This Epic New Camera Masters the iPhone’s Best Photo Trick

If a picture is worth a thousands words, what about the camera?

Hasselblad — the Swedish company famous for making the first camera to be used on the surface of the moon — has announced the X2D II 100C, the latest iteration of its 100-megapixel medium-format powerhouse that’s just as assured shooting rugged landscapes as it is in the studio.

It promises big improvements in autofocus, goes all-in on HDR and, somehow, costs less than its predecessor.

Continuous improvement

Hasselblad

While the original X2D only had single autofocus and manual focus modes, the II gets a new one: continuous autofocus.

The tech, which allows it to track a subject and keep it in focus even when it’s moving, is commonplace among cameras with smaller sensors but is a big step for the X line of cameras. It’s capable of recognizing humans, dogs, cats and vehicles.

Mitchell Clark

The X2D II also gets a new joystick on the back to control the autofocus point and to navigate through the menus, as well as two extra customizable buttons; one below the joystick, and one under the front control dial.

The mode only works with certain lenses, including the fast standard zoom Hasselblad is releasing alongside the X2D II, but it could help make the camera a much better option for certain types of shooting.  

A bright idea

Hasselblad

Hasselblad says that the X2D II is the first medium format camera with “end-to-end” HDR support.

Even those unfamiliar with photography will almost certainly be familiar with HDR from the world of phones; photos taken with it have brilliant highlights that make it seem more like you’re looking through a window, rather than just seeing a photo.

By default, the camera shoots HDR HEIFs. While the format has native support for higher dynamic range than the standard JPEGs that many other cameras shoot it’s less widely supported.

Hasselblad

Thankfully, Hasselblad has also included the ability to shoot “Ultra HDR JPEGs,” a format that works with pretty much everything that we’ve seen pioneered in Google Pixel phones and the Sigma BF.

You can see it working right on the camera; the massive 3.6-inch OLED display can reach a peak brightness of 1400 nits, letting you see how the highlights will pop in your picture right after you’ve taken it.

While other cameras can shoot HDR if you set them to, it’s rare to be able to preview them so convincingly.

Good vibes

Mitchell Clark

If you follow the camera industry closely, you may be aware that DJI, the company famous for its drones, action cameras and more, is actually now the majority stakeholder of Hasselblad. And the camera is full of little touches that seem to have the mark of a high-tech company that makes a lot of products for consumers.

The most noticeable one is its haptic feedback, meaning the X2D II will subtly vibrate in your hand when it’s locked onto focus, or when you’ve gotten it perfectly level.

It also packs LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors to help the autofocus system figure out how far away your subject is — technology that DJI has used before in some of its cinema cameras.

Hands-on impressions

Hasselblad

Myself and my colleague Richard Butler managed to get some early hands-on time with this camera ahead of its launch, and you can check out our full hands-on review at DPReview.com.

In short, though, the X2D II 100C takes the elegant lines of the original X1D and finally pairs them with the performance the body always seemed to promise.

If the first-gen model often felt like a studio-bound beauty with frustratingly short battery life and sluggish responsiveness, the X2D II feels like a proper tool for the field.

DJI’s influence is unmistakable here, from the LiDAR-assisted autofocus to the newfound reliability of eye detection and in-body stabilization.

Suddenly, medium format isn’t just about deliberate, tripod-bound work — it’s accessible in a point-and-shoot style that makes the camera feel more versatile than ever before.

Hasselblad

Equally transformative is Hasselblad’s bold embrace of HDR photography. Unlike most mirrorless systems that bury HDR behind awkward menus and half-baked previews, the X2D II makes it the default, letting its excellent screen show off the punch and lifelike vibrancy of your shots as you take them.

With JPEGs that preserve compatibility but still deliver HDR brilliance on modern displays, the camera encourages you to think differently about what your images can look like to clients and viewers.

Factor in a lower launch price than its predecessor — and even cheaper than the original X1D 50C back in 2016 — and the X2D II 100C feels like Hasselblad’s most competitive offering in years.

Availability and pricing

Hasselblad

Hasselblads have never been budget cameras. After all, what would you expect from a company whose gear captured the space race?

The X2D II is no exception: it costs $7,399 for just the camera body alone.

Still, that’s $800 cheaper than the original X2D, and you’re getting even more for the money.

Hasselblad

Hasselblad X2D II 100C

• $7,399 at Hasselblad (Body-Only)
• $11,098 at Hasselblad (With Lens)

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