Hasselblad, the iconic camera-maker favoured by many of the world’s most accomplished professional photographers, has launched a brand new ‘elite’ camera – and this time pointed it at amateur photo-enthusiasts who demand the ultimate in both style and performance.

The sleek new Hasselblad HV, which is available immediately, will retail at € 8500 (excl taxes) and boasts some of the most advanced camera technology ever engineered for the enthusiast marketplace.

Announcing the launch Hasselblad CEO Ian Rawcliffe said: “The new HV is the latest model in our rapidly expanding portfolio of consumer cameras that seamlessly blend beauty and chic with performance. This camera is aimed squarely at people who don’t just love taking pictures – but love taking them in real style. And the HV doesn’t just look good; it feels good to hold too. We maintained a sharp focus on ergonomics and we used only premium materials like titanium, high-grade aluminium and latest ‘tough as nails’ PVD coatings.”

He added: “There are growing numbers of very keen and often extremely talented amateur photographers and photo-enthusiasts all over the world that are willing to invest in the kind of high performance capture products that elite professionals enjoy. Our brand new HV DSLR will completely satisfy all those who wish to not only treat themselves to an exclusive photo-icon but also revel in crafting exceptional pictures and video with an exceptional camera.

The new and easy to use HV has a 24.3 megapixel full-frame sensor and comes with a legendary Carl Zeiss 24-70mm lens – for extreme sharpness and outstanding contrast. The camera also has 35mm full-frame HD moviemaking capability for outstanding performance, even in dark conditions.

The HV ships with a specially designed, extremely robust and high performance ‘super resin’ case (like the pros use) guaranteeing extra protection from dust, water, chemical agents and impacts and shocks.

It can also deal with extreme weather conditions (from minus 40°C up to 80° C). This lightweight case doubles as an integrated organiser to hold not just the camera, all cables and chargers, memory cards and photo-literature but also an iPad and a regular size laptop.

Hasselblad is another rebrand Sony A99 with cosmetic and weather sealing improvements. What do you guys think?