Hasselblad Product Manager Ove Bengtson interviewed by Dpreview

Ove Bengston got interviewed by the Dpreview crew. Here are some key info:

He believes mirrorless is the future:
Mirrorless systems can be smaller and lighter, and because they have no internal movement they are more durable and they create less vibration so there is less to disturb image quality. Electronic viewfinders will need to get better though and the AF systems will need to improve to catch up with phase detection systems.’

Why the X1D has no phase detection autofocus:
We discussed having phase detection AF points built into the sensor, but Sony was already too far down the road with the sensor development at that stage. We really do want phase detection but we’ll have to wait for the sensor manufacturer.

About the new XCD lenses:
The new XCD lenses are designed and built to the same specification standards that we use for the H series lenses. We have to produce the best that we can and allowing reduced quality just isn’t an option. In fact these have a short back focus which makes it easier to design them to really excellent standards.
Right now though, we have no zooms on the roadmap. Personally I think they will have to be too big, and I want us to concentrate on the best performance and the highest resolution possible.’

The maximum possible sensor size:
The camera isn’t designed to take a larger sensor. If we work with a larger sensor it means we need a bigger body and bigger lenses, and that would defeat the principles of what the X1D is about.

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Preorders:
The Hasselblad X1D-50c at BHphoto, Adorama and Calumet.de.
Hasselblad 90mm F/3.2 XCD Lens for XD1 at BHphoto, Adorama and Calumet.de.
Hasselblad 45mm F/3.5 XCD Lens for XD1 at BHphoto, Adorama and Calumet.de.