A Hasselblad X1D Test Shoot by Caesar Lima

February 21, 2017 Featured, First Looks, Guest Post, Hasselblad, Mirrorless, User Reports 20

A Hasselblad X1D Test Shoot

By Caesar Lima – His Website is Here

Last week, I had my first experience shooting with the X1D.
Such a great camera! The image quality is superb, exactly like the H6D but in a much smaller package. This camera has an amazing grip also. Such a clever design, it resembles the classic 500C. The camera is ergonomic, compact and looks very futuristic in my opinion.

A total game changer!

I’ve shot tethered to my MacPro (which seems a lot faster then shooting to a SD card). The battery lasted about 4 hours / 400 pictures. I noticed that the camera got a little warm during the shoot. My biggest concern was an elongated EVF black out while shooting (after every shot). I hope Hasselblad can fix this issue with a future firmware update.

On my second test day, I shot in RAW mode only and the EVF black out seemed shorter, but the fastest way is to shoot tethered to a laptop. I love the 1/2,000 sync speed of the X1D. Very important when you’re mixing available light with flash and shooting wide open.

Shooting with the Broncolor Move was a breeze. With high speed syncing I was able to shoot wide open and have that extra hit of light on the model’s face. Actually, it was pretty cool. I shot for almost 4 hours on batteries only, no AC power (MacBook Pro, X1D and Broncolor Move).

I really like the interface (exactly the same as the H6D) and 3” LCD is super bright and color accurate. The buttons are in the right place and it will take only roughly 15 minutes to feel very comfortable with the camera. I haven’t touched the manual yet.

Battery life is not bad (but I ordered an extra battery, just to be safe). The latitude is amazing! So much detail in the shadows and highlights. Hasselblad says the X1D can capture up to 14 stops of dynamic range.

I’m sure with couple firmware updates the X1D will become camera of the year.

 

credits
#X1D #Hasselblad
#Broncolor_Move
photography @caephoto
imaging @felipe_damone
coordination @marianalimaesilva
model @woanster @industrymodels
hair @sarahlatchfordhair
make up @killthemic
wardrobe @kateroxmckay
@samys_camera

Related Articles

20 Comments

  2. What segment of the market is the camera intended for? Studio shooters? Weddings? It definitely seems like a professional’s equipment.

  3. Caesar, thanks for sharing your X1D test experience. What lense(s) were you using and seemed you were pretty wide open. Any future feedback would be most appreciated.

  4. Very nice shots, Caesar! I like the first one a lot, but the third (reflection in window) is my favourite. I usually don’t like flash, but you used it very well here.

    This camera is quite special, because it delivers 50Mpx with a large sensor in a body that’s smaller than a pro-level DSLR. And no doubt it will deliver files with more detail. Yes, DSLRs have zooms but they can’t resolve much more than 30Mpx at the moment. (Sony’s 24-70/2.8 GM can, though). For most applications, the X1D will probably deliver technically superior images. We’ll see!

    So, to answer the obvious question: does one need an X1D to take great photographs? No. After all, film cameras are cheap these days. 😉

    • Your are 100% correct Karim you do not need a X1D to take great pictures, actually I have few images that I shot with the little Sony RX100 III that are amazing.

  5. Would this camera be any good for the streets? I read in other reviews this camera has a shutter lag. Did you notice anything ?

    • Hello Jan
      I like the Leica Q and the Sony RX-1RII for the streets bc they are smaller and a little faster, but if you know what you shooting in advance and if you have a game plan I would use a X1D or a Leica M

  6. Skin tones seem way off. I also found the black out time to be unacceptable… nothing close to the 80ms DSLR speed.

  7. The shots are superb, technically and compositionally. Thank you for posting the camera with you behind it are certainly a capable duo.

    I’m not familiar with the Hasselblad X1D lineup. Can you say something about the lens or lenses you used for this gallery?

    Best Regards,
    Roger

    • Thank you Roger!
      So far I tested the 90mm f3.2 and the 45mm f3.5 I liked both lenses I mostly used the 90mm with the model but the wide angle is very good to. I hope they will come up with a little longer lens for portraits, I know there’s a super wide 30mm coming up. Hasselblad is famous for high quality lenses, the only thing I miss is the f-stop ring, I think I’m a little old school.

  9. Very professional shots Caesar, impressive quality. I feel though that a lot of that is due to the exquisite lighting, and I was wondering if you ever worked with a high Mp ff camera in similar set-ups, and if so if you could comment on the differences?

    Thanks in advance!

    • Hello Michiel
      This camera is very unique, all full frame cameras like Canon 5D, Nikon D800, Sony A7II, Leica M + Q and Sony RX1 which I used before are very good but there’s something very subtle about bigger sensors (medium formats like X1D, Leica S and Hasselblad H systems) that I love, the images are less contrasty and the latitude is huge, there is so much information between white and black.

      • If I understand optics correctly, which I probably don’t, then it seems that the larger the image circle is, the less the contrast, and the greater the effective DR.

        AFAIK, a Speedbooster (or other focal length reducers) increase contrast – the image circle becomes smaller and highlights become more concentrated. That means you’re going to blow out the highlights sooner.

        The opposite of a FLR is a teleconverter. TCs increase the image circle, which would have the opposite effect on highlights.

        It seems that the surface area of the sensor is not directly responsible for why medium format is superior – it’s the size of the image circle.

Comments are closed.