Hasselblad has been sold

[etrump]

??? They are already competing very effectively, Jack, particularly in Europe. I would argue that it is Phase who are catching up - their cameras are dinosaurs compared with the light years ahead H4D architecture.

Hassy have innovated at least as much as Phase. True Focus, the new 200MS, full back / body integration, yada yada yada. I'm not knocking Phase, simply setting the record striaght, as I see it.:angel:

Quentin

If they were competing effectively they wouldn't be selling the company in a fire sale.

It is never a good sign when your hot new offering is a painted body with a car logo on it.

They also didn't help themselves when they decided they needed a closed architecture basically telling their current customers it was time to start over.

I have to agree on the camera body but let's see what Phase brings out once it has been in control of a full development cycle. The DF is a substantial improvement over the ADF and basically a design cleanup.

 

[etrump]

I think we are all in agreement that we want Hasselblad to continue to develop and stay focused in the Medium Format marketplace.

I am agreement with David that this is a good thing, obviously the old regimen had some difficulties and decided to drop back and go back to their core competencies "to explore the huge potentials of the Hasselblad brand in the Chinese and other Asian markets”."

I just hope that one of the things the new owners do not do try to exploit the established brand by going downmarket with point & shoot type devices or possibly worse other products.

Look at the Polaroid brand these days you find it plastered on digital picture frames, dvd & blue-ray players, ipod docks etc (see here).

Who knows maybe they will re-open their system and provide more options for us all.

Anyway best wishes to Hasselblad and their team.



Lance

Great points Lance. The IP rights could be a gold mine if acted on properly.

If they bring out a digital xpan I would jump on that bandwagon in a heartbeat. Rangefinder style with the same dot pitch as a d3x or 1ds would be a sweet addition to my camera bag.

 

[Mike M]

WOW!
Please put down your 40 year old scotch and go out shoot some high culture images.
Just wow!

LOL!

easier said that done....all of the money is in mid-cult

if you can't beat em join em...Once i figured this out my income went up 10x

 

[PeterA]

A digital XPan - now thats a down market product I would buy for sure !

Concur with the points made on the need for a new camera body from Phase One - the Mamiya 645 in any iteration doesn't do the Phase backs any justice. Good to see the Phase One afficianados making positive reference to Schneider's ability to make lenses - Rollie mount users and Alpa users have known this for a while now - but this knowledge only becomes relevant when mated to a Phase Back ( of course) :ROTFL::ROTFL:

If Phase One guys want to know what the trigger for the next iteration of back upgrades will be - I am guessing that maybe it will coincide with a back which is 'optimised' for the new camera body ....oke:

As for Hasselblad - it is pretty difficult to do anything if your company is up for sale - it has been on the blocks for a couple of years now and I hope that the new owners bring some stability to the company and its employees can feel more secure

Please a digital Xpan would be THE killer product.:thumbs: I am geting middle aged now and am finding Hy6/500 series/S2/D3X all too heavy for street and happy snaps! Please Xpan - digital!

 

[Thierry]

I like that one!
:thumbup:

I look at it a little differently.
I will stock up on popcorn and watch the circus.
-bob

 

[ptomsu]

Many acquisitions are happening - Pentax bought by Ricoh for example, well as a Hassi user I am still confident that this is a good move for Hasselblad. Getting more money for evolution is always good. And having multiple players is also good!

On the other side I must admit, if Phase gets the new camera solved and it is bringing the advantages for me what the Hassi brings, then I might swith in a second to Phase and no longer care about Hassi. And actually I could not care less if a camera brand is renowned for their long history and glamour, what counts today is which products they offer today and how good the complete lineup (camera, sensor, lenses, SW) plays together.

I wish them luck!

 

[Stefan Steib]

I think this is good news for Hasselblad and the users.
The new investor will most likely bring them the fresh money they need to invest in an 80 Mpix system, the 200 is simply not a match for most cases, if they couldn´t have done this, they would have lost even more than with the 60story. For us users a second brand with a strong background (Fuji+ Investor)
is broadening the choice and the competition.
And maybe this new management will even lead to a new openness of the system, who knows.
I wish them best luck - a choice of wise decisions in the near future and keeping up the spirit of making some of the finest cameras in history (500c and SWC !)

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

 

[fotografz]

I really don't think that Marc (Fotografz) decided to stick with the Hasselblad H-system because of their relative "cult" status. Guess I'm both low cult and mid cult (Canon, Nikon and Hasselblad digital owner)....oh if I could only afford a Phase One and be elevated to HIGH CULT status! But then, if I could afford an IQ140-180, I could also afford a high end Hasselblad H-system....these cults can be so confusing.

I'm not up on the latest technical specs from Phase, Leaf etc....but correct me if I'm wrong, didn't Hasselbald recently announce the first (and only) 200 megapixel multi-shot back/camera which can also be used as a 50 megapixel single shot camera? Doesn't sound like a company which has lost it's technological edge.....JMHO.

Gary

Don't let the facts confuse the sudo-cultural biases Gary ... :ROTFL:

(BTW, you forgot to mention that the 200MS is a H4 camera so includes True Focus APL).

-Marc

 

[carstenw]

If they were competing effectively they wouldn't be selling the company in a fire sale.

Is it a fire sale? Or just a sale?

It is never a good sign when your hot new offering is a painted body with a car logo on it.

I don't see it as being relevant. Hasselblad has strong brand recognition, and this kind of thing is just a fun diversion, and a way to sell a few bodies to collectors. No big deal. Leica does this kind of thing all the time, and it works.

Good luck to Hasselblad! I hope the new owners make a black body

 

[David Grover / Phase One]

David: Any idea on whether Hasselblad's annual financial statements will continue to be available through Sweeden's public-accessible financials reporting system? In other words can you confirm the investment group has simply become a majority shareholder in a company that continues to reside and HQ out of Sweeden?

Doug,

No idea! And most importantly, not particularly interested in the financials.

They are not a majority shareholder. They own us outright as far I as understand.

David

 

[Quentin_Bargate]

Its Phase I would be worried about, not Hassy.

Hassy has brand recognition and a huge installed user base or experienced pro photographers it can service through their CF backs, which feed in to H series upgrades. Their H4 series are integrated cameras allowing the use of innovative technology like the HTS 1.5 tilt/shift adapter, true focus, etc. and now they have additional financial muscle through their new owners, who most certainly will not be interested in diluting the brand or losing money.

Phase / Mamiya on the other hand are a new and as yet imperfect partnership. Phase has nearly zero brand recognition outside of the small coterie of medium format users. Their current camera bodies are not up to snuff compared with the H4 series, although that may change shortly. It has some great products, but is it enough to compete successfully in the longer term against Hassy? Will Phase be around in their present form in 5 years time? I hope so, but I doubt it.

Quentin

 

[fotografz]

Here's my take on this.

I've been expecting this for some time now. In many cases a strong distribution partner rarely makes a good long-term owner. They are often a source of a cash infusion, but their financial culture is usually too focused on regional skews and more immediate spread-sheet indicators as opposed to longer-term global market vision and product development.

Global marketing, while ubiquitous is still something of a wild-west scenario. Again, cultural differences can and often do, make for strange bed fellows. This recent sale of Hasselblad bodes well because Ventizz Capital Partners AG is an investment firm that is: 1) Northern European based for a cultural synergy, and 2) specializes in growth strategies for mid-sized technology based investments. It also bodes well that Shriro will continue its involvement with its chairman serving on Hasselblad's supervisory board because Asia represents a powerful growth market potential.

As to the antiquated notion of low/mid/high culture product orientations ... one need only look to the really successful global companies to debunk that "charming" myth. The Canon Rebels and P&S are what fund the EOS 1DsMKIII and will do so for the next EOS 1DsMKIV. Same for Nikon, Same for Sony (the game changer). I personally don't feel soiled when picking up a $8,000. Pro spec Canon because some house-wife in Nj has a $800 Canon with the same brand name on it ... nor does a Leica rebadged P&S sully my M9 I seriously doubt anyone else does either.

So, what is quite interesting is the quote from Dr. Helmut Vorndran, CEO of Ventizz: " ... with solid financial support and a suitable growth strategy Ventizz can further strengthen Hasselblad's position as the first class producer of MFD systems. Furthermore, we plan to develop Hasselblad cameras that appeal to a wider circle of ambitious photographers." This speaks to a longer term mind-set.

To me that doesn't mean a single minded drive toward 300 meg Multi-Shot or 100 meg single shot back and the narrow corresponding "rarified" circle of niche applications. It means a broader product offering with brand commonalities and practical innovations at various price-points ... but targeted to "ambitious photographers" ... which means maintaining the Brand essence and positioning as a top maker of photographic tools albeit for a broader audience ... not unlike what Leica has begun to do, and is about to unleash on the market, with an even more diverse product offering while maintaining its core Brand essence ... and who now is making enough money to do just that.

-Marc

BTW, a digital X-Pan sure wouldn't break my heart, nor would a smaller DSLR type dual shutter body like the S2 that took my HC lenses Lots of possibilities when you open it up beyond the narrow niche thinking and grip on the past that dominates MFD today. Time will tell.

 

[fotografz]

I think we are all in agreement that we want Hasselblad to continue to develop and stay focused in the Medium Format marketplace.

I am agreement with David that this is a good thing, obviously the old regimen had some difficulties and decided to drop back and go back to their core competencies "to explore the huge potentials of the Hasselblad brand in the Chinese and other Asian markets”."

I just hope that one of the things the new owners do not do try to exploit the established brand by going downmarket with point & shoot type devices or possibly worse other products.

Look at the Polaroid brand these days you find it plastered on digital picture frames, dvd & blue-ray players, ipod docks etc (see here).

Who knows maybe they will re-open their system and provide more options for us all.

Anyway best wishes to Hasselblad and their team.



Lance

Polaroid is hardly a relevant example in any way. Literally over-night, their "one trick pony" product offerings were superseded technologically, socially, and culturally.

I am curious as to why Hasselblad would now open their system? Only those stuck with a camera they don't like wish for that. Why doesn't Canon open their system to Nikon owners, or Nikon to Canon? Why didn't Leica open their S2 to other MFD systems? Or Pentax for that matter? IMO, "Open System" is an antiquated notion heralding back to yesteryear, and keeps MFD makers with one foot firmly planted in the fast fading past.

Modular, yes! Open, why? So I can put an IQ back on a H camera? Why would Hassey want me to do that? To put my H4D/60 back on a Phamiya camera? No thanks. Let Phase bring their camera up to speed in their own unique way ... and let Hassey develop their backs in their own unique way. That is what provides us all with "choice".

What Hasselblad can do is open their system innovations to a choice of other more versatile iterations of Hasselblad photographic tools ... imagine the afore mentioned X-Pan BUT with True Focus :thumbs: ... or a smaller 40 meg or so DSLR dual-shutter body like the S2, but also with TF and a mount that takes the HC lenses Hassey owners already have ... I'd be there with an open wallet in a NY heart-beat. :thumbs:

Personally, I need more of that sort of innovation and consolidation of tools than I do another bigger bag of expensive pixels every two years.

-Marc

 

[David K]

Might be an appropriate time for the Hassy guys to start a thread letting the new owners know what you'd like to see from them in the future. One thing that comes to my mind is that they need to do a better job of marketing. Whatever you may think about the relative merits of the two brands it seems to me (admittedly from a fairly narrow perspective) that Phase kicks their butt in this area.

 

[PeterA]

Hasselbad versus Phase one - phase one versus Hasselblad..


zzzzzzzzzzzz

*I am sure I am not the only one thinking the same thing.

 

[Jack]

Might be an appropriate time for the Hassy guys to start a thread letting the new owners know what you'd like to see from them in the future.

Probably the most salient single sentence in this entire thread!

:thumbs:

 

[fotografz]

Probably the most salient single sentence in this entire thread!

:thumbs:

That will happen on the Hasselblad Digital Forum that is a more direct conduit to Hasselblad through Nick T.

I'm not sure their marketing is all that bad with-in their owner body, but their more global communication network sure could use some attention. Understandable now that what was going on has been more fully revealed.

-Marc

 

[lance_schad]

I am curious as to why Hasselblad would now open their system? Only those stuck with a camera they don't like wish for that. Why doesn't Canon open their system to Nikon owners, or Nikon to Canon? Why didn't Leica open their S2 to other MFD systems? Or Pentax for that matter? IMO, "Open System" is an antiquated notion heralding back to yesteryear, and keeps MFD makers with one foot firmly planted in the fast fading past.

Modular, yes! Open, why? So I can put an IQ back on a H camera? Why would Hassey want me to do that? To put my H4D/60 back on a Phamiya camera? No thanks. Let Phase bring their camera up to speed in their own unique way ... and let Hassey develop their backs in their own unique way. That is what provides us all with "choice".


-Marc

There are a great number of Hasselblad platform supporters out there that are orphaned. They have been using the digital back of their choice on the H platform and have a wide range of lenses. They cannot purchase new bodies and are forced to look on the secondary market to find back ups and replacements.

I think a simple gesture by Hasselblad of 'opening up'/'unlocking' the H2F body would go a long way. I am not asking that they give all the functionality of their H4 platform, but just the basics that were available on the original H2. Besides the mount, all you need is a flashsync for the most basic functionality. The original line of lenses suite most just fine as well.

From my experience as PhaseOne reseller and I am sure others will agree we are still selling a number of systems on the H platform. The users who use it like it and don't want to change, but are being forced to and that is leaving a bad taste in their mount in regards to Hasselblad.

Let people chose where they put their backs and reward those who want a complete systems with features they cannot live without.

Lance

btw a digital X-pan would rock.

 

[Peter Lorber]

It is quite amazing how much interest it brings . Internet is full of guessings, comments and argument forth and back. Some comments allude that Hasselblad is on the way out, some are happy. Well - Hasselblad has been and remains a leader. Myself being a photographer, I could not wait to get my hands on my first Hassy in 1971.
And I am a believer in Hasselblad ever since. H series of Hasselblad are designed so user friendly, that body shape is unchanged from H1. Functionality was improved and right now the true phocus is best focusing system in SLR cameras. No one has to worry about shimming lenses or back.... Anyone buying a Hasselblad system has no worry to fine tune it, just get your hands on it and shoot.
That all being said, lets wish our new owners all the best and carry on tradition to continue to build the best medium format camera there is.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Being neutral in this and yes i am no matter what anyone thinks. Is everyone needs to up there game PERIOD. If not everyone will take a bath on our existing systems. Just that simple. You can argue every point on earth between the systems, frankly pretty freaking boring if you ask me but if these do not get in the hands of end users everyone will lose. If we only have 2 real players left they need to give us better products and improvements to succeed. Each system has there strengths and also weaknesses. Both companies need to balance that out better than they have. Hassy as it is today needs more R&D and a infusion of cash to build new and better product ( we can say that about anyone frankly) but no one really knows what these investors WILL do or NOT do as well. Its a guessing game plain and simple right now until they start having movement on there plans and WE can see what they are going to do. No guarantees on anything here.