Most people haven't seen medium format cameras in person as they are expensive and only really used by professionals. But other than the price they are also known to be quite big due to their sensor size. Hasselblad has been making medium format cameras for decades now and all their cameras are also fairly large.
Well, not anymore. The company has just launched its first mirrorless medium format camera, which completely changes the way a medium format camera is supposed to look and handle. Smaller than most full frame DSLR cameras, the new X1D is the smallest model in the company's lineup and could pass off as any old mirrorless camera if you ignore the badge and don't know what's lurking inside.
The camera is exquisitely hand made in Sweden from milled aluminum that forms the frame of the camera, with a deep handgrip on either side for a secure grip. The camera only weighs 725g, which is lighter than the Canon 5D Mark III. The back has a 2.4 megapixel electronic viewfinder as well as a 3.0-inch 920k dot touchscreen with simple iconography that should make it easy to use this camera.
Inside, however, lies the company's 50 megapixel medium format sensor that has a dynamic range of 14 stops with 16-bit color, ISO 100 to 25600 range, and a shutter speed of 1/2000 of a second to 60 minutes. Along with images, the camera can also record 1080p video at 25fps.
The X1D has two SD card slots to save your images. On the connectivity front, Hasselblad has included USB 3.0 support, Wi-Fi ac, and GPS.
With a reduced flange distance, the older lenses would no longer be compatible, so the X1D comes with its own series of lenses, with two being available at the moment. There is a 45mm f3.5 and a 90mm f3.2, priced at $2,295 and $2,695, respectively. Should you choose to use your older lenses you will need an H lens adapter.
Now for the price. The Hasselblad X1D is priced at $8995 body-only. The 45mm f3.5 kit lens bundle will set you back by $11,290 and the bundle with both the lenses and the camera will cost $13,985. Demos will be available in July and deliveries a month later.
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