Last week I encountered a DJI Hasselblad company store at a Westfield shopping mall in West London, squeezed among countless fashion stores. A month ago, it wasn’t there; now it is brightly lit and, of interest to Macfilos readers, it offers a full range of Hasselblad cameras to handle.
Camera brand stores are fashionable at the moment. They come and go, although Leica has been consistent and reliable, offering an identical experience in over 30 stores worldwide. They provide an ideal environment for trying expensive merchandise before making up your mind. But do they sit comfortably alongside acres of clothing stores?
Appealing
This is the first Hasselblad store I’ve come across. But research tells me that there are 29 stores in the world, with two in the UK, in Birmingham and now in London. It’s a nice, welcoming environment with more than a whiff of Apple Store about it.
Although Hasselblad cameras and lenses are on sale in many retailers here in the UK, the idea of visiting a one-brand store is appealing. For me, it was an opportunity to get my hands on the X2D, with its 100MP CMOS sensor.
Erwin Hartenberg recently took us on a tour through his medium-format experiences, having tried Pentax, FujiFilm and Hasselblad. He left us with a decision that MF cameras are too large and heavy to carry around, but we are now waiting to see what he will choose next.
Opportunity to play
For my part, I have never had the opportunity to play with any of the medium-format digitals on the market. But there is no doubt that if I were to dabble, the X2D would be my first choice.
As Erwin demonstrated, the image quality is outstanding, and the user interface is intuitive and functional. This much was evident even on a quick play in the showroom. Slow AF is one of the disadvantages, however, but for the stills photographer wanting the pinnacle of IQ, this is acceptable.
On my brief visit, there was no opportunity to take photographs with the camera, but I did handle the X2D with a 55mm XCD f/2.5 V lens. I was impressed by the feel of the rig, and the user interface left me itching to get out there to take some shots.
That, it must be said, is the object of the exercise. I felt my MasterCard prickling in my pocket, despite my lack of any intention of handing over £10,928 — £7,369 for that intriguing body and a further £3,559 for the lens.
Leica territory
Eye-watering prices, but not that far outside Leica territory. The SL3 with a 50mm Summicron-SL f/2 would set you back (at least here in the UK) £7,700. If you opted for the more expensive APO-Summicron, that total rises to £10,900, almost the same as the Hasselblad outfit.
Expensive toys, but no doubt worth it if you want ultimate image quality and a unique state-of-the-art user interface. This applies to both the SL3 and the X2D. I can see that I would have difficulty choosing between the simplicity of either camera.
Yet, the X2D does offer the larger medium-format sensor and an impressive 100MP of resolution. It makes for an interesting comparison and, for many, the image quality outweighs the need for speed.
The other important factor, of course, is weight. You expect a medium-format body to be heavier than an equivalent full-frame camera such as the SL3. You’d be right. The X2D tips the scales at 895g, but the 55mm XCD is light at 372g — a total of 1.27kg.
By comparison, the SL3 weighs 762g and, with the 50mm Summicron-SL, it totals 1.16 kg. Of course, with the more costly and heavier Apo-Summicron-SL, the combination is heavier than the Hasselblad outfit (1.5kg compared with 1.3kg)
You pays your money and you takes your choice. No doubt, though, buying a new pair of jeans is less stressful.
What’s your view? Are you a Hasselblad fan, or will you stick with Leica? Enter the discussion below.
If you are interested, these photographs were not taken with either of the cameras mentioned in the article. They come from the cute little workhorse, Ricoh’s GRIII (28mm version), which I just happened to have in my pocket on this shopping expedition.
More Hasselblad stuff on Macfilos
Hasselblad X2D press release
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Leica Dubai is also in a mall.
More upmarket staff would be my recommendation for this fine shop location.
You have a point. But I suspect their major occupation is selling drones, so they probably fit the profile. I probably wouldn’t be sending £10k-plus there, however. I would prefer somewhere where the sales staff have experience of using the product and can talk from experience.
Evening Mike,
That store looks a shade Applesque, even if I do say so myself.
I do like the images that come out of the medium format digital cameras, both Hasselblad and Fuji – but I do wonder if I would carry it around with me, some of the places I end up, are not the places you look a heavy camera too. Although saying that Messrs Heaton and Hardcastle seem to take theirs all over the planet.
Good to hear from you, Dave. Yes, I also thought it was similar to the Apple Store on the next level up.
Thanks Mike,
It’s interesting that it’s a combo store with both Hasselblad and DJI. I wonder if this is a pop-up store or permanent?
I think DJI owns Hasselblad, hence the combination. This particular centre doesn’t normally do pop-ups so I imagine it is permanent, or at least as permanent as any of these places are. A lot has gone into the shopfitting, so it doesn’t look temporary.
I’ve always felt the allure of a medium format digital camera, but also don’t think the inconvenience is worth it. Will anyone REALLY notice the 40 extra megapixels over a Leica Q3 for example. I’d argue not. Having had a large format coffee table book printed that included images from a mobile phone, I can assure you that 99.9% of people are more interested in a good picture (subject, composition, intrigue, mood) than in a technically advanced picture.
If I we in a studio shooting fashion or suchlike, then maybe. However, they rank high in the fondle-ability scale so its good to see a brand shop where you can have a play.
This is true, Andrew. If all that mattered to me was to produce images (which we reduce to 500 KB before upload) to illustrate Macfilos articles, then the Leica D-Lux would be the only camera I’d need. As you say, subject, composition and interest are what people look for.
“Will anyone REALLY notice the 40 extra megapixels over a Leica Q3 for example. I’d argue not. ” Probably not but along the same lines, will anybody notice the 20 extra megapixels of the Leica Q3 over the Fuji X-T5. Probably also not…
An interesting point. Some reviewers of the XT5 suggest the extra megapixels over the XT4 aren’t really noticeable.
That hasn’t been my experience with the XT5. With the right lens and certain subjects, I’d say there is a difference.
As to the Leicae, bit out of my league … I’ll stick to my M240 🙂
Sold my X1D outfit a few years ago. Fine for studio work or professional location work but far too heavy to cart around for most photography
I tend to agree, simply based on statistics. For the same reason, I’ve had an on-off relationship with the Leica SL. It’s an attractive proposition and I enjoy using the SL3 in particular. But I still find it heavy for general carting around.
Leica could fix this problem easily by releasing a tripod with motorized wheels that attaches to the SL3 baseplate and featuring a red dot. Not cheap though I’m afraid and probably slow charging.
Or even create a partner drone that could fly alongside and present the camera for the perfect shot. A synthesis with DJI…
I really don’t find the X1D all that heavy – in particular if you stick to P lenses. A bag full of faster/larger lenses will rapidly get very heavy but when I wander around, I usually stick to one lens.
Encouraging to hear… I am hoping one day to get my hands on one for review.
Note that the X2D is a bit bigger and heavier. The price to pay for having IBIS I guess.
Same here, one body, one lens. The X1D coupled with one of the recent V lenses is very very manageable. The X2D is an improvement in many way but it did add bulk, still I take the X2D with the 38V pretty much everywhere.
Hi Mike, what a wonderful experience. The colour science of the Hasselblad is the best I have had the pleasure to use. Each camera is calibrated for its individual sensor. I miss my XD1 but it was too big to carry two systems. I disagree with your “expensive toy” statement as it is a superbly crafted photographic tool, as Leica is, for discerning artists that can afford the investment.
I suppose that was poetic licence, Brian. I never spoil a good story with the truth, as you know. But I agree it was a great and unexpected experience and I would like to try one of the Hasselblad cameras and lenses. Perhaps they will lend me one after this article. By the way, I do appreciate your euphemism “discerning artists that can afford the investment” instead of the usual (these days) “rich b*****s”. Much more acceptable, and I have already added it to my lexicon.