The 907X & CFV 100C is Hasselblad's latest digital camera. It’s a mirrorless, medium format camera with a 100-megapixel sensor, phase detection autofocus, and 1TB of internal storage. And although there isn’t much new within it — it has the sensor of the Hasselblad X2D 100C put into the 907X body — it signals Hasselblad’s continued commitment to a historically elegant way of capturing the world, one that is slow and thoughtful.
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TechTranscript
00:00 So this is the new $8,200 Hasselblad 907X100C.
00:04 It has the same 100 megapixel sensor that was in the X2D100C of 2022,
00:09 and the same form factor as the 907X50C of 2020,
00:13 which of course has a very similar design to Hasselblad's very first camera that launched in 1948.
00:19 But it's worth talking about in 2024 because once you start using this camera,
00:23 you are transported somewhere else.
00:25 Somewhere slower, somewhere dreamier.
00:27 I mean, it's just somewhere different.
00:30 Here's four reasons why using this camera is special.
00:32 First, waist-level shooting.
00:37 You cannot hold this camera like any other digital camera.
00:41 The 907X100C forces you to shoot at waist level.
00:44 It sits in your hands with both palms naturally cradling the bottom of it.
00:48 This takes a lot of getting used to and it forces a different perspective.
00:52 This form factor also physically connects you to the camera more.
00:55 Instead of pushing the shutter down, you're pushing it towards you.
00:58 And instead of holding the camera out, you're holding it close.
01:01 It begins to feel a lot like a baby or something to take care of, something to nurture.
01:06 Number two, you are forced to use a slower pace.
01:10 I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it a million times more,
01:13 nothing happens quickly with a Hasselblad.
01:15 Now there are some benefits to that and there are also some drawbacks.
01:18 What slows the 907X100C down in a bad way is mostly the lack of internal stabilization.
01:26 With no stabilization, I boosted my ISO, I opened my aperture and I underexposed
01:32 before I let my shutter speed go below 1/125th of a second.
01:36 Or where I knew I'd be able to capture a crisp shot without putting the camera on a tripod.
01:41 There's also no built-in EVF to create a second point of contact
01:45 from the camera to your body in order to help steady the camera.
01:48 So you are forced to stop moving, plant your feet firmly,
01:52 and lock those elbows in if you don't want to put the camera down on something.
01:55 The images I captured with this camera are mostly crisp because I did all of this.
02:00 But another time the lack of stabilization becomes a problem is when you're framing.
02:04 Attempting to align the edges of a photo with railings or any hard line
02:09 can be difficult when the frame is slightly moving any which way.
02:12 In short, if you want to get great photos with this camera, you have to move at its pace.
02:18 Which means that some styles of photography, such as sports or some street,
02:23 are going to be far more difficult with this system.
02:25 That's a lot of drawbacks for a modern camera system,
02:28 but there's also the benefit of just being forced to be still,
02:32 which I think is a good reminder for all of us.
02:35 Three, the sounds it makes.
02:38 That is the sweet, sweet sounds of a mushy shutter button and a big ol' leaf shutter.
02:48 When you take a photo with this camera, you feel the photo being captured.
02:51 And in a world that is increasingly virtual,
02:54 physical movements and audible signals just hit differently.
02:58 Hasselblad is the only camera manufacturer that is still making
03:01 mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses that have leaf shutters.
03:05 Which means that instead of the shutter being in the body of the camera, it's housed in the lens.
03:10 In the age of global shutters, many of the benefits of a leaf shutter,
03:14 such as faster flash sync speeds, don't so much matter.
03:17 But the sound and the feel of a leaf shutter in a lens this big,
03:22 oh my god, I mean, it's hard to describe how great that feels in your hands.
03:27 Lastly, number four, you get dreamy color science and incredible depth.
03:34 The 907X100C has a 100 megapixel medium format sensor.
03:40 Match that with Hasselblad's color science,
03:42 and it makes for images that are utterly sharp and true to life.
03:45 Photos from this camera feel like memories frozen in time,
03:49 pulled right out of my eyeballs,
03:51 as opposed to images that are over sharpened or oversaturated
03:54 or need a great deal of editing.
03:55 The large sensor and the fast lenses also create an incredible amount of depth
04:00 with an elegant fall off.
04:02 I've been saying all of the same things about this color science for years,
04:07 and I mean, it just remains true in this system.
04:10 Images are, oh my god, they're like,
04:13 buttery, they're beautiful, you just want to keep taking them,
04:17 even though you really don't have anywhere to put them or print them,
04:20 but just the joy of seeing them,
04:23 it just feels good.
04:25 So that's the 907X100C.
04:30 The only large difference between this camera and the previous 907X50C
04:35 is 50 more megapixels, a built-in one terabyte of storage,
04:39 and phase detection on the lens.
04:41 So, I'm not a huge fan of the 907X100C,
04:44 but I still wanted to make a video about this camera
04:46 because I think it's important that this exists.
04:49 The resurgence of film photography has shown me
04:52 that photographers want to feel something different when using systems,
04:56 or they want to have different results.
04:59 And that's getting harder and harder in a market
05:01 where all the cameras look and feel and sound the same.
05:05 So the fact that Hasselblad is continuing to put out cameras as different as this,
05:10 ah, it's so good, it's so important, and it feels so good to use.
05:16 Unfortunately, it's so expensive.
05:19 I mean, $8,200 for the body alone will keep so many folks from being able to use this.
05:24 If you have the money and you can find a rental somewhere,
05:26 I cannot recommend getting a weekend with this camera enough.
05:30 I mean, it'll just make you see the world differently.
05:34 And I think that's important.
05:35 That's the 907X100C.
05:38 Thank you for looking at all of my vacation photos with me.
05:40 I'm Becca.
05:43 I hope that we continue to see companies investing time and money
05:48 into cameras that are different,
05:50 and they continue to take risks,
05:52 like maybe putting out new 35mm cameras.
05:55 I think it's important that this market stays different and unique and fun.