Hi Godfrey,
No reason for that nasty tone…
That was just a what i would say a pretty good demonstration that a modern MF-sensor is capable of resolving far beyond what can be observed on the focusing screen. So you focus on perceived contrast and not actual detail, as plainly, actual detail cannot be seen on ground glass.
I tried to use my 3X monocular on the Sony A7r, which has similar resolution to the X1D, and just saw red, green and blue dots. So a viewfinder magnifier is not much help on an EVF.
If you are going from gear focusing on ground glass to electronic focusing on a low resolution viewfinder image, it may be worth some considerations. Keep in mind that most modern cameras are built for AF, anyway. May be a good thing to consider before spending 15k$US or so (if you also buy lenses).
Just to say, I have been shooting both OVF and EVF for quite a few years.
BTW, have you seen any distance scale on the lens? Perhaps focusing distance and DoF are shown on the EVF.
Best regards
Erik
Sorry you think the 'tone' was nasty. It's simply the truth. Absolute critical focus for maximum resolution is important in some circumstances, for some kinds of subjects, but is irrelevant the majority of the time. I haven't shot a resolution test chart in the past decade at least.
I have been using EVF equipped cameras (far far lower resolution EVFs at the beginning...) since 2002, and have been doing photography since 1968. Obviously I've got lots of experience with optical viewfinders and manual focusing of all kinds from that history. I really don't care what modern cameras "are built for"—that's irrelevant. I buy cameras that work the way I want them to work, and one of those criteria is that I can manually focus them accurately. I get the most consistently accurate focusing with manual focus, and, with normal to tele lenses, have rarely needed to use focus assist magnification or other focusing aids with modern EVFs. Such aids can speed up approximate focus, or help pinpoint critical focus when that's necessary, but it's usually not.
In focus is in focus, regardless of how you get there.
I didn't see any distance scale on the X1D lenses, and I'm sure I missed some of the in-viewfinder or on-LCD information displays; I don't recall seeing a distance readout, but I suspect there is one somewhere. (The Leica SL has an excellent distance/DOF readout for manual focus with native lenses; I imagine the Hasselblad X1D will have something similar.)
Picking apart a camera based on a specification sheet is, to me, a waste of time. I go handle the cameras I'm interested in, see if I can see well enough to focus accurately, see whether the controls make sense to my hands and head, ascertain that the features I want are easily accessible, etc. That's how I judge whether I'm going to buy a camera. Based on what I saw with the early demo cameras, I'd buy an X1D without too many reservations (presuming the lens I want is available). But I already have the SL, and I think my money is better spent on the digital back for the V system at the moment. I might yet change my mind again...
G