Hasselblad XCD 28p long term review of the new 28mm on X2D and X1D mark ii

In this review I make an in depth long term review the new 28mm f4 lens from Hasselblad, the 28p f4.
Three months ago I made a first impressions video of this lens, but now I have shot it extensively over the past months, and have got a good understanding of what this lens is capable of.
And I must say, it has definitely not disappointed. Initially, I loved it for its compact size and low weight, but having shot thousands of images with it I now know, that the optical performance of this lens is superb. It really delivers bang for the buck, remember that this is one of the cheaper lenses in the Hasselblad line-up, if anything here can be called cheap.
I will combine it with my 45p f4 lens, and when it arrives the 90V f2.5 lens, that I bought and payed on launch day in september 2022, but still haven't received, please @HasselbladAS give me this lens soon :-)
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[@NK-vs3tv]

Thanks for this review. I especially loved that you dedicated a lot of time showing actual photos you took.

[@key2adventure959]

Thanks for your comment. I find that the images are an important part of a review. Glad you liked that 😀

[@chrisbogart687]

I love using this lens with the X-Pan crop - just made for each other. I have gone to a completely XCD P series set of lenses in my kit bag. The 28P, 45P and the new 75P. They fill all my photograph needs without sacrificing quality. The V series is nice to have, but these lenses being lighter and smaller makes more sense for me. Hasselblad has really helped us budget conscious photographers out by introducing these lenses.

[@key2adventure]

Yes it is a nice set of lenses. I invested in the 90V when it was released, received it a year later, and will stick to that one. It is the sharpest lens I have ever owned, maybe the sharpest on the market, and the weight isn't much higher than the 75P. But if I invested today, I would definitely save some money and do like you.

[@chrisbogart687]

@@key2adventure I have watched your video on the 90V and it is gorgeous. I had to go with my budget. But, I think you hit on something with the new V lenses and with the new P lenses they feel like a Gen II compared to the old XCD lenses. Definitely Hasselblad learned a few things and implemented them with these next Gen lenses. Enjoy.

[@davesmart3051]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have this lens too, alongside the XCD 2,5/55V, XCD 2,5/38V, and XCD 2,5/90V. I use them all on my X2D 100C. My personal experience with this lens is as follows: I love all my lenses, but I used to think until recently that the 28P was not as sharp as its three sisters in low light. I have been proven wrong though - I took a trip to Finnish Lapland last month and used the 28P to do nighttime photography whilst chasing the northern lights. First off, the camera and all the lenses functioned flawlessly at -30ºC (though naturally the metal really sticks to your skin when it's so cold, if you touch it without gloves - ouch!); secondly, the image quality yielded by the 28P was superb, certainly on a par with the other three lenses. In my experience, the XCD 2,5/55V, XCD 2,5/38V, and XCD 2,5/90V produce better image quality and sharpness than the XCD 4/28P only under scarce and low quality artificial lighting. In good quality light (whether artificial or natural) and at nighttime, it performs as beautifully as the other three lenses I have mentioned. I mostly shoot landscapes, so I'll normally get more visible detail using the 90mm rather than the 28mm, but mostly for reasons of focal length. Perhaps the 90mm is ever so slightly sharper than any other lens, but it's a subtle difference.

[@key2adventure]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree that the 90mm probably is a tad sharper than the other lenses, but all are amazing lenses, and I am also fully satisfied with the 28p.

[@EricGibaud]

Hello. Thank you very much for this review. Regards!

[@malcolmmacgregor6222]

A very interesting review of the new 28mm lens and am intrigued by the resolution at f4. Once the 90mm v lens arrives, which should be soon, then the X2D with 28,38, 55 and 90 will be the perfect landscape and travel set up. Better than anything else on the market. And very portable. Those 4 lenses mirror my large format lenses I used 15 years ago. At last Hasselblad is coming good. With the latest firmware update, most of the criticism of the X2D will no longer be relevant. Many thanks for this review.

[@key2adventure]

Thanks for your comment. I agree so much to your comment, Hasselblad really nails it with those lenses and the awesome X2D. Though, I have also been happy with the H series of cameras, even when I had to wait for a generation or two before I could afford them. I still have a H3D-39 which I use both with film and digital backs once in a while. But there is just so much more you can do with this relatively compact and lightweight setup.

[@andreasstolten9179]

Flaring would also be a nice aspect to look into. I liked a moderately low price of lens. I liked the photos of the swollen river the flooed islands. I enjoy your videos very much.

[@key2adventure]

Thanks for your comment, and I am glad you like my videos. Definitely, I should look into flaring as well.

[@cameraprepper7938]

If I choose to get a X2D, I will choose the same 3 Lenses as you, 28mm, 45mm and 90mm, I think those 3 Lenses will make the most versatility for that format. A 90mm 4.0 P Lens would be very nice ! I hope Hasselblad will listen to the critics and make a joystick and an EVF with higher resolution on their next model.

[@key2adventure]

Thanks for your comment. Agree that a joystick would be nice, although I like the touchscreen for most purposes. I don't think I would need a higher resolution EVF, but then again I am used to my X1D mark ii with a much lower resolution.

[@noeyesee9517]

Great video and sharing, thank you ! I am considering XCD 21mm or 28p, may you please share your opinion between these two lens thank you ^_^

[@key2adventure]

Thanks for your comment. First of all I think there is a substantial difference in the focal length, and thus the angle of view (search on google for "angle of view 17 mm lens", which is the corresponding focal length of the 21 mm on a FF camera - there are diagrams showing the massive difference in angle of view), thus the first to think about is, what you actually need in terms of field coverage. After that you can think about all the other differences, 21 mm being much larger and heavier than the 28p lens, and the slightly updated design of the 28 mm that also implies faster aufofocus. On large strength of the older 21 mm is less vignetting despite its much larger angle of view. With regard to sharpness I believe them to be very close. By the way, I have reviewed the 21 mm here on youtube, my review is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2ivcmCqg511nM0 But I haven't tested these two lenses side by side, as I only own the 28p, the 21 mm was lent to me by a kind youtube follower. As you see there are lots of things to consider when choosing either 21 or 28 mm lens. Hope you can decide - and don't have to buy both 🙂

[@patrickmolloy6994]

very nice video. As I have the XCD 21/4 and also the XCD 36V O don't see this lens in my bag. I am waiting still for the 90V, although I wonder, as I have the 55V, if it is a lens I need. What do you think? I am really a "generalist"...amateur, and I do general walkabout, holiday, street, scenery, landscape stuff. Never got into portraits. I checked Holte on the maps. Beautiful place

[@key2adventure]

That's a difficult one to answer, as I love the 85-90mm focal length, but that might not apply to you and your use of the camera. Nevertheless, I would say that 90mm is a very important landscape and scenery lens, I would travel without it or some equivalent focal length, and that's where I think that it's a good addition to the 55. I find the jump from my 45mm to the 90 is actually a bit too much, and the gap between 55 and 90 is more OK. Thus, if I were you, I'd get the 90 for sure. But wow what a lens line-up you have and will have if you include th 90V.

[@sangliersepromene]

Hello, I follow you and appreciate your analyses. My question, is the 28 mm at the qualitative level of the 55 and 90 mm. I hesitate and it is not cheap. Regards.

[@key2adventure]

Thanks for following me. The 28p isn't at quite the level of the 55 and 90mm, but it also costs considerably less, about half the price of the two other. I still think it's good value for money, and I definitely like the images coming from this lens.

[@sangliersepromene]

@@key2adventure Thank you !

[@franciscoscaramanga2342]

I was hoping for a comparison of this lens on the X2D and X1D to see the difference in color cast on the sides. What is your conclusion on that?

[@key2adventure959]

Actually, I havent done that comparison on exactly this lens, but I think it is in line with my findings on my first X1D vs X2D comparison

[@franciscoscaramanga2342]

@@key2adventure959 From what I have seen on the 50mpx sensors the performance is truly poor. The color cast on each side is very difficult to correct.

[@teal.photos]

Have you noticed any problems with the 28P on the X1Dii ? Many people talk about purple tint at the sides of the frame.

[@key2adventure]

I haven't noticed anything like that. Peculiar, as one should think it would be on the more demanding X2D problems would show up first.

[@johnwatson4695]

No problems in any respect

[@ryanxu7561]

Nice veido,very helpful,Which one is better between 28 and 21 ？

[@key2adventure]

Thanks. Depends on your needs, but if we talk about image quality, I do believe the 21mm has an edge over the 28mm, though not by much.

[@johnwatson4695]

Thanks for making effort to show the qualities of this lens, however, wouldn't it be more appropriate to resolve the video in at least 4K, since you are showing photos that try to represent the image quality. I'm looking at slightly blurry images from a medium format camera. I already have the camera and lens, so I'm ok but not everyone has. Yes, I found that the aperture of f4 is the sharpest from any other aperture, especially in the middle of the frame. I agree, F8 still very sharp right to the edges with a little bit of extra sharpening to equal F4. So all round a great lens. Incidentally, loved Sweden. It's been 20 years though.

[@key2adventure]

Unfortunately, I don't have equipment to do 4k. Maybe in the future.

[@Sagredo57]

Hola. He probado dos objetivos 28P y ambos me han dado un problema de viñeteo importante y lo peor es una fuerte coloración magenta más patente en la parte derecha de la imagen, puedo aportar fotos. El resultado no es admisible