X1D II Beginner Questions

[davidrm]

Hi,

I've recently bought a Hasselblad X1D II, and as I'm getting familiar with it, I have a couple of questions which maybe somebody here can help me with.

First, with the EVF/Display in Spirit Level mode, it seems that "X" toggles between "Factory" and "User" spirit level calibration, rather than re-center the selected focus point as in all other modes. Am I missing something, or this is normal? If so it seems a really strange UI decision.

Second, all the reviews speak of an ultra silent shutter. I only have the XCD 45 f/3.5 so far, and the shutter makes a very distinct CLICK...CLACK sound. Certainly louder than, say, a Copal 0 shutter, or the leaf shutter in the Ricoh GR. It isn't disturbing to me, but going by reviews it should be more "Ker-snick" than "CLICK / CLACK" . The lens is a reconditioned ex-demo from Hasselblad, so I imagine it has been thoroughly checked over, and it seems to work as intended...

Thanks for any comment

David.

 

[nameBrandon]

No idea on the spirit level issue, I don't really use it.

As far as the shutter, there is no mechanical shutter in the camera, so each lens will sound a bit different. What review did you read that talked about an ultra silent shutter? Perhaps they were referencing the electronic shutter? I've never used the older 45mm, but the 45P is relatively quiet.. meaning relative to my 30mm and 90mm XCD lenses, but definitely louder than my Sony A9 or Leica M10-P. I only have one Copal 0 lens to compare to, but I would put the 45P as louder than that as well. From my understanding the 45P is quieter than the 3.5/45.

It doesn't sound like anything out of the usual to me, but perhaps you could record the sound and others with the original 45mm XCD lens can tell you what they think.

 

[davidrm]

Hi,

Thanks, yes I don't think there is anything wrong. I don't think recording would help much as it would be very subjective (I'm no recording pro!).

Louder than an A9 seems about right. It is louder than my E-M1 MkIII, but that is extremely quiet. In any case the exposures seem perfectly fine, so I'm not going to worry about it. I was just a bit curious.

David.

No idea on the spirit level issue, I don't really use it.

As far as the shutter, there is no mechanical shutter in the camera, so each lens will sound a bit different. What review did you read that talked about an ultra silent shutter? Perhaps they were referencing the electronic shutter? I've never used the older 45mm, but the 45P is relatively quiet.. meaning relative to my 30mm and 90mm XCD lenses, but definitely louder than my Sony A9 or Leica M10-P. I only have one Copal 0 lens to compare to, but I would put the 45P as louder than that as well. From my understanding the 45P is quieter than the 3.5/45.

It doesn't sound like anything out of the usual to me, but perhaps you could record the sound and others with the original 45mm XCD lens can tell you what they think.

 

[SrMphoto]

Hi,

I've recently bought a Hasselblad X1D II, and as I'm getting familiar with it, I have a couple of questions which maybe somebody here can help me with.

First, with the EVF/Display in Spirit Level mode, it seems that "X" toggles between "Factory" and "User" spirit level calibration, rather than re-center the selected focus point as in all other modes. Am I missing something, or this is normal? If so it seems a really strange UI decision.

Second, all the reviews speak of an ultra silent shutter. I only have the XCD 45 f/3.5 so far, and the shutter makes a very distinct CLICK...CLACK sound. Certainly louder than, say, a Copal 0 shutter, or the leaf shutter in the Ricoh GR. It isn't disturbing to me, but going by reviews it should be more "Ker-snick" than "CLICK / CLACK" . The lens is a reconditioned ex-demo from Hasselblad, so I imagine it has been thoroughly checked over, and it seems to work as intended...

Thanks for any comment

David.

I have not noticed it, but yes, "X" does not center the focus point when Spirit Level is displayed in LV. It is weird, I agree.

The sound produced by the lens shutter (especially in XCD45/3.5) has drawn differing opinions. Some do not mind it, to some, it sounds like the glass is breaking .

Your X1D system works fine. Congratulations on your new camera!

 

[davidrm]

I have not noticed it, but yes, "X" does not center the focus point when Spirit Level is displayed in LV. It is weird, I agree.

The sound produced by the lens shutter (especially in XCD45/3.5) has drawn differing opinions. Some do not mind it, to some, it sounds like the glass is breaking .

Your X1D system works fine. Congratulations on your new camera!

Thanks very much . I actually grabbed it now because it was an offer I couldn't pass up, and right now I don't really have a project for it. They will come, now I'm just getting familiar with it. It's a great camera, fully meets my expectations, but apart from that I'm not ashamed to say that I just enjoy looking at it . What a masterpiece of design...

 

[Godfrey]

The XCD 45/3.5 has been noted by various reviewers as having a somewhat noisier than average (for XCD lenses) shutter with a weird "double clack" sound to it. The XCD 45/4P is pretty quiet by comparison. Some folks have disliked the 45/3.5 sound enough to dump the lens for something else. I've only used the 45P so far, can't verify for myself.

Yes, the 907x has the same behavior when moving to the Spirit Level display overlay. I can think of some uses for this behavior... perhaps it should be considered a convenience when using this display mode. So yes, it's normal. (I only rarely leave the camere displaying the Spirit Level for long.)

Sounds like everything is working as it ought to.

G

 

[PSS]

Don’t know about the level either but shutter sound is definitely something that is different compared to other systems....I have the 21, 30, 45P and 90 and they all sound completely different...i don’t really prefer one over another but every time i change a lens it is startling to hear a different sound again....i would not consider any of them silent or necessarily quiet...

 

[Godfrey]

Don’t know about the level either but shutter sound is definitely something that is different compared to other systems....I have the 21, 30, 45P and 90 and they all sound completely different...i don’t really prefer one over another but every time i change a lens it is startling to hear a different sound again....i would not consider any of them silent or necessarily quiet...

I figure if I want silence, I just turn on the eshutter ...

G

 

[sog1927]

Don’t know about the level either but shutter sound is definitely something that is different compared to other systems....I have the 21, 30, 45P and 90 and they all sound completely different...i don’t really prefer one over another but every time i change a lens it is startling to hear a different sound again....i would not consider any of them silent or necessarily quiet...

Those of us who are used to the mighty KER-FLOP of a V-series Hasselblad mirror have no idea what you guys are talking about ;-)

 

[vieri]

Hi,

I've recently bought a Hasselblad X1D II, and as I'm getting familiar with it, I have a couple of questions which maybe somebody here can help me with.

First, with the EVF/Display in Spirit Level mode, it seems that "X" toggles between "Factory" and "User" spirit level calibration, rather than re-center the selected focus point as in all other modes. Am I missing something, or this is normal? If so it seems a really strange UI decision.

Second, all the reviews speak of an ultra silent shutter. I only have the XCD 45 f/3.5 so far, and the shutter makes a very distinct CLICK...CLACK sound. Certainly louder than, say, a Copal 0 shutter, or the leaf shutter in the Ricoh GR. It isn't disturbing to me, but going by reviews it should be more "Ker-snick" than "CLICK / CLACK" . The lens is a reconditioned ex-demo from Hasselblad, so I imagine it has been thoroughly checked over, and it seems to work as intended...

Thanks for any comment

David.

Hello David,

first of all, congrats for your new X1D, enjoy!

About your questions, you are right that in Spirit Level mode the X does what you say it does. While it might seem a strange behaviour, might I ask you why you'd want or need to be in Spirit Level mode during a shoot? My assumption is that you'd be in S-L mode just when you need to move from custom to factory and back, and then leave the mode and go back to your usual shooting mode, in which case it doesn't really matter what the X does, but maybe there is a use for being in S-L mode that I am not using for my work and therefore am not familiar with.

About the shutter of the 45mm, as others said the lens indeed does make some noise; thing is, the shutter / diaphragm contraption needs to cycle through close / open a few times while taking a shot, and this makes some noise. In particular, the first lenses, i.e. 45, 90 and 30mm, have a noisier shutter (and AF) than the newer ones - if you'll get a chance to try a 135mm or a 35-75mm at a dealer or a show, you'll see this difference to the max. The 21mm & 65mm are somewhere in between, and I haven't tried the 80mm and 120mm so I can't really say about these.

If you are interested, you can find all my Hasselblad-related reviews here: https://www.vieribottazzini.com/tag/hasselblad, including in-depth reviews of all lenses & of both X1D & X1D II bodies, chargers, some third-party adapted lenses, and so on.

Hope this helps! Best regards,

Vieri

 

[davidrm]

Hello David,

first of all, congrats for your new X1D, enjoy!

About your questions, you are right that in Spirit Level mode the X does what you say it does. While it might seem a strange behaviour, might I ask you why you'd want or need to be in Spirit Level mode during a shoot? My assumption is that you'd be in S-L mode just when you need to move from custom to factory and back, and then leave the mode and go back to your usual shooting mode, in which case it doesn't really matter what the X does, but maybe there is a use for being in S-L mode that I am not using for my work and therefore am not familiar with.

About the shutter of the 45mm, as others said the lens indeed does make some noise; thing is, the shutter / diaphragm contraption needs to cycle through close / open a few times while taking a shot, and this makes some noise. In particular, the first lenses, i.e. 45, 90 and 30mm, have a noisier shutter (and AF) than the newer ones - if you'll get a chance to try a 135mm or a 35-75mm at a dealer or a show, you'll see this difference to the max. The 21mm & 65mm are somewhere in between, and I haven't tried the 80mm and 120mm so I can't really say about these.

If you are interested, you can find all my Hasselblad-related reviews here: https://www.vieribottazzini.com/tag/hasselblad, including in-depth reviews of all lenses & of both X1D & X1D II bodies, chargers, some third-party adapted lenses, and so on.

Hope this helps! Best regards,

Vieri

Thanks Vieri and everybody else for reassuring me

@Vieri, the reason I want S/L mode AND reset focus point is when I'm hand holding, and having a one-click method of resetting focus point is more convenient that touchscreen or dials. Of course on a tripod (which I admit is where the X1D really belongs) this is redundant. Basically I'm replicating my working practice with the Olympus E-M1, which is more suited to hand holding. However this clearly a case of misguidedly trying to force one camera to behave like another.

 

[vieri]

Thanks Vieri and everybody else for reassuring me

@Vieri, the reason I want S/L mode AND reset focus point is when I'm hand holding, and having a one-click method of resetting focus point is more convenient that touchscreen or dials. Of course on a tripod (which I admit is where the X1D really belongs) this is redundant. Basically I'm replicating my working practice with the Olympus E-M1, which is more suited to hand holding. However this clearly a case of misguidedly trying to force one camera to behave like another.

You are very welcome, glad to help About your reasoning, makes perfect sense. Best regards,

Vieri

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks Vieri and everybody else for reassuring me

@Vieri, the reason I want S/L mode AND reset focus point is when I'm hand holding, and having a one-click method of resetting focus point is more convenient that touchscreen or dials. Of course on a tripod (which I admit is where the X1D really belongs) this is redundant. Basically I'm replicating my working practice with the Olympus E-M1, which is more suited to hand holding. However this clearly a case of misguidedly trying to force one camera to behave like another.

I have an E-M1 as well. I find its level indication more suited to hand-held use than the level indication in the 907x/X1DII, for these latter in hand held use the grid overlay seems more useful to me. With the Hasselblad level indication, I have to keep looking at the bottom and edge of the screen and seem to naturally throw the level off whenever I go back to looking at the whole screen. With the Olympus the level line is more easily visible across the image field and isn't as distracting when watching the subject.

As you say, I feel the X1D and 907x (especially the latter) are more comfortable to use on a tripod anyways! The E-M1 and Leica CL are better suited to hand-held use...

G

 

[PSS]

I figure if I want silence, I just turn on the eshutter ...

G

With the read out time of the sensor, the eshutter makes little sense for me with the X1DII

 

[PSS]

Those of us who are used to the mighty KER-FLOP of a V-series Hasselblad mirror have no idea what you guys are talking about ;-)

I used to shoot with fuji GX680 and Mamiya RZ so I am very familiar with Large mirrors slapping and moving....
I also used to shoot a lot of 4x5 and am familiar with Copal shutters and my sony RX1RII has a lens shutter as well....none of them as noisy as the XCD lenses...i watched the video, i understand what is happening and why the clicks happen, it is still pretty noisy..
What i am not sure about is why all these lenses from the same Nittoh (?) factory all sound so different? Wouldn’t the actual shutter be more or less the same?

 

[Godfrey]

With the read out time of the sensor, the eshutter makes little sense for me with the X1DII

Well, it depends on what you're shooting and what kind of exposure times you're working with. By and larger, for my still life/geometric abstractions/casual street portraiture, etc, kind of shooting, I haven't found any problems using the eshutter in the 1/100 and up exposure range. For longer exposures, a tripod and a static subject are critical to good results. At least, that's my experience so far.

G

 

[hcubell]

I used to shoot with fuji GX680 and Mamiya RZ so I am very familiar with Large mirrors slapping and moving....
I also used to shoot a lot of 4x5 and am familiar with Copal shutters and my sony RX1RII has a lens shutter as well....none of them as noisy as the XCD lenses...i watched the video, i understand what is happening and why the clicks happen, it is still pretty noisy..
What i am not sure about is why all these lenses from the same Nittoh (?) factory all sound so different? Wouldn’t the actual shutter be more or less the same?

I have the 30, 45, 90, 135 and the zoom, and there is a big difference in the sound of the shutter with the 135 and the zoom. These two lenses are noticeably quieter. They were released much more recently, and I gather that Hasselblad did some engineering work with the lens manufacturer, Nittoh, to dampen the sound. I think the leaf shutters themselves are the same. When the X1D was first released, there was quite a bit of unfavorable commentary about the relatively loud, tinny sound of the leaf shutters in the first group of lenses. I wouldn't say it is music to my ears, but I am used to it. FWIW, I have never noticed any difference in the sharpness of the files using the leaf shutters versus the ES on a tripod.

 

[PSS]

I shoot mostly people so for me eshutter does not work...
I am not complaining about the sounds (or sounds) the lenses make, It really does not matter to me either way, I don’t need silence...It startles me a little every time i change lenses.....worked with a new assistant who was really interested in the system but could not believe how different (in this case) the 45P and 90 sounded...
No problem for me, a lot going on in there, strange for new owners or people not used to it....

 

[davidrm]

I have an E-M1 as well. I find its level indication more suited to hand-held use than the level indication in the 907x/X1DII, for these latter in hand held use the grid overlay seems more useful to me. With the Hasselblad level indication, I have to keep looking at the bottom and edge of the screen and seem to naturally throw the level off whenever I go back to looking at the whole screen. With the Olympus the level line is more easily visible across the image field and isn't as distracting when watching the subject.

As you say, I feel the X1D and 907x (especially the latter) are more comfortable to use on a tripod anyways! The E-M1 and Leica CL are better suited to hand-held use...

G

Interesting! I find the S/L on the X1DII much harder to use than that on the E-M1, even though the weight/handling (say X1D+45/3.5 and E-M1+17/f1.2) is roughly the same. In fact I think that this may be a factor in a few of my shots so far being badly soft even though the shutter speed was ok - the high sensitivity of the S/L and the difficulty you note of reacting to both axes at the same time is degrading my steadiness. Indeed this morning I actually thought it might be better just to use the grid when hand holding. Or indeed stop being so lazy, and get the tripod out!!

 

[Godfrey]

Interesting! I find the S/L on the X1DII much harder to use than that on the E-M1, even though the weight/handling (say X1D+45/3.5 and E-M1+17/f1.2) is roughly the same. In fact I think that this may be a factor in a few of my shots so far being badly soft even though the shutter speed was ok - the high sensitivity of the S/L and the difficulty you note of reacting to both axes at the same time is degrading my steadiness. Indeed this morning I actually thought it might be better just to use the grid when hand holding. Or indeed stop being so lazy, and get the tripod out!!

Put your camera (any camera) on a tripod, take the time to focus it critically and set exposure carefully, and the gains in sharpness are astonishing.

...The kinds of photos you make are different, of course.

G

"My sharpest lens is a sturdy tripod."