This camera is so weird and I love it: Review of the Hasselblad 907X

There is a lot to criticize about Hasselblad’s new 907X CFV 100C camera. It’s expensive, slow, and sometimes awkward to use. And it lacks several modern camera features like built-in image stabilization or the ability to record video. Despite that, I find it to be the most creative camera I’ve ever used in my many years as a professional photographer, and it’s the camera I’d most like to buy if I could justify its price.

The camera body itself costs $8,199, and I tested it with three main lenses: the XCD 55mm f2.5 V lens ($3,699), the XCD 90mm f2.5 V lens ($4,299), and the brand new wide-angle XCD 25mm f2.5 V lens ($3,699). The cost of my test kit came to the princely sum of $19,896.

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That’s a lot of money for a camera that, in my opinion, has a number of quality of life drawbacks. There’s the slow and sometimes unpredictable autofocus and the awkward shutter button. The control ring is small and hard to use. You also have to hold down a shift button if you want to adjust the exposure compensation.

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Added to that is the fact that there’s no mechanical curtain to protect the huge image sensor, meaning it’s exposed to all the elements every time you change lenses. Don’t even think about changing lenses on a sandy beach on a windy day unless you want to spend an hour removing smudges in Photoshop and then having your sensor thoroughly cleaned.

Since there’s no viewfinder, you’re left to compose your images solely using the LCD screen, which can be difficult to see in bright light. You end up feeling like your compositions are based on “guesses” rather than well-thought-out images.

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Then there is the lack of stabilization in the body, something that you will like the one found on Hasselblad’s X2D camera, which allows for much sharper handheld images at longer shutter speeds. With a resolution of 100 megapixels, not even the slightest blur can be hidden.

Normally I would expect all of these issues to put me off, especially given the price, but somehow this camera managed to draw me in so much that all of the negative aspects just seemed insignificant compared to how I felt shooting with this thing.

I’ve scattered a variety of example images throughout this article, but if you want to see even more, you can head here.

It helps that it looks stunning, with a boxy design reminiscent of Hasselblad’s earlier medium format film cameras like the 500CM. The LCD screen tilts upwards so you can hold the camera more at waist level and look down at it like you did with those older cameras. It’s made from chrome and faux leather which feels incredibly good to the touch, and its surprisingly compact size means I can keep this medium format camera hanging around my neck all day without feeling like I’ve got a ship’s anchor strapped to it.

And then of course there’s the image quality. Not only does this large medium format sensor offer a huge number of megapixels for razor-sharp detail, but it also enables excellent dynamic range, so you can keep the highlights under control and bring out shadow detail without losing image quality. I put the camera through its paces on remote Scottish islands, in picturesque fishing villages and in the heart of Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh, and I was impressed with the images I captured every step of the way.

I particularly enjoy shooting in XPan crop mode, which produces wide panoramas with the same 2.70:1 aspect ratio as Hasselblad’s old XPan film camera. It’s a unique way of shooting, and I’ve experienced many occasions where this panoramic format really gave a fresh view of a scene and allowed me to compose in a completely new way. Of course, you can simply apply a panorama crop to any camera’s image in Lightroom and seemingly get the same result, but it’s infinitely more satisfying to visualize it on the back of a camera and capture it in the moment, especially when using the new 25mm lens, which offers a wide angle view, thus leaving more room for these narrow crops.

I also suspect that I don’t like this camera despite of the above problems, but possibly Because of them. The slow autofocus and slightly clunky physical controls force me to take a slower, more methodical approach to shooting, which means each of my images has to be more considered. I come back from a location having taken far fewer images than I would have with my usual Canon R5, but each of those images is a ‘keeper’ rather than simply being discarded in the import process.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve taken about 2,000 images in the few weeks I’ve been testing the Hasselblad. But I’ve still found that I only turn the camera on when I feel like the scene definitely warrants the photo. I find that I’m more selective in choosing my images and look more critically at the potential scene in front of me before deciding whether to take the shot, which in turn has resulted in better quality images.

The argument, of course, is that the Hasselblad doesn’t really play a role in this – it’s simply a mental state that can be achieved with any camera. I could simply slow down my process with my R5 (perhaps just use manual focus to force a more methodical style with an otherwise lightning-fast camera) and potentially I’d see an improvement in my overall quality.

But whether it’s the slower pace of operation, the top-down design of the retro box, the shiny Hasselblad logo, the company’s long-standing photographic heritage, or the numerous “Oh wow, is that the new Hasselblad?” comments from passing photographers, I find this camera to be truly inspiring to work with.

I see it on my desk and I want to get it out again to shoot more. I’ve imagined the places I want to take it, the photo projects I want to create with it, and the galleries I want to create with the images I’ve taken with it. It’s a camera that seems to want to take beautiful pictures just as much as I do.

I bought the Canon R5 for purely practical reasons: high resolution, image stabilization, video capabilities. It was an exercise in checking off a few boxes, and I ended up with a very capable but otherwise uninspiring camera. For me, it’s like a plumber buying a Ford Transit for work. It has to be big enough, reliable and economical. And while it’s a great tool for getting from A to B, it’s probably not the vehicle you want to drive along the Italian coast. A classic Ferrari with the top down? Now we’re talking.

The R5 is my van: practical, ideal for my professional photography, but it is not the camera I dream of.

The Hasselblad 907X is my Ferrari. A dream object that was built for one thing only: the love of photography.