It's been a long time that I wanted to review a camera so badly. However, when I saw the Hasselblad CVF100C back, I couldn't be more excited. Is there something better than a 100 MP medium format back? How miraculously good can a camera costing $8,000 even be? Well, suffice it to say that it is one of the best medium format cameras available.
Introduction
We all grew to love the good old Hasselblad 500CM. The retro feeling of this camera is something that many photographers find nostalgic, if not comforting. I recall when I was shooting film, well into the digital era, that I wanted some sort of digital sensor to put into my old Canon EOS 300, so that I could also take digital photos on it. Well, Hasselblad did just that by introducing the new CFV100C digital back. Only it is so much more than just a digital sensor slapped on the back of a classic camera. The Hasselblad CFV100C is a back that will last you years into your career, taking some incredible images along the way.
Before going further, I would like to say that this is a studio photographer’s review of the camera.
First Impressions
Upon opening the box, you quickly realize just how compact Hasselblad was able to make their camera. Not only is it a medium format camera, but it is also a compact medium format camera. Coming from a background of shooting Phase One, I can really say that I barely felt this camera being heavier than a DSLR with a zoom lens.
Despite me not being a stranger to medium format systems, it took me a while to figure out how to take off the digital back protective cover. Sure, it’s a teething issue, but it would be nice to have a little sticker for the ones who don’t want to bother reading a manual. In case you are curious, it’s a matter of pushing and sliding the button on the top of the back. Then again, I did receive a review copy, and the manual may have just been missing from the box.
Using the Camera in Studio
The camera comes with some accessories, namely a grip and a hot shoe adapter. The grip is sold separately, and I strongly recommend buying it if you plan on handholding the camera for long periods of time.
Upon arriving in my studio and trying to connect it to the Profoto packs, I quickly realized that the flash would not go off for some reason. This was solved by changing the shutter mode from electronic to leaf. A leaf shutter is a shutter that is found inside the lens of the camera. This is a physical shutter, which allows the photographer to shoot past the sync speed of the camera. As such, you can shoot at 1/500th of a second and above. For location shoots, this is a game-changer.
Much like with every camera I use in the studio, the first thing that I add to the setup is a tripod plate so that it can live on the tripod when I am not shooting. This way, I am confident in the camera not being knocked over. A good Gitzo Systematic tripod goes a long way.
Focusing
When it comes to shooting with the camera in regular studio lighting conditions, I didn’t notice any focusing problems. The autofocus on the Hasselblad is incredible. It is probably the most accurate focusing medium format camera on the market. As such, it has 294 focus regions and face detection. The face detection works really well, too. I could easily focus the camera in the studio even with the model moving fast. While this may not sound like something special for a camera in 2024, it is somewhat unheard of in the medium format world. Comparing it to the Phase One XF body, which features a single focusing point, the winner is clear. The higher the resolution, the more evident poor focusing becomes. Something that looks sharp at 20 MP has all the potential to be out of focus at 100 MP, which is the resolution of the Hasselblad. Additionally, the larger the sensor, the shallower the depth of field becomes. Older Hasselblad cameras with few focusing points would have a feature where the camera would calculate how much it moves when you focus and recompose. It is a feature I use every time I shoot on the Phase One these days.
Resolution
When it comes to resolution, you really have nothing to wish for more. 100 megapixels is overkill. The requirements for billboards have remained the same in the past 10 years. That said, there are many reasons to shoot in high resolution. One would be for those instances when you need to crop in the image, another one to cut out subjects, and retouch. It is a lot easier to Photoshop an image that has more resolution than less. I really enjoyed having the extra resolution for my work.
Tethering and Post-Production
A problem I did have with shooting the Hasselblad camera was tethering. It does tether reasonably well via the USB-C port on the side of the camera; however, it only tethers into Phocus, the proprietary software provided by Hasselblad. It is reasonably good software, but it has a long way to go before being comparable with Lightroom or Capture One. In fact, if you are a Capture One user, you can forget about editing Hasselblad files in it. The only way to edit them in Capture One is to export the files as TIFFs, with metadata stripped. For me, this was a little bit of a dealbreaker, as I am a committed Capture One user. On the other hand, the files are a pleasure to edit, even in Lightroom. There is plenty of dynamic range, detail, and color grading opportunity. I really couldn’t be happier with how the files were to edit.
Another great feature the camera has is a built-in 1 TB SSD for your photos. This way, you will never worry about forgetting your memory card. For those of us who do like to shoot on a memory card, the camera takes XCD cards, with the slot conveniently located next to the battery compartment. The battery life of the camera is really good; however, I do recommend having a few spares if you plan on shooting for a full day non-stop.
What I Liked
- Design and build quality
- Built-in SSD
- Image quality: best I’ve tested
What Could Be Improved
- PC sync port
- Integration with Capture One
Closing Thoughts
The Hasselblad 907X and the CFV100C back is one of the best cameras I’ve tested. When it comes to the weight-to-quality ratio, you would be looking long for a better camera. That said, it is a pure photo camera. It does not shoot video, and it does not need to either. Coming in at nearly $8,000, this is not a cheap camera per se, but it is a fairly inexpensive medium format camera, costing the same as a Fujifilm GFX 100 II. Comparing it to how much a Phase One costs, the Hasselblad is a great option. Overall, if you are shopping for a medium format camera, the Hasselblad 907X and the CFV100C is a great choice. The newest XCD lenses are some of the sharpest (review coming soon), and the back can be used with the classic Hasselblad 500C bodies, combining the best of old and new worlds.
Change the title to ‘studio camera’. Outdoors in bright light, too hard to see the screen. Try the x2d
Idk where you people live that the sun is so bright. I live in sunny Mexico and never fail to see the LCD perfectly fine, even on my old Ricoh GR. It's okay to say you prefer a viewfinder, it doesn't need to be an objective point. 🤷♂️
Australia here. If you can see the LCD fine in bright sunlight then you must be Steve Austin
Take the sunnies off, mate. 😎
Just kidding. I've never been to Australia. The sun might just be brighter over there.
Awesome camera but unfortunately the 3rd photo from the top down is way out of focus.
i'm very sure that this is on purpose...
Why is it that in reviews of Hasselblad cameras there is repeated criticism regarding integration with Capture One.
This issue is due to Capture One refusing to accept 3fr RAW files, not any fault of Hasselblad. This is were the criticism should be addressed. As an owner of an X2D I would love to use Capture One.
What about lens availability and cost? I realize if one can afford an $8000 camera body then one or two lenses may be Ok to buy as well. One lens most medium format lenses do not have are the telephote lenses. Fujifilm has a few (very expensive) but Hasselblad is a bit lacking.
“Ultimate Camera for 2024”
Not for everyone. How many macro lenses does it have? How is it at keeping focus on birds and insects? Is it designed for rough use in the field?
I would love it if Capture One and Hasselblad would work together, then this might be an option for me!
It is an excellent camera. It's more than most people seem to need, but at 100mp it seems to finally be 4x what the 24mp cameras have (which are actually more than enough for most things I do.
I'm sure these photos work with the fashion crowd - so artsy and all - but even so, they don't show us how the Hassie fares in the "real world" - all that soft focus and strange colour..But even the BTS photos used in the article (taken with who knows what) are kind of crappy from a PJ point of view. From "fstoppers" I'd expect more. And to say it's the ultimate camera is obviously some kind of click bait thing. I think if you need a camera that's 8 grand without a lens to make state of the art images, maybe you don't know how to shoot. BTW I still use my 500CM along with my Nikon and Sony digital cameras.
The weak point of Hasselblad is Phocus ! Specially coming from CaptureOne
A straight TIFF export from Phocus does keep the metadata (at least for the 50c back) - that gets you into Capture One - easy for the 50c but the 100mp files really grind on my computer.
I'm told that Capture One require payment for integration, which Hasselblad won't pay. A pity, as it must surely be cheaper than Hasselblad's spend on Phocus software.
And so the onslaught of Ilya's Hasselblad fanboying articles begins.
Remember when he swore that a Canon 5 mkIII was all the camera he would ever need like 6 months ago?