Last Updated on 11/10/2023 by Chris Gampat
As my TV (and country) lit up to the joyous news of India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar explorer’s triumphant moon landing, an email found its way to my inbox. The new Hasselblad XCD 4/28P lens had just been announced by the prestigious camera manufacturer. A timely coincidence when you consider that their cameras were the first to be used on the moon. A dozen of them still rest on the rocky lunar surface. While those cameras have captured celestial history, Hasselblad’s new lens is tailor-made for our planet.
If you’re a regular reader of our site, you’ll know that I constantly drool over medium-format cameras and lenses. And none more so than those manufactured to precision from the factories of the legendary Swedish camera maker Hasselblad. There’s one thing that most draws me to their products. It’s the unexplainably alluring difference in character between the sharp and shallow areas of the images their cameras produce.
One might argue that almost all medium format cameras produce similar results, and they wouldn’t be wrong. Yet Hasselblad seems to take it a notch above the others with their dedication to the art of photography. A synergy of heritage, innovation, and craftsmanship comes together in creating some of the most desirable camera gear the world has seen. And with the new Hasselblad XCD 4/28P, they keep up their promise to deliver impeccable optical performance.
The Hasselblad XCD 4/28P
This isn’t the widest lens Hasselblad has produced for their mirrorless X system. That title goes to their XCD 21mm f4 lens, which has a 17mm full-frame equivalent field of view. The XCD 4/28P comes a close second. It has a full-frame equivalent field of view of 22mm making it an excellent wide-angle multipurpose lens. Measuring only 43.5mm (1.71 inches) in length and 245g (8.7 oz) in weight, the XCD 4/28P is currently the lightest and smallest lens of the Hasselblad X System. Despite being relatively tiny, it is more than capable of meeting the 100-megapixel requirements of their glorious X2D 100C camera.
The P designation indicates that this lens is from the Hasselblad collection of small, lightweight lenses built for everyday photography. Consisting of nine lens elements in eight groups, this lens can focus as close as 22cm (8.6 in) with a 1:6 magnification ratio.
Hasselblad Says This Lens Is Perfect For Street Photography
For most street photographers, the quintessential focal length is (a full frame equivalent) 35mm. Others would prefer to go slightly wider at around 28mm. I’ve yet to hear of anyone who regularly sticks to under 24mm for street photography work. Despite being even wider at 22mm, Hasselblad claims this lens would be your ideal street photography partner. When you consider the size and weight factor, you start to see why – it’s almost pancake lens-like. If you want to feel stylish whenever you step out for a photograph, pair it with their head-turning 907X 50C. It would remain unobtrusive when you use it with an older camera like their X1D, which we noted was “tiny when compared to other digital MF beasts.” In our review we noted:
[the X1D] even has the edge on size when held up against most modern DSLRs. It packs away in a bag effortlessly, taking up little space. Around the neck, the 725 grams (body only) allows me to shoot an entire day without discomfort. The Hasselblad X1D fundamentally advances what’s possible in the outrageously popular genre. It’s fast enough for street in good to great light and even performs better than expected in low light
Jonathan Higbee on the X1D for street photography
Who Is This Lens For?
Adding the compact XCD 4/28P to any Hasselblad X system camera would mean you wouldn’t feel any bulkiness generally associated with medium format cameras. Nor would you tend to draw unwanted attention while trying to stay invisible on the streets, waiting for the perfect street photo moment to present itself. And with focus peaking now on the X2D, there’s no need to second guess what will be sharp if you’re a zone-focus practitioner.
I wouldn’t pigeonhole this lens into just the street photography genre. Cityscape, landscape, astrophotography, and even travel photographers can make the most of the Hasselblad XCD 4/28P. It looks versatile and finely crafted in the same vein as most of their releases over the last few years. It’s wide by most standards, but with the cropping power of a super high resolution sensor like the X2D, getting a 35mm field of view won’t result in any noticeable image quality degradation.
Hasselblad is an expert at creating cameras and lenses that feel like a natural extension of yourself. Who says you need to head to the moon to create out-of-this-world images? At just USD $1679, with the Hasselblad XCD 4/28P, you can start doing this right here on Earth.
Additional Images
All images in this article have been obtained from Hasselblad’s press release and product pages.