Hasselblad X1D vs Olympus PEN-F

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Hasselblad X1D

51 MP | Medium format (44 x 33 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus PEN-F

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Hasselblad X1D vs Olympus PEN-F Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras from Hasselblad and Olympus. Hasselblad X1D was introduced to market in June 2016 and Olympus PEN-F was launched in January 2016. There is only 5 months difference between X1D and PEN-F so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Hasselblad X1D has a 51.0MP Medium format sensor whereas Olympus PEN-F has a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Hasselblad X1D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2016-06-22

51MP - Medium format CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600

Hasselblad X Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

2.3 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

Built-in GPS

725g. 150 x 98 x 71 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Olympus PEN-F Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2016-01-27

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 80)

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fully Articulated Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

10.0 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

427g. 125 x 72 x 37 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Hasselblad X1D over Olympus PEN-F

Max Sensor Resolution	51 MP vs 20 MP	154% more pixels
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Color Depth	26.2 vs 23.1	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	14.8 vs 12.4	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	4489 vs 894	better High ISO performance
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot

Reasons to choose Olympus PEN-F over Hasselblad X1D

Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	All the lenses are stabilized
Adjustable LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
LCD Screen Resolution	1.037k dots vs 920k dots	12% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/2000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	10.0fps vs 2.3fps	7.7 fps faster
Weight	427 g vs 725 g	298 g lighter
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Selfie Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (50.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Smartphone Remote Control	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Strengths of Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	51 MP vs 20 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution	920k dots vs 1.037k dots	High resolution screens
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F

Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Hasselblad X1D vs Olympus PEN-F: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F. Olympus PEN-F is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 25mm narrower, 26mm shorter and 34mm thinner than Hasselblad X1D.

Here is the back view size comparison of Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F.

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus PEN-F is significantly lighter (298g ) than the Hasselblad X1D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Hasselblad X1D has a Medium format sensor and Olympus PEN-F has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus PEN-F's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Hasselblad X1D lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

X1D

PEN-F

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

X1D

PEN-F

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that X1D has a big advantage over PEN-F which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Olympus PEN-F sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Hasselblad X1D's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to PEN-F.

Hasselblad X1D vs Olympus PEN-F: Sensor Comparison

Hasselblad X1D has a 51.0MP Medium format (44 x 33 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus PEN-F has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VII processor.

Hasselblad X1D's sensor provides 31MP more than Olympus PEN-F's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the X1D and PEN-F sensor size comparison.

As seen above, Hasselblad X1D has a 6.5x Larger sensor area than Olympus PEN-F. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, X1D has scored 102, 28 points higher than PEN-F.

What types of Photography are Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Hasselblad X1D for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus PEN-F for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 51.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Hasselblad X1D for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus PEN-F for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Hasselblad X1D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus PEN-F for Sports Photography

GOOD

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.3fps
Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
81 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Hasselblad X1D for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus PEN-F for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
725g
Body Thickness 71mm
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
427g
Read the details

Hasselblad X1D for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Olympus PEN-F for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 51.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Olympus PEN-F vs Hasselblad X1D Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Olympus PEN-F has an advantage over Hasselblad X1D There are 105 lenses for Olympus PEN-F's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 4 lenses for Hasselblad X1D's Hasselblad X lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus PEN-F has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Hasselblad X1D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 0 lenses for Hasselblad X mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Hasselblad X1D Lenses	# of Olympus PEN-F Lenses
Standard Zoom	n/a	15
Standard Prime	1	12
Wideangle Zoom	n/a	5
Wideangle Prime	3	29
Telephoto Zoom	n/a	17
Telephoto Prime	n/a	9
SuperZoom	n/a	8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	n/a	5
Macro Prime	n/a	4
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	1
TOTAL	4	105

Hasselblad X1D vs Olympus PEN-F: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Hasselblad X1D and Olympus PEN-F scores compare:

Hasselblad X1D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #2 out of 122 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #19 out of 1192 in all Cameras

Olympus PEN-F

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #8 out of 122 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #81 out of 1192 in all Cameras

Hasselblad X1D scores higher than the Olympus PEN-F in Overall. It has better image quality and better value than Olympus PEN-F. On the other hand, Olympus PEN-F is more portable and has more features than Hasselblad X1D.
If image quality is very important for you and you want to get the most bang for your bucks, choose the Hasselblad X1D.
If you are looking for a small camera where you can take everywhere with you, and having more features are also important, Olympus PEN-F is the right choice for you.

Hasselblad X1D

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Olympus PEN-F

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Olympus PEN-F vs Hasselblad X1D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Hasselblad X1D	Olympus PEN-F
Brand	Hasselblad	Olympus
Announced	2016-06-22	2016-01-27
Body Type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Medium format	Four Thirds
Dimensions	44 x 33 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	1452.00mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	51 megapixels	20 megapixels
Max Resolution	8272 x 6200	5184 x 3888
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	80 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	n/a	81
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Hasselblad X	Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	4	105
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	920k dots	1,037k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,360k dots	2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.62
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter	n/a	1/16000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	1/2000s	no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.3 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	H.264	MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	725g	427g
Dimensions	150 x 98 x 71mm	125 x 72 x 37mm
Battery Life	n/a	330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Built-in	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	102	74
DxO Color Depth	26.2	23.1
DxO Dynamic Range	14.8	12.4
DxO Low Light ISO	4489	894
	Report a correction	Report a correction