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Rarest A-mount Body? Not Sony (Sort Of)

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Post Options Post Options   Quote ffrolvaag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Rarest A-mount Body? Not Sony (Sort Of)
    Posted: 18 March 2023 at 21:45
After searching the forum for keywords, I find no mention of the Hasseblad HV, which was a cooperative effort between Hasselblad and Sony. It is a a99 guts in Hasselblad skin. However, it is a Hasselblad exterior with specialized coatings and weighs about 50g more than the a99. This at an MSRP of 11,500 USD (8,500 euro), making it 4x the cost of an a99.

I never knew it existed until one showed up used at my local camera store. Apparently there were only 100 produced. Naturally I had to buy it, even though it is basically just an a99 and I have an a99ii.

Did anyone know that these existed and does anyone else have one? Sadly mine was camera only, so no custom case. It is interesting that the splash screen displays “Hasselblad” when first powered up. Not sure if that means it has custom firmware or not.

Hasselblad HV Review

The review has photos of the camera, but as I find time, I will post some photos.

Note: There were also rebadged versions of the nex-7 and RX100 by Hasselblad.
Franz



a900, a700, 5600hs, 1200 (w/MFC-1000), 3x converted f1.2 (Rokkor 58, Nikon 50 ais, and Pentax 50), 85mm f1.4, 100mm f2.8, 70-400G, and way too much other stuff to mention
 



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Oltamin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Oltamin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 March 2023 at 23:01
Not sure if this isthe one that David Beckham purchased around 2015, or thereabouts. Worth checking out.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote waldo_posth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 March 2023 at 23:05
Sonyalpharumors covered it!

P.S. I think there never was a Hasselblad version of the Sony A7R - as it is suggested here.

Edited by waldo_posth - 18 March 2023 at 23:08
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Phil Wood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 March 2023 at 23:22
I knew about it, but have never seen one. It has always struck me as a burst of insanity from Hasselblad - what on earth could they have done to make it worth so much more than the A99 - essentially the same camera? They may have made 100, but did they sell them all?
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Post Options Post Options   Quote ffrolvaag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 March 2023 at 00:36
Originally posted by Phil Wood Phil Wood wrote:

I knew about it, but have never seen one. It has always struck me as a burst of insanity from Hasselblad - what on earth could they have done to make it worth so much more than the A99 - essentially the same camera? They may have made 100, but did they sell them all?


They sold as kits with a weatherproof case, a zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 lens (v1). The camera was modified to have a special body that was more rugged. Jewels were added to some of the buttons. Somewhere I thought I read that they were swarovski crystals. Not saying that any of this justified the MSRP.

Apparently all did sell out, but only after Hasselblad dropped the price $8500. That put the total price at less than an a99 and zeiss lens purchased separately at that time. As a result, they sold out quickly. No indication as to how many sold at full price. I assume Hasselblad took a bath on the entire thing.
Franz



a900, a700, 5600hs, 1200 (w/MFC-1000), 3x converted f1.2 (Rokkor 58, Nikon 50 ais, and Pentax 50), 85mm f1.4, 100mm f2.8, 70-400G, and way too much other stuff to mention
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Post Options Post Options   Quote addy landzaat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 March 2023 at 09:53
The Hasselblad Lunar was a fancy version of the Sony NEX-7. It was not just rebadged in my opinion - but it is semantics I guess.

I cannot find a good source for the 100 items number USA-today were told by "reps". Neither Dpreview or Imaging-resource mention the number at launch. If I did a 100 of a camera, I would number them accordingly with a nice certificate. That would make it a real collectors item.

What is the serial number of your camera?

And, most importantly, without pictures it didn't happen
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Bob J View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Bob J Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 March 2023 at 18:15
The HV is mentioned on our systems poll (now rather embarrassingly out of date).

It really did look like a pimped-up a99, Not really my cup of tea, but I seem to remember that the last of them were actually sold off for bargain-basement prices (ie lower than the a99 at the time).
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Post Options Post Options   Quote sybersitizen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 March 2023 at 20:07
Originally posted by ffrolvaag ffrolvaag wrote:

It is interesting that the splash screen displays “Hasselblad” when first powered up. Not sure if that means it has custom firmware or not.

The firmware is different insomuch as EXIF names the Hasselblad model rather than the Sony model. This means that some software that supports A99 files won't support HV files unless you change the metadata.

There were also rebadged versions of the nex-7 and RX100 by Hasselblad.

Correct.

The whole program was widely ridiculed by observers, and Hasselblad's respect quotient took a dive as a result.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote owenn01 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 March 2023 at 22:00
Originally posted by Bob J Bob J wrote:

The HV is mentioned on our systems poll (now rather embarrassingly out of date).

It really did look like a pimped-up a99, Not really my cup of tea, but I seem to remember that the last of them were actually sold off for bargain-basement prices (ie lower than the a99 at the time).


Yes - you are correct Bob as I saw one and was almost tempted to buy one as it seemed a good deal at the time but then decided not to. What might have been....

Best regards, Neil
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ffrolvaag View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote ffrolvaag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 March 2023 at 00:06
Here are a few photos. Note the jewel in the power slider/ shutter button. Also, there is one on the back of the camera that is much larger and embedded in the video record button.

The serial number is 62VC103XX where XX is a specific number. Looking at photos of other serial numbers on the web for the HV they are identical except for XX. Based upon that, I would assume XX is the sequential number 0 - 99 for the 100 units. Interesting to note that the VC is the date (ie year) of manufacture for Hasselblad cameras. In Hasselblad’s serial numbers, this corresponds to 2012, which is interesting in that this camera didn’t launch until late 2014, but the a99 launched in 2012.

Other features (changes) is that the body case is a single piece aluminum shell with a vapor deposition coating that is supposed to be nearly as hard as diamond. As previously noted, glammed up with jewels and a scalloped mode selector (top right of the camera. The strap is a Hasselblad lug connection. While the lens was Sony a badged Zeiss 24-70 f2.8, it came with a Hasselblad lens cap and body cap. Sadly, I received neither, but have seen them in some of the press materials.







Franz



a900, a700, 5600hs, 1200 (w/MFC-1000), 3x converted f1.2 (Rokkor 58, Nikon 50 ais, and Pentax 50), 85mm f1.4, 100mm f2.8, 70-400G, and way too much other stuff to mention
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