Hasselblad's new mirrrorless medium format camera

Strange about the sony sensor, the medium format imagers were rumored to be discontinued after the damage over there.
 
The mirrorless Hasselblad looks very nice, for some very particular kinds of photographers. If it's a Sony CMOS sensor it won't have the low ISO, slow operation, etc, of old medium format cameras. And MF is SHARP!! And color should be great as well with the increased bit depth. The lenses, though, are always kind of slow (f/3.2 and f/3.5 primes in this case), so don't expect particularly shallow DoF even with the bigger sensor (this should be approximately equivalent to f/2.5-f/2.8 on FF, which is plenty shallow for me most of the time but maybe not what some people have in mind when they think "bigger sensor"). But hey, if you shoot landscapes, or models in a studio, it should be amazing.

Not particularly useful for video, though, because this sensor must be doing some heavy line-skipping, so no sharpness advantage either on that case.
 
Hasselblad is making good on its promise to launch something big. Today it introduces the X1D, a medium-format mirrorless camera with a 50MP CMOS sensor. With dust and weather-sealing the X1D isn't afraid to step outside of the studio, and offers a 100-25600 ISO range and is capable of 1080/30p HD video. Its hot shoe is compatible with Nikon Speedlights and the camera can sync with flashes at its maximum shutter speed: 1/2000 sec.
Not surprisingly, the X1D uses a new lens mount, accepting XCD lenses. Two have been announced at launch: a 45mm F3.5 and a 90mm F4.5, with more to follow 'shortly.' An H lens adapter will also be offered to extend support to Hasselblad's existing H lens system.
The X1D offers a 3" 920k-dot touch screen and a built-in XGA electronic viewfinder. Wi-Fi and GPS are built-in, and the camera includes dual SD card slots. The X1D and its battery weigh in at 725g, which Hasselblad points out is half the weight of your typical medium-format camera.
The Hasselblad X1D will be priced at $8995/£5990/€7900 body-only. A kit with 45mm F3.5 lens will cost $11,290, and bundled with both lenses the X1D will cost $13,985. The XCD 45mm F3.5 will cost $2,295 separately; the XCD 90mm F4.5 will cost $2695. Hasselblad plans to offer demos of the system in July, with delivery to customers in August.
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http://www.dpreview.com/news/1988725790/medium-format-mirrorless-hasselblad-unveils-x1d

 
Hmm what the heck is the point if it's only a 1.2x wider sensor than FF35mm? Hard to imagine much benefit over an A7RII besides bragging rights when you consider wider availability of faster cheaper compatible lenses and added features (IBIS, 4K, PDAF, 40% of the price) of the A7RII.
 
Sensor size is identical to the Pentax 645Z (link, link). From that, FF is a 1.22x crop horizontally, and a 1.37x crop vertically. It doesn't make sense *to me* because, as you pointed out, it's way more expensive than an a7R II and glass availability will be an issue, but I'm sure it will find its market (for a start, 645Z users may want a smaller and lighter body, and current Hasselblad users with older models that don't upgrade to the new super-expensive models may consider this one). Basically, people who want the best possible sharpness and color and don't mind spending $$$$$ to get them. That's not me, but hey, people also buy Leica bodies...
 
Is it necessarily even sharper than FF35 if a 5DS is 50MP and an A7RII is 42MP (Hassy is only 20% more resolution for 266% the price)? I guess medium format probably doesn't have an OLPF which will appear sharper but not sure that technically gains much besides aliasing.

Samuel H said:
but hey, people also buy Leica bodies...
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Heh, so yeah, bragging rights :P
 
I shoot with the H5d with 50c back. It's night and day between it and the ff35mm. Reason? 16 bit color first of all. 280 trillion tones vrs 4 trillion tones. Unless you have ever shot with a hasse or the phase one, you have not seen nor understand 16 bit color. Second is the glass made by fuginon in the H system. Hasse went to Zeiss to design the glass and they couldn't do it. The H system glass is just beautiful and having the ability to use leaf shutter is a must. Third, the color and detail.

This new camera is very welcome to the lineup and I will most definitely be picking one up. Good job hasse!
 
Bern Caughey said:
I think it's one of the ugliest looking cameras I've seen in a long time, but I'm sure a lot of dentists will still buy it.
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Agreed on both counts.

Love how Petapixel described it as a "design that looks something in between retro and futuristic". So, that will be "contemporary" then. Muppets.
 
+1 on Everything Dusty said, there is no comparison. I've tried all the 'Medium Format Killer' DSLRs out there, looking to find a cheaper route than upgrading my own H4D 50MS ( my fourth dig Hassy ), and none of them are even in the same universe, despite me actually hoping otherwise. This X1D is just the perfect addition for me to run alongside my H4D, and for less than the cost of an upgrade, complete no brainer ! ... just hope the H lens adapter aint gonna cost the same ! :) It aint just about pixels guys !

dustylense said:
I shoot with the H5d with 50c back. It's night and day between it and the ff35mm. Reason? 16 bit color first of all. 280 trillion tones vrs 4 trillion tones. Unless you have ever shot with a hasse or the phase one, you have not seen nor understand 16 bit color. Second is the glass made by fuginon in the H system. Hasse went to Zeiss to design the glass and they couldn't do it. The H system glass is just beautiful and having the ability to use leaf shutter is a must. Third, the color and detail.

This new camera is very welcome to the lineup and I will most definitely be picking one up. Good job hasse!
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dustylense said:
I shoot with the H5d with 50c back. It's night and day between it and the ff35mm. Reason? 16 bit color first of all. 280 trillion tones vrs 4 trillion tones. Unless you have ever shot with a hasse or the phase one, you have not seen nor understand 16 bit color. Second is the glass made by fuginon in the H system. Hasse went to Zeiss to design the glass and they couldn't do it. The H system glass is just beautiful and having the ability to use leaf shutter is a must. Third, the color and detail.

This new camera is very welcome to the lineup and I will most definitely be picking one up. Good job hasse!
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This! I have only shot on medium format once but it does make a difference. And Dusty says it right, the 16 bit color is beautiful in the way it handles um well color. No way is this camera for me (loving my sony a7r as its the best bang for the buck for me) but would love to move to medium format one day.
 
Liam Hall said:
Agreed on both counts.

Love how Petapixel described it as a "design that looks something in between retro and futuristic". So, that will be "contemporary" then. Muppets.
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Petapixel really is a muppet operation. I really lost it when they declared that this wedding shooter clown created THE BRENIZER METHOD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenizer_Method

......which is combining shallow depth of field and multiple frames (typically to expand angle of view)....a basic idea photographers have utilized for what 150 years?? Ughhh.
 
[h=2]Hands-on with Hasselblad X1D[/h] Dual flaps on the left hand side of the camera open to reveal twin SD card slots. It offers a microphone socket and a second socket for audio monitoring as well as Mini HDMI and USB 3 for tethered shooting and image download.
The flaps are protected with O rings to ensure the ports are splash proof, and the whole camera is sealed against weather and dust.
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http://www.dpreview.com/news/9438355523/hands-on-with-hasselblad-x1d?slide=11

27848059405_6ec5a534f5_b.jpg
 
The DPReview article mentions something about the color actually being 14bit - We suspect the X1D uses the same sensor in the Pentax 645Z, meaning 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion, despite claims of '16-bit color'

Kind of rains on the parade if true.
 
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