Hasselblad 500 EL/M '10 Years on the Moon'

Produced in 1979-1980 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Hasselblad 500 EL/M '10 Years on the Moon' represents a significant fusion of Swedish engineering and space exploration history. As a special edition variant of the professional 500 EL/M, it features the iconic Hasselblad modular design with a built motor drive for rapid shooting, interchangeable film magazines (using 120 film), and the characteristic 6x6 cm negative format revered for its exceptional image quality. The commemorative identity is most evident through its unique finish – typically a brushed titanium body often adorned with a special '10 Years on the Moon' engraving and sometimes featuring a special leatherette or lacquer finish, distinguishing it from standard production models. This edition capitalized on the profound legacy of the Hasselblad cameras used during the Apollo missions, which were instrumental in capturing some of the most iconic images of humanity reaching another celestial body.

The 500 EL/M chassis itself was a workhorse professional tool, renowned for its robust construction, reliability, and ergonomic handling with its waist-level finder. The inclusion of the motor drive made it particularly suitable for action and press photography, a step up from the manual-wound models used in space. While fundamentally sharing the core technology and design principles of the standard 500 EL/M, the '10 Years on the Moon' variant holds its significance primarily through its association and presentation as a tribute to the lunar achievement. It serves as a tangible artifact linking the ground-breaking space missions to Hasselblad's professional lineage, appealing to collectors fascinated by the intersection of technology, space history, and photographic equipment. Its production run was inherently limited, enhancing its scarcity and desirability among enthusiasts of both space memorabilia and vintage medium format cameras.