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Phase One Offers New AF Module upgrade for XF

ejpeiker

Member
Info link on the upgrade from Digital Transitions:
https://digitaltransitions.com/honeybee-autofocus-platform-2-hap-2-hardware-upgrade/?utm_source=Digital+Transitions+Complete+List+%28Comm+%2B+DCH%29&utm_campaign=f53bae494f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_01_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c2781fb3f9-f53bae494f-161137325&mc_cid=f53bae494f&mc_eid=aef237baff


- 2.5 Ev lower AF capability
- 1 stop better AF discretion in low contrast scenes
- $895
- Free if you bought the XF in the last month or so

Personal opinion, this was much needed as the lowlight AF capability of the XF was pretty poor.
 

tjv

Active member
I thought the old AF was software upgradable? So instead of that they're charging for a hardware upgrade?
 

RobbieAB

Member
I thought the old AF was software upgradable? So instead of that they're charging for a hardware upgrade?
Well, according to the article, it's a new physical sensor. That doesn't rule out offering software upgrades as well. If anything, it's exciting in that they aren't simply going "XF II" for the new sensor chip.
 

DrakeJ

New member
Sorry, but this is very disappointing.

1. Where does this leave HAP-1...?
2. Better low light capability... and nothing else. Something they previously said they could do with software and HAP-1...
 

tjv

Active member
Well, according to the article, it's a new physical sensor. That doesn't rule out offering software upgrades as well. If anything, it's exciting in that they aren't simply going "XF II" for the new sensor chip.
Right, I'm not saying it isn't good to see upgrades, but have Phase actually ever upgraded the AF firmware on the XF since release, or is this the first an only upgrade so far? It's just there was such fanfare about the new Honeybee AF system at launch – how it was firmware upgradable – that I thought there would have been more progress made software-wise before charging for new hardware.
 

lance_schad

Workshop Member
Thanks EJ for posting the above.

For additional information on the HAP-2 upgrade we have an article on our site here and also if you are an XF owner we have an on-line form to sign up for the upgrade here.

I think this is a great sign to Phase One's commitment to make the XF a future proof platform. They have already demonstrated that they can add improvements to it via the past (3) firmware feature updates and now for a nominal fee you can upgrade the AF sensor and get your body tuned-up at the same time.

I am confident that those that choose not to upgrade to the HAP-2 sensor will see improvements with the original HAP-1 in the future via firmware updates. Hang in there.


Lance
 

jtremblay

New member
Thanks EJ for posting the above.

For additional information on the HAP-2 upgrade we have an article on our site here and also if you are an XF owner we have an on-line form to sign up for the upgrade here.

I think this is a great sign to Phase One's commitment to make the XF a future proof platform. They have already demonstrated that they can add improvements to it via the past (3) firmware feature updates and now for a nominal fee you can upgrade the AF sensor and get your body tuned-up at the same time.

I am confident that those that choose not to upgrade to the HAP-2 sensor will see improvements with the original HAP-1 in the future via firmware updates. Hang in there.


Lance
Has anyone actually tested this yet?
 

aztwang

Member
Well, according to the article, it's a new physical sensor. That doesn't rule out offering software upgrades as well. If anything, it's exciting in that they aren't simply going "XF II" for the new sensor chip.
Yea, Id rather spend $890 and have the latest & greatest than sell my body and take a huge hit and then buy the new body that costs 3-4K more when it's all said and done.
 

DrakeJ

New member
Yea, Id rather spend $890 and have the latest & greatest than sell my body and take a huge hit and then buy the new body that costs 3-4K more when it's all said and done.
Except that the HAP-2 only features better low light performance. I can only speak for myself, but I had much higher hopes for the HAP-1, and for them to release HAP-2 with only this feature plus a price tag, is somewhat disappointing.

Do I have issues with HAP-1 and its low light capabilities? Not really. The feature I want the most is true focus à Hasselblad which can certainly be much improved upon considering the 6-axis gyro present in the XF. Or, if I could really dream, a multi focus point AF system which are spread out across the sensor. But that ain't happening :)

Anyway, I rant. These are my opinions only.
 

beano_z

Active member
I'll not voice my opinion on whether charging for the hardware upgrade is good or not, I think both sides have valid points.

However, I'm more concerned about whether this upgrade can be done by your local dealer or does the body have to go back to Denmark?

I wouldn't mind waiting for the upgrade while holding on to the camera and just go to the dealer when it's my turn and have it done in a couple of hours, but I can't afford not having the camera for 4 ~ 5 weeks...
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
I'll not voice my opinion on whether charging for the hardware upgrade is good or not, I think both sides have valid points.

However, I'm more concerned about whether this upgrade can be done by your local dealer or does the body have to go back to Denmark?

I wouldn't mind waiting for the upgrade while holding on to the camera and just go to the dealer when it's my turn and have it done in a couple of hours, but I can't afford not having the camera for 4 ~ 5 weeks...
It seems the camera has to go back to a P1 service center, but not all the way to Denmark. In the US, that would be Millville NY. Hopefully there is a similar setup overseas.

Paul Caldwell
 

ejpeiker

Member
However, I'm more concerned about whether this upgrade can be done by your local dealer or does the body have to go back to Denmark?
The answer to that is clearly stated in the link to the info about the upgrade:

"Another detail in the announcement is that all North American XF Honeybee Autofocus Platform hardware upgrades will be done in the United States. That means the turnaround time for the service will be shortened significantly since systems will not have to go to Denmark. "
 

beano_z

Active member
The answer to that is clearly stated in the link to the info about the upgrade:

"Another detail in the announcement is that all North American XF Honeybee Autofocus Platform hardware upgrades will be done in the United States. That means the turnaround time for the service will be shortened significantly since systems will not have to go to Denmark. "
Yes, but unfortunately I don’t live in the US and meanwhile I’ve checked with my local dealer, he is still awaiting information on exactly how to this will be managed. So it seems that the workflow is not clear for all countries yet.
 

ejpeiker

Member
I finally got my XF back today. It took quite a bit longer than anticipated as Phase found a number of things that needed to be upgraded and repaired to make my camera current which required a wait for parts. All of this was included in the price of the HAP2 upgrade.

I have spent the afternoon playing around with it. I started by focus trimming all of my lenses and they all changed substantially from their previous value. In my case, on average the shift was about 75 points in the positive direction from what they were before. I spent a lot of time doing this including tethering the camera to carefully analyze each frame. I am confident that I now have a camera that is well tuned for focus.

Throughout this exercise I most definitely felt like the camera was finding the focus point faster than before and locking on more quickly without the back and forth hunting that I was used to previously. You point the camera, push the focus button (I use back-button focus) and the lens drives there and locks on in a much more affirmative manner than it did before. As the light got dimmer in the afternoon, I feel I was able to obtain reliable AF about 10 minutes later or a bit darker than before (the sun sets quickly in southern Arizona). So overall I do feel like the new AF system was accurately represented by Phase. Whether it's worth it to you or not depends largely on what and how you shoot and under what lighting conditions. I shoot a lot in low light at dawn or dusk so I find the lower Ev capability and the more affirmative focus lock to be a very positive change.
 
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Jeffrey

Active member
Darn, more focus trimming? I just had my lenses focus trimmed to my XF body. Oh well, I guess that means more practice in focus trimming!
 

ejpeiker

Member
Darn, more focus trimming? I just had my lenses focus trimmed to my XF body. Oh well, I guess that means more practice in focus trimming!
Pretty much anytime that an AF system, mount or lens is worked on you need to check focus trim.

One thing I forgot to mention - I have a featureless brown painted block wall about 75 feet from my back porch - just a tiny bit of texture. The old AF system was not able to focus on it, or at best it hunted around for a long time. The new AF has no problem with it. It's with that that I found the most noticeable difference.
 

DB5

Member
The size of the XF makes it totally unappealing to me. No upgrade will ever change that.

With the X1D and GFX seemingly looking to the future of medium format Phase better get their act together to stay relevant.
 
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