Hasselblad MotoMods True Zoom – CES post #9

The name “Hasselblad” used to mean impeccable quality, the handmade Rolls-Royce of the medium format cameras… with prices to match.  Though it was a photographic tool adopted and used by professionals for decades, it was also a luxury object of desire for many photographers. I was one of those, and a Hasselblad was always my dream.  When I finally got one it made me happy to just look at it and hold it.  I eventually moved on to the Bronica SQ system, which I ended up liking much better, but that is another story.

Bronica no longer exists, unable to adapt fast enough to t he changes brought on by digital photography. I recently rebuilt my old Bronica system to shoot film again because it was so inexpensive to do so. Again, that is another story for another day.

Hasselblad is still around and they make some fine cameras, but they truly are not what they used to be.  It appears a Chinese drone manufacturer is now the majority owner, and for years the company was floundering. They made a disastrous attempt to re-brand Sony cameras and sell them for a 5x or more premium.  Suffice it to say, that did not end well.

That brings us to the subject of this post.

One of the saddest sights I saw at CES was the Hasselblad True Zoom, a cell phone accessory for $249. This Moto Mods device turns your Moto Z into more of a digital camera with its optical zoom lens.

It looks useful enough, but still… a Hasselblad cell phone accessory for $249?  When I typed it the first time, I made a typo and called it an “accessorry.” I think “sorry” is a perfect what to describe it. I am glad Victor Hasselblad is not alive to see this.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.