Photography News 73

Big test

Hasselblad X1D II 50C

PRICE: £5400

HASSELBLAD.COM

SPECS

Hasselblad goes withmedium format like fish with chips, and its latest model is a compact mirrorless close to half the price of its predecessor. So, is it a game-changer for this iconic brand?

›  Price X1D II 50c body only £5400,XCD 30mm f/3.5 £3588, XCD 65mm f/2.8 £2508,XCD 135mm f/2.8 £3708 ›  Sensor CMOS, 50megapixels (shooting in Hasselblad 3FR 16- bit Raw format capable of 14EV dynamic range),JPEG, 8-bit TIFF ›  Sensor format 43.8x32.9mm, 8272x6200pixels ›  Lens mount Hasselblad. Compatible with all H System lenses using anXH LensAdapter £310.Also compatible withV SystemandXPan lenses using a XV (£215) or XPan LensAdapter (£159) ›  ISO range 100-25,600 (limited to ISO 3200 with electronic shutter) ›  Shutter range 68mins to 1/2000sec withXCD lenses, electronic shutter 68mins to 1/10,000sec. 1/800sec or 1/2000sec with HC/HCD lenses. Flash sync at all shutter speeds with themechanical shutter ›  Drive modes Single, continuous at 2.7fps, self-timer, interval timer, exposure bracketing ›  Exposure system Spot, centre- weighted and centre spot ›  Exposure compensation +/-5EV ›  Monitor 3.6inTFT, 24-bit colour, 2.36million dot touch screen ›  Viewfinder OLED, 3.69million dot EVF ›  Focusing Autofocus,manual, instant manual focus override. Contrast-detect AF, 100%zoom or focus peaking available in manual focus ›  Focus points Up to 117 selectable points. Single point AF only but with choice of sizes – › Video To be enabled in the future › Connectivity Wi-Fi, GPS, USB 3.0, audio in/out OTHER KEY FEATURES › Storage media Two SD card slots UHS-II SD › Software Phocus for Mac and Windows, Raws compatible with Adobe LightroomandAdobe Camera Raw. Phocus Mobile 2 for tethered connection via USB-C › Dimensions (wxhxd) 148x97x70mmbody only › Weight 766g body with battery and card Contact hasselblad.com large,medium, small ›  Image stabiliser No

WORDS AND IMAGES BY WILL CHEUNG

THERE’S NO PHOTOGRAPHIC brand more iconic than Hasselblad, and it continues to lead the way. In 2016 it introduced the X1D 50C, the first mirrorless medium format camera that gave photographers new freedom, with its portable body and 50 megapixel sensor. On the downside – it was slow in use, autofocus was poor, and it cost £9000. Now the X1D 50C II has arrived, and while the sensor is basically the same the camera’s handling has been improved, with a larger, better rear screen, a higher resolution EVF, faster start-up and, overall, a less laggy performance. And its price is £5400 body only, making it a more realistic proposition for those consideringmedium format, whomay also be looking at the FujifilmGFX 50S/50R or Pentax 645Z.

On picking up the X1D II, I challenge anyone not to be impressed with its build quality and elegant looks. Its compactness is worth highlighting – it’s not pocket- sized, but in a medium format context it is impressively wee. For most of the time, I had the 65mm f/2.8 lens on the front and this is similar in weight to the body, so the combination is a significant one. However, I found I could happily carry the pair one-handed. That said, it’s not a camera you’d carry round in the right hand ready for grab shots. The on/off switch, for example, is not placed to suit quick use. Moreover, when you do turn the camera on it takes over five seconds to be ready. That’s not fast by any measure, although it is about twice as quick as its predecessor.

ABOVE We tested three XCD lenses alongside the X1D II: the

standard 65mm f/2.8, the 30mm f/3.5 wide-angle, and the 135mm f/2.8 telephoto

PERFORMANCE: EXPOSURE LATITUDE

I shot sets of bracketed images, of a variety of scenes, and processed the Raws in Lightroom and Phocus. The latter is limited to +/-2EV so the set shown here was processed in Lightroom. The X1D II’s 3FR Raws corrected nicely, especially underexposed shots – even the -3EV shot looked fine. With overexposure, I thought the camera did well and even the +3EV shot was salvageable. The brightest highlights still had a faint grey veiling, but the effect wasn’t too bad.

-3EV

-2EV

-1EV

0

I had no problems with the +2EV shot, which recovered well to stand direct comparison with the correctly exposed frame.

+1EV

+2EV

+3EV

42 Photography News | Issue 73

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