Premium camera maker Hasselblad has announced its first-ever ultra-wide-angle zoom lens in its XCD series of optics.
The new lens model for the Hasselblad medium format X mount is called the XCD 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E and it opens the brand’s XCD system in a new direction with what it offers photographers.
Specifically, the lens delivers the ability to capture a wide range of subjects effectively and precisely. Thanks to the 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E’s specs, it lets Hasselblad users smoothly switch between cityscapes, landscapes, architecture and street scenes or panoramic shots of all kinds.
Here are a couple of demonstrative sample shots from Hasselblad:
The lens’s broad field of view is aimed at working professionally well in any context where that kind of FOV is exactly what you want, and with Hasselblad’s typically high-quality design parameters to boot.
The 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E features a focal length of 20-35mm that’s equivalent to 16-27mm in a full-frame camera, and for the medium format cameras that it’s built for, the lens is one of the widest zoom options on the market right now.
Hasselblad promises that the lens delivers superb optical performance, quick, quiet focusing and excellent light intake under a broad range of ambient lighting conditions.
The maximum aperture of the new 20-35mm lens ranges between f/3.2 and 4.5 while its minimum aperture is set to f/32 and it has a 77mm filter thread on its front.
The lens can manage a minimum focus distance of 1 foot or 32 cm (remember that this is an ultra-wide angle zoom lens) and delivers a maximum magnification of 0.09x to 0.16x.
As for the internals of the new lens, they consist of 16 elements in 12 groups, and among these are three aspherical elements. It features a leaf shutter design with a sync speed of up to 1/2000s.
Sizewise, the 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E measures 3.2 by 4-6 inches or 8.1 by 11.7 cm and it weighs 1.8 lbs or 805 grams, putting it slightly on the heftier side.
Since we’re talking about a lens built by Hasselblad for its ultra-premium cameras, overall build quality is robust as should be expected. The 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E’s all-metal body is designed to endure rugged treatment and includes dual control rings for smooth zoom and focus adjustments.
The lens also has an internal focus system built to deliver an extremely fast, precise AF that couples with the lens’s also precise flash synchronization for solid performance in variable lighting.
Basically, Hasselblad has built the lens to perform as exceptionally as possible for the demanding landscape of pro medium format photography.
The Hasselblad XCD 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E lens is expensive at $5,929, but given the kinds of cameras it’s built for, it should be a useful investment to certain types of photographers. It’s now available for preorder and comes with a 1-year warranty and its own protective pouch.
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