In the previous post, I summarized my experience with the X2D II body. In this one, I’ll be talking about the new Hassy zoom.
This fast medium focal length variable aperture zoom was introduced with the new camera. It is a sizeable lens and tips the scale at about two pounds. It has three rings. The one closest to the body is used for aperture setting by default. The next one towards the front of the lens is for changing the focal length, and the furthest one away is for focusing. The texture of all three rings is the same, and I occasionally got confused as to whether I was moving the zoom ring or the focusing ring. I’m assuming that that confusion will disappear with time and experience. The focusing is internal, but the zooming is not; the lens extends another 2 inches or so from its 35mm setting when racked out to 100mm.
The lens is quite sharp from 35mm to about 70mm. At 100mm it’s an adequate performer and would be fine for many uses. I consider it a 35-70mm zoom with an overdrive range. There is little focus curvature at distances over 10 feet or so at all focal lengths, but I didn’t measure focus curvature at closer distances.
The lens has the, ahem, unusual bokeh that we’ve come to expect from the Hasselblad leaf shutter lenses when mechanical shutter is used at high shutter speeds. In this case, high speeds begin at about 1/250. The lens also suffers from onion ring bokeh, which is common in lenses with aspheric elements.
Mechanical vignetting is modest except at the widest focal lengths. Distortion is low for a lens of this category.
Focusing speed in AF mode is pretty much on a par with most medium format lenses. It’s fast enough for most uses, but you wouldn’t confuse it with one of Nikon’s fast-focusing lenses on a Z9. When combined with the X2D II, it will capture focus in most situations with moderate motion, which is a big improvement over any Hasselblad lens I’ve used on the Mark I X2D.
It’s not a cheap lens. Almost $5K. That doesn’t look bad compared to the Hasselblad XCD-V lenses, but the excellent Fuji 45-100mm GF zoom is about half that price.
For a lot of usage, you’d be better off with the Nikon 28-70 f/2.8 S zoom on a Z8. But If you’re already in the Hasselblad system, and you want the convenience of a mid-length zoom, I’d recommend the 35-100E. I’m putting my money where my mouth is; I bought the loaner copy from Lensrentals.
Technical details follow.
Out of focus point source at 1/4000 second with the mechanical shutter at 100 mm focal length.
At a much slower shutter speed:
Illumination falloff at 35mm:
Illumination falloff at 100 mm:
Mechanical vignetting at 100mm:
Mechanical vignatting at 35mm:
A closer look at that:
Some Siemens star images at 150%^ magnification:
Focus curvature, measures with the Roger Cicala method (Ps -> Filter -> Stylize -> Find Edges).
Distortion, with Lr lens corrections off:
Bokeh at longish shutter speeds:
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