Thinking about the Hassi XCD2 plus 2-3 lenses

[wattsy]

Ansel Adams would have LOVED Photoshop. He devised his own technologies for printing 8x10 negatives and would have gladly embraced anything more advanced.

Yes, that might have been the case but Photoshop offers an entirely different process – a genuine "game-changer" (in modern parlance). Joysticks, highlight warnings and B&W profiles are nothing really in the overall scheme of taking decent photographs.

 

[hcubell]

If I wanted to shoot like Ansel Adams did at his time, I would get a 10*8 view camera, hire a few horses and assistance, and schlepp my equipment up a mountain. But I don’t. Hence, when I buy a digital camera, I prefer it to offer the tools that make my life easier and allow me to get the shots I want to get. Hence, my search for IBIS, as something I am missing with the S. (I know my way around such as using a tripod or monopod but if I can do without these 2, so much the better).

I haven’t used the x2D and thus don’t know whether a joystick is something I would miss. Being able to have a histogram in the viewfinder is something I would like to have.
As to your comparison with cars, I had a Jaguar E-Type. Gorgeous car. Loved to drive it. But in order to get me from A to B in bad safely and comfortably every day much preferred a modern car.
Georg

I can't speak for the experience of others, but I hardly feel like I am lugging around the equivalent of an 8x10 view camera because my X2D lacks a joystick. Moreover, I would never categorize IBIS as a "comfort feature." It permits you to shoot in ways and under circumstances in which you would otherwise struggle to work without a tripod. I have used medium format film and digital for decades and never shot without a tripod. The X2D has an exceptionally capable implementation of IBIS, which has permitted me to experiment and then start using it handheld, which encourages me to move around and consider alternative variations in composition.

I certainly don't think the X2D is the best option for everyone, but it does have its own unique set of assets and liabilities, which each photographer will weigh differently.

 

[Paratom]

IBIS is very useful, specially for larger sensors where you don't have super fast lenses and sometimes need to stop down quite a bit for equivalent DOF.
In respect of IBIS and also precise AF the X2d allows things to do which are much more difficult to do with an S.
Also shooting still subjects constantly handheld with lower shutter speed means you are able to shoot much more often at base ISO.
I wish Leica M had IBIS as well

 

[GMB]

I can't speak for the experience of others, but I hardly feel like I am lugging around the equivalent of an 8x10 view camera because my X2D lacks a joystick. Moreover, I would never categorize IBIS as a "comfort feature." It permits you to shoot in ways and under circumstances in which you would otherwise struggle to work without a tripod. I have used medium format film and digital for decades and never shot without a tripod. The X2D has an exceptionally capable implementation of IBIS, which has permitted me to experiment and then start using it handheld, which encourages me to move around and consider alternative variations in composition.

I certainly don't think the X2D is the best option for everyone, but it does have its own unique set of assets and liabilities, which each photographer will weigh differently.

May be I did not express myself well, but I certainly don't think IBIS is a comfort feature. Quite to the contrary. It is something that allows you to get shots that otherwise one one would not get. Hence why I am looking into the Hassy system because I am really missing that feature with the S.

 

[pflower]

Absolutely right. I was a teaching assistant to Beaumont Newhall on a post graduate course at the University of New Mexico in the 1970s. I remember clearly Beaumont telling me that he had seen and was really excited by a prototype of an advanced Xerox machine which could produce continuous tone B&W images - I don't remember if it was actually from Xerox itself or from some collaboration with Kodak (just before he came to UNM he was at George Eastman House). Anyway he said both he and Ansel Adams were really excited by this technology but sadly it had been sidelined as it would impact on Kodak's main income stream.

I now have an X2D and no doubt Beaumont would have been fascinated and excited by it. But it is about what you do with it not what it does.

Ansel Adams would have LOVED Photoshop. He devised his own technologies for printing 8x10 negatives and would have gladly embraced anything more advanced. Pianists of the 19th century were thrilled any time a new piano came out. Beethoven wrote the Hammerklavier Sonata just because his new piano (called the Hammerklavier, not coincidentally) could take a lot more punishment. IMHO, every keyboard player since 1500 would have killed for a modern Steinway.

Just my 2p,

Matt

 

[iiiNelson]

Just dropping in to read up on the X2D/907X because it’s an interesting option debating on what the SL3 turns out to be. I was actually hoping that they’d choose a sensor with an extremely least readout similar to the Sony A1 because that would provide an interesting contrast to my M11 Monochrom.

Regarding the Hasselblad they aren’t priced much differently than the Leica cameras and the38V and 55V seem really interesting. I wouldn’t mind seeing a 120V or 135V as well too.

 

[KurtKamka]

Personally, I love the X2D. It's a joy to use. IMHO it's just as easy to carry around all day as an M is in-hand. The simplicity of the system and the results speak for themselves. In many ways they out-Leica'd Leica in carving out a niche in the cropped medium format market. The S system broke interesting ground (and I was a long time S user) but I'd never go back at this point in time.

 

[tenmangu81]

I am coming from Leica (digital M's), and I was surprised as much the X1D II (I haven't an X2D yet) is close to the Leica's spirit. Simplicity, quality and, over all, the ergonomics of the body : as said by Kurt, you can hold it in hand for hours without tiring. And, on top of that, you have the colours.... I won't go back to digital Leica from now on.

 

[PeterA]

IMO, these missing "comfort features" are crutches for photographers who don't know what they are doing. It's really quite miraculous that all of the extraordinary black and white imagery that has been created over the years was created without a "B&W profile." Same with all of the extraordinary landscape imagery created without a joystick. Sort of like how could anyone drive a car before there were self-drive Teslas.

I mostly agree with where you are coming from - however B&W in the viewfinder is very helpful to me as when I am shooting purposefully for a B&W image most of my compositional awareness is on luminance ie how the light is falling on the composition - I find colour in this situation more than a distraction. I really like being able to choose the aspect ratio in the viewfinder as well. SO I think that the X2D would be improved if Hasselbald made a B&W view in the finder available - as most other cameras I use or have used offer this amenity. As a side note - B&W film has its own inbuilt "profile" from each manufacturer, I have gone to some lengths to create my own LUTS for a variety of B&W film types and grains based on negatives and exposures I made when I was shooting and developing these films - myself. Similarly, I can understand people's wish for a joystick to move focus point - although I never use this on any of my cameras - if one wishes to move the focus point when hand holding the squeeze the finger between your nose and viewfinder to touch the screen is a tad lets say..umm less than comfortable experience - I dont need a joystick for this camera as its menu system and touch UI is (IMO) the best in the business.

Over the years I have noticed that a lot of 'wish lists' are about people thinking that if only this camera or that camera could do this as well as that and the other thing too- it would be the 'perfect' one camera for all uses - I suspect that this quest is much like the quest for the "Holy Grail" - every camera is a compromise of capability. Similarly, it seems to me that most use cases for MF on thsi forum appear to be landscape - my landscape interest is limited to urban landscapes therefore the handholdability via the addition of IBIS ( thanks Hasselblad) is what swung me towards re-entering larger than35mm chip sized world.

The one other function that Hasselblad might consider incorporating into their system is , I suspect, a tad unusual - and that is Fuji's inbuilt de-squeeze functionality for use with anamorphic lenses - Fuji are pushing the video functionality of their 100 series camera - I have no interest in using anamorphic for video - but lots of interest in using anamorphic combined with XPan crop in photography- that functionality ( the desqueeze processing) would save a lot of mucking around in PP.