Dear Nasim, Have you revisited this X1D 50c with the last firmware update version 1.25. I read in several places that most of the bugs are fixed except for the long 7 second startup time. Also, many of the features you say were missing have now been added.
Jaco van Lith
April 25, 2022 7:22 am
It is a mistake that Hasselblad did not make a real medium format digital camera. The same mistake was made by Fujifilm; introducing the 50 GFX. This format is too smll and so all my “old” leses got to long. My Rodestock Imagon became a long telelens etc. Know your history; in the beginning the sensors were small, much too small. Sensors grew, now most old brands have 24×36 mm sensors. Fuji had 6 x 9, 6 x 8, and 6 x 4,5 camera’s. Hasselblad had the 6 x 6 camera. Today’s “medium format” of 44 x 33 mm is smaller than a 38 x 38 Super Slide which fits next to my Kodachrome 25 ASA carton slides in my Kodak Caroussel projector. And when will there be a 4 x 5 digital sensor; with 200 ISO? Jaco van Lith, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Victor-K
February 8, 2019 1:37 am
Good and detailed review however feels slightly irrelevant at the end of 2018. I am an X1D owner for the last 2 years and I should confirm that some of the latest firmware updates have fixed a lot of issues.
The camera is not buggy any more and much more handy to use. For example, you can move your focus point by using its screen as a touchpad while looking in the EVF. Startup time is still about 7 seconds but you only turn it on once before the shooting. They’ve added a clever and quick sleep mode which removes all the startup annoyance.
Generally I would say all the frustration is mainly about the expectations management rather than the camera itself. It is MF and it is slower than your Sony a7III but that slowness converts into more deliberation and the result is truly rewarding.
In fact it is now one of my most favourite cameras along with Leica M10 and Canon 5DIII.
I just got this camera super cheap in 2023 along with a 45p lens. OMG the image quality is smashing my modern Nikon Z cameras out of the park. I had a GFX50s when it first came out, due to the price point at the time I was forced towards Fuji. I hated that camera in no time and sold it. The hassy is pure joy for me. Some people are expecting so much, but don’t think about the usage of the camera. They probably eat their dinner with a potato peeler and then complain.
Dale M. Brown
January 21, 2019 5:18 pm
I have a Fujifilm X-T1 and it is fast, fast, fast and sharp, sharp, sharp even though only 16MG pixels. You should see my 8×12 enlargements. Fantastic color and sharpness. It is light, small and easy to use and rapid change of settings is easy. In a small case I can fit either the 18-55mm or 90mm mounted on the camera ready to go. Face detection, film settings, shading controls, lighting type with the Q button all easy and fast to use. It never fails me. The focusing is essentially instantaneous and accurate. What a camera and lenses. Too bad X1D can not do any of these things except for very sharp static stills.
Mathias
December 29, 2018 2:34 am
Average color rendition of Hassy. I expected color faithfulness at level of Pentax 645Z . Resolution of Hassy is fine.
Ralf Metzner
June 3, 2018 4:09 am
Seems to me like a “story of love and hate” – on one side loving the quality of pictures, lightweight of the camera, on other side hate the lack of some features, a complicated control, slow start, … From my side: I hesitated to buy Leica S or other, just because too heavy, and when hiking and making pictures, after three hours the camera causes pain in my wrist. – Not so with an X1D. But for other applications I use other cameras…
Alan Bayley
March 18, 2018 4:48 pm
Medium format is 6×6 or 6×4.5 at a push. If you are obsessed with achieving the goal of zero depth of field, this chip will help you on your way. Personally I think APC is probably the optimum chip size if you want to control DOF with a usable range of aperture, ISO, noise and shutter speed combinations. I realise the current fashion is to make every subject look superimposed and completely isolated from it’s environment which totally baffles me.
Sc frieze
September 20, 2017 9:16 pm
It is a good review. As much as I love my D810, I still find myself wanting to try this camera. I think it would force one to slow down and be more contemplative in my image making. The images you published are beautiful. I would very much like to visit Turkey some day.
Bill Evans
August 1, 2017 9:58 am
Nasim,
I very much enjoy reading your articles so thank you kindly for that huge effort. And it was pretty clear, pretty quick, that the Hasselblad X1D wasn’t the camera for you and it makes total sense. Luckily there are many camera companies working hard creating a multitude of cameras with the technical and convenience features that work for you photography needs. But I think there are some folks, and indeed a minority, who would be very willing to give up many, or even most, of those features to get a simpler, more back to basics camera. And that market is rarely served at all.
So the answer to your question about “who is this camera for” (because it lacks a variety of features / capabilities) is quite simply for photographers who have, and continue, to shoot all those types of photography with simple cameras that lack those features.
I hope Hasselblad succeeds and expands on this idea as it would be nice to have a variety of choices.
Hi Bill, Seriously, your comments are wonderful. We focus on too much this or that feature existence, but the simple fact that a photographer can work on the tool at hand with it’s limitations (no tool without limitations) to produce a fantastic results. Once you learn how to overcome X1D limitations, you can use it for whatever you want, it’s truly a wonderful camera.
many years pass, you look at the images it took and you waaw yourself. That’s what really matter.
I have shot photos with the X1D for 6 months in all situations from landscape to event and real-estate photography. This is the best review of the camera I have come across. Right now I am unsure if I should sell the camera or continue to shoot to convince myself I did not make a mistake in purchasing this beautiful X1D. To be sure this camera was not ready for prime time when released.
Dear Nasim, Have you revisited this X1D 50c with the last firmware update version 1.25. I read in several places that most of the bugs are fixed except for the long 7 second startup time. Also, many of the features you say were missing have now been added.
It is a mistake that Hasselblad did not make a real medium format digital camera.
The same mistake was made by Fujifilm; introducing the 50 GFX.
This format is too smll and so all my “old” leses got to long.
My Rodestock Imagon became a long telelens etc.
Know your history; in the beginning the sensors were small, much too small.
Sensors grew, now most old brands have 24×36 mm sensors.
Fuji had 6 x 9, 6 x 8, and 6 x 4,5 camera’s.
Hasselblad had the 6 x 6 camera.
Today’s “medium format” of 44 x 33 mm is smaller than a 38 x 38 Super Slide
which fits next to my Kodachrome 25 ASA carton slides in my Kodak Caroussel projector.
And when will there be a 4 x 5 digital sensor; with 200 ISO?
Jaco van Lith, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Good and detailed review however feels slightly irrelevant at the end of 2018. I am an X1D owner for the last 2 years and I should confirm that some of the latest firmware updates have fixed a lot of issues.
The camera is not buggy any more and much more handy to use. For example, you can move your focus point by using its screen as a touchpad while looking in the EVF. Startup time is still about 7 seconds but you only turn it on once before the shooting. They’ve added a clever and quick sleep mode which removes all the startup annoyance.
Generally I would say all the frustration is mainly about the expectations management rather than the camera itself. It is MF and it is slower than your Sony a7III but that slowness converts into more deliberation and the result is truly rewarding.
In fact it is now one of my most favourite cameras along with Leica M10 and Canon 5DIII.
I just got this camera super cheap in 2023 along with a 45p lens. OMG the image quality is smashing my modern Nikon Z cameras out of the park. I had a GFX50s when it first came out, due to the price point at the time I was forced towards Fuji. I hated that camera in no time and sold it. The hassy is pure joy for me. Some people are expecting so much, but don’t think about the usage of the camera. They probably eat their dinner with a potato peeler and then complain.
I have a Fujifilm X-T1 and it is fast, fast, fast and sharp, sharp, sharp even though only 16MG pixels. You should see my 8×12 enlargements. Fantastic color and sharpness. It is light, small and easy to use and rapid change of settings is easy. In a small case I can fit either the 18-55mm or 90mm mounted on the camera ready to go. Face detection, film settings, shading controls, lighting type with the Q button all easy and fast to use. It never fails me. The focusing is essentially instantaneous and accurate. What a camera and lenses.
Too bad X1D can not do any of these things except for very sharp static stills.
Average color rendition of Hassy. I expected color faithfulness at level of Pentax 645Z . Resolution of Hassy is fine.
Seems to me like a “story of love and hate” – on one side loving the quality of pictures, lightweight of the camera, on other side hate the lack of some features, a complicated control, slow start, …
From my side: I hesitated to buy Leica S or other, just because too heavy, and when hiking and making pictures, after three hours the camera causes pain in my wrist. – Not so with an X1D.
But for other applications I use other cameras…
Medium format is 6×6 or 6×4.5 at a push. If you are obsessed with achieving the goal of zero depth of field, this chip will help you on your way. Personally I think APC is probably the optimum chip size if you want to control DOF with a usable range of aperture, ISO, noise and shutter speed combinations. I realise the current fashion is to make every subject look superimposed and completely isolated from it’s environment which totally baffles me.
It is a good review. As much as I love my D810, I still find myself wanting to try this camera. I think it would force one to slow down and be more contemplative in my image making. The images you published are beautiful. I would very much like to visit Turkey some day.
Nasim,
I very much enjoy reading your articles so thank you kindly for that huge effort. And it was pretty clear, pretty quick, that the Hasselblad X1D wasn’t the camera for you and it makes total sense. Luckily there are many camera companies working hard creating a multitude of cameras with the technical and convenience features that work for you photography needs. But I think there are some folks, and indeed a minority, who would be very willing to give up many, or even most, of those features to get a simpler, more back to basics camera. And that market is rarely served at all.
So the answer to your question about “who is this camera for” (because it lacks a variety of features / capabilities) is quite simply for photographers who have, and continue, to shoot all those types of photography with simple cameras that lack those features.
I hope Hasselblad succeeds and expands on this idea as it would be nice to have a variety of choices.
Cheers and thanks, Bill
Hi Bill, Seriously, your comments are wonderful. We focus on too much this or that feature existence, but the simple fact that a photographer can work on the tool at hand with it’s limitations (no tool without limitations) to produce a fantastic results. Once you learn how to overcome X1D limitations, you can use it for whatever you want, it’s truly a wonderful camera.
many years pass, you look at the images it took and you waaw yourself. That’s what really matter.
Indeed!
I have shot photos with the X1D for 6 months in all situations from landscape to event and real-estate photography. This is the best review of the camera I have come across. Right now I am unsure if I should sell the camera or continue to shoot to convince myself I did not make a mistake in purchasing this beautiful X1D. To be sure this camera was not ready for prime time when released.