The Hasselblad X2D II 100C Honors its Legacy While Embracing the Future

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A close-up of a Hasselblad digital camera body, showing the lens mount and sensor. The camera sits on a grid-patterned surface with a black background.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is the company’s best demonstration yet of how medium format photography doesn’t have to come with compromises. Gone are the days of huge, heavy cameras, sluggish and unreliable autofocus, and an obtuse user experience. The X2D II 100C delivers the exceptional image quality photographers expect from medium format and represents the mature roadmap of the company to stand out in the medium format camera industry.

Full disclosure: This story is brought to you by Hasselblad.

It is of little surprise that the X2D II 100C, which is not just significantly better than its predecessor, 2022’s X2D 100C, but also over $1,000 less expensive, has proven to be a commercial and critical darling in its first few months on the market. The X2D II 100C soared to the top of Japanese sales charts, a market where Hasselblad has historically found relatively less success. Hasselblad has pulled out all the stops with the X2D II 100C, delivering a well-rounded, complete photographic experience that not only pushes medium-format photography forward in key ways but also breaks new ground for digital cameras.

A Hasselblad camera mounted on a tripod is set up outdoors, with a blurred background of trees, water, and rocks.

How Did We Get Here: The Road to the Hasselblad X2D II 100C

However, before seeing where the X2D II 100C takes medium format photography, it is worth taking a quick look back at where the camera came from. Hasselblad’s continual evolution is an important part of the story and helps explain how the X2D II 100C became such a spectacular camera.

Back in June 2016, more than half a year before Fujifilm released its GFX 50S, Hasselblad’s beautiful X1D 50C arrived on the scene. Although originally called just the X1D, its name expanded as additional models were revealed, referencing the camera’s 50-megapixel CMOS image sensor.

Front view of a Hasselblad camera body without a lens, showing the lens mount, large sensor, and grip on the left side. "Hasselblad" branding is visible at the top.

While much of the X1D 50C’s core imaging technology has since been replaced by newer, better options, the camera laid the foundation that the newest X2D II 100C continues to embrace. Since the very first model in Hasselblad’s mirrorless medium format series arrived, the company has embraced a compact form factor, a modern touch-first user interface, and leaf shutter-equipped lenses with exceptional optical quality.

Eight camera lenses of varying sizes are arranged in a loose circle on a dark, reflective surface, with their glass elements facing upward, reflecting soft light.

This foundational philosophy of making medium format photography beautiful, modern, and accessible has carried through subsequent models, with only the company’s gorgeous vintage-inspired CFV camera bodies bucking the modern trend, if only in appearance, since the image sensor remains cutting-edge.

The X1D II 50C in 2019 didn’t change things up with respect to the image sensor, but it did make the 50-megapixel medium format platform even faster and more responsive. The camera helped solidify Hasselblad’s approach to the user interface and experience, ensuring that the traditional barrier to entry with medium format got even smaller. While cameras like the original X1D and the X1D II 50C both aimed to elevate image quality far above what full-frame cameras can offer, they sought to maintain the ease of use of smaller-sensor cameras, albeit with different approaches to body design and menus.

The image quality advantage took a significant step forward in 2022 with Hasselblad’s introduction of the X2D 100C. The camera’s 102-megapixel sensor was and remains at the pinnacle of what digital cameras this side of $50,000 can achieve, delivering photos that look as spectacular on a screen as they do on a gallery wall in the form of a massive print measured not in inches, but feet.

A Hasselblad digital camera body without a lens rests on green grass, showing the camera's sensor and mount.

The brand-new X2D II 100C still delivers the same incredible resolution but, thanks to significant technological advances, makes it even easier for photographers to take full advantage of the 102-megapixel sensor and showcase their photos in an entirely new way.

A person in a black outfit holds a large Hasselblad camera with both hands, focusing on the camera’s lens and controls against a dark background.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C Breaks New Photographic Ground

The X2D II 100C’s megapixel count hasn’t jumped, but Hasselblad has managed to extract even more imaging performance from the 102-megapixel CMOS image sensor in two crucial ways. At base ISO — now 50 rather than 64 — the X2D II 100C offers 15.3 stops of dynamic range, which is up from 15. That’s fantastic and helps photographers capture scenes with even more realism and fidelity.

The second imaging improvement is even more exciting and a first of its kind. The Hasselblad X2D II 100C offers the industry’s first end-to-end HDR photography workflow. Built on the Hasselblad Natural Color Solution HDR (HNCS HDR) system, photographers can extract even more detail from highlight regions in photos.

Although the broader display industry and all platforms do not yet take full advantage of HDR, the number that do is steadily increasing. Hasselblad has accurately anticipated the future of imaging and applied it to its cameras. Those with HDR-compatible displays, including most smartphones, can enjoy Hasselblad’s eye-opening HDR YouTube videos and see what the X2D II 100C can achieve.

Compared to what photographers often think of when they hear “HDR,” a stack of exposures, the X2D II 100C’s HNCS HDR solution relies on a single exposure. This single file, which is compatible with both SDR and HDR workflows, includes additional data in the highlights tonal range to make photos truly pop on an HDR display.

Not only do the HDR photos look spectacular on the X2D II 100C’s big, beautiful HDR display (which now tilts, by the way), but photographers can enable HDR after the fact when processing their photos in Hasselblad’s Phocus software, both on mobile and desktop. Flipping between HDR and SDR photos on my HDR-equipped MacBook Pro has been some of the most fun I’ve had processing images in a very long time.

As the technological landscape catches up and fully embraces HDR, Hasselblad’s X2D II 100C is the best example to date of what HDR can mean for photographers. I hope it helps speed up HDR adoption, because photos have never had so much pop as the X2D II 100C’s 102-megapixel HDR RAW files do.

Hasselblad’s beloved color science remains fully intact here as well, whether shooting in the new HDR format or in SDR, which is easy to share across all social media platforms and print with exceptional detail. Hasselblad’s Natural Color Solution delivers rich tonal gradation, accurate colors, and the perfect amount of saturation. For those who want to fine-tune color response and appearance, the X2D II 100C’s 16-bit RAW photos are extremely flexible and respond well to post-processing.

Boats float on calm water near a wooden dock and rocky shore, with soft light and a hazy sky. Small islands and forested land are visible in the distance.

The X2D II 100C Makes Medium Format Photography More Fun and Versatile

There’s no question that Hasselblad’s medium-format mirrorless cameras have been all-in on image quality since the very first model, the X1D, in 2016. However, with the X2D II 100C, taking full advantage of the camera’s remarkable image sensor has never been easier.

A colorful mural covers a tall wall along a street lined with orange traffic cones. An orange lift is raised near the wall, and one cone is knocked over with a small plant growing next to it.

The X2D II 100C’s class-leading in-body image stabilization is a particularly strong example of how the new camera makes medium format photography more flexible and accessible. It used to be that photographers had to carry a tripod to get the sharpest images, but with the X2D II 100C’s IBIS, that’s no longer necessary. It is possible to handhold the camera at a wide range of shutter speeds, even as slow as a second or longer, and capture sharp, detailed photos.

A calm coastal scene features large, rounded rocks in the foreground and a small wooded island reflected in the still water, with another distant island visible through light mist.

The five-axis in-body image stabilization delivers 10 stops of shake correction, which is up to eight times more performant than the IBIS in its predecessor, the X2D 100C. This means photographers can shoot at lower ISOs and capture better photos than ever, and even capture scenes that lend themselves to long-exposure photography, like moving water, without a tripod. This is the type of shooting typically reserved for computational photo modes in cameras with relatively small image sensors, not a medium format camera like the X2D II 100C. It is difficult to overstate just how much more enjoyable medium format photography is when you aren’t worried about whether your shutter speed is too slow or if your photos will be shaky. It is liberating.

X-ray style image of a digital camera showing its internal components, including a prominent large rectangular image sensor in the center and various mechanical parts within a transparent camera body.

This creative freedom carries over to every aspect of using the Hasselblad X2D II 100C. While its predecessor’s touch-centric user interface, arguably the best of any digital camera system on the market, is still here, the X2D II 100C makes the welcome choice to add a dedicated sub-selector joystick that can be used to move the autofocus area and navigate menus. Touchscreens are great, but a joystick can work better for some photographers, especially when wearing gloves in cold weather. The joystick also has haptic feedback, which improves overall responsiveness and feel while also lending the camera an even greater sense of luxury.

A person holds a digital camera with a large lens, tilting the touchscreen display to review camera settings or images. The camera is being operated outdoors, and the person's hands are clearly visible.

A close-up of white chess pieces lined up on a wooden surface outdoors, with a blurred background of trees and water.

Speaking of autofocus control, the camera’s autofocus system has also been reinvigorated, thanks in large part to new LiDAR autofocus technology. The camera’s autofocus system is not only faster and more precise than before, but the X2D II 100C is the first Hasselblad camera to employ continuous autofocus, which makes the camera’s three frames per second continuous shooting mode much more useful, and makes it easier to nail the shot even when a subject is moving.

A black and white dog with long fur sits outdoors, looking up with its mouth open and tongue slightly out. The background is blurred trees and foliage.

Three tall, red-brick buildings with decorative white trim stand against a clear, vibrant blue sky. The buildings have multiple windows and ornate architectural details along the rooflines.

Despite adding many features compared to the X2D 100C, the X2D II 100C actually weighs less than its predecessor, having shed 55 grams (approximately two ounces). It’s immediately noticeable when using the camera, and makes the X2D II 100C lighter than its primary competition, the Fujifilm GFX100 II and GFX100S II. The X2D II 100C feels luxurious from top to bottom, with a beautiful graphite-gray finish, eye-catching leatherette covering, and sleek orange accents. While what a camera can achieve matters the most, and the X2D II 100C excels there, it never hurts when a camera is as beautiful to look at as the photos it captures. It is immediately evident just how much care and attention has gone into the Hasselblad X2D II 100C’s design.

A hand holds a Hasselblad camera with a 90mm lens, displaying settings on a small screen. The background is a blurred, rocky lakeshore with water and distant trees.

Facing Tough Competition

The medium format photography segment has never been as competitive as it is right now. The Hasselblad X2D II 100C faces off against two 100-megapixel combatants in the form of the Fujifilm GFX100 II and GFX100S II, the latter of which is even more affordable than the X2D II 100C.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C has notable advantages in some key areas. Beyond the leaf-shutter lenses, which make Hasselblad’s cameras better suited to studio environments with flashes and strobes, the X2D II 100C also stands out with its innovative end-to-end HDR photography workflow, modern and sleek user interface, and premium build. Hasselblad argues that its image quality and rendering are even better than the competition, too, thanks to HNCS. While that is admittedly subjective, there is no question that the X2D II 100C captures beautiful photos straight out of the box.

A person with short, tousled brown hair smiles warmly at the camera. They are wearing a white collared shirt with teal and purple stripes, and are sitting indoors near a window.

Then there is the 10-stop IBIS, besting the GFX100 II-series cameras by two stops, and the LiDAR-assisted autofocus system. The X2D II 100C also has a built-in 1TB SSD to go along with its CFexpress Type B card slot, which proves extremely useful.

There is also Hasselblad’s focus on apps. The X2D II 100C works with the Phocus Mobile 2 app, which is easy to use, connects to the camera in just a few taps, and offers HDR photo editing and noise reduction. The X2D II 100C also promises extensive tethered shooting capabilities that Hasselblad believes are the very best in the industry.

A smartphone and tablet display the same photo of a small, illuminated cabin on a hill beneath a starry night sky, with editing controls and sliders visible on both screens.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C isn’t only competing against medium format cameras, though, as a significant part of its appeal is that it offers the ease of use and versatility of a full frame camera, albeit with much better image quality. Given its price bracket and focus on premium build quality, the X2D II 100C can be fairly compared against something like the Leica M11 series digital rangefinders or even a Sony a7R V.

There are some spiritual connections between the Hasselblad X2D II 100C and a Leica M11, including rich European heritage and top-of-the-line camera components and lenses. However, while both cameras emphasize the photographic experience, the X2D II 100C does so through an advanced autofocus system and super high-end image quality, while the M11 series is manual focus only and eschews an in-body image stabilization system altogether. The cameras may operate in the same general ballpark and embrace similar philosophies, but Hasselblad is all-in on modern imaging performance, while Leica happily keeps things much more old-school.

A photographer holds a digital camera and focuses on a woman standing outdoors. The woman in the background is blurred, while the camera’s screen and controls are clearly visible.

As for the Sony a7R V, arguably the full-frame camera with the best image quality in the industry, it may be faster than the X2D II 100C, but it cannot hold a candle to its medium-format image quality. Sony’s cameras are certainly smaller, lighter, and have access to a more diverse range of features and lenses — and video recording capabilities — but for photographers who deeply care about a premium photographic experience and the ultimate image quality, the X2D II 100C is the clear winner.

A calm coastal inlet with seaweed-covered rocks in the foreground, small boats moored in the water, and a tree-covered shoreline in the background under a hazy sky.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C: A Brilliant Continuation of Hasselblad’s Technological Evolution

In many ways, the Hasselblad X2D II 100C is the result of continued refinements and evolutions from prior models, dating back to 2016’s original X1D camera. However, in other meaningful ways, the X2D II 100C is a bold leap forward in photographic technology. It combines what made the prior Hasselblad X1D and X2D cameras special with cutting-edge tech.

Credit: Hasselblad

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is Hasselblad at its very best and most competitive. It is faster where it matters while still encouraging the user to take a breath, slow down, and make a truly special photograph.

Full disclosure: This story is brought to you by Hasselblad.

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