A Sonoma County Coastline Adventure

As one of many first photographers given the possibility to check out the Hasselblad X2D 100C earlier than its extremely anticipated public debut, I knew I needed to take it out on one in all my favourite scenic street journeys right here in Sonoma County, California. The Swedish firm has practically a century of digicam experience and design innovation, and I had a sense this newest launch would uphold the legacy. The locations I selected are a few of the most picturesque spots on the west coast- and locations I had photographed before- so I had a lot to check my expertise with the brand new Hasselblad to.

The mirrorless, medium format X2D 100C has a unique mentality behind it than the opposite professional-grade fashions the corporate is famend for. Unassuming but basic in modern, slate-gray aluminum, the X2D is as a lot vital accent as it’s a tool- the digicam is designed to be taken alongside with out a second thought, en route in the direction of the subsequent journey. That’s precisely what I did as I obtained within the automobile and headed west, making my means in the direction of the coastal freeway.

My first cease was in Freestone, the place a roadside farm stand beckoned with late summer season colours, heaps of contemporary produce and just-picked bouquets. Worker Bee Farm was my first alternative to make the most of Hasselblad’s Pure Coloration Answer (HNCS) expertise, which defines highlights, shadows, and subtleties of coloration, particularly in vibrant, color-packed photographs.

The seasonal greens, hand-painted indicators and sensible blooms at Employee Bee have been the right take a look at topic, even within the low mild situations below the farm stands. The digicam’s ISO choices vary from 64 to 25600, and embody an computerized ISO characteristic. Because the farm’s workers tended to the produce and flowers, I attempted out the digicam’s in-body picture stabilization system (IBIS), which acts to stabilize your focus in various mild situations. The digicam is presently probably the most compact IBIS system in the marketplace and options improved steady capturing mode.

After having fun with Freestone’s most colourful roadside farm stand, I headed west, ending up locally of Bodega. The city’s small important strip is dwelling to an iconic native surf store, fireplace station and bar & grill, all of which made eclectic topics. Outfitted with 294 Part Detection Autofocus expertise, and a handy lens- situated auto-to-manual focus ring, the Hasselblad made specializing in and photographing nonetheless buildings particularly fast and simple. I then pulled over in entrance of Saint Teresa of Avila Church, a small however stoic constructing recognized for being featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” The white of the church in opposition to the blue of the afternoon sky got here out crisp and clean- the digicam’s angled show display screen made a dramatic low angle shot totally potential.

From Bodega Bay, I made my means up the coast by Jenner By The Sea to Fort Ross. After photographing the picket chapel on the historic Fort Ross settlement, I ventured off the crushed path to catch the glimmer of golden-hour daylight coming by an idyllic wooded space. The Hasselblad captured not solely the majestic shapes of the tree trunks and the varied greens of the forest cover, but in addition dealt with the distinctive mild scenario terribly effectively.

The ultimate images turned out even higher than I had hoped for, with mild filtering by the timber to light up a fragile picket fence within the foreground. Made up of a spread of shadows, highlights, and mid-tones, the scene can be a problem for many cameras, however the X2D created a pointy picture with out compromising its attribute smooth tones.

On my means again south, I finished in Salt Level, the place I spent a while admiring the cliffside ocean views and photographing the waves crashing on shore. Once more, the Hasselblad proved extraordinarily efficient when given the problem of an unpredictable transferring topic like a churning wave. The digicam’s coloration skills processed each the vibrance of the turquoise shallows in addition to the smooth, hazy gradient on the horizon, speaking each the time of day (mid-afternoon) and climate situations (sunny and cloudless) in a single picture.

Close to Jenner, I pulled over to absorb Goat Rock, a rocky, windswept space with a rugged panorama that defines this a part of California. Specializing in the shapes of native brush and flora, I examined out the X2D 100C’s capacity to delineate an expansive background picture from a extremely detailed foreground. For the reason that day was winding down, I took benefit of the digicam’s ISO vary, taking a lot of photographs as the sunshine dwindled. Jenner is situated on the mouth of the Russian River, making it the right vantage level for photographs of the bay the place the river meets the Pacific Ocean. Whether or not I used to be zeroing in on thistles or taking in all the bay shore, I used to be capable of translate each the wonder and thriller of Goat Rock by a handful of fast photographs.

As I regarded again on my images from the day, I observed the sheer element the X2D was capable of not solely seize, however spotlight in a few of the most notable photographs. The mix of nuanced coloration, sharp focus and total straightforward navigation made taking the images a part of the journey expertise, and that seamlessness is what defines the X2D 100C. Now counting 100 megapixels, the digicam captures information in 3FR RAW and full measurement JPG codecs. Inbuilt 1TDB SSD storage in addition to a CFexpress Sort B card ensures a excessive seize fee for fast paced topics, whereas transferring images to your pc or onerous drive is quicker because of an up to date USB 3.1 Gen 2 Sort-C connector that operates at 10 gigabytes per second. With later firmware updates like steady focusing and monitoring deliberate, the X2D guarantees one thing to sit up for.

Together with the X2D 100C, Hasselblad is unveiling three extra lenses as a part of the XCD line. The XCD 2,5/38V, XCD 2,5/55V and the XCD 2,5/90V prioritize speedy focusing expertise, an improved operation system and extra concise construct, placing them proper up there with the pondering behind the XCD 100C. Accessible for rapid order, the three lenses vary from $3,699 to $4,299, whereas the X2D 100C is available in at $8,199. See particulars of every new product at www.hasselblad.com.

My total takeaway from this unique alternative was that Hasselblad’s latest digital digicam is all about portability and spontaneity assembly luxurious, with a component of comfort that doesn’t dare threaten your second.