I recently got the chance to use the new Hasselblad X1D II for a week. It was my first experience with medium format and required a bit of adapting on a learning curve. Here are my first impressions about the body, design, lenses, and general usability of the camera.

You know the feeling you get when you’re walking down the street and there’s a shiny new Lamborghini parked outside? You pull out your phone and snap a picture to send to your friends. You even look around to see if anyone is around and think to yourself: “how close can I get to it? Should I touch it? I wonder if it’s unlocked? Man, this leather is soft. Why are they putting me in handcuffs? I was just smelling it!?” Just me? Well, I get the same feeling when I see a Hasselblad. To be totally honest, I thought my chances of using a Hasselblad were about the same as getting to joy ride that Lamborghini. When Hasselblad agreed to send me an X1D II and a couple lenses to test out, I was kind of in shock, but obviously jumped at the chance. I’ve always said a camera is a camera is a camera. If you call yourself a photographer, I should be able to give you any camera and you should take a good picture. But there is something to be said about nice gear that inspires creativity. It puts you in a new mindset and excites you. This camera definitely did that for me.

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