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X1D: Where are we at?
- Thread starter tashley
- Start date
Hello all,
I needed to prepare myself for a wedding shoot next weekend.
What I want to do for some shots is using the flash to underexpose the scenery by 2 or 3 stop and correctly expose the persons in front.
Therefore I needed to check my equipment and find out the best exposure pair providing max output with shallow depth of field.
I am using a Godox AD600 and the Godox Pro trigger Nikon version.
Started with the following setup:
Beauty Dish in silver 1,5m away from the subject (flowers in this case under full sunlight at noon) 45° angle both axes.
True Exposure switched of at the cam / 90mm at f3.2 and ND Filter vario from B&W
Test pictures with different exposure times, have adjusted the ND filter for every shot to exposure compensate 2 stops of light.
1/200 sec / flash off
1/200 sec / flash on 1/1 power (t0.1 / 1/220 sec)
1/500 sec / flash on 1/2 + 0,3 (t0.1 / 1/535 sec)
1/ 800 sec / flash on 1/2 (t0.1 1/740 sec)
1 / 1250 sec / flash on 1/4 + 0,3 (t 0.1 1/1196 sec)
Interestingly the combination fo 1/1250 sec with matching flash power level seems to be the second best after full power. Everything seems to fit, delay of the trigger is fine, flash duration seems to be fine - overall resulting in a very good output level.
Additionally with just over 1/4 power the flash is able to fire about 1500 flashes until empty and about 200 until the overheat prevention system kicks in.
Big advantage over full power is also the ability to freeze action shots.
Hope that proves helpful for some. The combination of the Hasselblad + ND and my Godox flash at least seems to work better than expected.
I needed to prepare myself for a wedding shoot next weekend.
What I want to do for some shots is using the flash to underexpose the scenery by 2 or 3 stop and correctly expose the persons in front.
Therefore I needed to check my equipment and find out the best exposure pair providing max output with shallow depth of field.
I am using a Godox AD600 and the Godox Pro trigger Nikon version.
Started with the following setup:
Beauty Dish in silver 1,5m away from the subject (flowers in this case under full sunlight at noon) 45° angle both axes.
True Exposure switched of at the cam / 90mm at f3.2 and ND Filter vario from B&W
Test pictures with different exposure times, have adjusted the ND filter for every shot to exposure compensate 2 stops of light.
1/200 sec / flash off
1/200 sec / flash on 1/1 power (t0.1 / 1/220 sec)
1/500 sec / flash on 1/2 + 0,3 (t0.1 / 1/535 sec)
1/ 800 sec / flash on 1/2 (t0.1 1/740 sec)
1 / 1250 sec / flash on 1/4 + 0,3 (t 0.1 1/1196 sec)
Interestingly the combination fo 1/1250 sec with matching flash power level seems to be the second best after full power. Everything seems to fit, delay of the trigger is fine, flash duration seems to be fine - overall resulting in a very good output level.
Additionally with just over 1/4 power the flash is able to fire about 1500 flashes until empty and about 200 until the overheat prevention system kicks in.
Big advantage over full power is also the ability to freeze action shots.
Hope that proves helpful for some. The combination of the Hasselblad + ND and my Godox flash at least seems to work better than expected.
Perhaps nothing is happening in the development of a third party wired cable release for the X1D because the electronic circuit information has not been made public. After all of the discussion of the cable release problems, I believe the current X1D Design may not be compatible with a wired release. Perhaps the new X2D Design will address the problem but only if the Hasselblad Desigers decide if it is necessary?
The conflict between the self timer and auto bracketing also has not been solved. Hasselblad is well aware of the problem including input from Ming but there has no mention of a firmware fix. Perhaps the conflict is not due oversight on the part of Hasselblad but rather a basic incompatibility of the two functions?
In an attempt to use auto bracketing in conjunction with some type of remote shutter activation, several X1D Users including myself have fabricated mechanical brackets for positioning a cable release tip directly above the X1D Shutter Button. My design works but it is so crude and ugly that I am embarrassed to use it. It sure turns a beautiful camera into a "Rube Goldberg" toy!
THANKS HASSELBLAD
The conflict between the self timer and auto bracketing also has not been solved. Hasselblad is well aware of the problem including input from Ming but there has no mention of a firmware fix. Perhaps the conflict is not due oversight on the part of Hasselblad but rather a basic incompatibility of the two functions?
In an attempt to use auto bracketing in conjunction with some type of remote shutter activation, several X1D Users including myself have fabricated mechanical brackets for positioning a cable release tip directly above the X1D Shutter Button. My design works but it is so crude and ugly that I am embarrassed to use it. It sure turns a beautiful camera into a "Rube Goldberg" toy!
THANKS HASSELBLAD
I think it's not so much a matter of "electrical circuit information" as it is "protocol used by Phocus to fire the camera when tethered by USB". It should be possible to reverse-engineer this with either a hardware or software USB packet sniffer. Something like this, for example (if your computer is infested with Windows):
http://desowin.org/usbpcap/
The question is whether there's enough volume to make it commercially worthwhile to build it. I suppose there's also the danger that Hasselblad would sue you.
Speaking as somebody whose day job is in the software business: there's a lot of hidden overhead and expense associated with new releases (particularly QA testing and packaging). I also think most of Hasselblad's firmware development resources are probably devoted to support of upcoming lenses and the next generation of sensors (for both the H and X series). I'd expect to see new firmware when they're ready to release the next batch of lenses - they'll probably roll in fixes for annoying but non-critical bugs at that time. They're a small company, after all.
Yeah, all the mechanical cable release adapters are pretty kludgy. This one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Generic-Sh...889481?hash=item2c9961e049:g:w3gAAMXQydtTKi88
actually works, but having to screw it into the tripod socket interferes with my "everything should be Arca-Swiss compatible" plan. It's also very delicate and fiddly. There's also nothing to protect the plastic shutter button from therather pointy end of the cable release.
This one doesn't work at all (the X1D body is too big for it to attach, although I could modify it to fit):
https://uk.hama.com/005345/hama-wire-release-for-digital-cameras
Since the current Phocus Software does not support auto bracketing, even knowledge of the USB protocol might not be useful. If the USB protocol could be used would the camera's USB port have to tethered to power supply and some electronic? It really should not be so difficult to have a reliable means of remotely releasing the shutter on the X1D - no other professional camera has such nonsense!
Amen - Upgrading to the X2D just to gain a cable release socket is crazy! Let's hope Hasselblad agrees and gives (or even sells) a release for the X1D!
I was able to rebuild the Generic shutter Release Bracket by lengthening the rod, adding a steel right angle bracket over the slotted aluminum plate and clamping the vertical rod to the right angle bracket to prevent flexing. It was time consuming to figure out the bits and pieces but it really works well. I am using an air release which is easier of the shutter button. Anyway after a week in the field it has not failed so I will use it until I find something better. I have some photos but I wasn't able to post them. The bracket is pretty ugly so maybe it best that I don't show photos.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Generic-Sh...889481?hash=item2c9961e049:g:w3gAAMXQydtTKi88
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Generic-Sh...889481?hash=item2c9961e049:g:w3gAAMXQydtTKi88
Hi,
They continue to have problems with communication. The new administration told us that they like to do and not talk, but this is 2018 and some level of communication is, close to mandatory.
Just before the announcement of the shipping of the 21mm, I was wondering if they just back off from the commitment or something.
It was not the case. I don't want them promising something that they will not fulfill
but something that shows they are working on the lenses (maybe like: we changed the shutter so it will be quieter, and that delay us a little).
Right now, it looks to me, that they are fully committed to the X platform.
Even if they proceed, sometimes, in a frustrating way.
Best regards,
I understand the disappointment with the pace for the release of new lenses for the X1D. I am anxiously awaiting several myself. However, I do think it is important to recognize that Hasselblad is not a big company that has complete control over the design and manufacture of the XCD lenses, like Fuji.Hasselblad is outsourcing the manufacture of the lenses to a third party in Japan, Nittoh. I am by no means a lens designer/manufacturer, but I assume that the process is not a simple and straightforward one where Hasselblad can quickly design a lens on a computer back in Sweden, send the specs to Nittoh, and within a few weeks Nittoh will start to produce them in high volume. I think it's much more complicated and time consuming, with ongoing design and manufacturing choices to be made and the production of prototypes that are then tested both in the lab and in the real world shooting photographs. Two things give me comfort and make it easier to accept the delays. One, as much as you and I want Hasselblad to release the lenses, Hasselblad wants to release them even more.Two, all 5 of the XCD lenses released to date have been terrific lenses. The bar has been set high by Hasselblad (and Fuji!). Whatever complaints we are hearing about the slow timetable for releasing the new lenses, it's a murmur compared to the uproar that would ensue if any of the new lenses isn't stellar.
ErikKaffehr
Well-known member
Lens design is a complex task...
Hi Howard,
Lens design is a complex task. I do not know a lot about it. But I saw a presentation from a guy who was in charge of Sony's lens designs. He discussed the development of the A-mount 50/1.4ZA lens. A group of five lens designers worked on that project for several years.
Once the optical design is completed, the mechanical design needs to be developed and that may make it necessary to refine the optical design.
My guess is that Hasselblad suggest a basic design and design criteria, which Nittoh refines for production. After that, prototypes are built and probably tested at the Hasselblad factory.
It is reasonable that developing a lens and putting it into production is a long process, but the lenses may be worth the long wait.
Best regards
Erik
Hi Howard,
Lens design is a complex task. I do not know a lot about it. But I saw a presentation from a guy who was in charge of Sony's lens designs. He discussed the development of the A-mount 50/1.4ZA lens. A group of five lens designers worked on that project for several years.
- A new design was wanted because the old classical double Gauss lens lagged in MTF at large apertures. According to Brandon Dube, an optical scientist working with both OLAF Testing and NASA, says that the double Gauss designs can not handle modern design criteria for large aperture lenses.
- Sigma and later Zeiss introduced new designs, reminiscent of inverted telephoto. Such lenses can yield very high quality, but they are complex designs.
- Symmetric designs, like double Gauss avoid many aberrations because of symmetry. Non symmetric lenses are therefore much more complex.
- Sony found the inverted telephoto design to be to complex and expensive to produce.
Once the optical design is completed, the mechanical design needs to be developed and that may make it necessary to refine the optical design.
My guess is that Hasselblad suggest a basic design and design criteria, which Nittoh refines for production. After that, prototypes are built and probably tested at the Hasselblad factory.
It is reasonable that developing a lens and putting it into production is a long process, but the lenses may be worth the long wait.
Best regards
Erik
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I hate to say it, and I do so with great respect, but the people who buy first into a new system like this are the ones who are making the whole thing happen and they do burden things like this. I have been in that situation a couple times and it is very frustrating. Unfortunately someone has to do it though.
As someone who is waiting for the X2D, which will be much better in this way, I am really thankful for those who have bought the X1D already, quirks, bugs, kinks and all. They are kind of pioneering it and dealing with all the issues.
This is certainly one thing that Fuji seem to have got right straight away it really is a more mature product. They have decades of experience with this very thing and also the R+D budget far exceeding what Hasselblad have.
The Nikon Coolpix 900 was first camera without a cable release socket that I encountered 20 years ago. The situation was similar to the X1D in that Nikon, like Hasselbald, had no way to incorporate a cable release into the basic camera design. In the late 1990's ,the 900 Series Cameras were very popular and thus there were several very nice (expensive) third party cable release brackets available at the time.
I salvaged one from my junk drawer and modified it to fit the X1D. The device was a fabricated aluminum "C" clamp that attached to the camera tripod and arched around the camera ending right above the shutter button. It was very rigid which prevented all cable release flexing. The X1D is somewhat larger than the Coolpix 900 so it was necessary to increase both the height and width by about 1/2 inch.
My first X1D cable release bracket project that used the Generic Shutter Bracket from E-bay was functional but very crude and ugly. The increased stiffness of Coolpix Bracket offered a big improvement in functionality while being much less ugly and so it has become my X1D Cable release Bracket of choice. I have no idea if there are any Coolpix 900 Brackets available on the used market but the modification is pretty straightforward.
I salvaged one from my junk drawer and modified it to fit the X1D. The device was a fabricated aluminum "C" clamp that attached to the camera tripod and arched around the camera ending right above the shutter button. It was very rigid which prevented all cable release flexing. The X1D is somewhat larger than the Coolpix 900 so it was necessary to increase both the height and width by about 1/2 inch.
My first X1D cable release bracket project that used the Generic Shutter Bracket from E-bay was functional but very crude and ugly. The increased stiffness of Coolpix Bracket offered a big improvement in functionality while being much less ugly and so it has become my X1D Cable release Bracket of choice. I have no idea if there are any Coolpix 900 Brackets available on the used market but the modification is pretty straightforward.
Attachments
retcheto
Member
No it doesn’t. We’re expecting it will be added at some point
New 3400mAh battery available now in Europe. Not on the Hasselblad US store site yet. Here's an ad from Robert White (UK):
Joe
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/hasselblad-rechargeable-battery-3200-mah-for-x-system-1610762/
Showing as out of stock now, but this is the 3400 mah for £86 a piece, I got two arrive this morning
ejpeiker
Member
Speaking of unavailable items, in this press release, Hasselblad said that the 21mm, 35-70mm, and 65mm would all be available in the first half of 2018:
https://www.hasselblad.com/press/press-releases/hasselblad-expands-the-lens-range-for-the-x1d-50c/
We are now more than a month into the second half of 2018 and none of these lenses are actually available. The only one that can even be pre-ordered is the 21mm... It seems they haven't learned from their previous history of announcing dates and then not even remotely keeping them...
https://www.hasselblad.com/press/press-releases/hasselblad-expands-the-lens-range-for-the-x1d-50c/
We are now more than a month into the second half of 2018 and none of these lenses are actually available. The only one that can even be pre-ordered is the 21mm... It seems they haven't learned from their previous history of announcing dates and then not even remotely keeping them...
Actually, Hasselblad has shipped a number of 21mm lenses. If you go over to the X1D Facebook page, there are are many photographers all over the world who have uploaded photos taken with the 21mm lens. By all accounts, it is an exceptional lens. The simple reality is that demand has exceeded the supply. This is the way it works for products that are in high demand. For those that have ordered it and not taken delivery, it sucks. I think I recently read that the Nikon D850 is still backordered over a year after it started shipping.