HASSELBLAD XCD 28mm F4P
A review and photo examples of Hasselblad XCD 28mm F4P, XCD’s lightest, smallest, high-performance wide-angle lens
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Table of contents
Gallery
The camera used to take the example photos was the HASSELBLAD X2D-100C.
Review
1.Overview
The Hasselblad XCD 28mm F4P is a compact wide-angle lens with a focal length of 28mm released in September 2023 for the X-series cameras.
The main specifications are as follows, and details are listed in the table.
- Aperture: F4
- Lens configuration: 9 elements in 8 groups
- 2 aspherical lenses
- Minimum shooting distance: 0.22m
- Hood: Dedicated bayonet hood
- Built-in 1/4000 lens shutter mechanism
- Aperture is electronic and controlled from the camera
2.Usability
The Hasselblad XCD 28mm F4P is the smallest and lightest X System lens, measuring 75mm in diameter and 43.5mm in length. Its perfectly cylindrical form, with only a focus ring on the lens barrel, creates a minimalist design without the nameplate found on more expensive V-shaped XCD lenses, making it a truly simple photographic tool.
The 28mm focal length is equivalent to 22.4mm in 35mm format.
Image resolution fully demonstrates the benefits of the 100MP X2D lens. Shooting distant subjects produces the flat, all-around image characteristic of a wide-angle lens, while close-ups produce a moderate amount of blur, allowing you to control the subject distance to achieve your desired effect.
The lens shutter has a fast shutter speed of 1/4000, and when combined with the maximum aperture of f/4, you won’t feel any sense of insufficient shutter speed.
The autofocus speed feels faster than the XCD 45P, and focus accuracy is largely dependent on the camera. However, I have no complaints when using it with the HASSELBLAD X2D-100C. The shutter sound is quieter than the XCD 4/45P, which was the quietest lens until I used this lens. It’s hardly noticeable even when used indoors, and feels silent outdoors.
The images output via the Phocus development software have a natural bokeh and a sense of three-dimensionality, making this a very well-made lens.
It’s also reasonably tolerant to backlight, and there are no major disruptions to image quality even without the hood.
This lens is designed for use with a 44x33mm digital sensor, and the MTF chart shows that the lens’s own distortion is around -2%, so it seems that there is a certain degree of image distortion. However, this distortion and vignetting are corrected when developing images in Phocus. Since the correction uses proprietary parameters, there are no noticeable issues in the corrected images.
This lens was released almost a year after the HASSELBLAD X2D-100C, and it is my fourth XCD lens.
This lens was announced at a time when I was looking for a compact wide-angle lens, and it met my needs perfectly, so I pre-ordered and purchased it as soon as it was announced.
It’s a lens that has all three qualities: lightweight, compact, and has excellent image quality, making it the go-to lens for my X2D-100C when I’m not sure what lens to take with me. Although it was released after the HASSELBLAD X2D-100C, it’s equally usable when attached to the X1D-50C, X1DII-50C, and X907.
3.Summary
In conclusion, to sum up Hasselblad XCD 28mm F4P, it has a wide focal length of 23mm in 35mm format, is lightweight at 1kg when combined with the X2D, has a quiet shutter, and is a versatile lens for both landscapes and snapshots.
Hasselblad will release lenses with focal lengths close to the XCD 4/28P in 2024, such as the XCD 25V, a lens wider than 28mm, and the XCD 20-35E, a wide-angle zoom lens. However, the appeal of the XCD 4/28P, the lightest and most compact of the Hasselblad X system, remains undiminished. It is the first lens to consider when purchasing an X series camera.
Specifications and lens comparison
The Hasselblad XCD 28mm F4P is smaller and lighter than the previous smallest and lightest lens, the XCD 4/45mmP.
The lens costs about $2,800 new, which is a reasonable price for a lens with a shutter mechanism that has a maximum speed of 1/4000, just like other fast XCD lenses.
- The lens construction diagrams are quoted from each company’s materials, and the sizes have been adjusted by us, so they are not exact.
| Item | Hasselblad XCD 28mm F4P | XCD 45P |
| focal length(mm) | 28 | 45 |
| 35mm equivalent focal length | 22.4 | 36 |
| Maximum aperture | 4 | 4 |
| Minimum aperture | 32 | 32 |
| Lens configuration | 9 elements in 8 groups, 2 aspherical lenses, 1 ED lens | 9 elements in 7 groups, 2 aspherical lenses |
| Leaf blade | – | – |
| Max Shutter speed | 1/4000 | 1/2000 |
| Minimum distance(m) | 0.22 | 0.32 |
| Lens length(mm) | 43.5 | 52 |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 75 | 80 |
| Filter type | 72 | 62 |
| Weight(g) | 245 | 320 |
| Release date | 2023.09.04 | 2020.1.31 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ¥265,000 | ¥130,000 |
The Hasselblad X series also has a rich lens lineup, and lenses with focal lengths close to those of the XCD 28P are also available.
A summary is given below, and the detailed differences in specifications are listed in the table below.
- The XCD 25V is slightly wider and brighter at F2.5, the lens is large and heavy, and it has a high-speed 1/4000 shutter.
- The XCD 30 is slightly telephoto, almost as bright as F3.5, and the lens is large and heavy.
- The XCD 20-35E is a zoom lens, and the aperture value at 28mm is almost as bright as F4, and the lens is large and heavy.
| Item | XCD 28P | XCD 25V | XCD 20-35E | XCD 30 |
| focal length(mm) | 28 | 25 | 20-35 | 30 |
| 35mm equivalent focal length | 22.4 | 20 | 16-28 | 24 |
| Maximum aperture | 4 | 2.5 | 3.2-4.5 | 3.5 |
| Minimum aperture | 32 | 32 | 32 | 3.2 |
| Lens configuration | 8群9枚 | 10群13枚 | 12群16枚 | 10群11枚 |
| Leaf blade | – | – | – | – |
| Max Shutter speed | 1/4000 | 1/4000 | 1/2000 | 1/2000 |
| Minimum distance(m) | 0.22 | 0.25 | 0.32 | 0.4 |
| Lens length(mm) | 43.5 | 105 | 117 | 88 |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 75 | 75 | 81 | 83 |
| Filter type | 72 | 72 | 77 | 77 |
| Weight(g) | 245 | 592 | 805 | 550 |
| Release date | 2023.09.04 | 2024.5.7 | 2024.9.10 | 2017.1.30 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ¥265,000 | ¥530,000 | ¥849,300 | ¥498,000 |
Reference links
- Summary of Hasselblad X-series lenses・Shige’s hobby
- HASSELBLAD XCD 45mm F4P・Shige’s hobby
- XCD 4/28P・Official Web-site
- XCD 45P・Official Web-site
- XCD 25V・Official Web-site
- XCD 20-35E・Official Web-site
- XCD 30・Official Web-site
Affiliate link
- HASSELBLAD lens・Ads by Amazon
- HASSELBLAD Books・Ads by Amazon
Amazon Prime Sale
Update history
- 2025.4.12
- 2024.8.10
- 2024.06.19
- 2024.02.12:Update
- 2023.09.05:First draft
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