It might seriously change people's perspective on what “expensive” really means

Sep 18, 2012 14:53 GMT  ·  By

We thought that Sony's A99 and the 24.3-Megapixel Compact Camera were expensive, but we may have been speaking too soon. Back then, Hasselblad hadn't launched the Lunar mirrorless interchangeable camera.

There is no question that this is an “ultimate luxury” product. If the design and specs aren't enough to qualify it as such, the price definitely is.

Hasselblad will ship the Lunar starting in the first quarter of 2013, for €5,000, which just so happens to be equal to $6,533, according to exchange rates.

Of course, we know how seldom exchange rates are reflected in prices, so there are high odds that the US tag will be of $5,000 or so. It is still very high though.

The Hasselblad Lunar features an APS-C 24.3-megapixel image sensor and a 25-point AF (autofocus) system.

Coupled with an OLED viewfinder, this all should be more than enough to shoot full HD video (1920 x 1080 pixels) at a good frame rate, and the optional twin flash and external microphone can only help.

The light sensitivity is more than decent, though not spectacular (100-16,000), while the shutter release is of 0.02s.

At the end of the day, 10fps burst shooting should be easy to accomplish, and video can be recorded normally or in one of several smart modes, like face recognition.

Other features include a 3-inch HD display, custom grips, E-mount and A-mount lens support, and a curved and smooth frame made of carbon fiber, leather, gold, wood and other materials, mostly precious ones.

Thus, the Lunar has such a price mostly due to its looks and frame, not its tech specs. It will be interesting to see how many people believe these elements are important enough to justify the aforementioned tag.

People interested in Hasselblad and its products only need to drop by this page and click on one of the subjects there.