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by Christopher Groenhout
I’ll admit it; I was seduced! I first saw the Hasselblad XPan in the window of a local camera store in late 1998, and I immediately began exclaiming, "I must have it!" Once my pulse settled a little (and my companion peeled me from the window), I discovered the following information about this innovative camera:
A BRIEF GLIMPSE...
The
Hasselblad XPan is a compact panoramic camera that uses 35mm film and a
range-finder method of focussing. For those unfamiliar with this method, it’s
an historically popular technique in which an image seen through a simple
viewfinder (similar to that in a compact camera) is "matched" with
another from a second window by turning the focus ring. This system negates the
need for a reflex mirror within the camera with its associated vibration and
noise.
The XPan was developed in association with Fuji, Japan, a firm that makes the camera and badges it in Asia as their own. A third party (allegedly Contax) manufactures the two lenses for the XPan - the 45mm f4 and the 90mm f4, both solid in design and fine pieces of glass.
Hasselblad recently announced an additional lens to compliment the standard duo, a super-wide 30mm f5.6 aspherical (a technical word that translates into excellent optics and BIG bucks!). I haven’t seen one of these in person, but since it carries a price tag of nearly $3000 (U.S.), I can’t imagine that too many people will be queuing up to order one.
Unlike the majority of Hasselblad designs, the XPan is highly electronic - somewhere between a modern "point-and-shoot" camera and a Leica M6. When film is inserted, the camera winds it to its end and then works backward. This feature is great if you open the back of the camera prematurely, because the exposed part of the film will be safely locked away in the canister. However, what the reverse order is designed to do is to permit the Xpan to switch between standard 35mm (24x36mm) and panoramic format (24x65mm) without wasting film. When you turn the format knob, the film actually rewinds or moves forward a little to optimize film usage.
From
then on, the XPan is similar in use to any manual focus 35mm camera. The shutter
speed dial reminds me of the Nikon FE with speeds varying from 1/1000 to eight
seconds. In addition, there is a "B" setting, but--unlike most other
cameras--it has a thirty-two second limit. According to Erland Pettersson of
Hasselblad, "The "B" time on XPan is limited to thirty-two
seconds due to early concerns for the holding magnets in the shutter. They drain
current from the battery during the exposure and may be overheated and cause
malfunction." While this restriction may not be a major problem for most
photographers, it severely limits the camera’s potential for low-light
landscape photography. However, I choose to make the most of this limitation by
using it as an additional thirty-two second shutter speed.
Accompanying the shutter-speed dial is a small LCD display with the number of
remaining frames (appropriate to which format is currently in use)--a thirty-six
exposure roll working out to twenty-one panoramic frames. There is also an
exposure compensation dial (-2 to +2 in half stop intervals), a centrally placed
hotshoe, and a large matt-chrome shutter button.
THE XPAN IN USE...
I confess; the remainder of my comments may be slightly biased. I’ve owned and operated a number of panoramic cameras (Widelux, Art Panorama 617, Horseman 612 SW, Round-Shot 360--to name a few) and, of all of them, the XPan is the easiest and most enjoyable to use. It’s no lightweight (around one kilogram with either lens), but it's this weight and the broad proportions of the camera body which permit successful use down to very low shutter speeds. And, while aperture-priority exposure might not be everyone’s preference, the ease with which you can use the camera manually reminds me of how far down the digital path many cameras have taken us. It seems to bridge the old to the new with very few failings. Here are a few of my observations:
(1) The shutter speed information is available only via the back LCD display (not via the viewfinder). While on a tripod you can view this easily, during hand-held use, it’s a little tricky and seems to represent a striking omission for such a well designed machine.
(2) The tripod thread is not centered in the base; rather it's off to one side. This placement is a bit weird at first but seems okay considering the size and weight of the camera.
(3) The 45mm lens suffers from visible falloff, especially at wider apertures. This can be a blessing in disguise, as many of my images have been improved with a little darkening at the corners. For the more particular artist, Hasselblad has released a one-stop center-weighted filter to correct this "problem."
(4) When you're using infrared emulsions, there is a tendency for one edge of the film to be fogged by the infrared film positioning system (similar to that in the Canon EOS cameras). This effect is generally a problem only if you print the negative full-frame, but unfortunately, is unavoidable. The very same positioning system has some difficulty loading Kodak HIE as well as other thin emulsions, but with a little patience, it loads eventually.
(5) On a more positive note, both the 45mm and 90mm lenses are incredibly sharp and seem to flare very little. The built-in center-weighted exposure meter works as well as any I’ve used, and the camera seems to remain reliable in low temperatures (I’ve used it down to -8 °C), but don’t expect its two lithium batteries to last too long. The camera also offers auto-bracketing (1/2 and 1 stop intervals - 3 frames at a time), a feature I’ve always dreamed about, but in practice rarely use.
TO PURCHASE OR NOT TO PURCHASE?
Compared to the average Hasselblad medium-format outfit, the XPan is a bargain. At around $2000 (U.S.), you get a "boutique" camera capable of some unique functions, and it's a pleasure to use, as well! I swapped a Horseman 612 SW for the XPan, as I found it too wide (110’ with the 45mm lens on 6x12cm format) for many purposes. I currently use the XPan in conjunction with a Widelux F8 for those times when a little super-wide distortion is appropriate.
I think the XPan appeals mostly to the professional travel photographer, photojournalist, and serious amateur (don’t you love that title). I recently saw a wedding photographer with one (loaded with 3200 ISO B&W film). It's no toy, yet it's great fun to use and produces very professional results. Its 24x65mm format is easier to print than 6x17cm and provides massively better quality than panoramas produced with the APS format.
Initial shortages in Xpan numbers seem to have subsided, and I’ve even seen a handful of second-hand ones on the market. It’ll be fascinating to see XPan MKII.
Want to see some pictures taken by the Xpan?