October 18, 2026

Japan in XPan: Hasselblad X1D II

Hasselblad

Photographer Daran shot entirely in the classic XPan 65x24 format with his Hasselblad X1D II during a family trip to Osaka, Japan. The unique charm of the wide frame makes the images more evocative, and shows medium format in a different light.

By Daran Wu

It had been a long time since visiting Japan — more than five years since the whole family traveled abroad together. With a few days off over the 2023 New Year, we planned a small family trip to Osaka.

Traveling with family isn't as free as traveling alone — you can't just stop to shoot whenever you want. More often it's about the interesting things your eyes catch while moving, or the scenes around you between stops. But since this was a relaxing trip, I let the shooting happen naturally.

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The charm of the wide frame made a deep impression from the very first time I tried it. Used to the 3:2 ratio, 65:24 feels like your vision extends sideways — more elements can be arranged in the frame, and it's close to what our own eyes see horizontally.

65:24 can of course be cropped in post, but I prefer to think in XPan when composing at the moment of shooting. The Hasselblad X1D II has a built-in 65:24 crop mode, so I can compose directly with the wide frame lines — intuitive and more precise.

This time I shot everything with the XCD 45mm F3.5 (about 37mm equivalent). The whole setup is light and portable, autofocus is fast enough for everyday shooting, and stopped down two stops, the medium format image quality is truly moving~

More photos below — enjoy!

Hasselblad X1D2 + XCD 45mm F3.5

Further reading: Hasselblad X1D II XPan View: A Tribute to XPan

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Osaka at night | Buildings and a street lit by street lamps under a deep blue dusk sky, in a wide panoramic frame
Osaka alley at night | A black-and-white night alley running along a brick wall toward distant lights
Osaka residential street | Utility poles and houses lining a sloping street at dusk, the street lamps just coming on
Street post box | A red Japan Post box on a sidewalk, with a fence, stone wall and winter trees behind it
Osaka park | Low houses and apartment towers beyond an open park ground at dusk, dotted with trees and lamp posts
A travel moment | Two people lying on white bedding on a wooden floor looking up at the camera, one holding a plush toy
Roadside shrine | A small shrine under a red torii gate, kagami mochi and oranges offered inside and two candles burning in front
Inside a train | A man seated on a train looking at his phone, another train visible through the window
Osaka street corner | Shops and restaurants at a daytime intersection, a row of red lanterns hanging on one building
Railway viaduct | A train crossing an orange steel viaduct signed with a 4.3-metre height limit, Morinomiya Station below
Station stairs | Sunlight slanting across station stairs and a tiled wall, exit and Sennichimae Line transfer signs above
Station sign | Close-up of a Japanese Kintetsu transfer sign with an orange arrow on a tiled wall
Station platform | Passengers waiting beside platform screen doors, sunlight falling on a yellow central exit pillar
Station platform | An orange-striped train stopped at the platform doors, two passengers talking in the foreground
Light and shadow on the street | A masked woman standing by a roller-shutter door with diagonal sunlight cast across it
Platform shadows | The shadows of waiting passengers cast onto the far platform wall and the track ballast
Inside a train | Masked passengers filling the aisle beneath a row of yellow hanging straps
Universal Studios Japan | Visitors walking toward the entrance arch signed Universal Studios Japan, with Mario decorations hanging below
Universal Studios Japan | Visitors gathered in front of the Cinema 4-D theatre, park shops lining both sides of the street
Universal Studios Japan | Crowds on a Hollywood-area street, a roller-coaster track behind palm trees and white buildings
Park rest area | Three visitors resting on a bench in front of a dessert shop, backpacks beside them
Park street scene | Three visitors wearing NY-logo and Supreme jackets, seen from behind on a park street
Park stall | Visitors browsing a souvenir stall of red and green character hats, a dinosaur plush cart at the left
By the USJ lagoon | Park buildings and a cable-stayed bridge reflected in calm water, a roller-coaster track at the right
Park building | The word ILLUMINATION in raised letters on the roof of a white theatre under a blue sky
By the USJ lagoon | A white roller-coaster track looping around the lagoon, reflected with palm trees in the water
Park stalls | Red and blue Carnival Game stalls with their curtains drawn, visitors walking past
Park stall | An orange-roofed souvenir stall displaying headbands and hats, visitors browsing in front
Park stall | A Minion Cart selling plush toys, visitors strolling along the harbour-side promenade
Park building | The Happiness Cafe, its white facade dotted in orange with a giant cola bottle, a coaster track above at the left
Minion area | A woman holding a toddler beside a Minion statue, topiary shrubs and park shops behind
Park stalls | Red and blue Carnival Game stalls seen from the front, a coaster track behind at the left and a staff member by the blue stall
USJ New York area | Brick buildings and American-style signs lining the street, visitors walking and a coaster track in the distance
Park lawn | Visitors sitting on an artificial lawn to rest, park buildings and a coaster track behind them
USJ New York area | Visitors in character headbands walking along the street, one raising a phone to take a picture
Park stage show | Sesame Street characters and performers on an outdoor stage, a large audience watching below
Park restaurant | Mel's streamlined diner with umbrella-shaded outdoor seating, a coaster track peeking out behind its sign
Palm trees | Four tall palm trees spreading their fronds against a pale blue sky
Osaka street view | A row of building facades across the road, including a tea-room sign and parking signs, morning light on the walls
Shopfront | The shutter of an electronics shop lettered Panasonic with the shop's name, a New Year poster at the left
Osaka street corner | A shopping-arcade entrance and a large painted wall advertisement by the intersection, pedestrians waiting to cross
Shopping street | Closed shuttered storefronts and a cigarette vending machine, a man standing in slanting sunlight
Osaka avenue | A wide road lined with bare winter trees and office buildings, high-rises silhouetted in the distance
Street buildings | Rows of office windows above ground-floor shops, a street lamp's shadow cast on the facade
Osaka street corner | A white corner building at the Tanimachi 7-chome intersection, a cyclist passing through
Everyday street scene | A man cycling along the sidewalk, bicycles parked at the left and a small shrine with stone lanterns opposite
Parking lot | Three cars in a small lot in front of an apartment wall, a pale blue vintage compact in the middle
Corner parking lot | Red and white drink vending machines and a payment machine beside the entrance of a coin parking lot
Supermarket window | A glass storefront reflecting the buildings opposite, shelves and checkouts clearly visible inside
Delivery van | A white Yamato Transport van with the black-cat logo parked at a street corner
Looking up | Traffic lights and criss-crossing power lines across an apartment facade, blue sky showing between buildings
Street traffic | A yellow taxi and a black taxi driving along a residential street, a silver van parked at the kerb
People on the street | Three masked pedestrians in scarves walking along a sunlit sidewalk, their long shadows stretching out
Waiting at the corner | Two cyclists waiting at a red light, a shopping-arcade entrance across the road
Street intersection | Two cyclists crossing at a zebra crossing, an osteopathy clinic and a shopping-street entrance opposite
Payment logos | A board covered with payment marks including PayPay, Apple Pay, VISA and MasterCard
Between buildings | A patch of sunlight on a wall at the end of a narrow passage, a child with a backpack standing beside it
Station in black and white | Passengers coming and going in a station hall, seen through a long window above an advertising board
Train door | Stickers on a train door window: women-only carriage signs, a route map and watch-your-hands warnings
Osaka street corner | Pedestrians waiting at the lights in front of the grand steps of a museum building on Honmachi-dori
People crossing | Masked pedestrians crossing a wide intersection, park trees and apartment towers behind them
Park bench | A child in a knit hat eating on a bench, a backpack beside them and a pigeon on the ground in front
Osaka Castle | The moat reflecting the stone ramparts, a white turret standing atop the high castle wall
Osaka Castle | The moat and a white turret on the stone wall, framed by branches on both sides
Osaka Castle moat | A child with a backpack at a railing, looking across the moat to a white turret on the far stone wall
Osaka Castle stone walls | Sweeping stone ramparts topped by a white turret, grass and winter trees in the foreground
Osaka Castle Otemon Gate | A pine-lined approach leading to the gate, visitors passing on foot and by bicycle
Osaka Castle Otemon Gate | The gate and its white walls ringed by stone ramparts, visitors walking along the wall-side path
In the park | A child standing on open ground among trees and shrubs, holding a camera fitted with a microphone
View over the city | A large bare winter tree beside a railing, two visitors looking out over the buildings of Osaka
Osaka Castle keep | Looking up at the multi-tiered main keep, its white walls and gold ornaments standing out under a grey sky
Park rest area | A long row of drink vending machines with tables in front, visitors resting and buying drinks
Osaka Castle Park | Posters explaining the Osaka Castle ruins on a white construction fence, two no-parking cones for bicycles in front
Park benches | Young visitors resting on four benches, some looking at their phones
Keep entrance | Visitors queueing behind green fences to enter the castle keep, a ticket-machine booth at the left
Park rest area | A family of three on a bench between two large trees, a row of drink vending machines behind them
Park rest area | A woman in an orange coat walking a corgi across the plaza, drink vending machines behind her
Park plaza | A couple taking a photo of a woman seated on a planter edge, another man checking his phone at the left
Osaka Castle keep | The main keep standing between two yellow-green trees against a blue sky with clouds
Osaka Castle keep | Visitors gathered on the plaza, the main keep rising behind winter trees
Stone bridge | Visitors crossing a stone bridge inside the castle grounds, a small dog trotting by the parapet
Shrine building | A stone torii gate in front of a shrine hall with a green roof, afternoon sunlight casting tree shadows on the white wall
Shrine hall | Worshippers queueing in front of the hall, guardian-dog statues and stone lanterns on either side
Shrine office | Worshippers standing beside the shuttered shrine office, hamaya arrows in hand
Osaka Castle moat | A dry moat flanked by towering stone walls, city high-rises and construction cranes in the distance
Looking up at the canopy | A tree crown heavy with pale fruit reaching into a blue sky, green foliage at the right
Castle wall and winter tree | Bare winter branches spread against a blue sky, a white castle wall with tiled eaves at the right
Osaka street corner | Pedestrians waiting at the lights at the Babacho intersection, a modern glass-curtain building behind them
Used camera shop | A Voigtlander Bessa R3M in the shop window, next to a Fujifilm TX-1 Dual Format Range Finder poster
From behind | An elderly couple walking side by side down an evening shopping street lined with lit-up shop signs

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