Like its predecessor, the Hasselblad
X1D II 50C is a medium format
mirrorless camera. In fact, it has
the same 50MP 43.8x32.9mm sensor
inside it as the original. However, it’s paired
with a new processing engine to deliver a
dramatic increase in its operating speed.
This includes the start-up time being cut
almost in half. Judging by our experience
with an early sample, start-up still takes
around four seconds, but improvements to
the power consumption means Hasselblad
claims it’s more feasible to leave the camera
in standby mode, so it’s not necessary to
start-up the camera as often. The processing
enhancements also have an impact on the X1DHasselblad X1d II 50C
Hasselblad’s latest mirrorless medium format camera
brings some speed improvements
II 50C’s autofocus speed, which seems much
faster than the X1D’s.
Hasselblad has also given the X1D II 50C a
new 3.6-inch touchscreen with 2.36 million
dots. Furthermore, there’s an OLED electronic
viewfinder with a boosted resolution of 3.69
million dots. Both of these units benefit from
the doubling of the Live View refresh rate to
60fps to make the image appear more natural,
especially with moving subjects. Helpfully, it’s
now possible to use the touchscreen to set the
AF point while the viewfinder is in use.
In addition, the maximum continuous
shooting rate has been boosted from 2fps to
2.7fps while the buffer enables ten shots to be
taken in succession (up from seven). Furthergood news is that the X1D II can record full-
resolution JPEGs (and RAW files) instead of
the small versions that the original X1D finds
itself limited to.
Like the X1D, the X1D II has Wi-Fi
connectivity built in, but this is joined with a
GPS unit. There’s also a USB-C connection,
which can be used for charging the battery
and tethering.
Hasselblad has also announced a new XCD
35-75mm f/3.5-4.5 lens, which is set to be
the first zoom optic for the X1D series. The
company claims this ‘compact’ zoom lens
comes with prime lens performance” We’ll
have to wait until October when the lens goes
on sale (£4,860/$5,175) to verify that claim.Far left
X1D II top white
Like the original X1D
50C, the mark II
has an uncluttered
appearance and a large
pop-up mode dial
Left
Focal length
The new XCD 35-75mm
f/3.5-4.5 lens has a focal
length equivalent to
28-58mm in 35mm termsAbove
Mark II
The X1D II will
retail for around
£5,400/$5,750In focus