Hasselblad cameras are expensive things of beauty – at least to me.  I have no need for a medium format camera but I love the look of these things just the same.  A photo of this new camera, the Hasselblad Lunar introduced at Photokina, stopped me in my tracks.

I know, some people are saying it’s ugly as sin but I kind of like it –  the over-sized hand-grip and top dials look quite okay to me.

Then there’s the price – US$6,500.

So what do you get for that price?  Based on what I’ve read, you’re getting a Sony NEX-7 with a different name plate and a big hand-grip.  Hasselblad has said that this is “not an NEX camera, just because we are buying some components from Sony.”

For one thing, this thing natively mounts Sony NEX lenses (and Sony A mount lenses as well). And really, those two top, unlabeled dials – exactly like the NEX-7, no? DP Review says that the Lunar “appears to share a lot of technology with Sony’s recent NEX-7 model, including the same 24.3MP CMOS sensor, OLED ‘True Finder’ EVF, and the ‘TriNavi’ navigation system.”  Apparently you have your choice of different luxury materials for the grip and other parts of the camera.

Here’s a run down of the Lunar’s features:

• DSLR-like performance thanks to the highest technology APS-C 24.3 MP sensor with 25AF points focusing matched to an Ultra fast Processor with real time image process ing and accurate RAW to JPEG translation.
• Accurate composition for both still and video in any light conditions thanks to the Ultra-bright 3” high definition display and revolutionary OLED viewfinder that guarantees superior contrast and ultra fast response.
• One-touch instant full HD video recording to shoot in Auto or fully manual mode. Focus and exposition control plus the connection for an external microphone and the option to use larger A-mount lenses for professional video creation.
• Instant shutter response (0.02 second release time lag) ten frames per second and an extremely Wide ISO 100 -16000 range.
• The camera software includes an exceptionally comprehensive set of creative styles, picture effects, scene selections and the smart ”intelligent face registration” making the shooting experience even more fun.
• Auto HD, DRO and Anti-motion blur mode.
• An Innovative TriNavi system for DSLR-like tuning, two flash options and Anti dust system complete the Lunar state-of-the-art package.

That second one looks kind of steampunk-y, no?  (More images at DP Review.)

Well, if it’s true about the Sony sensor and EVF and you’re basically paying 6 times as much for this than an NEX-7, I think it becomes pretty clear that this isn’t aimed at serious photographers, it’s aimed at people who want to walk around with a status symbol screaming, “Hey! I’m rich!”

Hello China billionaires.