907x 50c now available

[docholliday]

As I said, no idea which is "better".

I had/have A Nitecore charger for my Leica SL (when I had it) and CL as well as the Leica chargers. I found was that the Nitecore charge worked well, the display was, eh?, mostly of little added value. The significant thing I found was that the Leica chargers did a better job: Nitecore was a lot more conservative about what they considered a full charge and, in general, the same battery charged to full in the Leica charger would produce about 20% more exposures on a charge compared to when charged in the Nitecore. Better is hard to define in that context.

The main advantage to the Nitecore charger was that I could own a spare charger for much less money and that it connected to my existing USB power supply that I needed for other electronic devices when traveling. It is also more compact than the Leica charger for the CL. This meant fewer things to remember to pack, or risk losing, when traveling ... worth a few fewer exposures per charge for that.

I've had the Hasselblad dual charger for some time now and it seems to do an excellent job. It's more compact than the Nitecore charger and comes with another power supply and cable, so its $150 price tag has to be compared against a slightly higher price for the Nightcore which does not come with a power supply by default ($10 extra) and has only the short USB-A pigtail built in (which, if it fails, means tossing the unit). The one Hasselblad cable can be used to connect power to the camera, to the charger, or move data to and from my iPad Pro 11".

Pluses and minuses. I ordered one of the Nitecore chargers a few days ago (I like having a spare charger in case one gets damaged) as a backup, so I'll be able to compare it with the Hasselblad unit a little more specifically once it arrives.

G

It'll be interesting to see how your Nitecore stands up against the Hahnel-style design. I'll tell you that for the "actual" Hahnel charger on the Phase One/Canon batteries, it sucks. Extremely. The only thing worse was the Watson/Chinese knockoff chargers. The current Cube version didn't fare much better. Maybe HB improved upon the base and made their version actually function!

The display on the Nitecore chargers is very useful if you watch them carefully and charge when a known dead point on the battery occurs. For example, when the camera actually shuts off on its own. You can then tell how much charge was pushed into the cells and establish a battery health/wear note. You can use this to do the same at a later time to see when batteries need replaced and/or pushed into a backup pool. I record the battery voltage at "low" and use it to graph a full charge into the pack.

I'd also definitely recommend having one, maybe two, backup chargers, no matter the brand or camera. Yes, having one die or disappear always seems to occur at the most un-opportune times. Wait until you have a surge take out the active AND backup chargers at the same time, then fixing/rigging it while on set with a gas soldering iron. Ugh.

 

[PSS]

I've had the Hasselblad dual charger for some time now and it seems to do an excellent job. The one Hasselblad cable can be used to connect power to the camera, to the charger, or move data to and from my iPad Pro 11".


G

This

Having everything USB C is huge, i am hoping they will bring it to the iPhone as well....cutting down on cables and plugs....
The hasselblad charger is beautifully designed and made and honestly not that expensive...i would not save a few just to not get it...
My experience with the X1DII batteries (and after speaking with tech support i pretty much expect the same to happen with 907combo) is that they do not like to be used with less then 20-25% left...tethering can get really wonky...so i always make sure to have extra fresh ones, the charger does this perfectly and beautifully....

 

[Steve Hendrix]

This

Having everything USB C is huge, i am hoping they will bring it to the iPhone as well....cutting down on cables and plugs....
The hasselblad charger is beautifully designed and made and honestly not that expensive...i would not save a few just to not get it...
My experience with the X1DII batteries (and after speaking with tech support i pretty much expect the same to happen with 907combo) is that they do not like to be used with less then 20-25% left...tethering can get really wonky...so i always make sure to have extra fresh ones, the charger does this perfectly and beautifully....

This is an excellent reminder and a reason to have more extra batteries than you might think. Battery power is in continual decline once you begin using it. A healthy percentage of the issues we get calls on can be traced to power issues. I think of batteries similarly to how I think of hard drives, once you get below 50% remaining capacity, performance issues can begin. So while a battery may last, say, 4 hours, you should count on using it for no more than 3.


Steve Hendrix/CI

 

[TimWright]

Hi

Is there a way to turn highlight blinkies on while composing a shot. I know they show when reviewing images but cant seem to find anything about having them on while shooting.

Thanks

 

[spb]

Whichever way you go, I highly recommend purchasing a separate battery charger for your X1D or 907X 50C kit. Having to plug my $6,000 camera into AC power every time I need a battery charged is not my idea of risk free fun.

On the other hand, I posted an article yesterday that is my idea of fun (not sure how risk free it is).

https://www.captureintegration.com/the-hasselblad-907x-50c-multiverse/


Steve Hendrix/CI

Oh yes that is a load of fun! I agree entirely on chargers. You have proved pictorially how versatile the 907X 50C kit is.

 

[Godfrey]

This is an excellent reminder and a reason to have more extra batteries than you might think. Battery power is in continual decline once you begin using it. A healthy percentage of the issues we get calls on can be traced to power issues. I think of batteries similarly to how I think of hard drives, once you get below 50% remaining capacity, performance issues can begin. So while a battery may last, say, 4 hours, you should count on using it for no more than 3.

Falls in line with my usual practice ... I rarely push a battery beyond when I see 20-25% on the readout, and usually pull it for the next one well before that. Always have, with every digital camera using rechargeable NiHi or LiIon cells. Perhaps this is why I usually get excellent service life out of my batteries and I see so few operational problems.

I've also always maintained a minimum of 35-40% free space on my boot drive on all my systems for the past, um, 40 years or so... Very few problems.

G

 

[Godfrey]

...
On the other hand, I posted an article yesterday that is my idea of fun (not sure how risk free it is).

https://www.captureintegration.com/the-hasselblad-907x-50c-multiverse/

Nice article, Steve! It articulates with nice photos exactly the thinking I had when I punched the buy button on the 907x Special Edition in July 2019.

It'll be interesting to see how your Nitecore stands up against the Hahnel-style design. I'll tell you that for the "actual" Hahnel charger on the Phase One/Canon batteries, it sucks. Extremely. The only thing worse was the Watson/Chinese knockoff chargers. The current Cube version didn't fare much better. Maybe HB improved upon the base and made their version actually function!

The display on the Nitecore chargers is very useful if you watch them carefully and charge when a known dead point on the battery occurs. For example, when the camera actually shuts off on its own. You can then tell how much charge was pushed into the cells and establish a battery health/wear note. You can use this to do the same at a later time to see when batteries need replaced and/or pushed into a backup pool. I record the battery voltage at "low" and use it to graph a full charge into the pack.

I'd also definitely recommend having one, maybe two, backup chargers, no matter the brand or camera. Yes, having one die or disappear always seems to occur at the most un-opportune times. Wait until you have a surge take out the active AND backup chargers at the same time, then fixing/rigging it while on set with a gas soldering iron. Ugh.

I've never actually needed to use a charger as a backup, but I always have at least two chargers on any equipment that I'm going to use seriously.

You spend much more time thinking about your battery charging than I do. I pull a battery when the camera says 25-30% left, stick it in the charger, and pull it back in the bag to use when the charger says full. My batteries are all numbered in sequence and I use them in sequence. This has worked perfectly for many years, for me: I don't see the need to record more info or analyze further. I notice the lifespan changes by remembering how many photo sessions I get out of a battery before it needs to be charged, that's all.

G

 

[jotloob]

Up to now , I have only one battery but successfully use an ANKER 13000mAh power bank . I can't see any disadvantage doing so .
The power bank is much cheaper than buying a second battery and a charger . Additional you can also charge your iPHONE .

 

[docholliday]

You spend much more time thinking about your battery charging than I do. I pull a battery when the camera says 25-30% left, stick it in the charger, and pull it back in the bag to use when the charger says full. My batteries are all numbered in sequence and I use them in sequence. This has worked perfectly for many years, for me: I don't see the need to record more info or analyze further. I notice the lifespan changes by remembering how many photo sessions I get out of a battery before it needs to be charged, that's all.

G

Yeah, for most people they don't watch batteries very much. There's a lot of times where I'm at a location where I can't charge, or have power for days at a time. Hell, I'm lucky to have water there without actively searching and filtering it myself. Because of that, the "power budget" gets much more watched as weight is also an issue so there's a balance needed.

There's also been times where I've pulled batteries fresh off the charger and headed out the door. Arrived on location a few hours to days later to completely dead packs because of a shorted cell in the pack. And some of these packs were only a year or so old!

 

[Godfrey]

...

There's also been times where I've pulled batteries fresh off the charger and headed out the door. Arrived on location a few hours to days later to completely dead packs because of a shorted cell in the pack. And some of these packs were only a year or so old!

Stuff like that can make you paranoid...

I've never had anything like that happen. I don't know what kind of work you're doing that takes you out of reach of power (or water!) so often and so deeply, but those are truly Special Circumstances for me.

G

 

[docholliday]

Stuff like that can make you paranoid...

I've never had anything like that happen. I don't know what kind of work you're doing that takes you out of reach of power (or water!) so often and so deeply, but those are truly Special Circumstances for me.

G

It's the thing that makes me miss shooting nothing but V-system and LF with film. No batteries to worry about! The two worst offenders for crap-tasticness was the Rollei 6008 and Contax 645 - both were terrible with dead batteries at the most un-opportune times. I once threw my Contax down the side of a cliff because it set me off so bad and went back to Hasselblad.

I occasionally get sent to document changes to a wilderness or other "deep woods" assignments. Even shot a model in such a circumstance. Most times, it involves hiking out and setting up a base camp, then scouting/exploring areas around the camp while documenting anything that's noteable or unique. You don't want/can't to leave because it's a distance out and you can miss quite a bit if you don't spend every minute exploring. Think about it like a very extreme cross between landscape photography and documenting a wedding. You carry your house & gear on your back, then gather or trap food nearby. I have some dehydrated meals for those long days, but they require water, which may be a hike to find. You then have to carry your filter and containers out to retrieve the water and return. It's all a balance on how much you can/want to carry.

Gave up on solar chargers years ago because the weight was better used carrying extra batteries, ready to go. It never amazes me how a cloud just seems to appear right on your charger when you need it to work the best.

 

[Godfrey]

...
The camera body icon is obviously new - I can't figure out a way to force it to revert to 907 body mode within that list of items. Otherwise, the remainder are the same.

Sorry for the long delay ... I just saw your reply to an earlier comment. Doh!
The camera body control icon doesn't even appear when the back is mated to the 907x properly. This more than anything says that something is not connecting properly between the 907x and the CFVII 50c body.
Have you cleaned all the pins and pads, is it working correctly now?

—
My Nitecore dual charger arrived today. I'm pleased that the USB cable for it is a removable piece, that wasn't obvious from the photos and description on the website. Another thing not obvious from the photos and description on the website is what power supply specs enable it to operate at full efficiency ... I ordered the one they listed for it, have no idea whether it can be used with, say, the Hasselblad power supply and get its full capabilities.

For sake of experimentation, I noticed that my #3 battery in the 907x was at 53% charge and my #1 and #2 batteries had been charged up a week ago. So I pulled the #3 battery and put the #1 in the camera, and now have the charger on with #2 and #3 charging as a test to see what it does. It looks like it will just ignore the battery that it reads as being fully charged (it doesn't even readout that it sees anything on that slot) and will charge the one that is down a bit. A little odd, but okay...

 

[jotloob]

Yesterday I got my second battery and the HASSELBLAD dual loading hub . I am very satisfied .
I have read the comments about the NITECORE loading device but decided for the HASSELBLAD hub as it is so easy to use . No complex technique . You can also supply the HUB from a power bank.
My original idea was to use a power bank as a replacement for a second battery . But that does not work . When you remove the battery from the CFV II 50c but have the power bank attached , there is no power for the back .

 

[mristuccia]

Yesterday I got my second battery and the HASSELBLAD dual loading hub . I am very satisfied .
I have read the comments about the NITECORE loading device but decided for the HASSELBLAD hub as it is so easy to use . No complex technique . You can also supply the HUB from a power bank.
My original idea was to use a power bank as a replacement for a second battery . But that does not work . When you remove the battery from the CFV II 50c but have the power bank attached , there is no power for the back .

In the MK I version there is an option for choosing where to take the power from when tethered: battery or host.
It is under "Service => Tethered Power" menu.
If this option also exists in the Mk II version, maybe setting it to "Host" would make the trick (I doubt it...).

 

[jotloob]

Marco

Thank you for that hint . I will check that later today and give feedback .

 

[spb]

I would trust Nitecore over Hahnel for charging. Nitecore chargers have always been reliable and they make a business of batteries and lighting. It also has a capacity gauge that is nice to see the actual capacity of the pack instead of idiot lights.

I always had Hahnel Cube, twin chargers for Fujifilm cameras, never an issue. Perhaps a bit bulky when viewed next to the Hasselblad HUb that I now have!

 

[docholliday]

I always had Hahnel Cube, twin chargers for Fujifilm cameras, never an issue. Perhaps a bit bulky when viewed next to the Hasselblad HUb that I now have!

They are absolutely unpredictable for the P1 batteries. They don't seem to show any issues until you've compared them to something better. Then you realize how inconsistent they were.

 

[Godfrey]

They are absolutely unpredictable for the P1 batteries. They don't seem to show any issues until you've compared them to something better. Then you realize how inconsistent they were.

Well, so far the Hasselblad dual charger seems to be 100% reliable; I've been using it for two-three months. The Nitecore charged the low battery just fine too. The 'Blad charger is more compact and indicates when I put a fully charged battery in it that it is charged. The Nitecore doesn't indicate anything when a fully charged battery is inserted, ignores it completely, and flashes a bunch of charging information as it works (the main value to me is that it's indicating the charger is working, and that the battery is full). The Nitecore charger is 30% cheaper when you include their recommended power supply for it. The Hasselblad charger comes with a fully usable USB-C to USB-C cable for power and data transfer, something that usually sells for about half to two thirds of the difference in price.

It's a toss up.

G

 

[spb]

Aesthetically the Hasselblad Hub charger is the nicest looking charger I ever clapped eyes on.

 

[Godfrey]

Marco

Thank you for that hint . I will check that later today and give feedback .

I see in the CFVII 50c Power functions a check box for "Power from Computer USB" ... Perhaps having that checked will enable an external battery connected via USB to power the back with the internal battery removed? Curious, I tried it...

With the option checked, the camera will not power up without a battery installed and with an external battery connected. However, when an external battery is connected and a battery is installed, it powers up and next to the charge state a power icon is displayed. Unplug the external battery and the power icon disappears. Connect an external battery with the option turned off, and the power icon is not displayed: the Power icon ONLY appears if the option is checked "ON" and the external battery is connected when the back is powered on.

So: I believe this means two things.
A- The back utilizes the installed battery as part of its voltage regulation/power control so you have to have a battery installed for it to function; I bet it doesn't have to have much charge in it at all to operate as it ought to.
B- When you have an external battery connected at power up and the option is enabled, the back draws entirely from the external battery ... perhaps until the external battery is exhausted, at which point it will draw from the internal battery. This last is conjecture, of course.

Using an external battery is not as convenient as having a couple of the regular batteries to power the back with, but it seems that it is an option if that's what you want to do.

I powered the back off as I was writing this but left the external battery connected. A few seconds later, the power button started to flash in the charging sequence, so it's obvious that an external power supply attached with the back turned off allows the back to engage the charge circuit to charge up the internal battery.