To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, Hasselblad has launched a special edition of its 907X mirrorless medium format camera. Three Hasselblad cameras were used to document the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 and the new 907X Special Edition fittingly comes finished in matte black; the same colour as the only model that was brought back to Earth. As a reminder of the two cameras that remain somewhere on the lunar surface, each one the commemorative models bears the line ‘On the Moon since 1969’.
So small and light, it could float away…
The 907X is Hasselblad’s smallest medium format camera body, weighing just 206g. Like the standard model, the Special Edition version comes with the CFV II 50C digital back, which features a 50 megapixel CMOS sensor offering 16-bit colour and 14 stops of dynamic range, plus a three-inch touchscreen. The screen tilts, so it can be used to compose like a classic waist-level finder, or a more standard screen-only digital camera.
Costing around £7000, the 907X Special Edition doesn’t come with a lens, but this gives users the flexibility to choose an optic that suits their needs. In its standard form the camera accepts the XCD range of lenses, which currently comprises eight prime lenses from a 21mm ultra-wide through to a 135mm telephoto and a 35-75mm zoom. But with the use of the optional XH, XPan and XV adapters a whole range of Hasselblad legacy glass can also be used.
Bang up to date
Although the camera is celebrating a 50th anniversary, its specification is right up to date with focus peaking (handy if you use a manual focus lens on the body), smartphone-style swipe and pinch/zoom controls on the rear LCD and in-camera battery charging via the USB-C connection. Dual UHS-II SD card slots are also available, as is Wi-Fi connectivity.
The exact number of 907X Special Edition models to be built and their availability is still to be confirmed by Hasselblad, but in the meantime the company has unveiled some commemorative Moon landing merchandise, which includes T-shirts, posters and sticker sets.
Check out some of the images shot on the Apollo 11 mission with the original Hasselblads back in 1969 below. All images © NASA:
