This means that the three XPan lenses, 30mm, 45mm and 90mm, have horizontal fields of views that are equivalent to 17mm (30/1.8), 25mm (45/1.8) and 50mm (90/1.8) lenses on a full-frame camera. The Xpan is not a fetishistic camera the way my Minolta SLR or my TLR are, where I revel in the mechanical intricacies of using it, feeling every gear turn and lever actuate. HASSELBLAD XPAN introduced in 1998 in partnership with Fuji is heavy and expensive film camera with only 3 lenses. It is bad enough to have the shutter be subject to electronic failure, but the film advance as well? For the price of the Xpan 30mm f5.6 lens alone, my preference is the Pentax 645 N or Mamiya 645 or Bronica 645 with a 35mm f3.5 lens that, on 120mm film could outdo the Xpan image for image quality. Certainly if you compare it to a compact or an even a leica M, it is unquestionably heavier. I was terrified to get one. My one and only gripe is that I wish I was able to see the aperture-priority selected speed in the viewfinder instead of on the LCD back (an oversight fixed on the subsequent XPan II). There are still frames where I am not sure if I resolved the problem of the wide frame. The wide frame lets you rediscover the meaning of negative space again. When trying to explain the XPan to my non-photographic friends, I fall back to the classic Portal 2 quote, Science is not about why, its about why not?. B23 Aps is authorized by Hasselblad as official service center and we take great pride in assisting long time Hasselblad camera owners. Great Article. Other times, no so much and I sell them. The new accessory bridges the iconic optics with the latest imaging capabilities from the mirrorless X1D system. You are correct, that is a typo. Content contributor - become a part of the worlds biggest film and alternative photography community blog. Its a life-altering decision, and why it took me all that time to pull the trigger and spend the most money Ive ever spent on a camera. Scanning XPan Film. The Hasselblad lenses (made by Fuji) that come with this camera are excelent. I bought my first Hasselblad XPan in 2000, and in the following 15+ years, I've accumulated a large shelf full of binders of negatives and (mainly) slides. Some of you know Ive recently had a month off to focus nearly entirely on content creation, and I decided to spend my last few days of that month with two of my kids. With panoramic cameras such as the XPan, we have to think more carefully about this. The images below are made with a Fuij GX617 and with a Hasselblad Xpan. I had it sent it to Hasselblad in New Jersey, who still complete repairs on the XPAN so it was all fine. While some of us hope and wish for a re-release of that classic film camera, its helpful to realize that we do have a modern day equivalent for digital photography: the Fuji GFX 50R. After all, why else would it be available for sale? So I reached out to my friends at KEH camera and asked if they would be willing to let me shoot with the extremely rare, and extremely expensive, Hasselblad X-Pan 30mm F5.6 lens which was created specifically for the Hasselblad X-Pan. Hasselblad also makes an adapter specifically for mounting the original X-Pan lenses to the X1D series. Maybe one day. I will delve into my views on the wide format a little further down but suffice to say that it certainly opens up new and interesting compositional possibilities. I will not disclose how much I paid but the (low) price never fails to shock my good friends at the Nation Photo lab (which developed and scanned every picture in this article). ], In addition to our staff writers, we accept articles from passionate and knowledgeable photo people. The sleek new adapter is lightweight, compact, and works seamlessly into the setup, says Hasselblad. And then you sell it and you're cursed again, to yearn for the time you had one and to know that you will never get it again (not at these prices). Great shots! The automatic film advance is also by far the loudest sound made by the camera when you make a frame. Of course, any digital photo can be cropped to a 65:24 ratio. Hasselblad was founded in 1941 as a manufacturer of . Appreciate sharing your experience, observations, preferences, etc. Its been two years since Ive owned it, and roughly 200 or so rolls later, I dont have any plans to sell it. The horizontal field of view from a particular 645 lens might be equivalent to a 50mm lens in 35mm full-frame terms, but because of the taller 4:3 frame, the vertical field of view might be equivalent to something like a 55mm lens. Thanks for the kind words and I am glad that my images might have helped you find your way a little bit. Whilst they were capable of shooting regular 24mm x 36mm frames on 35mm film, the real party trick was being able to switch to a panoramic mode that shot 24mm x 65mm frames. One can therefore assume that they will die eventually. Thanks for the kind words. Most people rail at this. A process that is thoroughly documented on his Instagram in real time. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I spoke with the head tech there and he estimated that 7 in 10 xpans are repairable. If you want XPAN camera porn, then consult reviews by Hamish,Nick Holt or Jeff Price, all available on 35mmc. Live better But photos with this lens were fabulously sharp all across the frame. It takes "panoramic" photos but it's not the same as what modern panorama means. I was in love with camera and enjoyed exploring its possibilities. It wooed me from the start and didnt fail to disappoint me. I felt it was a good way to give back to the community. Therefore, the solution to creating a digital xpan where you can see the image is to have a look in the camera menu options. While a task the first dozen times, I was probably less than 5 rolls in when this manoeuvre took less than 2 seconds. Buying Format. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. The original XPan was launched in 1998, and over 16,000 of these cameras were sold. Take some of the best features and capabilities of each, stir, and mix into a rugged titanium body made by Fuji in Japan and sold there as the TX-1, but sold everywhere else in the world as a Hasselblad . I have an Xpan as well (actually a TX1) and agree totally with your assessment. This has been known to be a bone of contention amongst XPan owners as it is well known the . The XPan is a metal camera generally with black paint finish. . Learning to see with a wide frame; looking for light. Alternatively, the camera was sold as a Fuji TX-1 in Japan. Ill buy another and another at all costs. So a clean and adustment is still totally possible. All Rights Reserved. I shot the occasional roll of colour, but it was an exception. I spoke to Hasselblad today. All photographs and text appearing on 35mmc.com are the exclusive property of the named author (except where stated otherwise) and are protected by copyright. The 30mm is a great lens to have for the real old fashioned panoramics similar to Linhoff that many people are used to. GULP. And, for a couple hundreds euros, I was able to get my Xpan serviced and its lenses cleaned of all fungus! If taking pictures helped me, if this hobby had healing properties (as this website has shown time and time again), I needed to know. I have encountered the same with classic automobiles. The XPan utilized a dual-format, producing both full panorama 24x65mm format in addition to conventional 24x36mm format on the exact same film. I am also frequently left with completely unexposed film at one end of the roll as a result of the automatic film advance. Fortunately, Paris is the home of Les Victors, previously known as Hasselblad France. As I stated up front, I am quite a fan of this camera. And now Oppo is offering you the chance to. With the oft-used 45mm lens on the front, the camera weighs 1085 grams. Hasselblad Rangefinder Hasselblad XPan Hasselblad Xpan-ii Panoramic Camera rangefinder camera Contribute to 35mmc for an Ad-Free Experience There are two ways to experience 35mmc without the adverts: Paid Subscription - 2.99 per month and you'll never see an advert again! Leaving Les Victors, the XPan weighed heavily in my hands. If you are unfamiliar with the Xpan, or have specific questions about the [], [] I just felt like I wasnt doing the camera justice. There is no shutter or aperture information. At some point in the mid 1990s, somewhere between Fujifilm Japan and Hasselblad Sweden a team of people decided that they should try their hand at making a 35mm panoramic camera. But man, what a fun setup. This is wide enough to make even the 16:9 aspect ratio look boxy. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'35mmc_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_12',188,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-35mmc_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'35mmc_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_13',188,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-35mmc_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0_1');.large-mobile-banner-1-multi-188{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. I have routinely shot for 5+ hours on end using the camera in this fashion. That was probably more information on the cameras auto advance feature than you wanted, but given it is my major gripe, I felt it only fair to go into enough details to weigh up the pros and cons. Cursed to desire one, cursed to break the bank buying one, cursed to realize that you have no real-life use for it. There already is a digital Hasselblad XPan May 7, 2020 Hey guys. But when you cant shoot less than with a 5.6 aperture, I havent noticed any issues. Did I break the curse? Jordan Lockhart. Getting the film developed and a contact sheet has become increasingly expensive. I will put an addition to this article on my to-do list. It is a shame, although not surprising and I fear that this may be the way the XPAN, and a lot of other great cameras are heading. While it is only 1cm taller than an M camera, it is relatively wide due to the wide-format shutter size. Hasselblad Xpan Instruction Manual Hasselblad Xpan Instruction Manual HASSELBLAD XPAN II INSTRUCTION MANUAL Pdf Download. Also, I am speaking as a long time TX-1 owner, not some wannabe hipster. The XPAN has pretty standard set of features. While the XPAN is not Leica small/light, it is eminently portable and hand-holdable. Thats why I said you need talent to take advantage []. It is 20 times cheaper than the Bad for results which are not far. In fact, Fuji also sold the XPan camera themselves, branded as the TX1 and TX2. I have shot the odd portrait with the XPAN as well as a few urban landscapes here and there. A Complete List of Hasselblad XPan Lenses and Their Specifications. The transparency was scanned with an Imacon FlexTight Photo scanner at 3,200 DPI. Since this camera is probably the best modern-day alternative to the X-Pan, I thought it would be fun to shoot with an actual X-Pan lens. What people really want to know with this camera, is how wide the field of view is going to be, compared to lenses they are used to using on a 35mm or full-frame camera. But thats all for now guys. For me, the genius of the XPAN lies in the marriage of the wide format and the form factor of a 35mm rangefinder. And why? For those interested in more details, I wanted to submit this review of the Hasselblad XPAN to 35mmc for a couple of reasons. Maybe not necessarily better, but give comparable if not better results. For that adventure I limited myself entirely to shooting with the GFX 50r with an in-camera crop of65:24 and with only the Hasselblad X-Pan 30mm 5.6 lens. As the months rolled by, I felt I started to see more clearly with the camera, to develop a vision with it and merge it with my shooting style and identity as a photographer. This is/was what we use/ed in AD for high level panorama images. He told me that this was a sign he was waiting for: he could not part with this camera. The Hasselblad XPan and XPan II were unique 35mm film cameras produced between 1998 and 2002 (XPan) and 2003 to 2006 (XPan II). That way, in those rare occasions where I know the panoramic crop is not going to work for a shot, I can back up, shoot it wider than I need to, and then just have tons of megapixels to work with for dialing in the crop later in post. Manage Settings No, they wanted to create a true, laser focused, state of the art panoramic camera for 35mm film. And because it was the XPan was to be a late-90s, best of the best sort of camera, they added every feature that technology allowed: a flawless light meter, exposure compensation, burst mode, everything that 1990s photographers could dream of (except a LCD speed readout in the viewfinder, but well get to that).