Hasselblad in 2025: Legendary Company Launches its Best Digital Camera Ever

After an uncharacteristically prolific 2024, Hasselblad slowed down in 2025 in terms of quantity but reached new heights when it comes to quality.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C Finally Fulfills Hasselblad’s Medium Format Promise

Hasselblad’s only new camera of the year, the X2D II 100C, arrived in August boasting significant improvements, groundbreaking new features, and, somehow, a lower price tag than its predecessor, the X2D 100C, had at its launch in 2022.

While $7,399 is nothing to sneeze at, photographers get a lot for the money with the X2D II 100C. The camera has a 102-megapixel sensor, like its predecessor, but it now features the industry’s first medium-format end-to-end HDR workflow, an improved 10-stop in-body image stabilization system, LiDAR-powered autofocus, the first continuous autofocus of any Hasselblad camera ever, and, among the very best user experiences of any camera on the market. The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is a beautiful camera that is very enjoyable to use. Best of all, it captures images with unparalleled image quality, at least this side of a $50,000 digital back.

The HDR feature, which adds exposure latitude in the brightest regions of a photo, may not be fully embraced across the industry yet — not everyone has HDR displays, for starters — but the X2D II 100C demonstrates just how incredible HDR photography can be. Hasselblad has shared a wide array of videos on its YouTube channel showing the effect, which PetaPixel readers with HDR-compatible browsers and devices can check out.

While the new HDR feature is perhaps the most groundbreaking one in the X2D II 100C, nearly every aspect of the camera has been improved. The camera is lighter, has a brighter screen, has faster autofocus, and finally includes a sub-selector joystick (with haptic feedback, by the way).

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is an imperfect camera. Its autofocus, while better, is still not as performant as the AF in the latest Fujifilm GFX cameras. The X2D II 100C isn’t as fast as the GFX cameras, and unlike those, which have some pretty strong video features, the X2D II 100C doesn’t support video at all. But for someone like me, primarily a landscape photographer, these limitations hardly matter at all. I can see why they would matter to some people, though, of course.

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is not just a great camera for photographers who prioritize image quality and care little for versatility, but it is my favorite camera of 2025. It is not the best — for what it’s worth, I voted for the eventual winner, the Canon R6 III — but I loved using the X2D II 100C. It reflects what I value most in a camera: exceptional image quality, a consistently pleasant user experience, and cutting-edge technology. I’m certainly not alone in being excited by the X2D II 100C’s advancements, either, as the camera is having unprecedented commercial success so far.

Just One New Hasselblad Lens in 2025

As for lenses, Hasselblad released just one in 2025, a notable downturn after launching three in 2024: the XCD 25mm f/2.5 V, XCD 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E, and XCD 75mm f/3.4 P. The new 2025 lens, the XCD 35-100mm f/2.8-4 E, is the direct complement to that second lens. This new standard zoom offers Hasselblad medium-format photographers a 28-76mm equivalent focal length and a fast, variable aperture.

While I did not use the lens, Chris Niccolls shot it alongside the X2D II 100C for our video review and found it to be an excellent standard zoom lens.

The lens has a couple of drawbacks, including a huge 86mm filter thread that can be difficult to shop for and a steep $4,599 price tag. However, this lens is an excellent addition to the Hasselblad XCD system and a great companion for the brand-new X2D II 100C camera.

Grading Hasselblad in 2025

Before assigning Hasselblad its grade, it is worth mentioning a couple of Hasselblad-related news items that have nothing to do with new gear, and thus don’t affect the grade below. Hasselblad awarded photographer Sophie Ristelhueber the 2025 Hasselblad Award and $200,000 in March, a well-deserved honor and prize for the exceptional photographer. Hasselblad also just opened the entries for its Hasselblad Masters 2026 competition. Substantial cash prizes and great camera kits are available to the winners in the prestigious photography contest.

Alright, now for grading Hasselblad’s new photography gear in 2025. The company has quiet, yes, but its two products are both excellent, especially the X2D II 100C camera. By typical standards, a new camera and a lens would be a woefully quiet year, but Hasselblad operates quite differently. Sometimes it doesn’t announce anything at all, like in 2021. In 2023, there was just a single lens. So, Hasselblad launching a brand-new camera and a versatile new lens in 2025 is pretty good.

More importantly, the X2D II 100C and the XCD 35-100mm f/2.8-4 E are both among the very best products Hasselblad has released in a very long time. If releasing your best camera in many years doesn’t get you an A, what will?

Featured image created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos.