Hasselblad Tips X2D 100C With Stabilized Sensor
Hasselblad beat rival Fujifilm to market with the first mirrorless medium format camera. The X1D 50C beat the Fuji GFX50S by a matter of weeks when the two cameras were announced in 2016, offering photographers a choice between Fuji's more conservative design approach and Hasselblad's cutting-edge industrial design chops.
Today Hasselblad is putting out a fresh new camera, the X2D 100C, which shares the aesthetic principles of the X1D, but promises to overcome some of its technical shortcomings. We loved the industrial design of the X1D and X1D II—the metal construction, cool industrial design, and slimline body made for a camera that turned heads just by the way it looked.
The camera's medium format image sensor has more surface area than full-frame chips found in high-pixel cameras like the 60MP Sony a7R IV, by nearly 70%. The larger chip means that lenses are a bit wider angle than you'd think, and is better suited for high fashion, landscapes, and portraiture—not sports or wildlife. The 16-bit Raw format offers more headroom for edits than the 14-bit files offered by most full-framers, though the X2D drops down to 14-bit when using its continuous drive mode.
The X2D is a bit bigger, but not without reason. Its 100MP sensor is mounted on a 5-axis stabilizer, a design decision that should benefit handheld work even at brisk shutter speeds—you need a very stable platform when working at extreme resolution. Hasselblad uses the extra depth to accommodate a top-panel information display, new to this model, and also managed to add a hinge to the rear display.
The tilting panel is a big plus for tripod and low-angle shots. The LCD is a bit oversized, 3.6 inches, as is the 5.8-million-dot EVF—it is rated life-size
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