When Boredom Sets In

Let's welcome a new (to me) Hasselblad X2D 100C!

Turning another decade older doesn't go well with having some spending money. I could not justify a new X2DII, so I settled for a used OG X2D as a belated birthday gift to myself.

I've been looking at a Leica Q/Q2 for some time, but the prices are still more than I care to spend. The AF also didn't impress me when I tried them out at Map Camera; my Fujifilm X100VI is their equal or better. So I started looking at the Fuji GFX and Hasselbad X lines for their neo-MF sensors. I tried a GFX100S, and the AF is good enough, but it just felt like a larger Fuji; there was nothing different about it, just more size and weight. The Hasselblad, however, felt nice in my (small) hands.

I found a few X2Ds on FB and Craigslist. After a few disappointing interactions (read, scammers), I found a well-rated FB seller. Price was reasonable, and the body was in very good condition. Just a few wear points, and some dust on the sensor. This is my biggest purchase outside of a store, but I was able to do it at my local bank, so no issues at all.

For the lens, I ended up getting the 28mm f/4P. I considered the 45P, but I'm worried that won't be wide enough for travel photos.

Likes:

• IQ is nice, along with the colors, and resolution.
• The feel of the camera is something else. It feels solid in a different way than any of my pro Nikon bodies (D1/D2H/D3/Z9).
• The simplicity of the menu makes using the camera a lot easier. No more menu diving.
• The electronic diopter setting is a neat trick. I still prefer a knob on the side of the EV though.
• The built-in SSD is great. No need to worry about cards.
• The flash system uses Nikon's protocol, so Nikon flashes will work. One less thing to bring.
• I love the XPan crop. The cinematic aspect ratio is going to open up a lot of compositional opportunities.
  

Quirks:

• AF is slooooow. I can't remember the last time I had a body this slow (maybe the Olympus EP-1 from 2010?).
• Single AF only, no continuous. I don't plan to use this camera for surfing photos, but it's still an odd omission since the Fuji GFX100s can do it.
• No joystick; you have to use the touch screen to move the AF point. So far this hasn't been a problem, as I've been sticking to center AF. It's an uncomfortable reach for my thumb while maintaining a good hold of the grip (again, small hands).
• No mechanical shutter, and readout from the sensor is low (from what I've found, it's 37/100s). If you're adapting lenses and you move the camera or the subject moves during that time, you get rolling shutter effects.
• Some 35mm lenses have bad vignetting, but then again these lenses were designed for a much smaller sensor/film size. The Contax 100mm f/2 vignettes strongly, and the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 gets bad when you use the lens shade. Interestingly, the ancient Nikon 55mm f/1.2 doesn't vignette that badly, nor the Contax 85mm f/2.8.
• Adapters are expensive, and few. I had to go Nikon to Leica M, then Leica M to Hasselblad. It's never a good idea to stack converters due to tolerance stackup. I don't think there's an AF adapter for Nikon AF lenses yet.
• I have to figure out new sharpening settings for Photoshop, but the OOC JPGs look pretty sharp.
• No matrix metering. I've noticed some of my images are a bit underexposed (spoiled by automation!).
• No video. Oddly, it has two vestigial microphones in front (according to the instruction manual), not sure what for.
• No GPS. The Phocus app is only available for IOS, and I'm an Android user. I think my GPS tracker still works, but I always forget to turn it on when I go for a photowalk.
• I can't view the entire EVF when wearing glasses. Hassy should add an option to reduce the image size.
• Triggering the EVF sensor in the vertical orientation is inconsistent (again, probably because I wear glasses). It's not a problem with my other mirrorless bodies though.
• The locking body cap is a neat trick, but inconvenient. I've never had a body cap fall off, and even if it did fall on the ground, it's just a body cap.
• Diffraction appears to be really strong at f/16. A disappointment, as I was expecting it to hit much later.
• I haven't found a way to change the file name. 

I'm going on vacation in a week, and have decided to bring the X2D and the Z7. I know you're not supposed to bring a new camera system on a trip, but I'm too excited to use the camera to leave it behind. Fingers crossed!

And now for a few photos (insert them here).