Everything You Need to Know About Hasselblad’s New X1D
Just days after the groundbreaking Hasselblad X1D was announced, we got a chance to speak with Perry Oosting, CEO of Hasselblad, at the launch event in Hong Kong organised by their local distributors.
Oosting spoke to us at length about the development of the camera, its reception, how they saw it in the Hasselblad portfolio, and about some of the controversy surrounding the launch.
We didn’t include the entirety of the interview for the sake of brevity, but Oosting addressed all our questions about the X1D, and shortly after we were able to try it for ourselves. Look out for our hands-on first impressions next week.
This camera really came out of the blue for a lot of people. After the H6D we thought that was the Hasselblad camera for the year and nothing else would come. How long did you plan for the X1D?
Within the team there was always this vision, but we only started to work on the concept at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. What helped was we started to work on the roadmap, we started on a new electronic platform. The new electronic platform was the foundation for the H6, but also the the foundation for the X1D. So there’s a lot of shared philosophy between the boards, although of course we made changes. Especially to the size. One is a mirrorless, one has an electronic viewfinder.
So we had this plan for many, many years. But most of the concepting, and the adjustments of the platform, and the program were at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015.
Were the engineers shared between the projects? How did Hasselblad suddenly start on mirrorless?
We had two teams at the same time, with one head of R&D, one head of design, and one main project manager. So first we had concepting, and then we bring in the R&D side, and then we made the decision to execute. After that, we separated into two teams, and we had one team work just on the H6D, while the X1D team taking the development of the H6 system to bring it forward to the X1D.
The viewfinder has always been one of the defining features of Hasselblad’s cameras, and this move to having an electronic one is naturally a big change. Have you ever explored doing a hybrid system similar to Fujifilm’s ones?
We explored many options, and we are also exploring many options for the future. We develop some concepts for people, so we can listen and hear what their reactions will be. Compared to today, which is very traditional. We have an idea, and then we talk, and we have a great relationship with some of our ambassador photographers who are under NDA and under embargo.
Do you believe that the X1D will compete with the H-series?
No I don’t think so. First of all this one is a mirrorless camera. The H-series is a system, there’s an element where people know there will be a next upgrade possibility. There is a set of 12 lenses that are already available and have been proven.
“We see this as an iconic launch, as a true milestone in our product roadmap.”
One is a studio camera because of weight and size. Whereas with the X1D it’s an electronic viewfinder. There’s no trade-in opportunity. I see it more as if a photographer already has a H6D in the studio, they would like this in addition to the H6D. This one is more affordable, more complementary to the H6 system, sharing through the adapter, where the photographer can use all the lenses from the H-series. This is a great opportunity to stay within the same ecosystem.
Is there a clear roadmap for the next versions of the X1D?
We see this as an iconic launch, as a true milestone in our product roadmap. There will be a continuation of the X1D going forward because we think it’s an iconic design. It’s a new segment in a sense, from a medium format point of view — from a compact point of view. So we see more to come. But let’s overdeliver and under promise, versus overpromise and underdeliver. That’s kind of our internal slogan going forward.
One of the features about the X1D was that the ISO performance is increased to 25,600. Is it exactly the same sensor as the H6D-50c?
No, we have optimised [the H6D-50c sensor] for the X1D for higher ISOs. I mean, it is a more portable camera, so a higher ISO is also required for a more portable solution.
During the past few days, the Hasselblad team have been doing a very good job communicating with photographers and potential customers on Facebook. A lot of people have been asking questions about the zoom lenses on the X1D.
They made some mistakes there as well. Let me correct that a little bit…there will be more lenses coming. There will be also zoom lenses coming. So that is something we have to correct.
So there will be zoom lenses for the X1D?
Yes. When, how, where, what form, the price point — let’s wait and see. We will have more lenses to announce in 2017. Besides the two lenses that are here at the launch, the 45mm and the 90mm, there will be a 30mm announced at Photokina. This is our starting point, but there’s more in 2017. So these are the three for 2016.
“I think with the 45mm and the 90mm, there’s a pretty good ‘compactability’ of the lenses, and that’s what we want and will do with the zoom lenses.”
It was important to note not only the size, but also the camera weight, and the dimensions working with the weight of the lens. And of course glass weight. But I think with the 45mm and the 90mm, there’s a pretty good ‘compactability’ of the lenses, and that’s what we want and will do with the zoom lenses.
Will the X1D have a 100-MP variant?
The 100-MP sensor that is used the H6D-100c will not fit in the X1D. And we have no plans to put that sensor into the camera. So the existing 100-MP sensor on the market will remain as an exclusive for the H6D-100c.
We wanted to attract a new consumer, who maybe today doesn’t exist. So the entry into Hasselblad with this price point, together with the lenses, is in my opinion, more than reasonable. But of course on the web…if anybody expects for us to to do this for 2000 or 3000 euros (US$2250 to US$3250) it’s just not possible because of the cost of the sensor just to begin with. And that’s just one part of the camera.
But we are trying to reach photographers in the prosumer market who want to see and experience not only the megapixels, but also the dimensions of the sensor, and the experience of using a Hasselblad system with the lenses, with the consumer software. So that is where we see the use of the 50-MP, so there’s no need to go up to 100-MP for now.
The focusing isn’t finalised yet, right?
Yes, there’s still some optimisation to do. But you can also look at the camera. If you have the data coming in from a 50-MP sensor, it’s a lot of data. So we are not pretending that this camera now will replace [a] sports photography [camera] — that’s a different sector. If you are looking for that incredible speed for sports photography or for a fashion show, this is not the camera. There are other cameras for that purpose. This is for landscape or portraits.
Many people online have been asking why the X1D doesn’t have 4K video.
The H6D-100c has 4k and the H6D-50c has Full HD. Why does it have Full HD? It’s very simple. The 50-MP CMOS sensor cannot deliver 4K.
“If you want to shoot movies, please use another camera.”
It’s not because of Hasselblad — anybody who uses the 50-MP CMOS sensor will not be able to provide 4K. It’s a technical restriction. It’s not because we didn’t want to, we just couldn’t. If you want to shoot video, use a video camera. This is a still photography camera for someone looking for great optical quality, which can enable creativity, and by the way also has Full HD video. But if you want to shoot movies, please use another camera.
Thank you for your time.
I hope I was clear, and I hope you’ll be excited for the camera. Thank you for coming.
