Drone manufacturer DJI to collaborate with Hasselblad

Chinese drone maker DJI has taken a ‘strategic minority stake’ in camera manufacturer Hasselblad. This gives DJI a place on the board of Hasselblad. The companies want to combine their technical knowledge with the strategic collaboration.

The acquisition of the minority stake, according to the message on DJI’s site, is intended to combine knowledge, while the companies also remain active in their own fields, which seems to mean that there is no merging of business units. The amount of money involved in the deal has not been disclosed.

Hasselblad has been involved in aerial photography since its inception and recently released the A5D as a camera for drones. In addition, the camera manufacturer owns software that knows how to synchronize multiple cameras in the air. Hasselblad is particularly known for its medium format cameras. The company’s history goes back 75 years and the cameras were used on various Apollo missions and landing on the moon, among other things.

Shenzhen-based DJI has quickly become one of the largest drone builders, estimated to be worth between eight and ten billion dollars. In addition to camera drones that the company became known for, it is constantly expanding its product portfolio. Recently, DJI introduced a stabilized handheld camera.

The photos of the Apollo 11 mission were taken with a Hasselblad 500 EL. The photo archive recently came online.