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Hasselblad claims its new XCD 45mm is world’s smallest and lightest AF medium format

Shashin

Well-known member
Thanks Will, shows you what I know, and what I don't care about :p
I totally get that. Good or bad, marketing targets cognitive bias not critical thinking. And good or bad, the former is always more important than the latter, at least in sales.
 

hcubell

Well-known member
I find the approach from Hasselblad interesting. They are headlining their homepage with this and the focus is on weight. Yet the reality is that all of that effort is about 24g...a weight that's neither here nor there. The relevant comparison is (with batteries included):

GFX50R = 775g
GF50/3.5 = 335g
Total = 1,110g

X1D II = 766g
XCD 45P = 320g
Total = 1,086g

Difference 24g

So instead of bragging about 24g why don't we have a useful conversation about usability and image quality and durability, is it weather sealed...the kind of things that matter.


It seems like a weird marketing strategy. Has anyone tried the lens? Is it good?

My $0.02
I agree that 24 grams is really irrelevant. However, while the two cameras use the same sensor, the difference in the overall user experience between the two cameras is night and day. Anyone who used a GFX 50R and an X1D II would quickly appreciate the differences, and should be able to decide which package works best for him (or her). The challenge is that distilling those differences down into a simple and and catchy marketing message is much more difficult (and subjective) than just proclaiming that a new lens is the lightest medium format lens ever made.
 

KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
I had the opportunity to shoot with the new lens for a few hours on Monday. It's an impressive lens in terms of size and speed. In addition, I was amazed how quiet the lens was compared to the older version (both were on-hand to compare). Dare I say it was whisper quiet compared to tinny, hunting made by the older version. I haven't used either lens often enough to draw any sort of optical comparison but the new lens was very sharp. Together, the camera and lens combination provide a great entry into medium format at a price that is hard to ignore ... less than the cost of an M10 or M10M without a lens. A double aspherical lens for $1099. That's a lot less than any of my S lenses unfortunately depreciated over the years. Gulp.
 
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