Unlike many camera launches of recent years, the firm was able to keep the launch leak-free.

Hasselblad’s business development manager Luca Alessandrini has revealed how the Lunar – which is being developed in partnership with Sony – was kept firmly under wraps.

In an interview with Amateur Photographer at last week’s photokina in Germany, Alessandrini explained that the firm was able to keep the news secret thanks to a small team and covert operations surrounding the project.

Hasselblad’s new design offices in Italy were put into near-lockdown and it seems all communications regarding Lunar were on a strictly need-to-know basis.

‘There was nothing on the [door] bell,’ said Alessandrini.

‘All the windows were covered. It looked like a warehouse.

‘We didn’t give out anything, we didn’t print out anything at our office and we used the codename “Pink”.’

Alessandrini said printing of all literature shown at photokina was carried out in-house, with nothing leaving the office.

‘We were transporting things [in and out], not in Hasselblad boxes but in [plain] cardboard ones.

‘We couldn’t send any pictures or mention the project in emails.

‘No mobile phones were allowed during meetings… We signed NDAs [Non Disclosure Agreements] everywhere.’

Alessandrini said nothing leaked out, despite four teams being involved in the project worldwide – in Denmark, Sweden, Italy and Japan.