Hasselblad Enters Mirrorless Arena With X1D Camera

This year marks Hasselblad'due south 75th as a camera maker and the company is celebrating past expanding its production line-upward. The 50- and 100-megapixel versions of its flagship H6D are the commencement to drop in April.

Now, just a couple months later, it's bringing an unabridged new system to market.

The X1D uses the same Sony-made 50MP sensor found in the H6D-50c and another medium-format cameras, including the Pentax 645Z and Stage 1 IQ250. It's not a full-frame 645 design, but at 33 past 44mm, it has most 1.7 times the surface surface area of a full-frame (24 past 36mm) image sensor.

It doesn't bask a size advantage over full-frame mirrorless models—at three.ix by 5.9 by 2.8 inches (HWD)—the X1D is larger than a Sony Alpha 7R Two and roughly the same size as a Leica SL. However, at 1.6 pounds the body is noticeably lighter than competing SLRs like the Nikon D810 (two pounds) and Pentax 645Z (iii.four pounds).

It doesn't sacrifice build quality to enter this detail weight class either. The body is handmade in Sweden and can exist used in inclement weather without concern thanks to a sealed pattern that protects from dust and conditions. The design is slim but there is a hand-grip as well equally front end- and rear-control dials, a top-mounted manner dial and buttons that deliver quick admission to ISO, white balance, focus, and exposure settings. A built-in electronic viewfinder is included just different the H6D there isn't an in-torso flash. Instead, you'll need to use a external strobe or a wireless trigger for studio lights.

An LCD dominates the rear—information technology'due south 3-inches in size with a 920k-dot resolution, 24-bit output, and back up for touch input. If you've used a mod digital dorsum, its squarish shape and interface will feel familiar. From there you can access the in-photographic camera 802.11ac Wi-Fi, ready the ISO (from 100-25600) and change other settings. There is besides a built-in GPS but Hasselblad states that a firmware update will be required to enable it after the camera launches.

The built-in EVF allows you to shoot at eye level, merely as you would with an SLR. It's sharp at 2.4 one thousand thousand dots. 1 of the advantages of the EVF design is the ability to easily preview images in different aspect ratios. Even though its sensor is a 4:3 design, you can set the X1D to shoot in a square format like an old V-serial Hasselblad or to crop downward to a wide panoramic format. Yous'll lose epitome resolution in doing so, of grade, only with 50MP to beginning you've got some room to do so.

The X1D isn't a speed demon, capturing images at a 1.vii- to 2.3fps rate at its best. It does feature dual SD card slots to ensure it will foreclose images beingness lost in the event of a single memory bill of fare failure. It doesn't have a flash sync socket but information technology does include USB iii.0 for image transfer and tethered shooting, mini HDMI, and standard audio input and output connectors. Hasseblad isn't the offset name you think of when it comes to video merely 1080p capture and autofocus is supported.

As well the new photographic camera, two new lenses are launching forth with the camera. Both the XCD iii.5/45mm ($2,295) and XCD 4.5/90mm ($two,695) enjoy designs that are more compact than typical medium-format glass. They incorporate internal shutters for flash sync at up to i/2,000-second and can besides exist used for long exposures up to 60 minutes in length. As is, more lenses are coming as well every bit an adapter, so that yous can use your current Hasselblad H medium-format lenses with the X1D.

Currently, the X1D-50c body is priced at US$8,995. That is more expensive than full-frame cameras but in line with the to the lowest degree expensive medium format models. Hasselblad has non offered upwardly a shipping date as of still.