Fujifilm vs. Hasselblad – Which is right for you?

I love picking up the Hasselblad X2D because it’s gorgeous, and has what is arguably the most pleasing user interface that exists in photography today.  I have never had to refer to the owners manual for this camera, the UI is just that good.  It has a smaller than SLR body profile, has great IBIS, 1TB of internal storage (so nice!) and the XCD lenses have Leaf Shutters which allow flash sync up to 1/2000th of a second.  It’s a completely enjoyable and beautiful piece of art to shoot with and gets approving nods from passers by when holding/working with it.

All that being said, I have very little reason to pick the camera up based on how it suits my shooting style.  If I’m on tripod, I’m shooting Phase One, period.  When I need a camera in my hand, then autofocus is of key importance, and the X2D has no continuous autofocus whatsoever, nor does it have compatibility with Capture One.   

In comparison,  the Fujifilm Cameras are far less beautiful, but far more capable for commercial photography.  Far more adaptability to individual workflows, multiple sets of programming slots are available to contort the camera’s buttons, wheels, menus, capture resolutions, shooting speeds, autofocus parameters, power management settings, Fujifilm film simulations, IBIS parameters, ISO’s, white balances, shutter types and more.    (you’ll just need a couple cups of coffee to get into the menus and then some yoga afterwards to spool down from the frustration of working within that built by engineers FOR engineers style of operating system.)

You can spend hours setting the camera up to your exact needs, I know, because I’ve done it.  I now have our rental GFX 100-II’s set up with refined settings for hand-held action photography, on-tripod landscape photography, in-hand studio fashion photography and on-tripod studio still life photography.   The camera easily switches between these gears with a twist of the top wheel, and all these settings are backed up via tether to computer in the Fujifilm X-Acquire application or via WiFi to the iOS Fujifilm-X app, so that multiple bodies can be flashed with exactly the same setups and without the need to knock them back to defaults after each person has shot with them. 

I have long held the belief of having ‘fallback’ positions programmed into a camera so that if things start feeling screwy in the middle of a shoot, you can easily revert, not to defaults, but back to muscle-memory learned sets of usability so even with the demands of clients, the battering of weather, the pressure of A+ talent on set or just a culmination of time on a long day, you can stay shooting efficiently even when you don’t have a moment to figure out ‘what happened back there?’ if the camera started acting errantly because of a bump of a wheel or button by you, your tech or your assistant.

Additionally, the GFX 100-II has profoundly better autofocus than even the 100S body, utilizing AI routines to identify the shapes of animals/cars/airplanes etc if the auto tracking, user definable left-eye, right-eye specific autofocus for humans doesn’t suit you that day. Combined with its 8FPS rapid rate of fire, is absolutely the sharpest tool I could possibly pick for handheld medium format photography.

What I love about the Hasselblad X2D Camera

This camera is drop dead gorgeous. Does that matter? It does to some (me). The more pragmatic may not care. But there’s no question it’s one of the most beautifully designed cameras ever produced. But similar to Apple products, the quality of the design is not limited to esthetics. It’s a fantastic feeling camera to hold in your hand, somehow, no matter whose hand it is. The materials feel superlative. The user interface is one of the easiest and friendliest GUI’s that exists in a camera. It feels like it was made for today’s users. The color out of the camera is perhaps the most well behaved I’ve seen from any camera. Colors don’t glow, they’re rendered with restraint and with accuracy. You could say they are film like, and in doing so, you’d mean they don’t appear artificially amped up.

The shutter release has a decently short travel, so it feels more click-like than most cameras. The lenses are sharp, have leaf shutters that sync at 1/2000th, and are relatively tiny for such a large sensor. From a size standpoint, it’s hard to believe this is a medium format system. In several ways, it features industry-leading tech, as with the large 3.6” rear LCD screen and the internal 1TB SSD storage.

No No No

I think Hasselblad designed a camera one really could love because you have to in order to overlook some things. One must be very patient as a Hasselblad user, because they will often be late to the party. Nearly 4 years after Fuji produces a 100mp camera, Hasselblad finally arrives. Even today, we’re still waiting on basic features like continuous mode auto focus and tethered live view. A 90mm lens that was announced 14 months ago has yet to ship a single unit. And there may never be Capture One compatibility. If you have a serious camera repair, be prepared to wait for weeks and weeks or even months and months, as most hardware repairs require shipping to Sweden. 

Who’s it for?

People who are (yes) patient, don’t necessarily need all the latest bells and whistles, who appreciate beautiful design, an affectionate user interface, and beautifully tempered images out of camera. And medium format.

What I love about the Fujifilm GFX 100 II Camera

One thing for sure, Fujifilm is committed to market segment domination. They are relentless. In short work (about 6 years), they have produced (5) different camera models, and 15 lenses. They want to win. You benefit. The GFX 100 II is easily the closest medium format camera there is to producing a 35mm type of experience, but does so with a medium format 100mp sensor, and 16 bit files with 15 stops of dynamic range. You can pop 8 frames a second for nearly 300 continuous frame captures. You have AI Auto Focus modes for detecting all manner of subjects (even trains?). And – there’s an industry leading 9.44 EVF, an optional vertical grip for a system that can accommodate a total of 3(!) batteries. There are fast f1.7 lenses and 5 zoom lenses and 2 tilt shift lenses! They’re fully compatible with Capture One software, and while they don’t look all that different from a large 35mm camera, they stand out.

No No No

While the camera itself isn’t large, paired with most lenses, it does become a system of significant size and weight. There is something about 1998 user interfaces that some camera companies just won’t let go of. Fuji is only the latest offender, but it’s one of the more egregious ones. The quality of the materials screams …. average. It’s no Leica. 

Who’s it for?

What the GFX 100 II delivers is bang for the buck. This is a very affordable system for someone on a high end Canon budget. And while you don’t quite get Canon or Sony performance, you get close to it, but with files that have no equal (except say, a Phase One), and lenses that are so sharp, if they were surgical tools, they could perform Lasik.

As the owner of a company that represents these two manufacturers, I am influenced by the internal workings of each company far more than the quality of their product.   I directly communicate with the internal structure of the company daily.  Technical and sales support, marketing, accounting, distribution, repair, and billing…..the professionalism of these areas are intangibles that you can’t read in a graphic or a chart.  They are incredibly important to me and and arguably more so for our customers.  Our reputation in the industry and our relationship with our customers is based on trust and communication.  Therefore we are highly dependent on our manufacturer partners for timely information, shipping timelines, support replies, etc. The manufacturers internal structure and organization is imperative to the quality and speed of service that we then provide to you, the customer. 

Here is some inside data that you might find interesting:

Fujifilm GFX bodies shipped to CI in the last 45 days = 59

Hasselblad Digital bodies shipped to CI in the last 45 days = 2

This has nothing to do with demand or the quality of the units. This has everything to do with how both companies conduct business today.  We could sell 10 times what Hasselblad sends us.  They chose to keep the demand high by keeping the supply low. 

Average time for Fujifilm repairs = 8-10 days

Average time for Hasselblad repairs = 3-6 weeks

Only the most minor Hasselblad repairs happen in the US today.  After Hasselblad closed their headquarters in NJ, all repairs moved to the DJI facility in California with all new employees. No previous Hasselblad service staff work for Hasselblad any longer in the US. Any significant repair is shipped to Sweden which significantly slows the process.

Number of US FujiFilm employees that have direct working relationships with CI = 13

Number of Hasselblad North American employees that work with CI = 1

We have a DJI/Hasselblad representative in Toronto that is great to work with.  But he doesn’t live in the US and he splits his time between being the North American rep for both DJI and Hasselblad. He has an extremely difficult job.  On the opposite side, at Fujifilm, we have daily working relationships with 3 people on the sales team, 2 people in marketing, 2 people in accounting, 2 in management, 2 in high end technical support, and 2 in repair.  And we use them all on a regular basis.  Information is king and we demand it from our partners.

Advance notice of new products from Fujifilm = 3 weeks 

Advance notice of new products from Hasselblad = none

We are a partner that knows the product, tests the product, and puts it through its paces.  We typically receive the new Fujifilm product or prototype about 1-2 weeks before they are announced.  This allows us to have a working knowledge so that we can answer any questions our customers have on the day that product is announced.   We learn about new Hasselblad products on the day of their release from the same place our customer does, the Hasselblad website. We don’t get an advance notice.  We often don’t get full technical info until days after a new release ships.  And we never see a new product until the first customer’s unit ship to us. 

I could go on and on here.  But I think that the picture is painted as clear as I can make it.  Fujifilm understands what it takes to create a strong base of support in the US industry. They treat all of their partners fairly.   They reward the hard working partners with more perks and supply the best support in the marketplace. Hassleblad/DJI can do much better.  They make a great product but they don’t invest in all the areas to make it an exceptional one.