I've always fancied going to Cologne and taking in the wonders at Photokina, all that new kit on display, it must be like being a kid with the keys to the toy shop. Well so far it's not to be, work always seems to hold me back from booking that ticket. Still I can watch the feeds coming in on sites like Luminous Landscapes and dpreview which are always illuminating.
So what thus far has hooked my interest, the new Canon 6D, it's okay but no I still think the 5D MkIII will be my next purchase. Both the Fuji X-E1 and XF1 look very interesting and I'd like to have a play with them at Focus-on-imaging in March, but no. The Hasselblad H5D, I must say with improved weather seals and the new black and white colour-way looks lovely, but no. Mamiya/Phase Ones' new 645 DF+ with the new 28mm lens looks very capable, but no.
No, what has really hooked me is the HasselbladSonyStein creation, it looks funky, but beneath the italian designed, wood or carbon fibre exterior, the interior is all Sony NEX-7, a £900 camera, that becomes a £5000 camera with the Hasselblad body. Are we this bloody stupid? Are there people out there with more money than sense? Apparently these are the sort of thing your new rich Russian or Chinese industrialist and Despot Dictator are crying out for to set themselves above the rest of the photography enthusiasts. As a professional photographer I would consider them mugs, but following the logic I might pick up a Ford Focus, knock the body work about a little, maybe add some bit of wood and carbon fibre to the exterior, pop a Rolls Royce badge on it and get it listed on e-bay in Russian and Chinese.
