Four Days in Wales with Hasselblad’s New XCD 25V Lens

[@dudewith_camera]

XPAN mode with that wide focal is an incredible combo. As always, your compositions are wonderful and video engaging. Love it.

[@JimmyCheng]

Don’t listen to the bs in the comments. It’s perfectly normal for brand to give out gears to reviewers in exchange for contents. And Kyle’s photos are fire! Inspiring as always! I just bought this lens too❤

[@ThomasL.116]

magnificent x-pan shots, Kyle! and these really look as if the experiences of both the classic natural landscape period and the following period of 'human interacted scapes' are melting together. superb!!

[@jackmatthews9390]

What an exciting video. Warms my heart. Thank you Kyle.

[@berndvandecruys]

Absolutely nailed it for this review. A wide angle lens for the XPAN crop is the dream combo. I recently starting playing around with the panoramic adapter for the Mamiya 7, but the widest lens I have for that system is a 65mm (which feels super tight).

[@go70North]

Thank you Kyle! I am really enjoying your videos; especially at times I am not able to get out to shoot for myself due to work or weather.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@merkin22]

Some very beautiful photos. Nice work!! Re the abandoned buildings -- Baron Hill mansion. Built in 1600s, abandoned effectively in the 1920s, but used very briefly for billeting soldiers in WWII. Left to decay since. I'm in Canada but I've got that on a 'must shoot' list now; think it gorgeous on its own but think perfect for a portrait shoot (with a wide lens)! :) Thanks for the video!

[@bylavoie]

Banger of a last photo with the moon! Just grabbed one of these 25V’s

[@timsalton]

Great shots all around. You picked just the right scenes to make the most out of a wide angle. The panoramic format is one of the most fun things to shoot with high mega pixel cameras nowadays. Even though you lose a couple of pixels it doesn't feel like a compromise and thus makes it more fun, at least in my opinion. Enjoyed the video very much!

[@owenwilliams9582]

Nice to catch ye at the garage, lovely shots in the X-Pan format of Llanddwyn, Trevor and the garage in Nefyn.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Great to meet you as well!

[@diforbes]

Always fun to armchair travel and photograph with you. That Hassy lens is pricey. The Fuji GF20-35 is almost have the cost, albeit a stop or so slower.

[@anderm1598]

Absolutely breathtaking photos; one just gets lost in the vastness of those landscapes.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you. North Wales is beautiful.

[@mattbray_studio]

Very pleased you got given the gear, I hope you carry on making incredible work with it, what you captured here was stunning. Good job man!

[@KyleMcDougall]

I appreciate that. Cheers.

[@medwynroberts]

Really enjoying the Wales content recently, cheers.

[@ManuelBarca4]

such a nice video, the storytelling that you make, and the great, great photos that you come with.. so far one of the most inspiring artist out there. amazing job kyle 👏

[@KyleMcDougall]

I appreciate that. Thank you!

[@Bob4golf1]

Nice work! One of the things I love about the X2D is when you shoot with a crop factor (like XPAN), the camera still saves the whole 102 MP so you can change crop in post.

[@KyleMcDougall]

For sure. Same with the GFX. Nice if you change your mind, or want to tweak afterwards.

[@DS-ke8pq]

Watched the Hardcastle YT earlier and commented there that the lens plus 65:24 and the bokeh is going to be an amazing combo, might just be a genre all of its own!

[@IanElson28]

Oh wow, Xpan and 25mm....need I say more. awesome images!!

[@derrenleepoole]

So good Kyle. Some food for thought and some great inspiration and insight.

[@costelloandsilke7321]

Great Images Kyle - the x pan format really works great.

[@GxAce]

Another great video man! Cheers :)

[@KyleMcDougall]

🙌

[@beau-]

Beautiful photos. Some just killer lead in lines. New to the platform (907x 100c), hoping the 28 is sufficient enough for my wide needs as the bulk and weight of the 25 is hard to swallow. However, wider the better for xpan mode. Just adds so much cinematic drama to the images.

[@wv_]

Som extremely evocative shots on this one, good music combo.

[@adriancampbell-howard3185]

Fabulous video as always and incredible shots! Those xpan crop images are very nice indeed.

[@QuietCornersPhotography]

Wonderful work as always! The conditions totally clicked. Love the derelict house in the woods, those young trees have really taken control.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Such an interesting spot. One that I'll definitely make a trip back to.

[@elithunder]

Such beautiful photos, Kyle! Amazing work!!

[@ChrisVidouras]

Beautiful work Kyle, thanks for sharing! Cheers from Greece!

[@krishbphoto]

Great video as always Kyle! An absolute pleasure to experience! ✌🏻

[@harrymackenzie4194]

I remember in previous videos you spoke of landscape work you used to do back in the day. Very cool to see you revisit this style of photography and to take us along for the ride! Great video man!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Was definitely a throwback for me. Fun to do in this video, and I could see myself shooting some of the more subtle stuff moving forward. That being said, I think my epic sunset days are behind me.

[@mikafoxx2717]

​@@KyleMcDougallI think everyone has their bokeh days, their sunset days, and all that. Then you settle down on more subtleties without gimmicks.

[@sbutler66]

TheX-Pan format is gorgeous

[@KyleMcDougall]

A new favourite, for sure.

[@x4g1706]

First time I watched you. Love your style and approach to photography. I subscribed!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you.

[@trentandjessie]

Great video Kyle! Loved seeing you shoot these panos! 👌🏼

[@JasperBunschoten]

I've been to Holyhead last October!! It is such a great location. It was exceptionally sunny for the period then, and took some great pictures with my old Nikon F2!

[@KyleMcDougall]

The entire island has so many great spots!

[@geoffmphotography9444]

The panoramas are superb. Beautiful mood.

[@evaeriksson9950]

That mansion...wooooow! What a dream to be able to explore and shoot that 😍🤩

[@sbills]

Fantastic video as always. Loved your X-Pan images.

[@SteffenMiethke]

Amazing video as always. Not done yet. But your landscapes are as great as your other more "subject focused" work. Also the quality on that lens camera combination is amazing...

[@ricomichel]

Pretty awesome images in there, I'm wowed!!

[@Renzsu]

Beautiful images again Kyle!

[@PhilChavanne]

Amazing photos, Kyle. Respect. Love your work. Ignore the haters. ❤

[@KyleMcDougall]

🙏

[@selishots]

Love the photo with the X-Pan crops!

[@lensman5762]

Kudos to you for being honest about your relationship with ' Hasselbald/DJI '

[@skazhenyj]

He's obliged to do that by the law. Of course, not all of the "influencers" respect the law, but don't applaud someone for what they must do when they promote stuff... He just did the right thing, nothing more, nothing less. I understand why Kyle is doing this (money, we all need money), but it's sad to see favourite channels turning into promo channels as soon as they grow a little. It's a sad YT pattern.

[@lensman5762]

@@skazhenyj Kyle was honest enough to declare right up front that he got paid for this review. I think this was worthy of a little praise. I don't mean to be controversial or anything, but my favourite channels on Y.T are all very small with less than 1000 subscribers, and hardly a promo in sight. They show photographs. Some are good, mostly passable, and at times brilliant. That is what keeps me going back. The other channels are a bit like Gordon Ramsay. He shouted so much about anything but cooking that he forgot how to cook.

[@mikafoxx2717]

​@@lensman5762Totally agree. That being said I don't mind this guy. He takes photos with the gear, not just a talking head about gear. The small channels that just show photo after photo and maybe a little live cam are the best. You see someone with a 2004 5D and a cheap lens and making bangers here and there. That being said, I love the cinematography for Nick Carver and his photos also speak for themselves

[@lensman5762]

@@mikafoxx2717 I really don't mind them promoting gear so long as they show us something worthwhile made with that gear, as you said Kyle makes some photos with the gear. Whetehr that photo could have been made with equipment costing a fraction of what some the stuff cost is another matter. What I hate , is people who are not really photographers, buying or being given expensive stuff and then go on about it as if I was born yesterday, and to top it up showing us photographs of no artistic or technical merit as if they had created masterpieces. We have seen it all in the last few years with the Leica film and digital cameras. Stupid titles like ' mylong term review of the M6 after six months of use '. The camera has been out since the mid 1980s, what bloody long term review? Just something to get the You Tube stupid algorithms to bring up the channel because it has one or two buzz words in the title.

[@kronkite1530]

Got to be honest, but this is my favourite set of photographs you’ve done since the mid-West images. A theme start for another book?!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Happy to hear that.

[@OUoht14l]

Thanks for being open on how exactly you were being compensated

[@happymystic9800]

This is one heck of a video 👏👏👏 … great use of the technology and stunning images. 😮 … I am loving it ❤ You have a new subscriber. Keep this great stuff coming. Cheers …

[@c.augustin]

A really good way of "reviewing" a lens - just using it and showing the results (with commentary). Interestingly enough, Hasselblad still uses the comma for the decimal separator, as used in Sweden and lots of other countries (I was surprised to learn that the list of countries using the comma is quite long, including all non-English speaking countries in Europe, and then some).

Metric system, centimeters, etc. - that means precision. I wish the English speaking world would finally change over to that system, too. I work a lot with measuring systems in my profession and every time I see inch or feet I feel like thrown back to the middle ages. Any child can calculate and measure 6mm / 60 = 0,1mm. Now try the same with inch (starting with a similar value): 1/4 inch / 60 = 1/240 inch Ok, and how do you measure that with a caliper or anything else? Or just see how 1 inch translates into 25,4mm. Millimeters are basically 25x more accurate than an inch. 1 m is 100cm and 1000mm and so on. 1 foot is 12 inch, which basically means you need to convert the unit not just by moving the "comma" around, but you have to calculate it... Inch are ok, when you are working with wood are any other material which doesn't require much precision, but working with steel, high precision devices etc..

[@c.augustin]

I'm with you in that, but I was just musing about the use of comma vs. point. As a German I'm more familiar with the metric system (I grew up with it ;-)), but I have to say that inch-based systems do have their use - like the DTP (Adobe) point being 1/72 of an inch, and using pixel per inch (ppi) for image resolution plays very nicely with that one. I even prefer the rougher inch sizes for displays. The imperial system (and the US customary units) becomes funny the moment area, volume, mass and weight come into play …

[@interestings7866]

Love locations like this, just make you think about who lived there

[@dmay1100]

Hey Kyle; The Hassi is a beautiful camera, and the lenses are stunning. I sadly will not have the opportunity to play with such a camera any time soon. LOL I will say I am jealous of the availability of so much beauty so close. I love the pano crop on my GFX (the same as the Hassi) it is so fantastic to be able to compose in the "x-pan" crop with a digital camera and come away with so many stunning images. I have been drawn so much to the pano image for so many years I wish I had explored it so many years ago, it is so nice to be able to shoot and see in the pano "way" (sounds pregnant LOL). Love this video, very inspirational and I love the car, (I think it was an Austin 7 one of my favourite British cars) my other expensive passion. LOL

[@KyleMcDougall]

The GFX is an amazing camera as well, and nice that it also has the XPAN crop. Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@rad_cheed]

Striking to see these beautiful locations seemingly devoid of people.

[@altrujillo3566]

Love that focal length, love that camera!

[@BelowZero]

I still have that 21mm Distagon and I know what you're referring to. Btw, xpan mode is simply stunning...as always, great video.

[@johnandrew1680]

As always nice and clean

[@KyleMcDougall]

🙏

[@kilohotel6750]

I'd really like to get the X2D or 907x with 55 and 90 2.5 but what would be a second system for me it's a big price to pay. I wouldn't need the flash speed the leaf shutter lenses provide so I'm not sure it's worth it but I just love the design of their bodies and lenses.

[@pyair7]

when Hasselblad calls you... you say yes ! I would have said yes too😆 nice work!

[@kyleweir1590]

Really enjoyed this, incredible work as always and loving your channel. You seem like a genuinely really nice guy too. I love cropping to 24x65 with my photography too, really enjoy the panoramic, cinematic feel. Wales is beautiful. Have you ever ventured up to the North West of Scotland? Absolutely incredible scenery up here.

[@KyleMcDougall]

I've been meaning to get up to Scotland ever since I moved to the UK, but Wales has been keeping me busy. Going to get up there soon!

[@carbonejack]

An awesome find is that mansion. Wonder what it looked like back in the day. Incredible images. Anyone there but you?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Actually bumped in to a couple people out there. I think it's a popular spot. Pretty wild!

[@HeathHolden]

I have the XCD21 and it’s a damn stunning lens, a bit wider than this 25V but it’s so beautiful.

[@ShawnPBruce]

I use the X-Pan crop in my S1R all the time. It’s my favorite. Maybe Fuji will give us a digital X-Pan?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Just realised my S5IIX has it as well. Will definitely be shooting it with that camera. And yeah, I would buy a digital XPAN in a second. Would be amazing.

[@cnicolo]

Really beautiful one. Thank you for sharing it. I hope you had time for some film photography too.

[@KyleMcDougall]

No film photography on this trip. Next one!

[@Ragdolled]

That lighthouse image is incredible. My mind KNOWS you could probably get the same image on GFX or even a crop sensor camera but boy.... what I wouldn't give to use the Hasselblad once.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you. 🙏

[@MichaelWheeler-k9q]

Great video offering a great insight into your work. Would also be interested to know what tripod you used? Keep up the great work 👍

[@Topsyrm]

Hooked on Panos then Kyle? I have used that 65x24 aspect ratio with my Fuji GFX 50S first with the 23mm Prime now with the 20-35 Zoom and I love it, I actively go out to just shoot that aspect ratio often.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Definitely getting hooked on it. Something I never really thought to use before. I could see how the 20-35 would be a great pair with it.

[@escho14]

5:12 what kind of tree is that in the background? Does Wales have redwoods?

[@ahmeddaghriri4180]

So beautiful video 👍

[@MakersTeleMark]

That must be nice getting out of the box with a little gift from Bladamir.

[@michaelbennettphoto]

Haha a lot of controversy in the comments! This was an excellent video with amazing photos. Your images are always very inspiring to me. They feel so simple but at the same time, so impactful. Cheers Kyle!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you, Michael.

[@ethanlowryphotography]

Epic work dude. Don’t listen to the ratbags that are sore about you getting some epic gear in exchange for making some beautiful content. Keep up the good stuff.

[@craigwilson1604]

Ive just been to the same places on anglesey its a beautiful place 😊

[@KyleMcDougall]

Truly a beautiful place!

[@michaelanderberg]

Great review, thank you!

[@patrikfager7796]

Amazing video!! Thank you!

[@calvinchann1996]

As a recent X2D owner, and noting how alarmingly quickly the battery meter runs down, I’d like to ask you how many batteries were you getting through daily on a trip like this. Presumably charging overnight. I also really enjoy XPan mode.

[@bradl2636]

I'd like to know battery life too.

[@KyleMcDougall]

I only had one battery for the camera, and I did have to charge it throughout the day. I'd usually plug it into a USB battery pack when driving between locations.

[@bradl2636]

@@KyleMcDougall How many charged batteries would you recommend for (say) 12 hours out walking doing street photography? Rough guess.. 3-4 maybe? I know it depends upon exposures. 1000 shots in a day is not unheard of from me.

[@dr.matthiasennenbach3409]

Hello and thank you very much for the helpful lens introduction. Would you help with a question? I use the XCD 21mm for astro and I'm thinking about switching to the 25mm V because of the larger aperture. Does it make sense? Or should the 25mm always be dimmed down a bit, for example to avoid coma? Thanks in advance. Best regards. Matthias

[@thebendu33]

Dude, I think those pictures were some of your best.

[@KyleMcDougall]

🙏

[@MilmidStudios]

Inspiring video! Thanks 🙌👌🏽🎯📸💯

[@tudorevans9306]

Just to reassure you i've already started the process of getting you a Welsh passport. 😀

[@SeeMick1]

Lovely images

[@yellowwducky]

Are you using an ND filter to get those long exposures - my lens will only go to f16 but even if I put on a 4 stop ND I am way blown out in 30 seconds let alone a minute and a half.

[@thisaccountisforschool-_-]

What filters do you recommend with this lens for landscape without vignetting? :)

[@julien.2573]

Amazing locations and pictures! I'm curious, what would be the equivalent of this lens on a full frame sensor?

[@pedrova8058]

almost 20mm (0.79 crop factor)

[@botant500]

First off, thanks for all the great videos. Question: I noticed you had a filter (UV?) on the lens at one point. Is any image degradation caused by a filter (even a good one) more noticeable with a 100MP sensor?

[@KyleMcDougall]

That was a polariser that I used here and there. I didn't notice any degradation to the images, other than it not being super clean at times. It is an expensive BW filter though. I'd definitely stick to the more premium filters with high megapixel cameras/quality lenses.

[@botant500]

@@KyleMcDougall B+W all the way. Thanks for the reply!

[@ChrisW.Fuji_Canon]

wonderful Video

[@HaroldLeewis]

Awesome review, how does the 25v compare to the 28p?

[@KyleMcDougall]

I've never used the 28P

[@zamanamilkshop]

does 25 v works in daylight as well?

[@marcusnz232]

Lovely work. I’m in the process of changing to this system. I’ve sold my Leica gear and now I’m trying to decide which V lens to start with. Probably 38 or 55 but I can’t decide. Any thoughts?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Honestly, that's a tough decision. I thought the 38 would be a bit too wide for me, as I usually shoot around 45, but I really enjoyed it. I shot with it for the X2D review I did last year on this channel. I'd love both, but I'd probably start with the 38.

[@marcusnz232]

@@KyleMcDougall Thanks. You’re right - it’s a tougher choice for me as I typically shoot 35mm on full frame. Yet there’s no XCD V series lens in 35 equivalent. It’s either slightly wider with the 38 or slightly longer with the 55. Given that 35 is a very popular choice I’m surprised they didn’t do it. Yet. Liking your videos. Made extra interesting by a (guessing) Canadian travelling my home country even though I moved to New Zealand.

[@marcusnz232]

I went with 55V. Next up is either 25 or 90 but can’t decide which!

[@ahmeddaghriri4180]

Hi. Can I ask you about the tripod you used ? What is it?

[@MrCodyswanson]

It looks like a Gitzo Systematic, great tripods that will last a lifetime.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Yep, it's a Gitzo 4 series with a Markins Q10 head.

[@ahmeddaghriri4180]

@@KyleMcDougall thank you so much .

[@mytommy]

what month did u do the trip there

[@joãoAlberto-k9x]

HASSELBLAD. THE BEST OF THE WORLD.❤.

[@dsv]

eeeh, Hasselblad is not smth I will be getting any time soon, but interesting to see your images at least ....

[@raman5329]

How the hell did you manage to get the 25V? I've waited 10 month for the 90, and have not much hope for the 25V...

[@myanther8439]

incredible :)

[@chriseyrewalker]

beautiful photography!

[@Dude-td3kt]

Great 👍🏻

[@Phantom_gtx]

Anglesey where Lemmy is from

[@frogpickle]

Hasselblad once again pushing out these reviews with influencers but yet fail to deliver their pre-existing lens to their customer in a timely manner. I still cant believe I waited half a year just to get the 90V. Love the review, but I just needed to get this out of my chest. It is almost like Hasselblad value their influencers more than their actual customers.

[@neerajnongmaithem392]

Man if you got the money to buy a hasselblad then you definitely got the money to make a channel or show your work on insta, get lot of engagement and viola your stuff will start getting delivered on time

[@frogpickle]

@@neerajnongmaithem392 I never thought about that but that’s a great idea. Thanks for that. Maybe I should indeed start my own channel with these Hassy content.🙌🏻

[@ralphgeronilla]

Definitely done with pre-ordering stuff a couple years ago. Some products come as Betas

[@gonzotravelling]

​@@ralphgeronillayeah the X1D for example 😂. Still love mine despite the quirks, and cost me a quarter of the original price. I thought things might improve when DJI swooped in!

[@tylerfukuda]

One word-Marketing.

[@stevef2114]

wow you were given this camera?!?! At least we now know what your charge rate is lol lol Umm a little unfair if like a few people hear have said they have been waiting for a long while to get theirs, nothing on you though Kyle... Hassy need to be delivering to their customers. I noticed you shot at f16 for a few of these.... not sure if thats an ideal f stop for this lens... maybe f11 max. Did you notice diffraction? Did you focus stack any? Did you use the inbuilt focus stacking? Seems most lenses these days for Digital medium format you are looking at f8-f11 for max sharpness for most with a few being less around f5.6. Im not sure how that stacks up with older MF lenses? Having a GFX myself now ive noticed just how you have to work around this quite a bit.. it never bothered me in the past with film MF.. but such is how Digital MF works.. you have to. Doing landscape, ive never used hyperfocal distance, and using LF cameras ive always been able to shift the plane of focus. No way can i afford Fuji's T/s lenses... and having started just using this camera, I cant afford more lenses right now, so focus stacking is a way to get around it, but its not ideal. I hired a 23mm lens for a trip recently, and noticed even on that, that what the dof chart may say didnt stack up to real world use, and still had to focus stack. Some images I could use f14 but no more and found that was ok, but at f8 the lenses are incredible, but useless for many landscapes. How did you find the tonality and colour compared to Fuji ?

[@KyleMcDougall]

As mentioned in the video, I typically charge for production for videos like this. This time, the camera/lens will fund that instead. There's a lot that goes into making something like this. As for the delivery, honestly something that I wasn't really aware of until these comments. I can understand how it would be frustrating. As for the chosen fstops, some of that is due to the nature of making a video while shooting photos, and just balancing time/mind-basically rushing at times. F8/F11 likely would have been a better option, with focus stacking if need be. As for the tone/colour-in the end both camera systems are incredibly capable, but as I've said before in other videos, I really enjoy the simplicity of the Hasselblad and the fact that you just have the one colour profile.

[@mattbrown8139]

Dang, so they gave you nearly $12k in gear just to do this? Don't get me wrong, I love your content and you've been an inspiration for me. You're very good at what you do. Just blows my mind, especially when you consider subscriber count and you don't exactly get millions of views on a video. Which, by the way, is so interesting. You're quite likely one of, if not the best photography KZbinrs. But hey, keep hustling! Love your videos and so very much would love this kit! One of these years lol.

[@BrandonTalbot]

You don't need millions of views to sell more than $12K worth of products. And Hasselblad knows that.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Hey Matt, IMO, there's more to it than just sub count and views. Also, for me, I come from a video production background-that was my business for years-so there's a lot involved with doing 'just this', when you factor in pre-production, shooting, editing, travel, expenses, gear, insurance, etc etc etc. It adds up, and has to make sense for me so that YT can be a sustainable thing.

[@BrandonTalbot]

I don't know why so many of you are dumbfounded that Hasselblad would give him the gear in exchange for the video. If Kyle can move more than 12K worth of gear (retail, not what it cost them) than it makes good business sense. Considering this video will live on his channel indefinitely the likelyhood is definitely there. He's probably going to sell 10x that amount. He's also probably going to continue to make content with the camera - so more videos, more exposure, more sales. There's ZERO issues with this. Get off your moral high horse.

[@lordmonkey3285]

Hey, anyone in the UK 🇬🇧 knows where I could give away a pack of 120 film roles? It's been satt crazy n my freezer for a couple of years since my film camera got lost 😞 they are very likely past date but probably stuff useful

[@LA.Black.]

I just came back to read the comments

[@RandyPollock]

Zero interest in the system, I'll come back next video.