luxury

Minutes ago, Hasselblad officially unveiled the Stellar II, another Sony rebrand that will likely draw some ridicule from the photo community -- except that Hassy has changed their approach a bit with this camera.

Right in the first line of the press release, they're making one thing clear: this camera is "not intended to be judged against other cameras," but is, "rather, conceived and crafted exclusively for Aficionados, Collectors and Connoisseurs."

Back in mid-September, we reported that luxury gadget company Brikk was planning to release a gold covered Nikon Df camera. The camera is now official with more photos and more details.

It's no secret retro and vintage cameras have made a come back in the last few years. But, this is getting a bit meta, isn't it?

In an attempt to make retro cameras look even more retro, camera accessories manufacturer Anchors and Anvils is fitting some of the 35mm film shooters they refurbish with wood paneling.

If you're planning to pick up a $6,500 Hasselblad Lunar mirrorless camera and need a matching USB flash drive to store your photos, you should definitely take a look at the Apophis. It's a high-end flash drive by Polish firm Zana Design that, like the Lunar, is crafted out of rare materials. How rare? Well, one of the ingredients is meteorite.

Hasselblad surprised the photo world last month by announcing the Lunar: a hyper-luxury mirrorless camera with an opulent exterior and a Sony NEX-7 at its core. To say it wasn't well received would be an understatement; photographers immediately mocked the camera's over-the-top design -- it's decorated with gold and precious metals -- and the fact that it will carry a price tag $5,000 more than the camera it's based on.

Hassy isn't fazed by the criticism. The latest word from the Hasselblad camp is that it has opened a new design center in Italy, where the Lunar was conceived. Regardless of what you think about the camera, at least Hasselblad's game plan is becoming more clear.

It seems that everyone has something to say about Hasselblad's new line of Lunar mirrorless cameras, with "ugly" being one of the common adjectives used. The fact is, Hasselblad is trying to pull a Leica by taking the Sony NEX-7, rebranding it, "upgrading" it with a new look and rare materials, and slapping a $6,500 price tag on the resulting camera. The Lunar's Photokina booth, brochure, and website feature concept sketches that show how the camera's design came about.

What's interesting is that not all the sketches show a modified NEX-7. Some of them appear to show a compact camera, and others a DSLR.

Hasselblad mixed things up today by announcing a new "ultra luxury" APS-C mirroress camera. Sounds like Earth-shattering news, right? Take a little closer, and you'll notice that it's not as monumental as it sounds. Basically, the company has taken a page from Leica's book by playing the rebranding game. Just as Leica -Lux compact cameras are essentially rebranded Panasonic Lumix bodies, the new Hasselblad Lunar is a dressed-up version of the Sony NEX-7.

Forget rings on your fingers or grills on your teeth: Japanese designer Jay Tsujimura thinks your camera is where bling should go. Presumably geared towards people who use pricey cameras as a fashion accessory and status symbol, Tsujimura's premium line of camera jewelry is designed to adorn hotshoes and shutter releases.

Want a wooden DSLR? If you have extremely deep pockets, nows your chance: Sigma has announced a special wood …

Now here’s a camera accessory you don’t see every day: over in Japan …

Kate Spade’s Pocomo Gwem handbag features a pretty well-known rangefinder camera.

The P.90 is a limited edition pinhole camera by Kurt Mottweiler, an Oregon-based builder of wooden cameras. It's constructed using Cherry wood and brass, has a tripod adapter on the bottom, and is loaded with 120 roll film.