First Impressions of the X1D

[JoeC]

I've posted my first impressions (since February 3) of the X1D here:

http://www.joecolsonphotography.com/2017/05/24/first-impressions-of-the-hasselblad-x1d-50c-medium-format-camera/

This may or may not help those who are considering the camera. I'll be posting another shorter article soon on my experiences with the X1D on a 4-day trip to the Smokies.

Joe

[PeterH]

Thanks for posting Joe. I appreciate it.

I'm most likely to be an X1d owner soon, but I am still a bit hesitant. I remember my Fuji X-Pro 1 and Leica M8, both of which, while solid attempts - registered as quirky to me, and ultimately that's what drove me to get rid of them. It seems the Hassy is a bit further along, but as I can't really afford to play around with a camera for many of my shoots
(pulling out a battery in the middle of a shoot where a client is present isn't exactly fun) I'm still hesitant. Field reports are the most useful thing to me. IQ is not a question, I don't care about AF speed generally (or my expectations are minimal), and the firmware upgrades everyone seems to want (highlight blinkies etc) are things, while I wouldn't mind, I definitely don't need - after all these are new inventions that didn't prevent good photographs from being made before! I just want it to be able to capture images the way I tell it to, when I tell it to. Feature wise, for all I care it could be close to a Mamiya 7 with a digital sensor and I'd be happy (it looks to be able to do this minus some restarts here and there). Ability to chimp is cool though, I'll take that. I personally have not liked using Dslr's since the beginning, (favoring the designs of contax G2 and the portable MF cameras - mamiya 7, 500 series hassy and rollei tlr's) and since 2004 have been sort of restlessly searching for digital cameras I enjoy using the whole time, all while keeping a minimal Nikon (now Sony) kit that I can rely on to get the work done.

Since it's release the design and usability of this concept has appealed to me greatly - but given the type of work I do (primarily editorial - definitely driven by passion more than money) it is a financial stressor - so the value debate is on. And while could be great for my paying work, isn't safe as a primary body yet, whereas my A7RII works fine every time. For my personal work, I think this camera is the thing I have been waiting for. My personal work is basically a walk and shoot type of thing. I want the lightest, highest IQ solution available. The a7rII has been great for that so far - the best solution yet, but feels more like a computer than a camera - not a big deal, but of course I want better. Who doesn't?

BTW I'm not too far from you over here in Durham, NC.