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Recommendations: WTB Portrait lens for X1D. HC , Etc.

rollsman44

Well-known member
I know the Hassy HC lenses work well with the X1D using the Mechanical shutter( or ) the Electronic shutter. I am looking to get 55 or 80mm 2,8 lens . I am looking for one that can Manually focus easily, Excellent IQ and Not Break the bank. Can this one be used as well? Not the Blue Ring.Schneider Kreuznach
80mm LS f/2.8
I dont want to buy the XCD 80( too costly ). I was also Thinking about the XCD 65mm

Any suggestions. Thanks Anyone using a NON Native lens for their portraits. Thank you. I appreciate it
 

PabloR

Member
the question is why chose a third party lens for a Hasselblad body ???

forget everything you have read or test.

look for a cheap 80 HC, an XH adapter, and enjoy a Hasselblad camera.

HC lenses are amazing, 80mm HC plus XH adapter is around 600-700g, the same as an XCD lens.

There are also several 90mm XCD in the second market, but you will pay the half if choose the HC.

Another comment. Blue Ring does not mean a better lens. Schneider is doing the same for decades, just change the color of the ring and very little improvements to go for a new marketing plan.

just try an 80 HC and decide by your self

all portraits in my website are done using 80,100,150 HC.
Pablo Rodrigo Studio

regards,
Pablo
 

PSS

Active member
The money you must have lost in buying and selling and buying this system over and over would have been better spent with just buying the lens you want....but....
I really like the X system, and am slowly getting used to it..there is no other way to putting it, especially if you want to shoot people...unless you make everybody sit still all the time, things can get complicated and frustrating....
I usually work in a controlled environment and am used to working with film medium format cameras, both really, really help when working with the X....
I have given up on AF with people, its just just too slow...I use MQ a lot...a lot more then i thought i would....
Getting older hasselblad lenses to work on the X with adapters is obviously possible but IMO it makes most sense if you already own these lenses...there are FW issues to consider and in the long run how much cheaper are they and are you really maximizing the investment you made in getting the X?
The lenses are not cheap but you can find used ones at ok prices....
For portrait the 45 is great for full length or groups, the 90 great for tighter shots...i don’t own the 65 but i am not sure it is wide enough for groups or tight enough for face....
The thing to consider with used H lenses is that at this point most used ones are probably from rental houses, maintained but not babied....cheaper but the shutter will go...which is expensive....or they are from “collectors” or amateurs, either way not used much at all and might have sat....either way not a good thing for in lens shutter....
I know you have been looking for inexpensive solutions, 3rd party, eshutter....for portrait your options are more limited (eshutter is out) but the 45P is 1100 and the 90 can be found used....these are first rate modern lenses that make the most sense with the body...and even on those AF is too slow for people work IMO....so i cant even imagine older H glass with adapter....
Good luck..
 

nameBrandon

Well-known member
Electronic shutter IMO is not suitable for anything outside of landscape. Even if you're thinking indoor portraits, you can't sync a flash with electronic shutter (you can manually guess when to trigger the flash.. if you want to play roulette with every frame).

Many people have been down this road adapting lenses with the X1D. It usually ends one of two ways.. 1) They get frustrated and sell their whole kit 2) they do what Pablo suggested in the first place and end up buying native Hasselblad lenses (H/HC or XCD). Some do both..

If money is an issue, get the H/HC lenses. If it's portraiture you're after, depending on how you're shooting, that might lend itself to manual focus anyways and save some money avoiding the orange dot versions of the H lenses. It's an X1D after all, I would wager there are many out there who can manually focus faster than the camera can autofocus..
 

darr

Well-known member
The money you must have lost in buying and selling and buying this system over and over would have been better spent with just buying the lens you want....
I have to agree with this statement and what everyone else is saying in this thread thus far.

Your going back and forth with the same gear has baffled me. I am not coming from a place of judgement, I just cannot ignore your postings and wonder why in a small time frame you have jumped in and out of the same gear but continue to look for new workarounds using it.

There are no silver bullets when creating beautiful portraiture outside of experience. While some photographers may be better than others, I guarantee you they got there after working very hard at it. They had a burning desire to create beautiful work no matter what gear they were using.

I hope you take PSS's advice, stick with a lens that was designed for portraiture on your chosen camera and spend lots and lots of time learning how to use it.

Best to you.
 

Mexecutioner

Well-known member
I have to agree with this statement and what everyone else is saying in this thread thus far.

Your going back and forth with the same gear has baffled me. I am not coming from a place of judgement, I just cannot ignore your postings and wonder why in a small time frame you have jumped in and out of the same gear but continue to look for new workarounds using it.

There are no silver bullets when creating beautiful portraiture outside of experience. While some photographers may be better than others, I guarantee you they got there after working very hard at it. They had a burning desire to create beautiful work no matter what gear they were using.

I hope you take PSS's advice, stick with a lens that was designed for portraiture on your chosen camera and spend lots and lots of time learning how to use it.

Best to you.
I couldn't agree more, I have seen the same posts here and at other fora over and over again, and I am always scratching my head. Doesn't really matter to me as it is not my money and I have done some stupid things with my hard earned dollars once or twice, so I now just enjoy these posts, whether I have a bag of popcorn handy or not.

Dennis, I hope you find your holy grail and enjoy making the images you envision. It's all about having a good time!
 

docholliday

Well-known member
I would whole-heartedly agree with everyone else's comment on this. Portraiture is not about some holy grail of lenses. It is about control of light, understanding of depth of field, understanding of circle of confusion, and posing/composition.

You can have the most expensive f0.70 lens you can find and get horrible bokeh. You can get the sharpest lens and have horrible detail. And the best equipment will still yield generic snapshots without controlling the highlights & shadows and posing/composing a shot that draws the viewer's eye at the proper point of attention.

I've shot thousands of portraits when I shot people. I've used the 110FE, 180CFe, 100CF, Canon 70-200, Canon 100L, 150HC, 100HC, etc. I never look at the "quality" of the lens, but rather that it'll fulfill requirements like working distance, depth of field, depth of focus, and flash sync. Sometimes, a lens too sharp is detrimental to the image.

You'd be better off just getting a proper, affordable lens, no matter what generation or "quality", and concentrate on spending your money on lighting and modifiers (whether that be studio lighting or something as simple as reflectors or an old Vivitar 285). Then, practice, practice, practice until you've learned the intricate details of that setup. Don't go longing for any different gear until you've found some limitation that you can't get over. You'll probably find that it's not the lens you are needing to upgrade!

While manual focus can definitely be used without any issue, the convenience of having working, proper AF is one less thing to pay attention to while learning your gear.

Yeah, it's not my money, so do as you wish. But you'd be better served putting that money into more important things!
 
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