Hasselblad X2D II 100C Review: An Artist’s Medium Format Tool

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C medium format mirrorless camera is built as a stills-only body for when you want an art tool rather than a hybrid spec sheet trophy. This review focuses on how it actually changes the way you shoot, from waist-level landscapes and cars to tracking subjects that don’t stand still.

Coming to you from Peter Fritz, this detailed video walks through whether the Hasselblad X2D II 100C medium format mirrorless camera actually fixes the frustrations of the original X2D or just adds cost. Fritz starts from the perspective of someone who bought and lived with the Hasselblad X2D 100C, then moved to the new body, so you are seeing a daily-use comparison rather than a quick spec recap. The upgraded tilting rear screen clears the viewfinder and adds an extra axis of movement, which changes how you work at ground level and overhead. The new five-way joystick finally gives you a fast, tactile way to move the focus point without poking at the touchscreen in the middle of a shot. You get a clear look at these changes in action, which is hard to judge from product photos alone.

Fritz also spends time on autofocus and subject detection, an area where the original X2D felt slow next to bodies like the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6 Mark II. With the new phase-detect system and subject detection modes for people, animals, and vehicles, the X2D II 100C behaves less like a tripod-only camera and more like something you can trust with moving subjects. He shows how that plays out when tracking aircraft and cars, and where you still need to tweak subject detection rather than leave it on autopilot. The combo with the Hasselblad XCD 35-100mm f/2.8-4 E gives a good sense of what you can expect from continuous AF and burst shooting, especially if you are used to a faster full frame system. At the same time, he is realistic about the camera’s pace and keeps expectations grounded.

Compared to those full frame options, the video shows how the 100-megapixel medium format sensor still earns its keep once you start cropping. After shooting aircraft with the X2D II 100C and then with an Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM on an R6-series body, Fritz walks through how much you can crop the Hasselblad files and still end up with tight, detailed frames. You also see the practical impact of Hasselblad’s color rendering and stabilization rather than just hearing about “color science.” The camera is positioned as an “artist tool” for landscapes, cars, and people, aimed at someone who wants simplicity over video features and huge menus. He makes a point of how the cleaner interface and limited options change the way you work in the field, which is not obvious from spec sheets.

Key Specs

• 100 MP 4:3 medium format BSI CMOS sensor with 16-bit color output

• Still formats: HEIF, JPEG, raw

• No internal video recording or video output; this is a stills-focused body

• Single CFexpress Type B card slot (up to 512 GB) plus 1 TB internal storage

• USB-C port for both charging (power input) and high-speed data transfer (USB 3.2 / 3.1 Gen 2)

• Built-in Wi-Fi and support for Hasselblad Phocus Mobile 2 on iOS and iPadOS for remote control and file access

• Tilting 3.6" OLED touchscreen rear display with 2,360,000-dot resolution, plus 1.1" top status LCD

• 5.76M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage and approx. 1x magnification

• Hybrid AF with 425 phase-detect points, including continuous AF and subject tracking for people, animals, and vehicles

• Hot shoe with iTTL support, no built-in flash

• Rated battery: 7.2 V, 3,400 mAh lithium-ion pack, approx. 466 shots

• Single 1/4"-20 tripod mount, aluminum body, operating range from 14 to 113°F up to 85% humidity

• Body dimensions: 5.8 x 4.2 x 3" (148.5 x 106 x 75 mm), weight 1.6 lb (730 g) body only or 1.8 lb (840 g) with battery

Where the video becomes especially useful is in the buying decision between a used X2D and a new X2D II 100C. Fritz points out that used X2D bodies have dropped because so many owners are trading up, which means you can get into Hasselblad medium format for less and still enjoy the same core image quality, stabilization, and design. If your work is slower paced and you rarely need fast subject tracking, his argument is that a used X2D plus a strong lens might serve you better than stretching to the newest body. He even suggests putting the savings toward glass, whether that is something like the XCD zoom he uses or a lens tailored to the way you shoot landscapes, people, or cars.

You also see how he actually runs the camera as a tool: the way he sets the screen for low and overhead angles, why the joystick changes how quickly he can work around a scene, and how he pairs the camera with a solid tripod and a snug L-bracket. He mentions using a Leica D-Lux 8 as his video body and keeps the Hasselblad purely for stills, which says a lot about how he sees the X2D II 100C in a kit. There are smaller ergonomic tweaks, finish changes, and grip updates that he walks through visually, which matter more once the camera is in your hand than they do in writing. The back half of the video also runs through additional features and menu changes that build on what is covered early on. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Fritz.