X1D questions

[tashley]

For those who have the camera:

I have the new touchbar MacBook Pro and irritatingly it has no SD card slot.

Is it possible to use the X1D WiFi to transfer RAW files from camera to computer?

Additional questions: can files be transferred over USBC cable - in other words can the camera be used as a card reader? Similarly, can the battery be charged in-camera over USB, like you can with a Sony?

With 'True Exposure' does the changes the camera makes to aperture in order to achieve the correct shutter speed (I'm a bit confused about this!) make any difference to DOF? I assume that it must.

Finally, in Aperture Priority mode, can you set the camera so that the front control wheel changes aperture and the rear wheel changes exposure compensation?


TIA

 

[Godfrey]

I don't have the X1D so I can't answer these questions directly, but my Lexar Pro CF/SD/SDHC/SDXC USB3 card reader works fine on the current MacBook Pro using the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter. If Hasselblad has provided the X1D with the ability to act as a USB Mass Storage device, it should also allow you to plug it into the MacBook Pro via the same adapter and either mount as a file volume or be accessible through Image Capture as a DCIM volume.

G

 

[kscott]

For those who have the camera:
I have the new touchbar MacBook Pro and irritatingly it has no SD card slot.

I'm typing on one right now and similarly irritated by lack of an SD card slot.

Is it possible to use the X1D WiFi to transfer RAW files from camera to computer?

If you can it's not immediately obvious from the instruction manual or fooling around with the camera, the obvious places in Mac OS, and with Phocus how. You can control the camera from an iOS device with Phocus Mobile, and can preview images. But I think that's the extent of Wi-Fi capabilities at the moment. I'm guessing that if there were sufficient demand that this is something that could be added later.

Additional questions: can files be transferred over USBC cable - in other words can the camera be used as a card reader? Similarly, can the battery be charged in-camera over USB, like you can with a Sony?

Again if you can, other than by tethered shooting through Phocus, not immediately obvious how. When I connect the camera to a Macbook Pro via USB-C, it doesn't mount the device in the filesystem, and neither Phocus Quick nor the Apple Photos recognize the camera as a download source.

With 'True Exposure' does the changes the camera makes to aperture in order to achieve the correct shutter speed (I'm a bit confused about this!) make any difference to DOF? I assume that it must.

Here's a slightly better description of True Focus than the current one on the Hasselblad site: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/702573/Hasselblad-H3dii.html?page=120. My understanding is that True Focus won't start mucking with apertures until the shutter is at or above 1/800s. Obviously changes to aperture will effect DOF, although I'm guessing that under most circumstances the adjustment would be minor.

Finally, in Aperture Priority mode, can you set the camera so that the front control wheel changes aperture and the rear wheel changes exposure compensation?

I do not believe so.

 

[tashley]

I'm typing on one right now and similarly irritated by lack of an SD card slot.



If you can it's not immediately obvious from the instruction manual or fooling around with the camera, the obvious places in Mac OS, and with Phocus how. You can control the camera from an iOS device with Phocus Mobile, and can preview images. But I think that's the extent of Wi-Fi capabilities at the moment. I'm guessing that if there were sufficient demand that this is something that could be added later.



Again if you can, other than by tethered shooting through Phocus, not immediately obvious how. When I connect the camera to a Macbook Pro via USB-C, it doesn't mount the device in the filesystem, and neither Phocus Quick nor the Apple Photos recognize the camera as a download source.



Here's a slightly better description of True Focus than the current one on the Hasselblad site: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/702573/Hasselblad-H3dii.html?page=120. My understanding is that True Focus won't start mucking with apertures until the shutter is at or above 1/800s. Obviously changes to aperture will effect DOF, although I'm guessing that under most circumstances the adjustment would be minor.



I do not believe so.

Thank you very much for those comprehensive answers. Honestly, the more I learn and the longer my delivery drags out, the more my small amount of remaining enthusiasm fades away. :-(

 

[tashley]

I don't have the X1D so I can't answer these questions directly, but my Lexar Pro CF/SD/SDHC/SDXC USB3 card reader works fine on the current MacBook Pro using the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter. If Hasselblad has provided the X1D with the ability to act as a USB Mass Storage device, it should also allow you to plug it into the MacBook Pro via the same adapter and either mount as a file volume or be accessible through Image Capture as a DCIM volume.

G

Thanks Godfrey,

Sadly I find the hassle of remembering readers and adapters when traveling quite irksome. Apple ditched the reader because they see the market shifting to wireless and though they are usually right in the long run it does create these irritating interstices before other manufacturers catch up!

 

[rmatthews]

Finally, in Aperture Priority mode, can you set the camera so that the front control wheel changes aperture and the rear wheel changes exposure compensation?


TIA

According to page 37 of the manual this is how it works.
In A mode front dial is aperture, rear is exposure comp;
In S mode front dial is shutter speed and rear dial is exposure comp;
In P mode front dial changes combination of aperture and shutter and rear dial is exposure comp

 

[tashley]

According to page 37 of the manual this is how it works.
In A mode front dial is aperture, rear is exposure comp;
In S mode front dial is shutter speed and rear dial is exposure comp;
In P mode front dial changes combination of aperture and shutter and rear dial is exposure comp

Thanks - I saw that but frankly, the manual is badly written and it is ambiguous as to which FW versions it refers. I'm really keen for someone who has one in hand to try these things and prove the pudding that way!

 

[kscott]

Thank you very much for those comprehensive answers. Honestly, the more I learn and the longer my delivery drags out, the more my small amount of remaining enthusiasm fades away. :-(

Let me offer some words of encouragement then. I was (and still am) super annoyed by how Hasselblad management handled the roll out of the camera. That said, the camera itself is really very nice. They've designed an exceptional compact camera with (at least) two beautiful lenses, excellent image quality, and a very clean, easy-to-comprehend set of controls. Even though it's not my first choice, the RAW processing for X1D files in Lightroom is excellent. They released a major update to the camera's firmware within a handful of weeks of starting to ship production cameras to customers. That firmware release fixed a bunch of bugs and improved the camera non-trivially. That's a very promising sign and *could* indicate that the software platform on which the camera is built is amenable to short development cycles and that Hasselblad is committed to iterating on that software to make the camera better over time. The camera feels great in the hand, and I can't overstate how nice it is to have such a capable camera in such a compact form factor. I find myself carrying it in conditions I'd never carry my other medium format cameras. And even though one of those is by the specs a better camera, it's no good when I'm not carrying it.

The X1D is not perfect. And there are a bunch of cameras from which you won't see a huge ton of benefit "upgrading" to the X1D, IMO. But I seriously doubt that you're going to be disappointed by this camera.

 

[tashley]

Let me offer some words of encouragement then. I was (and still am) super annoyed by how Hasselblad management handled the roll out of the camera. That said, the camera itself is really very nice. They've designed an exceptional compact camera with (at least) two beautiful lenses, excellent image quality, and a very clean, easy-to-comprehend set of controls. Even though it's not my first choice, the RAW processing for X1D files in Lightroom is excellent. They released a major update to the camera's firmware within a handful of weeks of starting to ship production cameras to customers. That firmware release fixed a bunch of bugs and improved the camera non-trivially. That's a very promising sign and *could* indicate that the software platform on which the camera is built is amenable to short development cycles and that Hasselblad is committed to iterating on that software to make the camera better over time. The camera feels great in the hand, and I can't overstate how nice it is to have such a capable camera in such a compact form factor. I find myself carrying it in conditions I'd never carry my other medium format cameras. And even though one of those is by the specs a better camera, it's no good when I'm not carrying it.

The X1D is not perfect. And there are a bunch of cameras from which you won't see a huge ton of benefit "upgrading" to the X1D, IMO. But I seriously doubt that you're going to be disappointed by this camera.

Thank you. I totally get that people who have it seem to like it - but I am trying to bottom out some specific issues that matter to me, from those few people who actually have the beast in hand. Do you have any input on my questions above, I'd really appreciate it if you did!

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks Godfrey,

Sadly I find the hassle of remembering readers and adapters when traveling quite irksome. Apple ditched the reader because they see the market shifting to wireless and though they are usually right in the long run it does create these irritating interstices before other manufacturers catch up!

I did a lot of traveling over the past twenty+ years. I have a little kit bag of adapters and such—constantly changing over time—that takes up little space but has proven invaluable over time as it's let me connect anything I needed into whatever I had at the time. USB-C adapters are just the most recent addition; card readers have been in it for a decade and more.

I sometimes find that carrying the kit bag is more important than carrying the computer itself because at my destinations I usually have access to other computers but without my little bag of adapters and such, I wouldn't be able to use them.

G

 

[tashley]

I did a lot of traveling over the past twenty+ years. I have a little kit bag of adapters and such—constantly changing over time—that takes up little space but has proven invaluable over time as it's let me connect anything I needed into whatever I had at the time. USB-C adapters are just the most recent addition; card readers have been in it for a decade and more.

I sometimes find that carrying the kit bag is more important than carrying the computer itself because at my destinations I usually have access to other computers but without my little bag of adapters and such, I wouldn't be able to use them.

G

I find myself doing the same thing, but that the more bits are needed, the more likely one will get left behind. Last week I was away for a day and threw a card reader and the Apple USB to USBc adaptor into the bag - only to find on arrival that I had packed the almost identical looking thunderbolt adaptor instead. Of course, where I was staying there was no chance of picking up either the correct adaptor or a native USBc reader.

Now this is not, of course, Hasselbald's fault. But Wifi transfer would help provide a failsafe.

 

[jduncan]

Thanks Godfrey,

Sadly I find the hassle of remembering readers and adapters when traveling quite irksome. Apple ditched the reader because they see the market shifting to wireless and though they are usually right in the long run it does create these irritating interstices before other manufacturers catch up!

Hi,

Yes, plus tiny position. Also, most professionals need to carry a card reader anyway: Professional Nikon, Canon, Phase One and until recently Hasselblad all have mixed cards, or two cards of the same type but not SD. Sony's cameras are the only professionals cameras that only have SD and until recently they did not support, fully, traditional pro-grade lighting.

Even more applaing, the recomendend monitor does not have an SD card reader build in either. That is supreme arrogance.

But enough with Apple. We should mail to Hasselblad to request a transfer mode.

Best regards,

 

[hcubell]

For those who have the camera:

Finally, in Aperture Priority mode, can you set the camera so that the front control wheel changes aperture and the rear wheel changes exposure compensation?


TIA

Currently, no, but this is a fairly easy firmware update that I am confident will come soon. The HB H series cameras have always allowed you to customize which buttons do what, including setting the front dial for either aperture or shutter speed and the rear dial for either aperture or shutter speed.

 

[JoshMerwin]

Quote Originally Posted by rmatthews View Post
According to page 37 of the manual this is how it works.
In A mode front dial is aperture, rear is exposure comp;
In S mode front dial is shutter speed and rear dial is exposure comp;
In P mode front dial changes combination of aperture and shutter and rear dial is exposure comp
Thanks

Thanks - I saw that but frankly, the manual is badly written and it is ambiguous as to which FW versions it refers. I'm really keen for someone who has one in hand to try these things and prove the pudding that way!

I think this works as described above. I will try it in daylight tomorrow. I think it's being a little temperamental because it's hitting the bottom aperture at 3.5 in my apartment. Oh, was pointing it at the tv, so the exposure was jumping around! :banghead: But from what I can see it it is working as described above. I'm on the newest firmware. I'm not sure how it's designating what to change in P with the front dial. I almost always shoot in manual, so not sure how that's supposed to work exactly. Seems like it's leaning towards getter a shutter speed above 1/90 because it's darker in here. But not enough light to go above that. So now that looking at a grey wall, it's working exactly as described above. Hope that helps.

 

[tashley]

Thanks guys - so we have that the manual says you can use rear dial for exposure comp in A mode (I think - like I say above it is badly written) and that one owner says you can and one says you can't. Hmmm. The plot, as they say, thickens. A well-written manual would clarify this. But I have to say that if it isn't possible then it's more or less a deal breaker for me: I use exposure comp on the majority of frames I shoot and often use it as a quick bracket system so it is pretty important not to have to delve into the menu or touchscreen to achieve it: it should be possible with the camera to the eye. I am sure I'm not alone in this. And whilst I appreciate that using manual mode one can effectively achieve the same thing, it is a slower way of working because correct exposure always, rather than often, requires dials to be moved. On a camera with a multi-second startup time, that sounds like yet another pause between me and the subject.

@Jduncan, I get that but in reality I haven't carried a card reader for years because I use CF as an in-camera backup and SD as the drive to which I write for use while on the road. I still have gear that makes me work that way and that's fine by me because the SD and the old MacBook gave me that option. So I will certainly be joining your suggestion that we write to Hassy and ask them to allow full file transfer over WiFi and additionally over USBc.

 

[rmatthews]

Another page of the manual words it differently..on page 69 it says:
In A mode front wheel is aperture and rear wheel is "quick exposure adjustment of shutter speed"
In S mode front wheel is speed and rear wheel is "quick exposure adjustment of aperture"
In P mode front wheel is aperture/speed and rear is "quick exposure adjustment"

I don't have the camera yet but if this is what is happening maybe the camera is moving the shutter speed in the above examples for A mode so you are getting an exposure compensation but you won't see the exposure compensation indicator itself moving left or right..
That may explain why owners are coming to different conclusions

 

[Erik Lundqvist]

Thank you very much for those comprehensive answers. Honestly, the more I learn and the longer my delivery drags out, the more my small amount of remaining enthusiasm fades away. :-(

Never thought I'd say this, but I think mine is gone.

 

[tashley]

Never thought I'd say this, but I think mine is gone.

Sorry to hear that Erik, you were the flag bearer!

Wanna buy a used IQ180?

;-)

 

[tashley]

Another page of the manual words it differently..on page 69 it says:
In A mode front wheel is aperture and rear wheel is "quick exposure adjustment of shutter speed"
In S mode front wheel is speed and rear wheel is "quick exposure adjustment of aperture"
In P mode front wheel is aperture/speed and rear is "quick exposure adjustment"

I don't have the camera yet but if this is what is happening maybe the camera is moving the shutter speed in the above examples for A mode so you are getting an exposure compensation but you won't see the exposure compensation indicator itself moving left or right..
That may explain why owners are coming to different conclusions

That is exactly the passage that confused me too. It really is a cruddy manual. While we are at it, the logic of a system that lets you set A, M, S and P on a physical dial and then override them on the touchscreen is rather weird: so you can have a physical dial that tells you you're in Aperture Priority but actually you could be in Program. Is that daft? It seems so to me.

 

[Erik Lundqvist]

Sorry to hear that Erik, you were the flag bearer!

Wanna buy a used IQ180?

;-)

I don't even know what that is, so YES!