Looking for the sharpest lens on the planet? A lens so optically precise that it has virtually no flaws? I think you just found it.
We've tested hundreds and hundreds of lenses over the years. But while we've tested some incredibly good glass (particularly these days, where even kit lenses perform well), it's not often that a lens is "potentially record-breaking".
That's the case with the Hasselblad XCD 90V, though – a medium format lens designed for X System cameras like the Hasselblad X2D and Hasselblad 907X. And the fact that it's a medium format optic makes things even more impressive, given that it has such a large image circle to cover and that it has to resolve for a 100MP image sensor.
"This is quite possibly the sharpest lens we've ever lab tested," wrote our lab manager, Ben Andrews, in the lab data portion of my Hasselblad XCD 90V review.
"Center sharpness is simply sensational up to f/11, and is potentially record-breaking at f/4. Mid-frame and corner sharpness are almost as good. In fact, this lens is as sharp in the corners as many lenses could hope to be in their central region – the XCD 90V really is in a different league."
Just take a look at this test chart, measuring the lens' sharpness in terms of line widths per picture height:
Bear in mind that a score approaching 2,000 is considered very good; for context, the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS is a comparable portrait lens that's considered optically excellent – and its center sharpness peaks at 2,750. The XCD 90V tops out at over 4,250, and its edge sharpness nearly hits 3,000. Supporting Ben's comment, it's literally sharper at the edges than one of Canon's best lenses is in the middle!
On top of that, this is one of the most honest optics in terms of distortion. "For all intents and purposes, this is a zero-distortion lens," Ben adds.
Lab data doesn't tell the whole story, of course. I've used some of the best lenses technically but, in my opinion, they're sterile, clinical and soulless. They're amazing exercises in engineering precision, for sure, but their images leave me cold.
That's not the case with the XCD 90V, though. It renders images that are dripping with character, from the sublime subject separation to the almost Petzval-like bokeh when you shoot the right scene. However, unlike fun-but-flawed "character lenses", the charm is the cherry on top of images sharper than a bowlful of razorblades.
As someone who shoots Hasselblad, I'm often asked why the equipment comes with a premium price tag. Well, a big reason is this kind of premium performance – you really can't argue with results like these!
Take a look at the best Hasselblad cameras, which are among the best medium format cameras available.
