Most photographers think about their equipment as a toolbox: an extremely vast for sweeping scenes, a zoom for on a regular basis life, a telephoto for attain, and possibly a quick prime for artistic aptitude. That setup guarantees flexibility. However what if the very act of getting so many selections is holding you again?
Working with only one lens forces you to decelerate. To see consciously. To compose intentionally. It strips away the distraction of alternative and replaces it with readability, a constant visible language that may grow to be your signature.
That’s precisely the philosophy behind my long-term check of the Hasselblad XCD 38V. Compact, light-weight, and razor sharp, its 30mm equal focal size sits proper between vast and commonplace. The query is: can it actually exchange a complete fleet of lenses?
The V Collection at a look
Earlier than diving into the 38V, it helps to know the broader Hasselblad XCD V-Collection. Hasselblad constructed this line round continuity: compact our bodies, quicker autofocus motors, and a uniform most aperture of f/2.5 throughout all fashions.
The household presently contains:
Every shares the identical lens diameter, focus ring, and 72mm filter thread, a sensible contact when switching between them. The one characteristic that doesn’t fairly win me over is the customizable management ring. Whereas in idea you’ll be able to assign aperture, ISO, or publicity compensation, in observe it turns too simply for my style, so I hardly ever depend on it.
What Makes the XCD 38V Distinctive?
Even inside the V Collection, the 38V stands aside. At simply 350 g, it’s the lightest lens in your complete XCD lineup, but it presents extra efficiency than the older “moveable” fashions just like the XCD 45P.
In contrast facet by facet:
XCD 38V – f/2.5 aperture, quick autofocus, stable steel housing
XCD 45P – f/4 aperture, slower AF, lighter however much less sturdy construct
The 38V feels skilled in hand. The engravings on the main focus scale and depth of area markings nod to classic glass, whereas the push-pull focus clutch lets me swap to guide focus in seconds. With the X2D’s 100% focus magnifier, it’s as intuitive as working with a Leica rangefinder.
That’s why I typically use it with a “tenting” method: set the main focus manually in a scene, await the precise second, and let the near-silent leaf shutter seize the shot unnoticed.
The outcomes? Excessive-contrast, detail-rich photos the place you will get misplaced in textures. Sure, there’s seen vignetting even stopped down, however in observe, I both embrace it as a part of the look or take away it with a single click on in submit.
At night time, the f/2.5 aperture shines. Mixed with the X2D’s ISO efficiency, in-body stabilization, and Hasselblad’s Pure Noise Discount in Phocus Cellular, I’ve made pictures beneath starlight that will have been inconceivable a decade in the past.
The Good In-Between Focal Size
At 30mm full body equal, the XCD 38V strikes a stability between the basic 28mm and 35mm fields of view.
28mm typically feels expansive, nearly pushing into dramatic territory.
35mm can really feel somewhat too slender for environmental work.
30mm sits squarely in between, providing context with out distortion.
This candy spot makes the lens remarkably versatile: environmental portraits, landscapes, road, nonetheless life—it handles all of them with ease. And with 100 MP information, cropping turns into a viable “digital zoom,” much like how Leica and Fujifilm combine digital framing into their cameras.
For vast scenes, I typically shoot stitched panoramas as an alternative of reaching for an extremely vast. The end result: multi-hundred-megapixel landscapes with no distortion and a pure sense of compression. For storytelling, I’ve experimented with diptychs and triptychs, putting photos facet by facet to create rhythm.
The 38V has a story high quality I like. It permits topics to breathe of their setting whereas retaining the essence intact. That stability is uncommon.
Midnight Refuel: A Fantastic Artwork Collection With One Lens
Final yr in Andalusia, whereas scouting workshop areas, I found what would grow to be a private undertaking. Driving late at night time, I observed a glowing fuel station within the distance. It jogged my memory of labor by Jason Kummerfeldt (Grainydays), and I knew I couldn’t simply move it by.
Standing in the midst of a abandoned street with the X2D and 38V, I framed the fluorescent gentle, the symmetry of the bushes, and the stage-like distinction of purple pillars in opposition to the black night time. That single cease changed into a complete collection, Midnight Refuel.
Evening after night time, I looked for fuel stations alongside the Mediterranean coast. Every turned an emblem of transience: relaxation stops on life’s journey, glowing islands at nighttime. Capturing solely with the 38V gave the undertaking its visible cohesion, one thing important in fantastic artwork and competitors work.
Is the XCD 38V the Solely Lens You Want?
For me, the XCD 38V has grow to be my go-to on the Hasselblad X2D. It presents the precise mix of portability, pace, and picture high quality, good for a one-lens setup.
That mentioned, I nonetheless attain for the XCD 90V after I need extra compression and isolation. But when I needed to suggest a single start line for anybody getting into the Hasselblad X system, the 38V could be it.
Consider it as a Leica Q or Fujifilm X100, scaled as much as true medium format high quality. A lens that forces you to see extra deliberately, and rewards you with photos that really feel constant, timeless, and deeply thought-about.
