Last Updated on 03/19/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
This rare Hasselblad MKWE is waiting for a very serious collector to snag it on ebay.
Once in a while our hunt for the coolest photography gear on ebay leads to some intriguing results. Today is one of those days. Our latest find is a Hasselblad MKWE, which has earned the nickname NASA Hasselblad for one special feature in its design.
The Hasselblad MKWE (or Metric Kamera, Wide angle, Electronic winder) listed by breguetcamera is in excellent condition, with the 38mm f4.5 Biogon Lens clear of scratches, haze, or fungus. The package comes with the lens front cap, viewfinder, case, film back with cap, and box. The description says it was made for NASA, and is one of the only 20 units in the world. This makes its NASA Hasselblad nickname pretty obvious.
However, according to Japan Camera Hunter, this is actually a bit of a misnomer. The actual Hasselblads that made it to space haven’t made it to the market. The closest you’ll get would be a special commemorative Space Hasselblad model, or one of these fully working replicas from Space Camera Co. What really earned the Hasselblad MKWE its misleading moniker is its custom Reseau plate, which Hasselblad developed with NASA.
It’s also worth noting that the MKWE wasn’t actually manufactured by the regular Hasselblad factory. It was the specialist engineering division Hasselblad Engineering AB that designed and assembled this camera, as they specialized in making special orders for industrial and military applications. And, as Japan Camera Hunter also reminded, Hasselblad got involved with cameras for aerial and ground photogrammetry during the 1940’s and made cameras for the Swedish air force.
In any case, this camera very rarely comes up out there, and is certainly the kind of stuff very serious collectors would be thrilled to get their hands on. When Japan Camera Hunter had one available in 2012, it came with a fixed tag price of $31,700. Its current Buy It Now price on ebay isn’t too far ahead at $34,410. Go ahead and check out the ebay listing to learn more and grab it now if you’re ready to part with your cash.
All images from the ebay listing by breguetcamera