Hasselblad Launches Stabilized Medium-Format Mirrorless

2022.09.07

Nearly like clockwork, Hasselblad launched their third Medium-Format Mirrorless Digital Camera today, three years after the Hasselblad X1D II 50C which followed original X1D 50C three years earlier. While their two earlier cameras were nearly identical, the newest offering is a huge leap forward.

The full-name of the model launched today is the Hasselblad X2D 100C, referred to simply as X2D below. This Medium-Format camera is built around a new 100 megapixels 44x33mm CMOS sensor with a 294-point builtin Phase-Detect AF system. Compared to both X1D models, the new X2D offers twice the resolution and promisses a much faster autofocus system.

New to the XCD system is that the X2D features builtin image-stabilization, a rare feature among Medium-Format cameras. Hasselblad created an incredibly compact 5-axis sensor-shift system that provides up to 7-stops of efficiency compared to hand-holding. This is among the most capable stabilization of any camera and it clearly is ahead of all other Medium-Format systems. Due to their high-resolution, large formats are highly sensitive to any vibration and so IBIS can be extremely beneficial.

Medium-Format cameras bring incredible resolution but truly stand-out when it comes to dynamic-range. The new 100 MP sensor in this one delivers 16-bit read-out which Hasselblad claims can capture 15-stops. It takes a lot of bandwidth to handle 100 megapixels 16-bit images and so the X2D drops to 14-bit read-out in continuous drive mode which tops at 3.3 FPS. To record those huge images, this camera features a 1 TB SSD builtin! This drive reads and writes at over 2 GB/s. Up to 512GB CFExpress Type B cards are also supported.

An upgraded body provides plenty of improvements over the Hasselblad X1D II 50C. A new 5.76 megapixels 0.6" OLED EVF shows 100% coverage at 1X magnification and is paired with Eye-Start Sensor. There is also a tilting 3.6" Touchscreen LCD at the back, plus a 1" 158K-pixels Color Status Display on the top-plate. Much of the X2D controls are operated via touchscreen yet this mirrorless still offers dual control-dials, as one would expect from a high-end camera.

The Hasselblad X2D 100C is expected to come at $8200 USD or almost $11000 CAD. Both Adorama and B&H Photo are ready to accept preorders for this ultra-high-resolution digital camera. Preorders from both these great affiliates of ours are available to Canadian buyers.

Along with this new Medium-Format Mirrorless Digital Camera, Hasselblad made three additions to their XCD lens lineup: a 38mm F/2.5, 55mm F/2.5 and 90mm F/2.5 lens. These join an existing lineup of 10 lenses, mostly prime lenses spanning 21 to 135mm. It is crucial to know that there are no third-party manufacturers of lenses for XCD mount. Each lens includes a builtin leaf-shutter with maximum speed of 1/2000 or 1/4000s. This allowed the XCD series of cameras to be made lighter with a shutter but puts a heavier requirement on lenses.

• Digital Camera
• Lens