Hasselblad X1D gets highest rating ever from DxOMark, especially for low light!
Some of you did not believe me when I said the Hasselblad X1D gave me the best low light performance I have ever experienced. A quote from DXO:
“Image quality on the Hasselblad X1D-50c is outstanding, crashing through the 100-point barrier to become the highest-scoring commercially-available sensor we’ve tested. At 102 points overall, it also achieves either the best, or very close to the best results for both color depth and dynamic range. Combine that with its 50Mp resolution and mirrorless design, all packaged at a more realistic price tag, the X1D-50c starts to look like a tantalizing prospect.”
Click the graphic you see the score vs the Nikon D850 and A7RII – Image from DXO
This is the best performing sensor that DXO has ever tested. I knew it was special, and when you add that performance to the size, way it handles, user interface, and light weight yet solid as steel build, for me, it makes the X1D in my top two cameras ever owned. See the full DXO report HERE. While I normally do not care about what DXO says, in this instance their testing backs up exactly what I found in the real world. Interesting indeed.
If you missed my X1D 4 part review, read it here by staring with part 2 where the review really starts. See it HERE.
Top cameras are getting very close together. what i have seem is more a question of “religion” that carefull thought. One can make fantastic material with any of those cameras and it is hard to distinguish what camera made the picture if you don’t have a legend on it.
Steve, I’ve always thought that that you don’t give a sh… on those measurebate sites? What made you change your mind?
As I said in this post if you read it, I do not. Usually they do not match up to real world use, and as I have said for years, DXO results really do not matter or tell you what a camera will do in the real world. They can not tell you how the menu system is, how the camera feels, how fast the AF is, or if manual focus is easy. They do not show you samples of what can be done nor do they convey anything about the usability of a camera. Due to sites like that, many think a camera is only as good as its sensor, which is nonsense. I know quite a few out there who only buy cameras based on the DXO report, and they miss out on some amazing bodies due to that.
In this case, I had some emailing me saying the X1D was crap, sensor was no better than the A7RII, etc. So I was happy to see my thoughts in the real world validated by DXO here. I was blown away by the low light capabilities, and in their report they explain why that is, which I found interesting. I said it was the best sensor and camera in general that I have ever used or shot with or owned, the DXO tests validate that.
I still have yet to use a camera that can do what the X1D does in low light, or with highlights or with shadows or a camera that feels as good as the X1D or has a menu system like it. The camera is, for me, amazing, beautiful and capable all at the same time. Love it, so I shared this as it backed up my thoughts and words, and proved yet again that the trolls know not of what they speak.
Thank you.
Ok, I understand. I must admit that I didn’t read your post until the end. I just quickly skim read it and wondered.
I am a little surprised, but I think Hasselblad can be very happy with this camera. No wonder they’re selling more than they thought they would.
BTW the RED Helium got a better score – but that’s a movie camera. And scores don’t tell the whole story. The Leica M9 didn’t even score 90, but a lot of people prefer its colour and general look to any modern sensor.
So what’s the other camera you like the most? Would it be the M9?
My most used camera, for the longest stretch (over two years as my main camera) has been the Sony A7RII. That is in my top 3 of all time. It’s basically the X1D, A7RII and the M 240 which I enjoyed much more than the M9.
I do very much like the X1D detail and low light capabilities, for sure. But, I’m also fond of many lens flavors particularly when they are Zeiss flavors 😉 If Hassey is ever able to partner with Zeiss as Sony has, I might be temped to sell one of the kids and get one. For now, college funds are safe and Sony wins the day. I will not pay upwards of twenty grand then be hamstrung by a few mediocre stock lenses, especially now that FF sensors are so close to MF e.g. D850 & A7RIII. Please take an A7RIII and a Zeiss Batis 85 f1.8 into a dimly lit club and shoot wide open at 3200 or even 1600. With proper shot discipline, I bet you’ll get some amazing shots 😉
I had the same fears as you regarding the lenses, but after using the XCD 30, 45 and 90 for a time, these fears have gone away. The family has to grow for sure …
I could compare the XCD 30 with the Leica S Elmarit 30 and came to the conclusion that the Hasselblad is even better.
A cooperation with Zeiss would be awesome, but I doubt it will ever happen.
Not the first time this has happened – the Pentax 645Z already did it, but has been removed from DXOmark as they decided to discontinue Medium Format reviews not too soon after that.
Hopefully the Hassie getting recognized will mean the overdue 645Z review gets completed and published.
From the DxO review:
“That said, while its image quality is up there with the best, it’s not significantly better than other super high-resolution full-frame sensors, such as the Nikon D850 DSLR or the Sony A7R II, except in low light. So whether the X1D-50c is right for you may depend on your preference for shooting medium format, the flexibility of leaf shutter lenses for high speed flash sync, or other factors such as the range of available lenses and accessories. But for pure sensor performance, the Hasselblad X1D-50c delivers outstanding results and phenomenal image quality.”
Given that you can buy almost three D850 cameras for one X1D, and the D 850 has much better AF, frame rates, absolutely vast selection of lenses new and old, including some superfast lenses, options are still out there. Including the new Sony A7r3 which has a much better EVF than the X1D. And its improved sensor has not yet been tested by DxO.
Fun times for high end digital camera users.
I wouldn’t take 3 D850’s and an A7R# for my X1D as none can do what it does (for what I use it for). ; )
Will you have this camera at the beer and camera event in PHX?
Impressive, and not surprising considering your own and other reports. Of course you’ve probably already placed bets on how long it would take before someone like me mentioned the obvious—that the partial stop of low-light performance it has over the Sony A7rii are in real-life use more than offset by lenses that are 2 or more stops faster than anything available for the X1D’s system.
However, I was surprised when you posted side-by-side comparisons of the X1D at (I think) f3.5 and a shot with the Sony FE 28mm @ f2 and saw that the DOF on the X1D still looked shallower, despite my “equivalence” ballpark calculation.
My own feeling is that, even if the X1D is capable of better overall IQ at equivalent apertures in low light, its primary practical advantage is not in low light use, where we can get better performance in other systems with f1.2 (and even f.95) lenses.