When one thinks of purchasing a medium format camera, they often look at Hasselblad or Fujifilm as their options. While each of these cameras is expensive, they are still well under the range of $10,000. However, when you pair the device with a lens of its kind, then the camera can come closer to this. It now appears that an old Hasselblad camera and lenses are now selling for much more than this. Here’s a quick look.
According to WatchCount, the camera in question is Hasselblad X-Pan II, a legendary 35mm panoramic rangefinder that changed the way we look at panoramic cameras. Launched in 2003, Hasselblad X-Pan II is a film offering that many professionals lust after. The device, along with 40mm and 90mm lenses, is now fetching about $16,500 on eBay, which is pretty good for an older device.
The Hasselblad camera can switch between 24x36mm (36 exposures) and panoramic 24x65mm (21 frames) on one 35mm roll. It also houses an 8secs to 1/1000s shutter speed, and there are also features such as TTL center-weighted, auto-bracketing, multiple exposures (up to 9). The older cameras include an LCD shutter speed display, and work best with legendary lenses, the 45mm f4 and 90mm f4.
For the uninitiated, the 45mm lens can work as a 30mm in the panoramic format. It is also known to deliver nice bokeh, which is perfect for environmental portraits. The 90mm would function as a 60mm on a panoramic camera, and that means it is ideal for portrait photographers.
The camera’s initial price is pretty hard to find today. However, some reports say that a total of 5,500 units were made between 2003 and 2005. This itself makes the camera really important, since it is impossible to come across a camera of this nature today. Moreover, the 45mm and 90mm lenses are also hard to come by for a medium format itself. If you look at the first X-Pan, launched in the late 1990s, it costs around $9000 to $10,000, along with a 45mm lens. It’s natural that the second iteration, with two lenses, will cost more. In fact, last year, one of the X-Pan models sold for around $42,000.
With more and more photographers thinking of buying a film camera, those who have the means will invest in an X-Pan. The demand for older cameras has seen an increase since the pandemic, and one of the reasons behind that is scarcity, growing demand due to the internet, and the need to create a set. Since there is no digital equivalent of this, this further rakes up the price.
If you are a serious landscape photographer who wants distinct images, then this model is worth the investment. And there is also the possibility that the prices will not reduce soon, either.