Mirrorless technology allowed Hasselblad to usher in a lighter and more compact medium format system, with the X1D series of cameras. The company also developed some relatively compact lenses to pair with it. Now, Hasselblad wants to make something even more portable, with the launch of the XCD 45mm f/4 P lens.
The P stands for "portable," not "pancake"—this lens may be tiny but it doesn’t suffer from the same compromises those other lenses tend to. Two aspherical elements help make sure of that. Still, the 11.3 oz medium-format lens is able to provide Hasselblad’s renowned image quality in a package that is notably smaller and lighter than previously possible. For those keeping track, this lens has an equivalent focal length of 36mm, making it a great choice for street photographers who want an unobtrusive lens for everyday use.
There are a few other new design choices in the creation of this lens, compared with other XCD optics, though the most significant is a mechanically coupled focus ring. This means you are not forced to rely on the focus-by-wire system and will have a perfectly tactile manual-focus experience. It’ll focus as close as 1.1'. AF is just as fast as other lenses and the leaf shutter, rated to 1/2000 second, is quieter. Additionally, the lens opts to forgo the hood to maintain its compact profile.
I think this would make a perfect everyday lens option for the X1D II 50C. Any current X System owners going to pick one up? How about anyone tempted by the Hasselblad system looking for a tiny street camera? Leave your thoughts in the Comments section, below!
