Hasselblad X1D

QUICKFACT SHEET

After toying for a number of years with the rebadging of Sony mirrorless cameras, Hasselblad has at last decided to return to what made it a great camera company in the first place: great medium format cameras and renowned lenses.

The Hasselblad X1D is its first offering — also billed as the world’s first mirrorless digital medium format camera. Since the X1D is mirrorless (and hence, it has no mirror and viewfinder prism), it certainly looks smaller and weighs much lighter than one of its own conventional digital medium format camera. What is pleasantly surprising — and makes it an attractive proposition — is that the X1D is not that much bigger than some APS-C and full-frame DSLR and mirrrorless cameras.

What distinguishes the X1D from mirrorless cameras from other manufacturers is that its sensor is considered to be medium format. Hasselblad makes a number of cameras that use different medium format sensor sizes: 53.4 x 40 mm, 56 x 41.5 mm, 53.7 x 40.2 mm and 43.8 x 32.9 mm — all bigger than the 35mm full-frame format (36 x 24 mm). It is the latter size (43.8 x 32.9 mm) sensor that is found in the X1D.

Though the sensor may not be that much bigger than a full-frame sensor, the extra size means more megapixels resolution (more details) and larger pixels (better light gathering power and hence better low-light capability).

The design is clean, with only a Front and Back Command dial, a pop-up Mode dial and a couple of other buttons, which means that you mostly use the responsive touchpanel LCD to set settings. The X1D body is made of lightweight aluminum and is weather resistant: dust-proof, splash-proof and freezeproof down to -10°C / 14°F. The LCD is fixed. There is no bult-in image stabilizer.

At launch, there are only two elegantly designed lenses available in the new XCD lens range: the XCD 45mm f/3.5 and XCD 90mm f/3.2 lenses both incorporate a built-in integral central shutter. A new 30mm lens is already slated to be introduced at Photokina, Cologne Germany, in September. The X1D is also compatible with all 12 lenses and lens accessories from the Hasselblad professional H System with the use of an adapter.

Whereas medium format cameras, with their larger sensor, traditionally targets pro photographers who need the extra resolution to print big (think billboard size), Hasselblad is targeting the enthusiasts with the mirrorless X1D. Though the price point (almost US $9,000 body only, with each of the two lenses around US $2,500) may throw somewhat a wrinkle into that plan, Hasselblad is confident the X1D is enough of a game changer to attract more enthusiasts to its fold. At least, Hasselblad has currently no direct competitors in the mirrorless medium format category.

The X1D, as the first generation medium format mirrorless camera from Hasselblad, looks promising indeed and has raised expectations quite a bit for all the Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC) players in the industry. However, to corner the market and to incite enthusiasts to switch from their full-frame DSLRs and mirrorless cameras to its medium format mirrorless system, Hasselblad will need to commit fully to this new mirrorless system and deliver further improvements, such as in autofocus speed, continuous shooting frame rate, the use of a larger and higher resolution tiltable display screen, 4K video, regular firmware updates — and, of course, the availability of more lenses and accesories for this new mirrorless system.

Hasselblad has the potential of leapfrogging all its established ILC competitors (Four-Thirds, APS-C and Full-frame) if it plays its cards right. To do that, it needs to get the AF to be snappy, continuous shooting to a respectable 5+ fps, and has to find a way to get the price point down (or introduce cheaper models) — unless it wants to remain a niche player. Its competitors would love Hasselblad to remain a niche player; after all, the X1D uses a Sony sensor and who says Sony will not introduce its own consumer mirrorless medium format camera? First mover has its advantages and Hasselblad, with its long history and experience in making iconic cameras, is well positioned to stay ahead of its competitors.

HASSELBLAD X1D AT A GLANCE
SENSOR	50-MP MEDIUM-FORMAT (43.8 X 32.9 MM, 8272 X 6200 PIXELS) CMOS 16 BIT, DYNAMIC RANGE UP TO 14 STOPS
LENS MOUNT	HASSELBLAD XCD
VIEWFINDER	2.36MILLION-DOT EVF
DISPLAY	3.0” 920K-DOT TOUCH LCD
VIDEO	H.264 COMPRESSED HD (1920 X 1080p) @ 25 FPS
FOCUS	CONTRAST-DETECT AF
SHUTTER SPEED	60 S TO 1/2000 S
CONTINUOUS SHOOTING	2.3 FPS
ISO	ISO 100-25600
FLASH	NO BUILT-IN NIKON-COMPATIBLE HOTSHOE FLASH SYNCS AT ALL SPEEDS
WI-FI	YES
POWER	340 FRAMES
OTHER	DUST-RESISTANT, WATER-RESISTANT, FREEZEPROOF DOWN TO -10°C / 14°F DUAL SD CARD SLOTS USB 3.0 PHOCUS SOFTWARE
DIMENSIONS (W X H X D)	150 x 98 x 71 MM
WEIGHT	725 G (INCLUDING BATTERY AND MEMORY CARD)
PRICE	BODY ONLY: 7,900 EUR / 8,995 USD / 5,990 GBP

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Related Links:
– Hasselblad X1D Press Release
– Hasselblad X1D Specifications
– Hasselblad X1D Sample Images
– Hasselblad X1D Manuals
– Hasselblad X1D Firmware

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