Hasselblad rumors 2022
Once the go-to name for medium format photography, Hasselblad has given ground to the likes of Fujifilm in recent years, thanks to affordable cameras like the Fujifilm GFX 100S and Fujifilm GFX 50S II democratizing the larger sensor landscape.
Hasselblad still makes some of the best medium format cameras on the world, though, and continues to bring to market more traditional form factors such as the Hasselblad 907X – keeping not just the technology, but the spirit of medium format photography alive.
That said, its most recent technological innovations have taken the form of Hasselblad optics being used in the flagship Oppo Find X5 Pro camera phone. So what else does the iconic Swedish brand have up its sleeve?
Hasselblad X2D
This one could be very exciting, if it's authentic. Leaked on the Chinese social media network Weibo by a user called xjrumo, this image is purportedly of the Hasselblad X2D – the successor to the Hasselblad X1D II – which itself was a fairly light refresh of the original Hasselblad X1D.
The X1D II offers stunning image quality, but its creaky contrast-detect autofocus system struggles in low light and works at a glacial pace matched only by the slow shutter response. The camera was on the market for almost a year before its video capabilities were activated by firmware, and even then it couldn't record in 4K. And it still possessed the same 50MP sensor as the original 2016 X1D.
In short, it's due a proper follow-up – and the purported Hasselblad X2D could be just that. Particularly if, as Sony Alpha Rumors suggests, it possesses Sony's new 126MP global shutter sensor.
At the very least, if authentic, the new camera has a completely redesigned top panel consisting of a new OLED top screen – which replaces the mode dial found on its predecessor. If the camera's general speed is increased, this might be a true challenger for the mighty GFX range.
The Hasselblad verdict
After a few years of mainly licensing its name, if not its optics, to smartphone companies and DJI drones, Hasselblad might finally be unleashing a long-awaited new medium format body. And not before time!
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