By Michael Reichmann

I woke up this morning in a good mood . I really did. Then my mood crashed when I saw a Hasselblad press release announcing theirLimited Edition Lunar camera designed to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Apparently originating in Hasselblad’s Italian design studio (Italians, some of the worlds best designers, should now hang their heads in shame for three minutes), this mind-numbingly ugly camera will be sold in a limited edition of 200 pieces for a mind-boggling USD $10,000. Remember – this is simply an end-of-life, pimped-up Sony NEX-7, which currently sells at B&H for less than $1,400 with lens.

The Lunar has been a joke in the industry since its introduction last year. Now the joke has become theater of the absurd. Hasselblad’s venture capital owners seem to have completely run out of ideas for creating worthwhile new products , if not money as well. The H series cameras are superb, asmy just-published review of the H5D-60shows. Sadly though, with products like this blingy ersatz NEX-7 the venerable Hasselblad name is being debased and the company made a laughing stock among serious photographers – the very clientele who have been the company’s main supporters for the past half century.

So sad.

January 13, 2014