The X1D Has Me Thinking, Episode 1: For What?

[@captainianr]

I don’t care what you talk about. I just enjoy listening...

[@3BMEP]

Thanks, Ian. My father's genes...

[@alanplatt888]

Wow great video !! 2023 I just bought one with a 45mm f3.5. I have an X-T5 and a Leica M10. The X1D is flawed but utterly amazing !!!!

[@3BMEP]

Enjoy!

[@alanplatt888]

@@3BMEP Loving your channel ! Obviously the X1D was of particular interest. X1D 50Mp sensor amazing, Build quality outstanding, software, I'll work around it. Thanks again !

[@RickMentore]

Your dramatic narrative is refreshingly entertaining. I am intrigued to to find out if you still consider consider the Sony A7RIII MF camera of the year after analyzing the X1D.

[@3BMEP]

Thank you - and stay tuned!

[@lucasdallecrode6376]

Greetings from Argentina. I think that when we talk about hasselblad or leica we should not enter into comparisons with sony or any other brand. It is a different market and a different object of desire. Perhaps the feeling of having it in your hand is greater than the resulting image. For me, hasselblad or leica sl are an impossible dream, but they are very inspiring and romantic. They are Ferraris against Audi or BMW, there are no possible comparisons for me. Greetings and thanks for these interesting videos.

[@3BMEP]

I'm trying, but it's not easy. Stay tuned. Thanks for joining the conversation!

[@lucasdallecrode6376]

Of course!!!! 😉

[@TwoBitDaVinci]

[CHRIS] Hugh, I enjoyed this very much and I’m looking forward to more videos in this series and would love for you to share your photo samples along the way.

[@3BMEP]

You know I will. Those Ferrari images were the first shots across the bow, Chris.

[@JJ-ew9lq]

Excellent analysis. I think the key for Hasselblad will be a clear vision of where they want to go and what the market will support. With effective technology but simple features they could make great inroads into the consumer market. Great photos can take your breath away, but I'm not interested in becoming a computer geek.

[@3BMEP]

Stay tuned! 907x first look coming shortly!

[@JJ-ew9lq]

Wow, very interesting!

[@JJ-ew9lq]

@@3BMEP Well, I've jumped in and bought a used X1D 50C. The adventure begins!

[@3BMEP]

Enjoy!

[@dunnymonster]

Medium format is likely to be the full frame of the future. Sadly I don't think Hassleblad will be leading that race despite their legacy in the field of medium format. That said, with the backing of the hugely successful DJI behind them, financially their future could certainly be more secure. Their biggest hurdle will be Fujifilm 😋

[@3BMEP]

I'm wondering about this. I wonder if at some point DJI will choose to take on Sony's sensor division...

[@dunnymonster]

Three Blind Men and An Elephant Productions Highly unlikely, Sony have a near monopoly regards sensor development and manufacturing. DJI at best would have to acquire an established sensor manufacturing division from elsewhere and pour serious money into it. Maybe they could lighten Canon's load and buy their sensor division, doesn't seem like Canon are doing a great deal with it these days anyway 😉

[@vicibox]

I cant see Fuji seriously denting Hassleblads market share;people with a history of buying Hassies will carry on doing so; ditto Leica S users. No I think the impact of Fuji will be to destroy the full frame market in things like weddings and commercial. Thinking back to the 70s you couldnt sell work in 35mm in those fields, it polarised into 35mm photojournalism and enthusiast; working commercial and wedding medium format. Really the pressure came from the customers. I remember at work nobody would use a 35mm camera it was either the Hasselblad for quick work or large format for commercial and promotion photos. All that has made full frame attractive has been lack of cheap medium format sensors. Well now they have been developed. I think photography will now repolarise into APS/MFT and Medium Format. Despite the success of Sony and CaNikon in full frame I think this will be short lived until peer pressure starts working. Customers will expect and that always overrides photographer desire. Bailey famously shot on 35mm film and delivered the work on cut film, so those days are returning I think ;-)

[@CymruRJW]

My God, I wish I was half as eloquent as you are. Wonderfull !

[@3BMEP]

🙏🏻😊

[@rbruce63]

This is poetry!

[@ulrichgurzinski3484]

Thank you for this - excellent as always. But in addition: It has some spectacular music in the introduction. What is it? Even Shazam does not know it. Please tell me! Thank you.

[@danieldougan269]

Digital is a wonderful democratizing force in photography and videography. It's not just about price or speed. (Simply not having to develop film and being able to see your image immediately is a huge advancement.) It's about size too. My Micro Four Thirds gear can do things that, in the not-too-distant past, could not even be achieved by 35mm gear. Likewise, recent full-frame cameras are usurping medium format. I've been reading John Shaw's "Nature Photography Field Guide," and I am struck by how many tasks I just don't have to do today that he had to do back in the '90s with his Nikon F5. Now, with the electronic viewfinder on my Olympus OM-D E-M1, I can see my exposure before I snap the image. And, if I get it wrong? So what. I can bracket it and find a good image without having to waste film. And I know right away. I remember shooting film when I was first learning. My first serious camera was a Pentax ZX-50 purchased by my parents in 1998 for my 19th birthday. That was a tremendous pain compared to digital, and that was about as modern a film SLR as there was. But, man, when I got my hands on a Nikon D1 just a few years later in 2002, it was over for me with film. And the EVF on my OM-D E-M1 makes things easier still than a DSLR. May the progress continue until we all have a Hasselblad in our pockets...and beyond.

[@3BMEP]

Daniel Dougan Outstanding - spot on!

[@AgnostosGnostos]

Bigger image sensors and brighter sharper lenses are always welcomed by photographers.

[@diordrama]

Man, you should do audiobooks or animation voices and narration etc. Such a great voice!

[@3BMEP]

Thanks - my dad would be proud. :)

[@duodua4130]

Excellent videos sir.

[@TripleFork]

Are there camera's that doesn't make you thinking?

[@3BMEP]

Sure. I just tend not to review them. :)

[@longrider9551]

Hugh I am beginning to feel insecure about these "THINKING" shorts you always make, it makes me feel you know something I don't LOLOL, luv it!!!!

[@3BMEP]

Hah! I feel insecure myself!

[@frenchcoupon3391]

Just one question- the price?

[@3BMEP]

bhpho.to/2rnxyyS

[@frenchcoupon3391]

Three Blind Men and An Elephant Productions wow, it is expensive. I hope it’s worth it. Great video as always!

[@tankerbruja]

Please understand I mean this as a massive compliment because I would listen to him talk for hours, but your cadence and tone remind me a lot of Jeff Goldblum. Probably not the first time you've heard this.

[@3BMEP]

Notaku No, not the first time I’ve heard this. :) But no worries - I’m flattered!

[@JonPais]

That Sigma 30mm looks so nice and crispy, Hugh!

[@3BMEP]

I know you like it too, Jon. Incredible bargain!

[@robstammers7149]

Smooth as silk, as usual Jeff, ooh I meant Hugh! Your voice is a little richer than Mr. Goldblum's. If I close my eyes how ever... Still think you'd make a great (American) Bond though!

[@3BMEP]

😎

[@highacutance]

Given that so much of photo sharing/viewing is on the web, this camera is for those who really are going to make large prints as their primary output.

[@3BMEP]

Yes - and no: the cover of Vogue is now 9" x 10 7/8".

[@vicibox]

Hmmm interesting. I have been reflective this January. Getting back into digital photography after a lifetime of film has been painful. Well I still use my lovely old black Nikon FM2n and AF-D primes so imagined i needed a DSLR. Very bad mistake. Three years of pain followed; Dx & Fx hated them all. Nothing wrong with my D700, lovely images but, I would rather throw it in the lake rather than take photos of the ducks; its not me. I wont reopen the scars caused by the D7100 - shudder. Well for 2 years I have been using a Leica X113 and loved it so it wasnt a great hike to buy a used Leica T and adapters for my Voightlander & Nikkor primes; legacy glass sorted. Really this last year my system needs have been filled by a used Panasonic GX7 and some Olympus primes. So what do I really need for the future? On reflection I think the camera chooses the photographer. No point just buying high spec flagship cameras, you need a camera that becomes part of yourself. That I think was what was wrong with the DSLRs; they were just heavy blobs of plastic covered in buttons, they werent part of my self image or how I want to work. I love the Panasonic and the Leicas so I will be looking along this form factor for my new main camera this year; it needs to become an extention of myself. I am waiting for a camera to choose me and sprinkle its magic ;-)

[@3BMEP]

Vici Martynov Have you looked at the Panny GH5 and G9? Fuji XT-2?

[@vicibox]

Yes but they just remind me of the Nikon DSLRs that I just got rid of; especially the G9 with its LCD panel, I am still considering the GH5 even though i dont take video. What I think would be perfect would be a GX8MkII that is with a shockless shutter and the filter removed from the sensor. I am hoping such an upgrade will be introduced soon. I like the idea of Fuji but dont like retro; I love modern interfaces. I love the Leicas but they are too hair shirt with no stabilisation or home comforts. We will see what 2018 brings, I am happy for now just waiting for my perfect camera to appear, I am hardly without a camera while waiting ;-)

[@dezfoto7534]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, but man, you've got to ped down that camera, you look like you're falling out of the frame (too much head room).

[@OutlawFarmersRC]

When Is Sony going to use this Sensor in their own camera?

[@3BMEP]

I have no clue. But I'd guess the answer is: never. It is so much larger than their full frame sensor that it would require a new body. And if it requires a new body, I'd imagine they'd go to at least 100mp. But truly: I have no knowledge of such a camera whatsoever.

[@Zacthephotographer]

they wont, because they have newer sensors on the way that they'll use in their first medium format camera.

[@OutlawFarmersRC]

Did read somewhere about a 100mp and a 150mp Sensor med. coming from Sony but they may not be for consumer cameras. More use for industrial/Scientific research.

[@Zacthephotographer]

I think Sony have a load of sensors on the way. Phase One and Hasselblad are going to be screaming at them for new tech in the next 18 months. I see some real competition in the medium format market.

[@anthonyrock5039]

It may happen one day but it will then mean a new set of lenses, new body and prices beyond the current Sony full frame options.

[@thisislife9911]

way to loud intro music, the intro is more then fine but i like to listen to you without the need to bother over the volume control :).

[@w1nterblind]

"Even big, slow, heavy ungainly-as-hell cameras can inspire an appreciation of and work around limitations." I've taken photos on my Mamiya C220 that I would have never taken in quite the same way on digital, because I wouldn't have had to take the time to unpack it, set it up, set up the tripod, find the best composition, possibly had to manually correct for parallax error, take several exposures using a cable release and a timer, change rolls in -20C weather... Yeah, it's just a camera, but I think none of us do anything in life merely for the end result; the experience matters too. And there's just something about the experience of using classic cameras...

[@agylub]

Mark Przepiora I slipped out of the photo lab at lunch where I was working with my Mamiya C220 and shot a demolition site for the equipment owner. It paid for the camera with that shot and started a 45 year career that I am still in. Thanks for reminding me

[@videogamecousinssali9247]

Are you leaving Sony?

[@3BMEP]

Not at all! Just plopped down over a grand for their new and outstanding 24-105/4. But there are all kinds of cameras out there, and I'm committed to exploring them in 2018. :)

[@chirag4]

Sir Hugh, do you see any Dark Corners (literally Black, much more pronounced than Vignetting) in Images shot with 24-105/4G ? Kia Wong had reported that in his video a few months ago. Thanks.

[@3BMEP]

Chirag Parikh We saw none when we used it with our a6300 - but then it’s a crop sensor body. Ours just arrived, but we don’t have a full frame body to see if we can replicate the issue.

[@chirag4]

thanks, by chance if you happen to use it on someone's fullframe body, do let me know. Cheeeeers