Hasselblad X System Crop Factor and XCD Lens Full Frame Equivalent Focal Lengths

Medium-format mirrorless systems are a great way to get into photography with a larger sensor than a full-frame 35mm sensor, so long as you can afford the higher price point. Whilst cameras like those of the Hasselblad X System and the Fujifilm GFX Format are pricey; they are still less expensive than traditional “full-frame medium format” cameras which use even larger sensors.

In this post, I’ll show you how to calculate the Hasselblad X System’s crop factor (and reveal the answer) and the 35mm equivalent focal lengths of all Hasselblad XCD lenses, including equivalent f-stop from a depth of field perspective.

Calculating the Hasselblad X System Crop Factor

When moving from a full-frame (or perhaps APS-C) DSLR, one of the confusing things to understand can be the focal lengths of lenses for a medium format system. We are so used to seeing focal lengths in terms of 35mm cameras that it’s hard to picture the kind of field of view that a medium format focal length will give. For example, 45mm on a medium format camera will provide nothing like the same view as a 45mm lens on a full-frame 35mm camera.

To compare full-frame 35mm lenses with Hasselblad XCD lenses, we need to know the sensor’s crop factor in the Hasselblad X System. The crop factor is simply the ratio of the diagonal sensor dimensions, and knowing the vertical and horizontal dimensions, we can quickly figure this out.

THE MATH WORKS OUT AS FOLLOWS:

Full frame sensor dimensions: 36mm x 24mm therefore diagonal dimension is √(36² + 24²) = 43.27mm

Hasselblad X System sensor size: 43.8mm x 32.9mm therefore diagonal dimension is √(43.8² + 32.9²) = 54.78mm

Crop factor for Hasselblad X System = 43.27/54.78 = 0.79

Typically we are used to seeing crop factors of more than 1. For example, APS-C cameras have a crop factor of either 1.5 or 1.6, whereas Micro Four Thirds cameras have a 2x crop factor. Since the Hasselblad X System has a larger sensor than a full-frame camera, the crop factor is less than 1, meaning that XCD lenses of a particular focal length will show a field of view equivalent to a much wider focal length in 35mm full-frame terms.

Hasselblad XCD Lens 35mm Equivalent Focal Lengths

Using the calculated crop factor of 0.79, we can now see the 35mm equivalent field of views for all the Hasselblad XCD lenses. I have also included the equivalent aperture, which will give you the depth of field equivalence when the lens is wide open.