I always enjoy watching and listening to both of you and Doug did a grand job this time round. As to the camera well, it is a superb looking bit of kit but it doesn't seem to offer a clear price/point technical advantage. In fact, it makes me appreciate my old Yashica Mat 124G TLR which I still use from time to time, it is worth little to nothing in terms of cash value as a camera but still churns out 'true' medium format slides for the cost of the film, processing and a digital scan.

FYI, when you hit the shutter release the following happens; 1) the leaf shutter closes, 2) the aperture moves to its shooting position, 3) the shutter opens and stays open the proscribed amount of time, 4) the shutter closes at the end of the time, 5) the aperture moves to full open and 6) the shutter opens again so you can see the subject for the next picture.

Love this video, I was really curious what Doug and Gordon think of it. Very interesting

Nicely done Doug

Great review & more Doug please :)

Well impressed Doug takes large format images. I will never buy this camera but you guys make it really interesting

More Doug, More Doug, and More Gordon. Both of you guys are great and provide - at least in my estimation - some of the most useful (and entertaining) insight on KZfaq or anywhere else. Specific to this Hasselblad review - this was one I was eager to hear. The industrial design of this camera is absolutely spectacular. Truly lust-worthy and when coupled with its relatively small size it seemed to be initially very compelling. However early reviews bashed it and fortunately Hasselblad responded with firmware updated that addressed many of the early glitches. So it seemed that the camera was still in the game. Then I listened to this video by Doug & Gordon (two times no less) trying to figure why I would buy this. The answer is not initially so obvious, but became so after further consideration. As purely an image making device and with a high price, the case is not compelling. Then at the end Doug holds up the Sony and then the Leica, then it dawned on me ... This is (or at least should be) Hasselblad’s genuine attempt to encroach into Leica's world. Yes Hasselblad crashed and burned with there earlier attempts (under different management) to rebadge Sony cameras and command absurd premiums. The new X1D-50c strikes me as a second attempt to do this albeit with a more original convincing product. The Sony 7 or 9 offer strong performance, but as a lust-worthy object -- not so much - or even as a functional camera -- not so much. But before all the fanboys go nuts, let me explain. The performance is exceptional and as Doug pointed out Sony's best is virtually on par with the medium format Hasselblad (and forget for a moment that this it is a Sony sensor they use). I've looked at the Sony's multiple time from the RX100 Mkx to the current top of the heap. I'm ready to buy when I go, but come away thinking this is a great tool, the specs amazing, but I really do not like it. The ergonomics are poor, it feels cheap, I simply don't feel inspired to use it. It just doesn’t feel harmonious. Perhaps I'm a design snob, but why shouldn't the Sony deliver on all aspects of good design, not just the performance. For me its a huge let down. Using cars as an example ... How many times have you heard the Camaro or Corvette can lap road course X faster than that Ferrari xxxxx? Countless times if you follow such things. Why would you spend so much on a Ferrari or other exotics when you can get the same or better performance from a car at a fraction of the price? Yes sometime the answer is the brand … snob appeal. But that is a superficial answer. The answer of course is that the Ferrari more often than not offers impeccable styling, fit & finish and desirability. Specs are not everything. The Ferrari rises above high performance and transform into art. They may not always offer the absolute best specs or performance, but 99 time out of 100, I expect most people (who could afford it) would choose the Ferrari over a Chevrolet. Why? Its a Ferrari and it offers qualities that come only with great design and great attention to detail -- and those things come at great cost. Great design / minimalist design costs more to make especially when it is low volume. When higher costs are spread over lower volume, the retail price surges dramatically. That's just math & economics 101. Make no mistake, when you are marketing to a Ferrari buyer, you are not targeting the Kia owner. I know its the ugly truth, but Hasselblad is a high end camera brand, targeting high end buyers (in this case, hobbiest I believe) who can afford such things. An $8k camera makes no pretensions to be a camera for the masses even though it might be high volume for a premium brand like Hasselblad. To judge it in any other context is a mistake (as humbling as that is for most people). Moving on .., Doug then holds up the Leica M, and there is (in my opinion) where Hasselblad wants to take a large part of their market. I don't believe they want to be a direct Leica competitor line to line, but perhaps their goal is to move into Leica's business model but with Medium formats. Certainly Hasselblad has already developed a stellar reputation with their film cameras, and their high end digital cameras are amazing (perhaps no longer at Phase One level though). So if Hasselblad needs to survive, they may see a high end camera (positioned low in their current line) as the next best step to reposition their whole line, and generate revenue and mind share. The Leica M - or about any new Leica - is typically NOT the best performing camera in its class. Sure the rangefinder is a great body format that many people love, but on a specs level how much better, if at all, is it than the Sony Doug showed? Probably not much, if any. Yet Leica is selling as many M's as they can build, if what I read earlier this week is true. They charge a large premium for the product, they keep production capacity low and demand high. Of course you do pay a premium for the Leica brand, but before you dismiss that, I encourage you to hold one and use one. The craftsmanship is exquisite and you simply want to go use it ... even if isn't the sharpest tool in the toolbox. Its lust worthy and drives inspiration, because it is a great product not from a specs perspective, but from a human perspective. Its not just a tool, it's what you do your art with. It's not the best refrigerator or dishwasher ... but did you always really want the most pragmatic appliance? Perhaps you do, if your livelihood relies on the camera. Perhaps if you a professional who needs nothing but a reliable, efficient tool to do your job, the new Hasselblad (unlike those of yore) fails miserably. On the other hand if are an enthusiast who simple want to enjoy the craft of photography, the experience is more important. Your failure here and there will not result in lost income or embarrassment. Besides how many working professionals still use Leica rangefinders ... sure some, but I'm willing to bet most use other tools. Yet somehow Leica continues to grow. And wouldn't we rather have some Leica's in the world, than none ... even if we never can afford one. I would, because it raises the art of photography to high levels ... showing what great design can be realized and hopefully trickling down and thus inspiring other camera manufactures to build better cameras that elevate the whole art. So where does this leave Hasselblad? Are they trying to be like Leica but in a slightly different market space? I don't know for sure, but that's how it appears to me. And how does the new Hasselblad X1D-50C succeed in moving them there. I would argue it is a good first step, but not fully realized. Based on this and other reviews, everyone seems enamored to some degree with the design. Rarely does a truly new camera concept get it right on the first try (after all wasn't the first iPhone and iPod far from their potential, fraught with limitations?). Clearly the Hasselblad is not their yet, but the bones and vision seem to be. Is it expensive -- yes of course. It's medium format, its high development resources, low volume and high design ... and it's a Hasselblad. All of those inevitably drive costs and thus price. I would not be surprised if they lose money on everyone. But if they are playing the long game, then those steps could payoff. It appears that the new lens lineup is limited and the glass a bit slow. They will need to invest heavily in their new digital lens -- as reference look how quickly the comparable Fuji medium format is adding new glass. After all the glass is a substantial part of the equation. Leica’s business model relies on the depth & history of its M glass; the depth of the lineup seems to transcend time. Fortunately Hasselblad has a long history as well with medium formats, so their past offerings can be leveraged to great advantage. I know I've rambled a bit so I'll sum it up. Nice things cost lots of money. Often the really nice things may not have the best specs, but these same products can often be the most desirable, because they rise above the level of appliance. These items can elevate the artist and inspire people to perform in a way that far, far offsets the small or even large differences in pure product performance. I believe that Hasselblad is once again trying to transform their brand into a boutique or luxury brand similar to Leica -- but positioned more toward the medium format side vs, Leica who has a much larger product line. Perhaps Hasselblad, if successful could enter other niches ... albeit cautiously to avoid the missteps of the prior management. So where do I stand? I am inspired by the design / form of the new camera. Is it there in terms of performance? No. Plus the new glass situation cannot to be discounted. I feel this camera is a really important step, in not just function, but from an industrial design viewpoint. I'll hold off for the next iteration, but the potential is clear. It's not just another bland, black box ... but instead a camera that can inspire one to create. That's rare. Wouldn’t we rather have a world with Hasselblad in it? I would.

Love the review. I was seriously considering buying this camera and you have really helped me make up my mind. And you've saved me the best part of £10,000! Decision made. I will wait for the X3D or the X4D and then re-appraise. Thanks guys :-)

Amazing review. The best. Very nice !

Great video of a beautiful camera. Always love watching good videos about hasselblads. Really dont get tiered of them

Good work, once again, guys ! As you mentioned Gordon at the end of the review, I would be extremely interested to hear you about the Fuji GFX50, and even more regarding the soon released XH1 !! Very much looking forward your next video :)

Oh yes. More Doug. Doug, Doug, Doug.

Great review, diminishing returns comes to mind with regard to price/performance. I'd definitely be interested in your views on the Fuji gfx.

FYI, you cannot charge batteries via USB however, if you are shooting tethered you can select use of the computers power rather than the camera battery which allows shooting without worrying about battery.

Thanks guys. There is a landscape photographer on KZfaq who uses this Hasselblad, a Leica, and drives around the Lake District in a Porsche Boxster. I contacted him to ask whether picture postcard views of the lakes was really so profitable. He kindly replied to say no, he lost money on his photography, but he was a retired businessman who had had a brush with death and decided he might as well spend his money on things he loved doing. Good luck to him! I suspect that is the market for this type of camera, rich enthusiasts or professional studios who can pass on the cost to their rich clients.

The last click is for the shutter to reset. The first click is when the picture is done.

A lot of adapted lenses for full frame cover the sensor, then you get shallow depth of field in a greater field of view. Or use a longer focal length and get smaller depth of field.

You guys work awful hard for these reviews!

Fotodiox provides various adapters to use it with X1D like Leica M, Nikon, Otis , Canon , Hasselblad Etc..GFX has a X Trans sensor. !

16 bit colors is a major benefit that you forgot to mention and the Phocus software that is much more efficient for Hasselblad .3fr files.

The last click is the shutter resetting

It does not have a second delay to take a camera , but it does have de delay between exposures

This is a super helpful video. Thank you! Landscape and product photography would be negligible comparing this camera with sensor shift technology on Sony, Panasonic, or Olympus. I was thinking about this camera for some photography of still subjects I have coming up for large prints on vinyl. I’m positive sensor shift will be enough.

Very interesting as usual, guys. I think the slow speed of the lenses associated to the Hasselblad impairs part of the potential of the sensor. With a Canon or Nikon FF and a F1.4 or F1.2 you may have almost the same level of noise simply working 2 or 3 ISO stops lower and spend considerably less money for the same 50mp file... :)

The sensor of the Hassie (and the Fuji GFX) doesn't have the newest technologies the A7 has, it's a older sensor. I assume that with a new BSI MF Sensor the image quality should be mach better.

In New Zealand you're looking at NZ$14,990.00 for this camera without a lens. The GFX-50S is NZ$10,999.00 without lens. The Leica S is just on NZ$30,000, with lens' costing around NZ$14,000.00. The Phase One XF IQ3 is over NZ$66,000.00. So consider yourselves lucky in the US, you have some very good prices. Even the UK prices are better. By the way, US$1 = NZ$1.38. One Quid = NZ$1.92

What do you think of the TZ220/ TZ200 ? I’m thinking of buying one for my parents to replace their Canon T5 for travel.

Some facts are not true: the last click from the lens is reopening the shutter, not taking the picture. Frame rate cannot be evaluated using single picture mode as is obviously being used here, when you switch to continuous mode it is faster. But agree that it is still not a fast camera.

Nearly always the bigger the sensor the bigger and heavier the lens is. In the case of bigger apertures the lens is even bigger. Hasselblad has choosen less bright native lenses for the X1D in order to keep the size of the whole camera low.

So if this was 36mm wide at the narrowest dimension instead of 33mm wide, it could be the *ultimate square (36x36mm), multi-aspect ratio camera when using 35mm lenses* with an adapter (containing a leaf shutter)! All possible aspect ratios could be shot in landscape mode without having to change the camera to portrait mode on the tripod. The cropping choices would be phenomenal! So why hasn't Sony come out with any kind of multi-aspect ratio sensor, instead of keeping us stuck in 3:2, now that the mirror box is gone? Makes no sense. I would like to hear what others have to say about color, comparing other cameras' images side by side on a Adobe RGB capable monitor, especially from those who get a 100% score in the color acuity tests.

Garden got your book,jpegs great, no action shots but net tîme I can't be leave people would buy an Hassèlblab xi ,,with shatter lag.and the same with lieka,,when you think of what you can get for ports of money,,hope you got my coffee ,keep up your great work,honest" reviews

Always enjoy your vids, guys. The X1D is a unique camera introduced within a fascinating context. Just finished my second episode on the X1D called "What is Medium Format in 2018, Anyway?" You may already know much of it, your viewers may enjoy it if they don't. You can find it here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sJiCZpOiqK6ZZoE.html

More Doug, handsome chap that he is.

This sounds like a product version 1. Anytimes a very new product comes out, the first of its kind, it has flaws. Any product has flaws! The point with product 1 is to sell a product, get an audience for it and upgrade its software and if needed sell later hardware upgrades. So we will see an X2D and X3D or whatever they want to call it with improved functionality once they tested the waters. Remember the A7? A7R, the one with the big chunky *clunk* shutter that some people said caused vibrations? Well it did! So they had to fix it in software and in later hardware ;)

Fuji GFX review, please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doug is good. But he does need a bit of practise showing stuff to the camera. Thanks, I enjoyed this video. And as I often say: The best reviews are the ones that allow us to judge for ourselves what not to buy.

GFX and X1D both use Sony Sensors.

Slow lenses make it a hard sell for the enthusiasts... $5k maybe... The $3k a7riii is just so damn good

My gahd r u guys using a webcam?

Would be interesting for you to discuss the Leica S. Although more expensive than the X1D, it is much cheaper than the larger sensor cameras (Hasselblad H6D). Leica s is 16 bit, much faster than X1D, and has stunning (and expensive) lenses.

Have they fixed the bugs? Have they fixed the naff nasty boken? The Fuji rival has none of these problems and I'm told easily outsells the fake Blad. Ps nothing against REAL Hasselblad loved my 500 cm...

"I can't think of any reason to use electronic shutter" MUPPET!!!!!

Omg the price is ridiculous

Leica and Hasselblad are making the best cameras in the World.

A bargain at $8k !

This guy is a muppet. He has no idea what he's talking about. He's just making wrong guesses on things like shutter lag.

"it's like micro 4/3rds" ARGH! What a stupid review!!!!!