Comparing Canon R5 to the X2D - Shocking Colour Differences #hasselblad #canon #mediumformat

How does the world look on Canon's flagship model vs on the medium format Hasselblad X2D? Well, pretty different as it turns out.

I shot the same sessions on both cameras, outputted them as close as possible and compare the results in this video. I expected the X2D to be different but it's much more different than I thought. Check it out...

Instragram @philtragenphoto

*EDIT*: I've ran off the portraits in DPP, Canon's proprietary raw converter - and while i did see an overall improvement in colour and also detail, it wasn't night and day compared to ACR's effort. It still looks colour wise a very different proposition from the Blad files fed out of Phocus. What did we learn...? Not sure.

I know I wont be using Canon's raw converter again because that program feels like it's from 2004.

#fuji #fujigfx #hasselblad #mediumformat #fullframe #canon #canonr5 #phocus #lightroom #photography #canon50mm

[thomasjuddphotography]

Good side by side comparison. I am a commercial photographer that also shoots the Canon R5, Hasselblad X2D, and the Fuji GFX100S system. I think your results are on point for straight out of camera shots. Hasselblad's colors always seem very pleasing and accurate with minimal tweaking needed. Fuji's straight out of camera colors are also nice, and slightly different as well, especially with their different film sims. For most jobs requiring critical color accuracy (not just pleasing to the eye) I shoot a ColorChecker with each camera at least once during my shoot and by doing so it is possible to get any of the three camera systems' color output to match up pretty darn close when editing the respective RAW files. I don't typically shoot jobs with all three cameras, but I do sometimes use two systems on some assignments, particularly if I want to use the Hasselblad as my primary camera for static or posed shots, but then might require a zoom lens or longer focal length for secondary or action-oriented shots where the R5 is more capable. Been enjoying your videos!

[stubones]

What you really need to ask is: Will your clients even notice? 99% of time the difference between cameras is a photographer issue, not a client issue.

[janplexy]

Fortunately, none of my clients ever said to me; it’s a great picture, but if only blues of my shirt were rendered better.

[TeteRecinos]

It wasn’t until Manny Ortiz compared the X2D to a range of full frame cameras that I noticed how much Canon and Nikon skew green. This video confirms it. I wonder what the Leica SL3 files look compared to the Hasselblad but my guess is that the HNCS beats the Leicas. We live in incredible times.

[jurrevandermeer]

That's insane...how can you ever go back after using the x2d w the 55mm? I covet it but have a hard time justifying the purchase 😅 thanks for a great video

[marshall]

Again, a very useful video from you that wastes no time, which is welcome. From an editorial standpoint, I'd suggest a follow-on video processing the Hasselblad in Lightroom. I'm also an X2D user and would vastly prefer doing everything from ingest to export in LR. Staying in LR for ingest, cataloguing, editing and output is vastly preferable to involving Phocus---as long as color rendition is comparable. Adobe now says it is. I'd love to see that tested.

Production-wise, I'd again suggest ditching the subtitles.

[peterfritzphoto]

I sold my R5 to buy the X2D. I’ve kept my R6 MKII for action photography and video, but I’m super happy with the X2D!

[goodlawyer]

Thanks for the breakdown. I suppose Canon's defects can be fixed with a quick run through Lightroom though.

[ignaciocruzatcorrea]

Great comparison. Thanks for the work!

[dirkbaumbach]

Thank you for this report and your assessment, which I agree with 100 percent. I personally feel that the difference to the latest CCD sensors, for example the 40.2 x 53.7mm CCD sensor, is even greater. Especially in the bright areas, in nature, architecture and interiors. Sony sensors are almost everywhere these days. It is mainly the know-how in the software that makes a difference. It's a shame that Kodak has disappeared. The old Canon 5Ds also had something special.

[NetvoTV]

What do you think of Nikon Zf? Do people use the dedicated shutter and ISO dials on the Zf or just get it for the look and end up just use the front and rear dials more which means the Z6III will make more sense with the better grip and even better EVF even let say you just want to use a small lens on it? Is Hasselblads X2D fun to shoot with or just like any shoot with a computer experience like any other mirrorless?

I shoot for fun, art, contest and gig if possible tho I haven't done yet, my plan is to get that lens with Zf ith the 28-400mm and a Sony Xperia 1 VI phone (26, 24, 48, 85-170, 2X macro) to be always with me waterproof and macro camera, down the line I might get the 14-30 and Voigtländer 50mm F1 if I want to maximize what I can get from wider shots and also when I need boleh which is rare time but that manual lens and aesthetic of the lens is nice! Hope they make a yellow leather of Zf soon! 💛

[ZadakLeader]

Color can be modified and is subjective.

Dynamic range, well... the Hassleblad has a bigger sensor.

Also the price right now is 3x more than a Canon R5.

[zoltankaparthy]

I shoot M9 and M240 and Pixii A2572 mostly along with the X2D. From the first day I was convinced that the X2D was the hands down winner across the board. It costs a ton. You get your moneys-worth. Thanks for the vid.

[brunopradomusic]

The yellowish tone has been bothering me since the R series was introduced. I didn't get too much of that yellowish tone with the original R, but with R5, R6 and even my small R8. The DSLR Canon cameras have a better colour rendition IMHO.

[ohnoflicks]

A good honest assessment. I had an old H style Hassy, and even then, nothing like the Hasselblad skin tones. The X2D is sometimes breathtaking in its color renditions especially if you get the metering right. I find the X2D color much less sterile than the GFX cameras (note this is not a discussion about film simulations). Shadow renderings and gradations also much more pleasing to me on the X2D. A good example is your white shirt comparison.

[GOKULLRAW]

Hello, I came across your video by coincidence.
I own multiple cameras from various brands including the R5 and the X2D.

It’s nothing to do with the camera itself.., it’s the RAW support that’s provided by for eg LR or CaptureOne Pro which we use for RAW file processing.
They create the profiles for the raw files & not the camera brands themselves.. On the other hand native raw conversion softwares either Canon or Hasselblad in this case do their best to process their own raw files. However Fujifilm and Nikon have shared their colour tech with Captureone and when you use these cameras you can select their respective colour profiles as an option besides what the software has to offer on their own.
Last one is how you have set your white balance on your camera.
So all these kind of comparisons this brand vs that brand on third party softwares are technically invalid.
That’s the truth.

[ryancorbyn]

Great video. Really fair explanation. Love it.

[tomsun]

Very interesting comparison. didn't expect such big differences. Is it more camera side or on the lens side? Or ist that just fact that RAW is not really RAW but allready heavily processed by the internal optimization. So the last one is really my best guess, which leads to the proposal to extend the comparison to more camera brands (Sony, Nikon, Panasonic and of course my beloved Pentax) perhaps a test in laboratory conditions with a standardized subject Diorama with some charrts colour and greyscale, with standardized lightsources. If i remeber right ther was allready a comparison between some brands, and the Canon was always way off the others.

[jessdoxey]

I kinda feel this isn’t a great comparison test, that colour difference on the face could be the more the lens than the camera, or maybe not.

[cmeluzzi]

After seeing your comparison, I do prefer the Hasselblad color rendition. But your conclusion in the end, that the colors of the Hasselblad are more natural, is based on what apart from your impressions? Maybe if you used Canon DPP4 your conclusion would be different. The problem with these comparisons is that it is very difficult to reach a scientific valid result. Too many variables to control. Cheers!