Which Camera Reigns Supreme? Hasselblad X2D or Fujifilm GFX100S

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In this video I wanted to see how two of the best medium format cameras in the world perform 'head to head' in a real life landscape photography shoot.
In order to make life much harder for myself I decided to drive 2000 miles to one of the most beautiful locations in New York. With crazies on the highway and the madness of summer crowds, this wasn't easy.
My lofty goal was to capture some 'book-worthy' images while putting both of these cameras through their paces in a typical shooting scenario but perhaps my expectations were a little unrealistic for the busiest time of the year.
Obviously these are both brilliant cameras but I was surprised to see some major differences in both the colour rendering and the performance of the image stabilization. This might just mean the end of tripods for waterfall photography.
With 200 megapixels at my disposal, I photograph one of the most spectacular scenes I've ever witnessed and you can share it with me right here in this video.
Crossing the US border is always a nerve-wracking experience and with no hotel booking we're going to need somewhere safe to park the camper, but where?
My first task was to collect the Fujifilm GFX100S that I'd rented and then get it configured for battle against the Hasselblad X2D. Luckily, Amanda was ready to carry the heavy load in her camera bag.
Hobbling up and down the stone stairs of the trail was agonizing for my bludgeoned leg but a true artist suffers for his art.
Will the GFX100s retain it's former glory or is there a new king in town?
There's really only one way to find out.
VIDEO CHAPTERS:
🔘Intro: 0:00
🔘Canada to USA Road Trip: 0:59
🔘Walmart RV Camping: 2:12
🔘Fujifilm GFX100S Unboxing: 4:49
🔘Comparison Starts Here: 6:48
🔘Image Stabilization Test: 12:00
🔘JPG Comparison SOOC: 16:15
🔘Magic Light Happens: 18:55
🔘Colour Rendering Comparison: 1: 20:17
🔘Colour Rendering Comparison: 2: 21:31
🔘Which Camera Would I Buy?: 22:00
Thanks for watching
Gavin Hardcastle - Fototripper
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Fujifilm GFX100s Camera: amzn.to/3NHSKXq
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#landscapephotography #fujifilm #hasselblad

[@fototripper]

Order My Book Here www.fototripper.com/chasing-awe-landscape-photography-book-gavin-hardcastle/

[@petertulner623]

What book? Landscape photography on location?

[@robvandenbergh545]

Gavin, still unbelievable to me that you have only 90k followers… your channel is one of THE best for photo beauty and a dapple of entertainment. As an Upstate NYer we are spoiled with having these amazing state parks just an hour away. If you have not been already, come back in the Fall and visit Letchworth… unbelievable colors.

[@gotminnam]

Totally agree

[@Globetrotter-1]

The nice thing when I was photographing for a book and magazine articles back during the 90's, was that it was often devoid of people. I'd hate to visit it again today...because the crowds would certainly kill the magic for me.

[@fototripper]

Absolutely.

[@fototripper]

Thank you.

[@stephenschmid492]

The color of the brick wall in the zoomed in comparison seemed natural in the GFX image, but a greenish cast in the X2D. I was surprised you didn't comment on that, Gavin.

[@yangwang6818]

Wow. Fuji color science is already top top tier. But man, Hasselblad color is unbeatable.

[@danielschmaderer]

The shenanigans are why I’m here, on top of the comparison.

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

I skipped! No shenanigans for me.

[@silvere36]

I almost bought the Hasselblad. The colors are one thing, the interface, and leaf shutter is the main draw. Portrait shooters will appreciate the leaf shutter and colors. Forget the video function and just get a separate video camera! People say that you can just adjust the colors, but it is time wasted (and that's money). The Fuji colors have a red tint that's similar to Canon. The X2D has beautiful natural tones and gradation.

[@jeffreyb.1657]

Have tried both. The x2d gets better images in my hands -bought the x2d. It is also nicer to hold by a lot.

[@rolandrickphotography]

The Hasselblad Natural Colour Solution - HNCS - is unbeaten. Nothing else can compete with that.

[@FrancescoCarucci]

For anything photograpy, the X2D reigns supreme. The color science is outstanding.

[@tintin69rr]

Wow that 1st fall is stunning

[@uncertainrelease]

there is two pretty significant differences between the X2D and the GFX 100S first one is the type of shutter used. The X2D is using leaf shutters inside the lens, making it a lot quieter and stable compared to the GFX 100S that uses a focal plane shutter. I don't know how well dampened the GFX's shutter is, but focal plane shutters introduce a lot more movement in the camera than leaf shutters, and with 102MP sensors, even with IBIS units, the slightest movement might be the thing tipping the edge between sharp and blurry. I don't think it has to do with the ISO, but the shutter type. Second difference is the lenses you can put on the camera. Hasselblad needs to put a leaf shutter inside each of their lenses, which is definitely adding cost and/or reliability issues since there is more moving parts in each lens. Fujifilm went the simple way, their lenses are just lenses, and the shutter is in the camera, reducing the cost, making them simpler without compromising image quality. The GFX lenses are also more numerous and versatile compared to the Hasselblad system, with access to good primes, but also good zooms. So looking at both of these cameras, the X2D really falls into the "luxury" camera category, like Leica does: it's special (Leica does rangefinder, Hasselblad does leaf shutters), it achieves very good image quality and some people claim that they have the best color science of all cameras, so far it seems to be the case for both brands. But for both brands as well, there is a cheaper camera with the same sensor, very close image quality and much more pragmatic approach (Sony for Leica, Fuji GFX for Hasselblad) Fujifilm might have little worse colors compared to the X2D, but their more fleshed out lens ecosystem, more affordable cameras, access to pretty good quality video in the 100S makes it a no brainer for a lot of people, just like the color science, superior stability and/or super fast flash sync speeds will make the X2D a no brainer for other people Two excellent cameras at the top of the food chain.

[@villageblunder4787]

Nice comparison.

[@teemukustila]

Came to look for this. Leaf shutter is the difference for this handheld shots. I already witnessed this with GFX50S vs X1D (1st generation). X1D was remarkably more handheld friendly due to less vibration from the leaf shutter. That said, I would still pick GFX00S over X2D. Just something which makes me think Fujifilm’s future is more financially secure compared to Hasselblad now owned by the Chinese….

[@richarddenise3886]

This video gets better every time it is replayed! Just superb!

[@thomasphillips5850]

Thanks great video all the way around. The X2D has been on my list for quite some time. The colors are incredible, and the imagestabilaztion is unbelievable , the menu as well. Overall if someone didn't fall in love with that camera I would be very suspicious. Thanks again great video.

[@user-id4xf5mk5c]

I am looking at both cameras for boudoir “style” photos. Lots of lower and natural light moody but all handheld. Probably with Hassy would use the 80/1.9 a lot. Already have a Lumix S5 that I can use for video and would be ok with just straight photo camera. Any thoughts on which direction to go?

[@rolandrick]

A finally another Fototripper video, yeah. Was missing them!

[@SV_Photo531]

I am glad YT suggest your video. Did you have a chance to play around with the film simulations on the GFX? I am curious because I shoot in Velvia on my XT4 most of the time for the vibrant colors sooc. Subscribed 🤙🏼

[@mawavoy]

Stunning images of a beautiful place. Thanks for the camera reviews. The location deserves best!

[@blp9724]

Outstanding! Thank you

[@dozentdr.georghuemermscmba2917]

Hey! Great Video - thank you so much for it! May I ask which camera you used for the Video footage? Thanks a lot in advance for your answer! All the best from Ausria, G Huemer

[@ChrisSloanes]

Honestly, this channel is the only KZbin channel that has me and the wife both absolutely buckled laughing. Only found it relatively recently and we both sit and binge it. Last night we found the outtakes videos and I was up late watching them… so much so that I had 38 minutes sleep and because of that I have a face like a bucket of angry frogs 😂😂 Thanks for not only the incredible photography but such a unique take on what is usually such a dry and humourless genre.

[@markelroy7774]

Another great one! Thanks for the comparison.

[@RichardJPhotog]

Good Stuff Gavin. I am a commercial portrait photographer, Not landscape, but have used both bodies more than once. What I found, particularly with skin tones in the Hassleblad really cranks up the luminance and hues in camera, hence the green shift on everything. I agree its more appealing in the greens of nature but on skin, its awful. worse than sony's red shift. Maybee the Hassy is the right tool for the job with landscapes? quite possibly but definately not portrait. It would be really interesting to see how it performs with critical WB in the snow...food for thought.

[@amermeleitor]

And what is your favorite camera body and lenses for portraits?

[@alandyer910]

Thank you for the comparison. That was great!

[@NikHem343]

Enjoyable video but in all honesty I find it largely misleading. In my opinion doing a comparison of color rendering with auto white balance on is completely useless. In every comparison there was a very noticable difference especially in tint and even exposure of the shots in some cases, which would make greens look totally different even if they had been done with the exact same camera. So while this was very calming to watch and I appreciate the "real life usage" approach, I think making the shots comparable in the first place by being technically correct is still in order.

[@MarkSandbach]

WOWZA what a location! love your videos, good fun and informative, thank you

[@HENGBUNG]

I love your content! Thanks for sharing.

[@peternickols2687]

Fantastic conditions Jon, it’s a true joy when it works out so well.

[@AlexMcDougallPhotography]

Two great cameras to get to use, but wow what a fantastic venue to be able to visit. Thanks

[@brendanwaites-cameraphoto4750]

Excellent video Gav, one of your best. I'd kill for that 'blad.

[@CapricornGirl9]

I’ve hiked there, it’s beautiful. Great photo’s!

[@alien6551]

Wow amazing waterfalls great video

[@cbphoto87]

This helped me pick the Hasselblad. Took it out to Bryce Canyon and Rocky Mountain NP the last couple of weeks and you weren’t lying about those colors. Incredible. I don’t even like processing my photos anymore because I don’t want to ruin these amazing Hasselblad files

[@davida5296]

Both cameras use the exact same Sony sensor. If there's a difference in the way the data from the sensor is processed, it can most likely be corrected in post. In terms of sharpness, it is the lens that really determines that (how exact the focus is, the lens elements and quality etc)

[@suatsekil]

how can I can which sensor they are using? ıs there any website?

[@BlazeFirereign]

@@suatsekil Both use the Sony IMX461AQR sensor.

[@mengzaa55]

Thank you for the nice review. I would like to see a review of color rendering by the same WB.

[@manofstylejamaica8755]

Wow what a beautiful scene!…. Words don’t do it any justice

[@LashahVideo]

The color comparison looked to be skewed. What FIlm Simulation did you use for the GFX100S? You are doing landscape, so you should have used the Velvia Simulation.

[@cristinahierrofontenla7820]

Thanks a lot from Spain! And by the way, where is this great location? How to go go there? Thanks a lot for your help

[@DavidoverSea]

Nice video I enjoyed it. Can I ask what is your normal vlog camera that that your using?

[@ianbell5254]

Great content Gavin and amazing cameras BUT OMG waterfall heaven I live in Northumberland and we have some amazing waterfalls but nothing like that outstanding defo a book image in there 👌👌

[@MSmith-Photography]

Some gorgeous scenery in that park. I'm quite jealous.

[@joeret2896]

Great idea in taking bear spray into Walmart. You can clear the check out line a lot faster! Nice! I must try that at my local Walmart. 😂😂😂😂

[@savagefrieze4675]

Amazed they let you both in the country!😂 great comparison. Really appreciate the observations and experience. I loved hassle film cameras and would love to own the x2d.

[@petesuchon7340]

Thanks for the video, Gavin.

[@bmuses6092]

Thank you for coming to NYS .. most people are unaware of the beautiful landscapes here ❤

[@LisaRSArt]

Great review. Thank you. ❤

[@spen007]

Informative & entertaining..... Thank you from a new fan in Rio de Janeiro, BR

[@timfarmer5535]

I love going to the Glen. And we every time I’ve been there I start at dawn to get shots without ppl.

[@navydave1]

Hey! You're finally in my home state! A good spot to check out next time you go through Maine is Baxter State Park. All kinds of scenic places.

[@kurts_aviation]

great comparison Gavin both awesome cameras like you say.

[@markfletcher6672]

What a location Gavin, love the images,

[@chillywilson]

yes I think higher iso effects image stabilization by giving more info to the sensor for tracking.

[@PaulB-gl1ix]

No video is a plus for me. Not to mention a super simplified menu. So ... I have the Hasselblad 907X CVF100C. The image quality is crazy good. 40 years of image making and I'm astounded by how advanced it has all become. Amazing.

[@NandishA]

Brilliant! Another great video . Your storytelling is as good as your photography. I loved the reverse motion clips, and the panoramic compositions.

[@ashvarma2486]

Very helpful video and review. Absolutely love the Hasselblad colours. Image stabilisation in X2D is a game changer. This scene had a relatively limited range of colours so I suspect the difference will be even greater in images with greater colour range. Thanks for sharing and a great location as well.

[@fredsobotincic1587]

Why would you be doing a side-by-side comparison and not use the same iso ,…and the same aperture setting ,…and same shutter speed in both cameras?

[@alanpinn2266]

Another great vlog Gavin! And what an epic location for the battle of the big guys! Hasselblad or GFX - I'd love to have either one. Of course I did see a sneak preview of a couple of shots while I was out with Chris while you were in New York - and new you'd love it there. Unfortunate about all the tourists! 😂 Hopefully your gimpy leg heels quickly and you can continue to frolick around Cape Breton! Cheers to you both. Keep up the good work!

[@JasonLorette]

What a location! That handheld X2D shot was pretty darn impressive at those settings for sure.

[@user-fb7xj2jh8j]

For this expenditure - a major question. How many years will DJI support the camera? Fuji? Spare parts & labour, eg a new screen 10 years from now...

[@dominiquepacini6679]

J'adore ce que vous faites... Et surtout vôtre humour.

[@jarekjayjay6183]

You finally came back in style... I miss the old place movies with old friends. Well you can't have everything.

[@jackhall4648]

Just started watching your videos very interesting and you are a natural for video,your from Yorkshire Iam from Derbyshire very similar when talking your in Canada Iam living in Thailand doing photography camera is Sony A7R1V same as yours looking to get the A7RV trying to convince myself it will be better

[@RickMentore]

I live in NYC and had no idea that such fantastic photo making opportunity was upstate. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@stevetqp9152]

Nice comparison and beautiful setting sir! One question please…Would you say that the Hasselblad lenses are generally sharper than the Fujinon lenses? I saw more detail in your X2D handheld long exposure, but obviously that could be due to factors other than pure lens sharpness/resolution. Thanks again!

[@PETERFRITZPHOTO]

Loved this one, Gavin! That waterfall is orgasmic. And that Hasselblad don’t ‘alf give me the ‘orn…

[@fotoinstruct6971]

The image stabilization difference is probably because "Blad is now owned by DJI, and who know more about stabilization. Back in the darkroom days we always referred to images from Hassy and Leica as having 'presence' . Don't overlook using Google Photo's when you want to edit JPEG images. It's surprisingly powerful. I use it in the field, downloading to my tablet, via camera wifi, to view the JPEG images quickly, occasionally sending an image to social media. It's much faster than using Lightroom, superior to seeing the images on the camera back, and the tablet takes no real space in the backpack.

[@xsaviangames2705]

Nice Video Gavin And Fantastic Shots, I Believe That The Best Camera Would Be The One That You'll Never Have To Go On Photoshop To Edit. Straight From The Camera To The Wall :)

[@davidpalermo4695]

I shoot black and white primarily so color is not too important to me. I bought the FujiFilm GFX 100 II. Much of my landscape work is shot at a lower angle and the tilt adapter is priceless to me! I also shoot portraits and eye/face detection is very nice to have. Finally when I do shoot color FujiFilm’s film simulations remind me of choosing different film stocks. They’re great starting points in post.

[@richarddenise3886]

Magnificent!

[@joehusband8479]

Oh my word, what a stunning location! The view back towards the staircase waterfall was beautiful. Very interesting comparison, I’m swaying towards the Hasselblad for image quality but got to be the Fuji if you need both photos and video. Looking good by the way Gavin, keep it up mate!

[@fototripper]

Many thanks!

[@pc1189]

The colors and handheld clarity with the Hasselblad are amazing I think that’s the “sexy” you felt. Almost had a meltdown when I saw where the test shoot was it’s my former back yard 🥰

[@uncle0eric]

Nice to see a location I recognize (used to visit there often).

[@LarryFasnacht]

What’s ailing your leg? I hope you recover quickly. Thanks for the video, I’ll never buy either one, but I love your videos.

[@erickdurick2119]

I hope you made it to Taughannock, Buttermilk and Letchworth while you were in the area, beutiful shots btw especially the drone in watkins!

[@alexSpunkt.]

Great video! Awesome location 😳

[@artistyvettemichele7250]

Thank You for this comparison video. It has helped me with a decision for my next camera

[@harveymanfrantinsingin7373]

It shouldn’t have…

[@lwmartin7]

Great video. My wife has this location written down on the side of our fridge of places to visit. Won't take us three days though as we'd be coming up from West Virginia. Great video! Can't wait to experience this area myself.

[@Everythings_a_Frame]

Hello, sorry if this has been asked before but how did you sort your sleeping issues from a few months ago? Be nice to know. Thanks

[@ookiemand]

I liked the GFX colours, it looked like they got a better white balance, which is hard to do in a forest. In my edit I would have the shadows have less green, and allow a bit more green in the midtones. Anyway it's hard to judge, but maybe it's time to poll your viewers, and offer a few edits on screen? I terns of camera choice, I think the without tripod X2d would allow you to explore new angles, which would result in different and new images. I'm sure you can find a way to make an interesting video without the internal video recording the GFX offers.

[@NeilArthurs]

Oh wow that Hasselblad really looks lovely!

[@rayspencer5025]

I know that park very well. I used to be a Naturalist for NYS Parks, and though that park was not in my region, I went to it many times.That whole area of NYS is very beautiful. I assume you wish to not name the park.

[@costelloandsilke7321]

From personal experience, the Hasselblad's images are much more filmic. However, one thing not mentioned in the review is that the Fujifilm's autofocus is vastly superior. Also, the price gap between the two systems increases massively if you need multiple focal lengths. But the Hassy is just such a beautiful thing to use the one that gets used the most.

[@kitminlee9169]

I think besides the camera body, you also need to consider if the lenses they make suit your shooting needs, also their price and for Hassy whether they have the items you want in stock. In some countries the waiting list for XCD lenses is a very long time. Buyers should spend time looking at the whole brand setup to ensure the lenses they have meets your requirements, e.g. some may like lightweight zooms but hassy has only 35-75, a beast of a lens in weight 1100g, while GFX 35-70 at 390g. And considerable price difference , yet both are probably optically acceptable to 90% of photographers here:) I believe X2D is a niche camera, good for landscapes or those who are not in a rush to complete the shoot, unlike us commercial photographers. I personally would prefer a D-pad or joystick on this camera, rather than using touch or horizontal/vertical scroll which gets confusing when changing orientation of the camera body.

[@jonathanherb3752]

That is one of the easiest borders to cross. I crossed there a couple months ago and the guy was chugging Dr. Pepper while asking me questions. It was fantastic.

[@PHARVR]

with the hasselblad it actually made everything more green, so much so that even the boulders and waterfall had a hint of green in them.

[@cliftonwhittaker260]

Glad you and Amanda are enjoying your business holiday in NY State. Also glad that I don't have to make your decision on which camera to buy. Pretty sure that you will choose the Fuji because of the video capability. Also sure that if you could find a workaround you would choose the Hassy. Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle of the page. List all the pros on one side and the negatives on the other. Then wrack your brain between the two until you decide. 😁 Forgot to say that Amanda looked great again, as usual.

[@johnfrania6014]

❤ your choice for location on that shoot. I was just there on June 24th and did have rain. Glad it's only a 3.5 hour drive for me.

[@Srini_Eyes]

Whats the name of this exact location. Would love to visit

[@norbertperka9231]

fuji files are a bit more magenta which is not difficult to correct raw file , I'm not expert so I don't know if that's just software or combination of Glass and software to render colours. Nice one👍

[@jasongold6751]

I landed in Boston and onwards to Bangor Maine. The bus departed and I was alone in USA! Like North by Northwest. My pals soon picked me up! Passport control! Looked at my Canadian passport. Officer said wait here and went to another room! He came back with a whole lot of folks to Welcome me back to Canada! Wow! I was many months near boundary. I crossed from St Stephen to States, to use library! Your test was/is perfect. Hasselblad always had great colours! I could never focus the 500v series!

[@filton12]

2:30 Taking bear spray into Walmart with you? Good idea, I'm going to do that from now on.

[@Swedish4rest]

I have recently started a youtube channel and I am looking for a camera, your explanation is great thank you and I have learned through your video, great tips 👍

[@stevebanks484]

Absolutely incredible location & well worth the long drive. As for the cameras, my initial thought was the colours looked a little unreal (almost over-saturated?) with the Hasselblad, but I can only judge from the KZbin video & not what you see. One thing which really stood out for me was the image stabilisation of the Hasselblad - totally unreal. Thanks for the comparison Gavin 👍👏

[@infamismworldwild6248]

Stellar video

[@michaelfinch1965]

Fairly new to the channel, generally hate gear comparisons but your narrative style is enjoyable and entertaining, good job sir. As it happens I just bought the Fuji 100s as I enjoy landscape photography in the pursuit of mindfulness. I got it on sale for ~7000au, a quick search shows the XD2 at ~15000au and building as for aquiring a lens set, with my current budget, I dont have any spare organs to sell. If I had oodles of $$$ then I’d have reconsidered, but as it is, no one’s paying me for my photographic interest, and brand loyalty or colour science seems worth less than it was pre LR-PShop.

[@JennaCee]

I live a little bit away and would have loved to have meet you both. It took me about 40 minutes to get the shot without any people. Just so many places do get stunning pictures. In the Fall on a beautiful day, the Glen is mind blowing. Great video!

[@MartinV.]

Great video

[@francescodellisola1970]

Hi good comparison, the color are very different, which better for you?

[@brentbeach8657]

I like how you got the bear spray past the Walmart greeter!

[@GodIsReal]

Very enjoyable comparison video. Most of these types of video’s are endlessly boring with incredibly redundant details. This shows what you need to know I a real life setting. I am amazed at the handheld performance of the Hasselblad.

[@jamesbarnes3063]

Enjoyed the show

[@keeganbeard5414]

Wild to see you pick up a camera from that FedEx location, that's where I always drop off my rentals!