World’s First Mirrorless Digital Medium Format: Hasselblad X1D
It has a medium format, 50 megapixel sensor like the Pentax 645Z. It will cost $9000 for the body alone, thousands more than the Pentax. So, what’s so great about the Hasselblad X1D that was officially announced this morning?
Its size.
Because the Hasselblad is mirrorless (and has a built-in electronic viewfinder), the distance between the lens mount and the sensor (flange focal distance, or FFD) can be much shorter, making the camera less boxy than a typical medium format. A shorter FFD also means that many lenses can be smaller, making the overall system much more compact.
Ultimately, this means that the Hasselblad X1D weighs only 725g, about 25% less than the Canon 5D Mark III. I’m still waiting for a response from Hasselblad regarding the camera’s dimensions, but for now, I’ve aligned product images of the X1D with those of a 5D III, based on the size of the flash hot-shoe, which is standardized. This is the result:
As you can see, the Hasselblad is thinner and perhaps slightly narrower than the popular DSLR body, an impressive feat for a camera with a sensor that is so much larger than its competitor. [Update: It turns out that the camera’s dimensions were published on their site all along… they just weren’t in the press release. The camera is 150mm wide, the Canon 5D III is 152mm wide.]Unlike 35mm DSLRs, Hasselblad does not use focal-plane shutters; instead, the leaf-shutters a built into the lenses. Leaf shutters allow much higher flash sync speeds than focal plane, and the X1D an sync full flash (not wimpy high-speed sync) at 1/2000ths of a second, the camera’s top shutter speed.
Who Is This For?
The Hasselblad X1D will primarily find favor with the same groups that have traditionally used medium format cameras: fashion and portrait photographers and commercial photographers, but particularly those who travel or shoot on location rather than in a studio. Some fine-art photographers, and the nouveau riche may find themselves in this group too.
However, even studio photographers may find that the X1D makes the most sense; after all, the current Hasselblad H5D-200c, also a 50 megapixel body, costs $45,000. Without a lens.
Lenses
Only two lenses, a new wide angle 45mm f/3.5 and a standard 90mm f/4.5, will be part of the mirrorless system at launch, though all twelve of the H system lenses will be compatible with an adapter. They promise more lenses soon.
Prices and Availability
The X1D body will cost $8995, and should begin shipping in August. The 45mm and 90mm lenses will cost $2295 and $2695, respectively.
All of these items are now available for pre-order at the major camera distributors:
