Michael,
Come on Michael... give it a rest already. Closed system? You can still acquire 6 types of Hasselblad backs for use on many medium and view cameras. How is that closed? The 28mm lens is presently proprietary to the H3D. I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that Hasselblad is now a closed system because of one lens. You really need that lens? Then buy it and the camera that works with it.
If you were a little less critical of Hasselblad (still trying to figure out your MO on this one) you might be privy to information concerning the the status of the tilt/shift lens. But publicly bashing any company won't make you and friends there.
And as a bitter and unhappy stake-holder, why not demonstrate your displeasure and divest of your Hasselblad holdings? That should really 'teach' Hasselblad, eh?!
Alternatively, you can put your bitterness aside and buy the 28mm and the HD3 and get on with it. Because quite frankly, being bitter and trying to tell anyone how to run their business is in no one's best interest.
Of course, just my opinion.....
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I have no intention of "giving it a rest". I have no idea of who you are or what
your agenda is, but I can tell you that I am not alone in my displeasure with Hasselblad's flawed new marketing approach.
As I wrote, with two H bodies and five lenses, and a $30,000 investment in an MF back in H mount, I am a stakeholder in the company. When that company does something which is against my interests I have every right to be pissed, especially when it is done not for technical reasons, but simply as a means of potentially boosting revenue at the expense of its installed customer base.
I will be pleased to debate Christian Poulsen on this matter publicly, and I offer him an open platform here to discuss his business strategy and help convince us that it is correct. I have a soapbox here, and don't hesitate to use it on issues which I regard as important, but I'll gladly share it in any way that he deems appropriate.
As for the rest of your argument, there's little by way of fact, only posturing. It's not just one lens, it's now two, and Poulsen has made it clear publicly (I was at the Photokina press conference and also interviewed him privately afterward) that building lenses with software control required
in the back was the company's future direction.
Poulsen may see this approach, which includes not allowing any other backs to interface with new H series cameras, to be one which will maximize Hasselblad's margins, because clearly high margins are in the backs, not bodies and lenses (otherwise the company wouldn't have such a huge debt load). But, I maintain that it's a flawed strategy likely to disaffect a loyal user base built up over nearly sixty years. I've been using Hasselblads both professionally and personally for more than half that time, and I can tell you that I have never seen a user community as pissed off with a company as I do now with Hasselblad. And pissed off customers are definitely not good for business.
A closing thought. Hasselblad's situation is not analogous that of a Nikon or Canon. Hasselblad sells its products to an extremely small segment of the photographic market. This consists of a few tens of thousands of professional photographers around the world, and an even smaller number of well-heeled amateurs. The dealer network is tiny, and via the Internet and a handful of professional journals this small community is kept abreast of developments of interest. Punters may read the reviews superficially, but anyone spending north of $50,000 for a body, back and lenses tends to do their research, speak with their peers, and make an informed, well-researched decision. Their accountants won't let them do anything less.
That being the case, I am trying to do what I can to help people (such as the original poster in this thread) appreciate the pros and cons of Hasselblad's current business and marketing strategy – at least as I see it. People are then free to make their own decisions. But when a company spouts nonsense like their "Full Frame" campaign, and cynically freeze their installed user base out of new product offerings, someone has to stand up and say that the emperor isn't very completely dressed today.
Michael
Ps: If you think that I will keep my mouth shut for the privilege of an early review of a lens, you obviously don't know anything about me.
