Hasselblad X2D II 100C Body

The Hasselblad X2D II is an unashamedly high-end camera that delivers not just on pure image quality with its 100 Megapixel medium format sensor, but also a refreshingly unique approach to control and handling. The build quality is fantastic, with the camera feeling supremely confident in your hands. Composition is a highlight with one of the biggest viewfinder images I’ve seen, coupled with a large screen that delivers similar brightness to a modern phone or professional monitor. The autofocus represents a big upgrade over previous models, now supporting continuous AF with the latest lenses. Sure it’s not designed for sports or fast action, but it is perfectly suited to portrait, street and reportage along with traditional urban or natural landscapes. The user interface is clean and simple and I love how haptic feedback provides confirmation of focus or a level composition. As for image quality, the 100 Megapixel sensor is capable of tremendous detail and usable under a variety of conditions thanks to the excellent IBIS, but you have to admire a company sufficiently confident in their processing that there’s no colour profiles to choose from, nor even an in-camera monochrome mode. Luckily the quality speaks for itself with natural-looking colours and tones, and a unique approach to HDR imaging that will have you reconsidering how you capture and present images. Overall the X2D II 100C is a refreshingly different and enjoyable pure photography experience, and one I feel justifies its price against increasingly sophisticated full-framers.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C produces sensational image quality but what makes it really compelling are its improved stabilization and autofocus that make the camera much easier to use than before. It's the first camera to provide a high brightness screen to let you preview the HDR images it can take. I can be a little slow and battery life isn't great but it can deliver some of the best image quality we've ever seen, with the ease of a point-and-shoot.