Hasselblad’s made great medium-format cameras since the beginning of time (or since the mid-’50s, depending on who you ask) and they’ve been big, heavy beasts. For serious professional photographers, though, the cons were worth it. The bigger film (and eventually sensor) size and astounding lenses meant that photos took on a quality that 35mm cameras just couldn’t touch.
Then, earlier this year, Hasselblad got rid of the cons. The X1D keeps the 50MP sensor from their hulking H6D, removes the mirror and puts it in a tiny package smaller than a semi-pro DSLR (think Nikon D810, Canon 5D). To sweeten the pot, it’s got just about every convenience the brand could think of: dual card slots, GPS, wi-fi, weather sealing, HD video (though no 4K) and two absolutely fantastic prime lenses. The X1D a huge step in camera design (such a good idea that Fujifilm announced their GFX 50S medium format mirrorless just a few months later; it won’t be around until 2017, but look for it on next year’s GP100) and it’s the first real paradigm-shifting move since Sony’s full-frame mirrorless A7 came on the scene.
Welcome to the era of medium-format mirrorless; hope you brought some cash.
Resolution: 50MP
ISO Range: 100–25,600
Available Lenses: 45mm f/3.5 and 90mm f/4.5
Dynamic Range: ~14 stops