First Salvo in Medium Format Mirrorless War

"High End Mirrorless" Just Got Higher

Hasselblad just announced the 50 megapixel, medium format, X1D mirrorless camera, and it has generated significant buzz. It's worth taking a moment to realize how far we've come. The first mirrorless camera was the Epson R-D1 in 2004. Shortly after, Panasonic and Olympus got the ball rolling with a flurry of popular micro four thirds models. At the time, manufacturers and serious photographers assumed that mirrorless would be relegated to the low end of the market. But the technology continued to progress, and Sony made inroads into the APS-C space with the popular NEX series. Mirrorless began to impact the sales of entry level DSLR's.

It's not an exaggeration to say when Sony launched the A7 line of full frame mirrorless cameras, the photographic community lost it's collective marbles. It sparked a huge and ongoing debate about the future of photography itself. These were very capable cameras that were in some ways better than professional level DSLR's. It became obvious that mirrorless was a serious threat to the status quo.

And now there is a mirrorless medium format camera--the X1D. The camera itself is only marginally larger than a Sony A7r2. The lenses may be a different story, as that huge sensor is going to need proportionally larger glass to feed it photons. It's a good bet that the apertures of the lenses will have to be smaller (higher minimum f-stops) in order to keep the size reasonable. This may not be a bad thing considering the task of getting a subject in depth of field--a real challenge with medium format.

There is precedent for smaller apertures. Consider the Holga cameras. They actually have quite small lenses even though they take medium format (120 film) size images. Holga lenses are not known for their optical fidelity, but there is plenty of middle ground between this kind of lens and a typical, fast medium format lens.

Where are we headed?

Cell phone cameras have decimated the point and shoot market. Google is working on modular phones that would allow users to swap out and upgrade a phone's camera module. This could accelerate the already breakneck pace of improvement. Whether or not this happens, smartphone cameras will continue to compete with stand alone cameras.

The micro four thirds format might be the next victim. Digital Rev has already posed the question of whether this segment is dead. There are small and very capable APS-C cameras such as the Sony A6000 / 6300 and impressively small Fuji's. Micro four thirds is getting squeezed by cell phones from below, and APS-C cameras from above.

In order to distance themselves from the collapse of the low end segments, camera manufacturers have been moving resources to larger sensors where they can offer superior image quality. Sony shifted focus to their full frame A7 camera line, and there have been rumors that Fuji and Canon were eyeing the medium format segment.

Which manufacturers could make a move into medium format? Fuji knows how to make good glass, and has made medium format film cameras for a long time. With Canon, Nikon and Sony dominating the full frame market, Fuji might see medium format as a niche without the withering competition. Sony makes the stunning 100 megapixel sensor for the Phase One (Mamiya), and could easily make a medium format camera body. But Sony has struggled to make a complete lineup of lenses for it's full frame cameras, and getting into medium format would put even more stress on their lens division.

Room For Competition

As interesting as the X1D is, there are some misqueues. The price may be low for a Hasselblad, but at $9000 for the body or $14000 for the body and two lenses, the system is very pricey. It leaves a large gap for a competitor with a body in the $5000 - $7000 range and still make a solid profit. Also, fifty megapixels feels underwhelming. Pentax's 645Z camera has 51 megapixels, it's more affordable, and it has a more complete and reasonably priced lens lineup. And make no mistake, the Pentax takes stunning images. Photographers who could afford the Hasselblad are likely to own or be tempted by the 50 megapixel Canon 5DS-R or the 42 megapixel Sony A7r mark 2. Fifty megapixels just doesn't have the WOW factor it did a year ago.

With the likely entry of other manufacturers into this segment, the X1D is just the first shot fired in a new mirrorless medium format war.

Update! June 28, 2016

Fuji Rumors is now saying that Fuji will announce a medium format camera at Photokina this year. The camera would use a 50 megapixel Sony chip, the camera would be launched with three lenses, and it would be more affordable than the Hasselblad X1D.