dankhole

X1D - First Impressions

Last week I took delivery of my Hasselblad X1D 4116 edition. Here are some observations after the first week.

Build
The X1D is beautifully constructed (and even better looking in person). Milled from a single piece of aluminum, it feels rock solid and as strong as any pro DSLR I’ve handled. I’m impressed with its minimal form and glad to see it’s not overwrought with wood details or embossed with logos all over the focus ring.

Handling/Shooting
This camera feels great in-hand. The grip is comfortable and feels natural while instilling confidence that it’s secure in your grasp. I found it interesting that not all functions are accessible in the dead-simple menu - having not yet fully read the manual, I stumbled upon the multiple focus points by accident when I held the AF/MF button down longer than a tap. Focus points can be chosen horizontally and vertically through the viewfinder by scrolling the front and back wheels, respectively (which initially made me wish for a d-pad but it’s actually quite quick to get used to). I’ve encountered two occasions where an error stated that the lens wasn’t attached. Turning the camera off and back on did not fix this - only removing the lense and reattaching it did. Overall, this is the first digital camera I’ve used that’s made me more conscious and deliberate in the same way shooting film does - something I greatly welcome.

Images
The first thing I noticed about the images is how clear they are. Coming from a Nikon D810, I’ve never seen this much clarity and density when examining an image at 1:1. The dynamic range (14 stops) is impressive and surprised me by how far I could pull highlights down while retaining a natural look. I would even venture to say you could produce HDR images from a single photo, if you were so inclined. I generally desaturate my images but the colors rendered by the X1D have me increasing saturation for the first time. There’s a natural richness to the colors here that are eager to be brought out.

Summary
I’m very impressed with the X1D. It’s modern while feeling like a return to the basics of photography. I’m looking forward to exploring more of its capabilities and where that takes me creatively. I’ll be sure to share the results here.