Hasselblad today introduced the X2D II 100C, which by my count is the fourth clear refinement of the original medium format mirrorless camera.
For once it feels like Hasselblad—owned by DJI—has finally managed to address the common handling/usability complaints the original design generated. Things we generally have taken for granted for some time, such as a physical control to move the focus cursor and continuous autofocus, for instance. Couple those things with some additional customizations, and I think you have the real standout items for this new version of the camera.
But that's not what's getting all the press. The "big" news is that the X2D II 100C has a LiDAR autofocus capability and defaults to HDR photography (the default image format is HEIF, but you can also get Ultra HDR JPEG and raw files). As part of that last bit, both displays are now OLED and P3 Color Space profiled.
Let's start with LiDAR (Light Distance And Ranging). This is essentially a light array where time to the subject and back is measured. Distance = speed of light * time divided by 2. With implementations like Hasselblad's, there is a limit to its useful distance (typically 40' indoors, half that outdoors). But it's extremely beneficial in low light, as its unseen light array produces accuracy that a phase detect array can't get in such situations. The X2D II 100C uses all three focus methods (LiDAR, phase detect, and contrast detect) as best suits the situation.
Coupled with the addition of AF-C (continuous autofocus) and subject detection (human, animal, vehicle), the X2D II 100C now can track and follow motion, though it is definitely still not an action camera (3 fps, leaf shutter blackout, etc.). It's the AF-C nature of the new focus system that "fixes" the problem with the previous cameras (all AF-S only), not specifically the technology behind it (others get solid AF-C performance from just phase detect).
Meanwhile, that "HDR" in the X2D II 100C is essentially the same thing others have been doing with HEIF/HEIC for some time now: extended the highlight range of capture by three stops. To see that in output, however, you need supportive HDR display technology, which, while showing up more and more, still has standardization issues. HEIF isn't a browser-supported standard, though there are extensions available. Apple, meanwhile, has standardized on HEIC. The new JPEG "format" includes a brightness map so that devices that support that can display the clipped highlights properly.
Personally, I'm curious as to why Hasselblad jumped on HEIF HDR as the default with the X2D II 100C. That seems contradictory to the way I see medium format cameras currently being used (mostly landscape and commercial photography, neither of which can count on extended highlight display in output).
All the above said, it feels like a lot of rough edges were taken off the original X2D with the updates, particularly this last one. Whether that gives Hasselblad some true traction in the camera market again, I'm not sure, though the US$800 price drop, despite the US tariffs, will help with that.
Along with the new camera, Hasselblad also introduced a new 35-100mm f/2.8-4E lens (28-76mm equivalent).
