Three years have passed since Hasselblad’s introduction of the X1D 50C, the world’s first mirrorless camera. Today the Swedish company is ready to launch its successor. Unsurprisingly called the X1D II 50C, the new camera is a 50-megapixel medium format camera that keeps delivering on the original philosophy of Hasselblad’s X line: making high quality medium format photography more portable by severing the traditional tether to a studio setup. 
The X1D, with its lightweight magnesium alloy body and ergonomic design, was surprisingly effective in doing so. Now with the X1D II model Hasselblad wants to leverage that legacy by listening to the feedback from its clients.

The design of the camera remains untouched and so does the 50-megapixel resolution, which hasn’t double up to 100-megapixel as some recent rumors were claiming. The improvements are mostly in performance, with startup time reduced by 46%, less shutter lag and blackout time, a higher refresh rate for Live View mode, a faster continuous shooting rate of 2.7fps (up from 2 fps in the previous model). 
The rear display is now bigger (3.6” vs 3.0”), while the Electronic View Finder’s resolution is now 55% higher. Also worth noticing, the implementation of a native GPS module (on the previous model it was a flash-shoe add-on).

X1D II 50C now has a USB-C connector that enables direct battery charging and can be used to control the camera from an iPad Pro. Hasselblad is also launching a new software compatible with the Apple’s tablets, Phocus Mobile 2, which introduces a new portable workflow for photography professionals who are always on the go. The app is compatibile with the X1D II’s RAW files, but the camera can also easily output full resolution, high-quality JPEGs. Pictures can also be transferred via Wi-Fi and the app doubles as a remote controller for tethered shooting.

Along with the new X-series body, Hasselblad is introducing a new X format lens, the XCD 3,5-4,5/35-75, a compact zoom with central lens shutter and exposure times from 68 minutes to 1/2000s with full flash synchronization. According to Hasselblad, the goal of the new lens is again to facilitate a highly-mobile workflow, by offering a complete solution to photographers who want to minimize the weight of their bag and still sport a lens that makes them shoot anything, from architectural pictures and landscapes to portraits, without compromising on quality. 

Albeit more accessible than Hasselblad high-end solutions, the X1D II is still a camera for a restricted niche of professionals or affluent prosumers. The camera body costs 5000€ (vs. 7900€ for the previous model), while the new XCD 35-75 will set you back 4500€. 
They will be shipped respectively in July and October.

The Swedish company has also previewed a new digital back (CFV II 50C) compatible with all the V-system cameras made from 1957 on, and the 907X camera body, which works with all the new X-series lenses and all the previous Hasselblad optics (via official).

This combination of the digital back and the new 907X body will offer a truly distinct photographic experience, including the waist-level shooting style of the V System enabled by the CFV II 50C’s tilt screen. Hasselblad said that further details about these two product will follow later this year.