HASSELBLAD XCD 21mm F4
Review and photo samples using HASSELBLAD XCD 21mm F4 with HASSELBLAD X1D-50c 4116 edition
Table of Contents
Gallery
Review
1.Overview
When used with an X-series camera, the XCD 21mm F4 becomes a wide-angle lens of about 17mm.
The lens has a simple design with only a focus ring, and has a simple appearance without the V mark like the expensive XCD lenses.
The price was about 440,000 yen when released new in 2019, and it has the same 1/2000 lens shutter as other XCD lenses. It is compact as a wide-angle lens compatible with medium format sensors, weighing 600g, but it doesn’t feel heavy because it is light for its volume.
This lens is designed to be used with a 44x33mm digital sensor, and the lens itself has a distortion of about -3%, so the image is distorted to a certain extent. However, problems such as distortion and lack of peripheral light are corrected when developing with Phocus. The correction is well done because it uses original dedicated parameters.
2.Usage
The XCD 21mm F4 is the widest-angle lens in the X-mount lenses used in the Hasselblad X series.
This is the second XCD lens I’ve introduced, and I bought it brand new at a reasonable price because I felt that a wide-angle lens was essential for the camera system. The brightness of F4 and high ISO sensitivity are sufficient for the practical X series, and when using Phocus, various corrections are well done and there is no dimming or distortion, allowing you to obtain wide-angle images with a natural blur and a three-dimensional feel. It is very desirable to achieve a 17mm equivalent angle of view with this size. The backlight resistance is also decent, and there is no major breakdown in the image even without a hood.
The autofocus (AF) focusing speed feels the same as the XCD 45, and although the focus accuracy depends largely on the camera, I was not dissatisfied when using it with the X1D and X1DII. The AF drive sound and shutter sound are quieter than the XCD 45, and it is almost silent when used outdoors.
I sold the XCD 21mm because I got the HC24mm + XH-Converter0.8 (the focal length in 35mm equivalent is 240.80.8=16mm), but it was an essential lens to cover the wide-angle range if you are using only the XCD.
3.Summary
In conclusion, to summarize the XCD 21mm F4, although it is a prime lens, it does have some distortion, so Phocus correction is a prerequisite for this lens.
As of 2025, the XCD 21mm F4 is no longer on sale, and has handed over its role as the wide-angle XCD lens to the XCD 3,2-4,5/20-35E, which was released in 2024, so it can be said that this lens has outlived its usefulness.
Specification
If we look for lenses in the same genre as this lens, the Fujifilm GFX series, which is equipped with the same medium-format digital sensor, includes lenses with a focal length of 21mm in the zoom lenses, and the lineup of prime lenses starts from 23mm.
The actual focal length of the XCD 21mm is also 22mm when rounded up, so it can be said that there is almost no difference with Fujifilm.
On September 10, 2024, Hasselblad released a zoom lens starting from 20mm, the XCD 3,2-4,5/20-35E, as a wider-angle lens. The 20mm zoom lens has a bright aperture value of F3.2, a minimum shooting distance of 0.32m, and the price has doubled.
I don’t own any Fujifilm lenses, so I can’t say for sure, but if you compare the specs alone, the zoom 20-35mm is versatile. The 23mm was released in 2017, and the 20-35 zoom was released in 2021, so before 2021 the only option was the 23mm, but anyone who chooses the 23mm after the release of the 20-35 zoom must be someone who is very particular about prime focus. In fact, the used price of the 23mm is flying low, and the buyback price at major camera stores is miserable. If a lens with a focal length of 18mm (14mm focal length in 35mm format equivalent) is released using Fujifilm’s technology, I would be interested in the GFX series. When I saw a cheap used 23mm, I was a little tempted, but I didn’t buy it because I didn’t have the body.
| Item | XCD 21mm | XCD 20-35 | GF 23mmF4 | GF 20-35 |
| focal length(mm) | 21.8 | 20-35 | 23 | 20-35 |
| 35mm equivalent focal length | 17 | 16-28 | 18 | 16-28 |
| Maximum aperture | 4 | 3.2-4.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Minimum aperture | 32 | 32 | 32 | 22 |
| Leaf blade | 8 | ? | 9 | 9 |
| Lens configuration | 13 elements in 9 groups, 2 aspherical lenses | 16 elements in 12 groups, 3 aspherical lenses, 4 low dispersion lenses | 15 elements in 12 groups 2 aspherical lenses 1 Super ED lens 3 ED lenses | 14 elements in 10 groups 3 aspherical lenses 1 ED aspherical lens 3 ED lenses |
| Max Shutter speed | 1/2000 | 1/2000 | – | – |
| Minimum distance(m) | 0.35 | 0.32 | 0.38 | 0.35（全域） |
| Lens length(mm) | 101 | 117 | 103 | 112.5 |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 83 | 81 | 89 | 89 |
| Filter type | 77 | 77 | 82 | 82 |
| Weight(g) | 600 | 805 | 845 | 725 |
| Release date | 2018.05 | 2024.9.10 | 2017.06.22 | 2021.9.29 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | Open (Reference price: 433,000 yen) | Open (Reference price: 850,000 yen) | ¥339,500 | ¥367,000 |
XCD 4/21 lens specification manual PDF
Reference links
- XCD 4/21 Official web site
- Photo example by Photo yodobashi
- GFX23mm Official Web-site
- GFX20-35mm Official Web-site
Update history
- 2024.9.1
- 2024.02.18:Update
- 2022.06.28:First draft
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