New HAP-2

[Dan Santoso]

Hello,

Have anyone try the new hardware update?
Will this provide more focus point than the original one? I need more focus points to be able to focus on the talent face in full body.

Im a bit pissed becoz when the xf comes they introduce the honeycomb af with free update to make it better and faster in the future upgrade. it has been a while then new hardware update comes out that we have to pay!! What happen with the promise of the improve feature? In the end the hardware limitation cant support it and we have to pay more. This is just false marketing!!

 

[DougDolde]

Typical. At least they fixed the prism latch for free after denying there was a problem for months

Personally I don’t need this upgrade

 

[aztwang]

Hello,

Have anyone try the new hardware update?
Will this provide more focus point than the original one? I need more focus points to be able to focus on the talent face in full body.

Im a bit pissed becoz when the xf comes they introduce the honeycomb af with free update to make it better and faster in the future upgrade. it has been a while then new hardware update comes out that we have to pay!! What happen with the promise of the improve feature? In the end the hardware limitation cant support it and we have to pay more. This is just false marketing!!

As of todays technology multiple A/F points probably will not happen. Phase 1 did say that it was an open platform for improvements which we actually got in release 2. They never said nor did they hint or even a whisper that there would be more A/F points. Hap2 is a new sensor, not a firmware upgrade and even though we have to pay for it, it could be worse and P1 could release XF2 body with the new HAP2 sensor and we loose money on the current XF and pay another $3-5K for the new body. It's all perception. From Capture Integration.....

"The HAP-2 module is a big step forward in XF autofocus performance. The sensor has been redesigned to improve sensitivity and response. With additional Dynamic Range, HAP-2 provides a notable difference in all scenarios for the professional photographer.

This optional hardware upgrade replaces the existing HAP-1 with a new version of the physical autofocus sensor. The new HAP-2 sensor has increased light sensitivity and improved dynamic range, making it superior to the HAP-1 sensor in low light situations and when used on low contrast targets.

Apart from increased auto focus sensitivity, all functionalities and features of the XF Camera are available on the XF Camera with either the HAP-1 or the HAP-2 AF module."

At this point I am curious of its real life benefits...

Cheers

Don

 

[DrakeJ]

[...]
At this point I am curious of its real life benefits...
[...]

Indeed. I was disappointed as well with the release of HAP-2, but FW #4 with focus-recompose (although I haven't tried it yet) made up for it.

 

[kdphotography]

There have been software updates---with a lot of nice improvements. These were without additional costs. Electronic shutter? That was huge, imho. Lots of other features that others seem to appreciate more than me, such as focus stacking. Update #4 is pretty huge to me with focus recompose AFr and the ability to use a Profoto transceiver to trigger the camera. No additional costs.

The HAP-2 update is a hardware update to the AF sensor. That was unexpected. Welcome, but unexpected. Hardware I can understand having to invest in. I'm in.

The Phase XF is a great camera platform---and the promised software/firmware updates have been delivered, and I assume will continue, and work on both HAP-1 or HAP-2. If you want a new AF sensor with more sensitivity, then new hardware is called for. I don't have an issue with that. Phase never promised new hardware for free, and as noted, they didn't release an all new Phase XF2 body.

ken

 

[ejpeiker]

I think Ken summarizes it well and I agree with his comments 100%. You may have missed it but feature update 2 did include some AF improvements on the HAP 1 system.

I appreciate that Phase One has introduced a number of really useful features that weren't present when the XF first came out, like Focus Stacking for example. All of the ProPhoto controls were also a free upgrade if you shoot with these studio lights. There have been numerous improvements to the original camera, some that other companies would introduce a new body for.

As already stated, this is an OPTIONAL hardware upgrade. If your photography could benefit from AF at lower light levels then you can make the cost/benefit analysis for yourself. If the HAP-1 AF is adequate for your work, nobody is forcing you to upgrade and spend the money.

 

[dougpeterson]

Hello,

Have anyone try the new hardware update?
Will this provide more focus point than the original one? I need more focus points to be able to focus on the talent face in full body.

Im a bit pissed becoz when the xf comes they introduce the honeycomb af with free update to make it better and faster in the future upgrade. it has been a while then new hardware update comes out that we have to pay!! What happen with the promise of the improve feature? In the end the hardware limitation cant support it and we have to pay more. This is just false marketing!!

Significant improvements to autofocus were made during the first three feature updates. All free.

Focus And Recompose (AFr) mode is a feature of Feature Update 4. It is free.

HAP-2 is not a software improvement. It is a new and improved hardware sensor for autofocus that improves focus in low-light and in low-contrast. It is unrelated to the (free) Focus and Recompose feature and is not required for that feature to work.

Normally getting a new hardware sensor for autofocus requires the purchase of a new camera (e.g. Canon 5D Mark 3 to Canon 5D Mark 4). The normal thing for P1 to have done would be to put in one or two firmware updates to the XF and then reserve the (very significant) features added in Feature Updates 1-4 and the new sensor into an XF2 body and require you to buy the new camera to get those new features and hardware.

When listening to customers I always try to see their side of things, but here it's hard for me to see what you're objecting to.

Here was our take, written by my colleague Joe while I was on honeymoon.

For those wanting to test real-world performance of the HAP-2 before deciding whether they should upgrade from their HAP-1 we are glad to have you try it at our offices in LA or NYC, loan one to compare, or attend one of our upcoming open houses or events. Since the main improvement is in low-light and low-contrast performance it's really a person-to-person decision whether it's worth the time/money to have it upgraded.