Last Updated on 11/07/2024 by Chris Gampat
There’s something about Hasselblad that feels so incredibly organic to being a photographer. Sometimes it feels like it’s the ergonomics or how the camera system is so insanely simple to use. In a world where menu systems and features get incredibly complicated, Hasselblad isn’t doing that. In fact, they don’t even try to put video recording performance features into their lenses or cameras. And the Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 is no exception to this statement. Sure, that might sound like a slow focal length. But in reality, it’s still highly capable of delivering magic that you’re bound to stare at for a really long time. Most importantly, it does one of the best straight-out-of-camera jobs that I’ve ever seen.
Table of Contents
Declaration of Journalistic Intent
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- At the time of publishing this review, Hasselblad is not an advertiser with the Phoblographer. This doesn’t affect our reviews anyway and it never has in our 15 years of publishing our articles. This article is in no way sponsored.
- Note that this isn’t necessarily our final review of the unit. It will be updated, and it’s more of an in-progress review than anything. In fact, almost all our reviews are like this.
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The Big Picture: Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 Review Conclusions
The Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 lens is a beautiful, small lens that I think any photographer would use with joy. But I don’t know how many of them would use it enough to want to purchase one. Sure, it has an integrated leaf shutter and incredible image quality. But Hasselblad’s strength is really with its wider lenses. Despite this, we think photographers will love the bokeh, colors, and rendition that Hasselblad allows for.
We’re giving the Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 a rating of 4/5 stars.
Pros
- Really nice image quality
- Small body
- It’s hard for someone to not look good with a lens like this.
Cons
- The lack of a dedicated aperture ring and zone-focusing mechanic makes me a sad panda.
- Hasselblad’s autofocus isn’t all that great.
- The f3.4 aperture isn’t practical for a lot of different types of work
Gear Used
We tested the Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 with the H2D-100C. Both of those are loaner units from Hasselblad. We also used the Profoto B10 with a Nikon transmitter for this review. The lighting gear is our own.
Innovations
The Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 isn’t necessarily an innovative lens, as it doesn’t do anything really unique. But Fujifilm doesn’t have anything near the equivalent.
Who Should Buy the Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 Review?
The Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 is billed as being a portable portrait lens. And it surely can be a great one. But at the same time, their 55mm f2.8 does a great job too. This lens feels a bit too long and odd for me personally. I really, really enjoy their wider lenses. Their 38mm and 25mm lenses both have a mastery of the black arts that other optics just can’t match.
Hardware
When it comes to the pure hardware aspect of Hasselblad lenses, it’s really hard to not like them. When you put them in your hands, they feel pretty perfect. Between the metal exterior, the way the control rings feel, and the simplicity, there’s a lot to love about them. The Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 is no exception here.
Unlike many other Hasselblad lenses, this one doesn’t have a dedicated aperture control ring or a zone focusing module. That’s sad to me. But the lens is also very small; when it’s attached to the camera, it really feels like something that I’d want to bring with me everywhere. These days, that’s getting more and more rare. Mirrorless cameras were billed with the idea that they were supposed to be smaller than DSLRs; and Hasselblad is sticking to that philosophy. But other brands haven’t been doing the same.
Protect Your Camera Gear
For years, here at The Phoblographer, we’ve tested cameras, lenses, bags, computers, lights, and more. And we know that your warranty doesn’t always cover the damage. Plus, accidents can happen on set.
This is why we’ve created a Photography Care Program in partnership with Full-Frame Insurance. Now, photographers across the United States looking for extra security can get various protections to cover their craft. The Photography Care Program provides peace of mind; now you’ll know you can bounce back from a photoshoot gone awry, on-site or inside. We’re making it super easy to get it done, too! Better yet, there is coverage outside of the US and Canada when the photographer is traveling for short periods of time for business.
We’re able to do this through our partnership with Full-Frame Insurance, a company specializing in Small Business Insurance. Are you a Freelance Photographer? We’ll cover you. What about a freelance multi-media journalist? We’ve got you. The Photography Care Program will protect you.
Transform your focus from worry to creativity with the Photography Care Program. Whether it’s a light stand tumbling down, a telephoto lens shattering, or an unforeseen mishap, you don’t have to face the financial burden alone. Experience the freedom to capture stunning shots, knowing you’re protected. Whether you’re an amateur or a professional, secure your peace of mind – and protect your photography gear – with our affordable Photography Care Program today.
Ease of Use
The Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 is pretty simple to use. Slap it onto a camera, point, focus, and shoot. Hasselblad’s autofocus isn’t that great though. So you’ll more or less be focusing and recomposing a lot. If you shoot a lot of landscapes, we think you should try the X Pan crop factor mode in the camera with this lens.
One of the coolest things is the leaf shutter — which is what helps make Hasselblad unique. And that means you get built in high speed sync with no issues.
Focusing
While the Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 isn’t slow to focus, it’s reliant on the camera system. Hasselblad’s cameras don’t focus all that well in low light or keep subjects in focus very easily. This will be a slow process for sure — even slower than with Fujifilm. While they’re selling this lens to photographers as a portrait lens, it might actually be better sold as a landscape lens because of the focusing speed.
Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 Image Quality
The Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 is capable of delivering super sharp images with really beautiful bokeh. Even when I pixel peep, I can’t find any faults with it. Optically speaking, I think that photographers will bill it as being pretty perfect.
Let’s Talk Art
In this section, our Reviews Team talks about artistic things they did with the products that they’re testing to show off a less technical side.
Since the Hasselblad 75mm f3.4 is a slower lens, I wanted to also slow down the shutter speed and play with the creative freedom is gave me. So I made photos with intentional camera movement and captured action at a slower shutter speed. The photos I made add drama to the scenes that aren’t easily made otherwise.
Brand like to talk about how sharp the images they can make are; but what about when you want to make images that a generative AI can’t make? That’s what I ask myself with these.
Extra Image Samples
The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience since day one. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, many folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the lens can do. So, we have a section in our Extra Image Samples area to show edited and unedited photos. From this, you can decide for yourself.
Unedited
Edited
Hasselblad and Capture One don’t work together. So none of these images were edited.
Tech Specs
These specs are taken from Hasselblad’s press release:
- Ten elements in ten groups, including one aspherical element and three ED elements
- 59mm full-frame 35mm effective focal length
- $2,229
- Leaf shutter offers speeds of up to 1/2000 second and full flash synchronization at all speeds
- 398g
- 71mm long
