Handling and Controls
It’s a joy to use the Hasselblad 907X & CFV 100C. The camera is portable, well-made, and practically a work of art. That said, it handles in some unexpected ways that may take some practice to familiarize yourself with.
First is the location of the shutter button. You can see in the photo below that the shutter button is on the very front of the camera near the bottom of the 907X:
When you’re shooting handheld, you will likely end up with both hands underneath the camera to hold it steady – at least when taking photos horizontally. When shooting vertically, your left hand will likely be underneath the camera while your right hand rests loosely against the side of the camera. It’s very different from the typical digital camera today, but I have to say, I really liked it – especially for vertical photos. Apart from gripped cameras like the Nikon Z9 or Canon EOS R3, this is the easiest shutter layout for taking vertical photos that I’ve used. (That’s especially nice considering that, in my opinion, the 4×3 aspect ratio of this sensor is more natural for vertical photos anyway, compared to the more elongated 3×2 aspect ratio.)
One thing that you may notice from all my product photos in this review is that there aren’t a lot of buttons or dials on the Hasselblad 907X & CFV 100C. And indeed, unless you add the 907X Control Grip, it’s an extremely minimalist design. Technically, you don’t have to use the touchscreen, because the wheel around the shutter button can be used to scroll through various menu options. But this is definitely a camera where the touchscreen is meant to be an integral part of how it’s controlled.
Normally, I’m not a fan of touchscreens on cameras, but the precision and responsiveness of the one found on the CFV 100C did not leave me with any concerns. It’s quick and comfortable to use. It’s also a very intuitive way to magnify live view (or an image that you’re reviewing) as well as move the focusing point. The only downside is that it doesn’t work well with most gloves – and neither does the command wheel around the shutter button, since the chrome it uses is pretty slippery.
As for the rest of the controls, the menu that I showed you on the previous page is where most settings are found. But you can also control things like manual/autofocus, shutter release mode, metering mode, and ISO via the secondary menu shown below. (To flip between the two menus, either swipe left/right or press the menu button along the bottom left of the camera.)
When you want to go into live view, just swipe up or half-press the shutter button on the front of the camera. Half-pressing is also how you focus. Unless you use the 907X Control Grip, there isn’t a method for AF-On/back button focusing with this camera. If you want to lock the camera so that it doesn’t re-acquire focus each time you press the shutter button, you need to switch either the lens or the camera to manual focus.
As for the rest of the buttons along the bottom of the camera, they mostly involve playback-related features. The first button pulls up the menu. The second button deletes photos in playback. The third button changes the information display both in playback and live view (and makes a great way to get a totally clutter-free image, something very important to me). The final two buttons are playback and power on/off.
At first, I was surprised at first that there seemed to be no easy way to change ISO. Even though as a landscape photographer, I’m usually at base ISO, it’s still a crucial setting to change! But there are two different ways to change ISO that both work fine. One is to touch the word “ISO” on the screen and select your ISO of choice. The other is to assign the command wheel on the lens itself to change ISO. I went with the touchscreen method, since I didn’t want to risk the command wheel turning on accident, and I found that it was surprisingly effective.
Finally, regarding battery life, Hasselblad specifies 420 shots per charge according to CIPA specifications. I found that I could easily get over 400 photos before the camera died, and I wasn’t doing anything special to manage the battery. I don’t see this as an issue.
All told, it’s an unusual approach to handling, but not a bad one. I found that after getting used to the 907X & 100C, it took less than a week before its controls were second nature. It helps that the touchscreen’s gestures are totally familiar from modern smartphones – it definitely works better than any other camera touchscreen I’ve ever used, enough to make me rethink my no-touchscreen stance. My only complaint is that, with gloves, it stops being so easy to control. I think that the 907X Control Grip becomes pretty useful, if not essential, for photographers who frequently shoot with gloves.
Build Quality
The build quality of the Hasselblad 907X & 100C is one of the most noteworthy things about it. The materials that Hasselblad used for this camera are nothing short of luxurious. It is both enjoyable to hold and beautiful to look at. The camera is made of metal, faux leather, and chrome plating, with a classic design that is immediately appealing. Rarely have I seen such nice design in a camera.
For some photographers, owning a gem like this can inspire you to pick up your camera and go take pictures more often, or enjoy the process of photography even more. You can laugh at that assertion all you want – but ask any photographer who uses a beautiful camera like the Nikon Zf, Fuji X100V, or Leica rangefinder why they like it so much. Many will say that the look and feel of the camera is important to them. And few cameras have that factor to such a degree as the Hasselblad 907X & 100C.
Likewise, the precision of the lens mount – as well as the mount between the 907X body and the CFV 100C digital back – impressed me greatly. When dealing with such a high-resolution sensor, any loose tolerances here would be unforgivable. Hasselblad renders such concerns irrelevant.
Still, there are some downsides to the Hasselblad 907X and CFV 100C where build quality is concerned. The first is that the camera’s weatherproofing is not as substantial as I would like. Don’t get me wrong – a well-manufactured camera like this one, with tight tolerances throughout, is not going to die the moment that a few drops of water land on it. There are also subtle seals throughout the camera (some visible, some internal) that help stop dust and moisture from getting into the sensitive electronics.
However, compared to some professional cameras that are prized for their workhorse capabilities in adverse conditions, you’ll need to be a little more cautious about using the 907X & 100C in inclement weather. I still used it in the rain a few times, and it handled everything just fine, but this isn’t the camera you would choose for the worst conditions. When I separated the 907X from the CFV 100C after taking pictures in windy, sandy conditions, a few grains of sand fell out to greet me. They had bypassed one of the 907X’s two seals, before being stopped harmlessly by the other.
The other build quality drawback is that the rear monitor of the 907X and CFV 100C, when tilted up to the 40° or 90° position, wobbles with even a light touch. It’s a strange inconsistency given the otherwise tight tolerances of the camera. Granted, this is not an area where a little imprecision matters very much, at least where image quality or weatherproofing are concerned. But if you’re taking long exposures in particularly windy conditions, you’ll want to stow the rear monitor so that the wind doesn’t wobble it and rob sharpness from your photos.
Finally, I should mention that the CFV 100C is pushing so much data that your memory card (or even the camera itself) can get pretty hot if you take a lot of photos in sequence. Hasselblad says that, after continuous use of the camera, you should wait before removing the memory card in order to avoid burning yourself. While I never experienced any slowdowns or error messages due to the camera overheating, I also didn’t use it on any hot days. If you’re outdoors in the blazing sun, it could become even more of an issue. (I can’t really blame any of that on Hasselblad; it comes with the territory when each click of the shutter generates about 212 megabytes of data.)
That sums up the design and build quality of the Hasselblad 907X and CFV 100C. On the next page of this review, I’ll dive into my complete image quality tests of this sensor.
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