Hasselblad V series..
even when the prices hit rock bottom, i still wouldn't,
as i never could FOCUS the suckers.😀

 

[shadowfox]

I assume you're talking about this one:
http://www.hasselbladusa.com/news1/h5d-50c.aspx