Hasselbald announced at PhotoKina 2006 the release of their new camera the H3, as well as a new 28mm wide angle lens. Much to everyone’s bewilderment Hasselblad has decided to make the new H3 camera a closed system. Essentially the H3 will work only with their 22MP and 39MP digital backs. To add to what is already a damning marketing strategy the new 28mm lens will only work with the new H3 camera.

Any who does not own a Hasselblad digital back not cannot use the new Hasselblad’s camera or lens, unless you are using film. Hasselblad is cannibalizing their own base in order to sell more digital backs. Hasselblad has shut out not only everyone who wants to use their new camera on a non Hasselblad digital back but every Hasselblad owner to date. Decades of marketing and branding and tens of thousands of users.

Medium format cameras are not disposable cameras. In fact they are a sizable investment. A photographer investing $15K plus dollars on an outfit expects to it be a viable option not just today but in the future as well. This course of action by Hasselblad is another indication that Hasselblad today exists only by name. I hope the Imacon people at Hasselblad know what they are doing. I hope the gain of market share in the digital back market is worth cannibalizing their base, though i don’t see how.

Hasselblad’s continued squeezing of the market bad for the industry and worse for us photographers. From pricing their product at an extortionate rate after becoming the only real medium format camera left standing to the now “you want my camera than you must buy my digital back” attitude. This is really going to hurt those of us at the end of food chain.

Hopefully Rollei will get it together and finish their recently announced medium format camera. It will use Zeiss, Schneider and most if not all the lenses in 6008 line. I cant wait to see and hopefully buy one of them.