Hasselblad X2D 100C sensor calibration feature

[JimKasson]

On the Hasselblad X2D 100C, in the service menu there is the sensor calibration menu item. In another forum, someone asked what it does. I have a contact at Hasselblad engineering, and I asked him. Here's what he said:

"The sensor calibration in the service menu corrects for spot pixels that have appeared after the camera has left our production, this correction only affects the image in live view. This correction does not affect the raw file or the jpeg."

So if you haven't been using the sensor calibration feature, don't worry about it.

Jim

 

[TechTalk]

To add to this, a poster in a couple of other forums contacted Hasselblad support inquiring about the Sensor Calibration function in the Service menu and received this reply:

Thank you for contacting Hasselblad.

The sensor calibration gets rid of potential "hot pixels" that could appear in live view.

When turning the camera on and off this calibration is done automatically too.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for additional support if needed.

Best regards,

The Hasselblad Support Team

The service menu calibration function allows the user to recalibrate the sensor for hot pixels whenever any are visible in live view, which could potentially arise after start-up in some use cases, without needing to restart the camera. Hot pixels in a captured image file are corrected separately thru image processing.

If you're doing long exposures and have one or more hot pixels in an image, you may want to use Phocus for processing those images to have those automatically removed. Automatic hot pixel removal with Phocus is discussed in a brief section of this video from the mathphotographer YouTube channel (beginning at the 6:00 mark) titled Hasselblad X2D Long Exposures at Night.

 

[JimKasson]

The service menu calibration function allows the user to recalibrate the sensor for hot pixels whenever any are visible in live view, which could potentially arise after start-up in some use cases, without needing to restart the camera.

Restarting the camera is faster than going though the menus to do the calibration.

 

[TechTalk]

Restarting the camera is faster than going though the menus to do the calibration.

Then an extra measure of thanks is due for the posts found elsewhere from "asfeir" which relayed: "When turning the camera on and off this calibration is done automatically" from the good folks at the Hasselblad support team.

It now looks like angst over start-up times is a relic of the past.

 

[SrMphoto]

To add to this, a poster in a couple of other forums contacted Hasselblad support inquiring about the Sensor Calibration function in the Service menu and received this reply:

Thank you for contacting Hasselblad.

The sensor calibration gets rid of potential "hot pixels" that could appear in live view.

When turning the camera on and off this calibration is done automatically too.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for additional support if needed.

Best regards,

The Hasselblad Support Team

The service menu calibration function allows the user to recalibrate the sensor for hot pixels whenever any are visible in live view, which could potentially arise after start-up in some use cases, without needing to restart the camera. Hot pixels in a captured image file are corrected separately thru image processing.

If you're doing long exposures and have one or more hot pixels in an image, you may want to use Phocus for processing those images to have those automatically removed. Automatic hot pixel removal with Phocus is discussed in a brief section of this video from the mathphotographer YouTube channel (beginning at the 6:00 mark) titled Hasselblad X2D Long Exposures at Night.

I tried sensor calibration, which is not the same as turning the camera on and off. Sensor calibration takes much more time and eliminates stuck pixels while turning the camera on and off does not help with stuck pixels.
Sensor calibration requires an XCD lens. The lens cap must be on the lens, and all camera lids must be closed. The calibration should also occur in subdued light..
Calibrating the sensor takes about 11 minutes. I believe calibration should be done separately for an ISO below and above dual conversion gain point, but I am not 100% certain.

 

[mristuccia]

So, to put things together, the state of the art in calibrating the sensor for live view is:

1. Turn on the camera
2. Perform the sensor calibration from the service menu
3. Turn off the camera

 

[SrMphoto]

So, to put things together, the state of the art in calibrating the sensor for live view is:

1. Turn on the camera
2. Perform the sensor calibration from the service menu
3. Turn off the camera

What do you mean by "calibrating the sensor for live view?"
I would do it when you are troubled by stuck pixels, i.e., very rarely.
Several cameras have similar functionality. Leica cameras have something called Pixel Mapping.

 

[mristuccia]

What do you mean by "calibrating the sensor for live view?"
I would do it when you are troubled by stuck pixels, i.e., very rarely.
Several cameras have similar functionality. Leica cameras have something called Pixel Mapping.

I kindly suggest to re-read the full thread. You will understand what I meant, which I'm only recapping here with a touch of irony since it is still not clear what the correct procedure is.

 

[SrMphoto]

I kindly suggest to re-read the full thread. You will understand what I meant, which I'm only recapping here with a touch of irony since it is still not clear what the correct procedure is.

According to my experience and observation, sensor calibration affects the raw output file (eliminates stuck pixels). I noticed stuck pixels on my older X2D, ran sensor calibration, and those stuck pixels disappeared.