I Took Over 4,000 Photos With Hasselblad's X2D II Camera. These Are My Best

I Took Over 4,000 Photos With Hasselblad's X2D II Camera. These Are My Best

1 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is one of the most accomplished stills cameras you can buy today. Featuring a massive medium-format sensor at its heart, the camera can capture huge 100-megapixel images with an incredible 15.3 stops of dynamic range, giving you endless scope to rescue highlights or lift shadows in editing.
It provides up to 10 stops of image stabilization, allowing you to take hand-held photos with shutter speeds up to, and beyond, a second in length. There's also the faster lidar autofocus and the built-in 1TB of storage. At $7,399, that's not bad for a camera and it's actually cheaper than its predecessor.
I've been testing the camera for the past couple of weeks, and I'm really impressed -- so impressed that it's made its way into our guide to the best cameras. Here is a selection of my favorite images so far.

2 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
It starts with a black-and-white image of this couple finding a quiet moment to relax on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. While Hasselblad talks at length about its natural color science (read: accurate colors) in the camera, I actually love how easily I can convert the images to punchy, dramatic black-and-white shots.

3 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The details in this image are tremendous, and I love how the camera's wide dynamic range keeps the very bright highlights under control.

4 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Like the Hasselblad's before it, the X2D II can shoot using the company's XPAN panoramic crop mode. I love the look of images captured using this cinematic aspect ratio.

5 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
I shot mostly using Hasselblad's new 35-100mm zoom lens, leaning into the wide-angle end here to capture these guys feeding the seagulls in the park.

6 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Here, I used a fast shutter speed to capture the wings of the pigeon being fed by this friendly chap.

7 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Taken in Paris, I used selective edits in Adobe Lightroom to try to draw the eye more naturally toward the artist subject in the middle of the scene.

8 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Another punchy black-and-white shot. The wide angle gives a nice perspective here, while the lidar autofocus allowed me to capture the image quickly as I walked past.

9 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The stabilization allows for slow shutter speeds, even when handheld. I used it here to create a sense of motion: One figure walks quickly and is blurred, while the static figure remains pin sharp.

10 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
I couldn't help but snag a quick shot when I saw this guy pushing a piano across a busy crossing in Edinburgh.

11 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
This guy's vibrant tracksuit, yellow sign and salute immediately caught my eye.

12 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Further down the road, these scantily clad men were doing a street performance and, I think, were making some commentary about the British train network. No, I'm not kidding.

13 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Edinburgh's Royal Mile is full of amazing subjects, especially during the Fringe arts festival. The focus wasn't quite spot on for this guy, but I actually like that he looks a little soft in some of the details. It gives it a more filmic look that I really like.

14 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The camera nailed focus on this guy's face, leaving his fist bump toward me ("Love your Hasselblad, bro") with a nice out-of-focus element.

15 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Taken at a nearby horse racing event, these revellers have set up a great picnic situation. I love the look of the scene.

16 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
This person was getting more into the spirit of the day with a big cheer toward the camera, giving a great little flash of the gold tooth!

17 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
I used a slow shutter speed and panned the camera with the horses here, and I love the sense of action and drama it's created.

18 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
I had to shoot a classic portrait of this guy. The hat and the cigar are straight out of a 1950s scene, and I love the amount of detail the Hasselblad has captured here.

19 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
A fast shutter speed was crucial to capture the horse in sharp detail between these two figures.

20 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Deep shadows and warm tones overwhelm this evening shot overlooking Edinburgh.

21 of 21Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Once the light fell even more, I headed to Edinburgh's streets to capture some long exposures, using light trails to add interest to the image. This was taken using a 45-second exposure with the camera securely locked down on a tripod.