In 1998, Hasselblad teamed up with Fujifilm to create the XPan, a 35mm film camera that shot photos in the standard 24 × 36mm format and stunning panoramas at 24 x 65mm. It was the first dual-format film camera, and it attained cult status among photographers. While Hasselblad never made a digital version of the XPan, it rolled out an adapter for its X series cameras that enabled the panoramic mode.
Now, OnePlus is introducing the XPan camera mode on the OnePlus 9 series. The Chinese manufacturer worked with Hasselblad to bring the panoramic mode over to phones, offering two focal lengths: 30mm (7552 × 2798) and 45mm (7872 × 2916). The 30mm mode uses the wide-angle lens on the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, with the 45mm mode relying on the primary camera module. The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro use pixel binning to deliver 12MP photos in regular mode, but for XPan the full-res 48MP shot is binned to over 20MP, delivering a high-resolution image.
XPan's unique 65:24 ratio unlocks a new set of possibilities for taking photos, and you'll be able to use the viewfinder of the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro to see a live preview of the photo. There's even a cool animation of a film negative developing as soon as you take a photo, which makes using the XPan mode just that little bit more fun.
OnePlus is offering the ability to take XPan photos in color and the classic black and white, with both modes optimized by Hasselblad. I've been playing with the XPan mode for a day now, and the unique format is thoroughly enjoyable to shoot. I took a few photos in color, but it is in monochrome where the XPan mode truly shines, delivering artistic shots.
Talking about XPan, OnePlus' Head of Imaging Hsiaohua Cheng said the following:
Working with Hasselblad on XPan Mode has helped us recreate their legendary experience of viewing your photographs in a 65:24 format before shooting a wide, panoramic image in 30mm and 45mm. Using XPan Mode on the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will let our users see the world around them through a unique lens, and we're very excited to see how this format will be utilized by our users and photographers around the world.
The XPan mode will be enabled via an OxygenOS OTA update (11.2.9.9) that is rolling out from later today. The OnePlus 9 series has cameras that hold up against the best Android phones, and XPan is an intriguing addition that differentiates the devices.
Alongside the mode, the OTA has welcome fixes for the cameras, including fixing white balance, reduced noise in low-light shots and other scenes, and more:
- Improve accuracy of auto white balance
- Reduce the appearance of noise in low-light and dark scenes
- Fix over-sharpening issues in auto mode and high-res mode
- Optimize noise issues in multiple scenes
- Improve clarity, dynamic range, and stability in Nightspace Mode and Portrait Mode
This value flagship has it all
The OnePlus 9 combines the latest internal hardware in an elegant design, and you get a vibrant AMOLED screen along with all-day battery life and 65W fast charging. The star of the show is the Hasselblad-tuned cameras, and with new features like XPan, the OnePlus 9 continues to be a standout choice in this category.
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