The Hasselblad X1D Prepares to Deliver

[Michael Erlewine]

I sympathize with them too, but I was responding to this person.  I am particularly sympathetic because he apparently is now a photographer without a camera.  Recognizing that, I sympathize with everyone who ordered the X1D thinking about this trip or assignment where it would have been perfect and they had thought about how they would use it.  Most will do just fine until it arrives.

Yes! I was foolish enough to assume that Hasselblad could keep their schedule and I even added a little extra time for a new model. I was ready this Fall to go on a number of fairly extensive photographic expeditions, but of course, all that has gone out the window. I am scheduled to go to a big opening of a non-profit site dedicated to Rock Concert Poster, for which I did all the database work, in San Francisco in the middle of January, and I need the X1D, but chances are I won't get it before then either. Lesson learned. Also perhaps the Fuji GFX will appear. That would work also.

[hogloff]

Apologies, but I cannot comprehend why you did such a thing...

Cheers,
Bernard

Agreed. People have been burned on pre-orders all the time. Why would some leave themselves naked?

[BernardLanguillier]

I have been having some heavy purple/green fringing on highlight edges on a few images lately, but with large focus movements with technical lens. As Bernard says Phocus cannot clean this up. Photoshop does not work too well either. Lightroom does a great job on 16 bit PSD files processed through Phocus first.

Thanks for the tip, I had noticed that LR was doing a good job cleaning purple fringing on Hasselblad raw files (but the colors aren't quite as pleasing as with Phocus which is a major issue), but hadn't thought of doing the conversion in Phocus first and then correction of purple fringing in LR.

I really hope that Hasselblad will quickly add this purple fringing removal capability to Phocus though, it really does belong to the core capabilities of a raw converter.

Cheers,
Bernard

[Brent Daniels]

Thanks for the tip, I had noticed that LR was doing a good job cleaning purple fringing on Hasselblad raw files (but the colors aren't quite as pleasing as with Phocus which is a major issue), but hadn't thought of doing the conversion in Phocus first and then correction of purple fringing in LR.

I really hope that Hasselblad will quickly add this purple fringing removal capability to Phocus though, it really does belong to the core capabilities of a raw converter.

Cheers,
Bernard

Lightroom defringing actually can do both purple and green fringing. It has 2 part separate controls for each one and a color picker. Works very very well.  Try it.

Brent

[Michael Erlewine]

Speaking of small MF images and the FF DSLRs coming up from below, I must say that I find Lloyd Chambers recent blog (today) of using the new Nikkor 19mm PC-E Tilt/Shift lens with the D810, which he claims is an incredible lens, using shift, to get a 73 MPx image, which he says is says is pristine and the equivalent of a MF camera/Lens. Check it out. I also read his complete description of the process in the expanded version and it is very enticing.

https://diglloyd.com/

It is very clear that 2017 is going to be the year we have been waiting around for.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi Michael,

I have done a somewhat similar test, using some of my Hasselblad lenses with -12/0/+12 mm shift. Gives you a 48x36 mm image, almost same size as the P45+ I have (49 x 37 mm).

The examples are here:

http://echophoto.dnsalias.net/ekr/Articles/H_CF_Lenses_on_A7rII/

Best regards
Erik

Speaking of small MF images and the FF DSLRs coming up from below, I must say that I find Lloyd Chambers recent blog (today) of using the new Nikkor 19mm PC-E Tilt/Shift lens with the D810, which he claims is an incredible lens, using shift, to get a 73 MPx image, which he says is says is pristine and the equivalent of a MF camera/Lens. Check it out. I also read his complete description of the process in the expanded version and it is very enticing.

https://diglloyd.com/

It is very clear that 2017 is going to be the year we have been waiting around for.

[Michael Erlewine]

Hi Michael,

I have done a somewhat similar test, using some of my Hasselblad lenses with -12/0/+12 mm shift. Gives you a 48x36 mm image, almost same size as the P45+ I have (49 x 37 mm).

The examples are here:

http://echophoto.dnsalias.net/ekr/Articles/H_CF_Lenses_on_A7rII/

Best regards
Erik

Erik: Yes, very interesting. What camera are you using and what tilt/shift device?  I will have a copy of the new Nikon 19mm Tilt/Shift lens tomorrow and I have the various pano gear I might need for multi-layer stitching. The fact that (finally) Nikon is offering a flexible tilt'shift device on a PC lens is a big help, thus allowing users to have TILT parallel or perpendicular to shift.

Although I have (and have had) a number of technical cameras, most I am selling off as either too cumbersome or not well designed. However, I regularly use the Cambo Actus with my various enlarger and view-camera lenses, but don't enjoy the 15-20 lb. cameras anymore. I am getting old, yes, but more important is that I want to take the tilt/shift outside for much of what I do.

The flexibility of this new Nikon 19mm lens is a good sign. Also, that Nikon finally is producing higher-quality lenses, although at an expense. They are worth it. I understand that the Nikon 19mm PC-E is not at the level of the Zeiss Otus lenses, but close enough, considering what they can do in addition via tilt, shift, etc. I am about to see and I can always return the lens if it does not help me. The series of recent articles by Lloyd Chambers on the 19mm PC-E is wonderful, and now he has moved onto the details and problems of stitching with the lens, nodal points, etc.

Lenses like the 19mm PC-E on the Nikon D810 offer us another approach similar is some ways to the new Hasselblad X1D, which I still have on order.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi Michael,

I use a HCam Master TSII.

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/56810-hcam-master-tsii-sony-a7rii.html

It is based on the Mirex adapter, but has a built in tripod collar, so lens is fixed while the cameras does the tilt and shift. There are no gears, though. Maximum shift is +/- 15 mm and maximum tilt is 11 degrees (or 10?). In the real world, shift is limited by internal baffles, say around 12 mm.

On the front it has a Canon mount. Rear mount is exchangable.

I don't think the X1D will work with T&S options as it does not have a built in shutter or control for non Hasselblad leaf shutters built into lenses. It may work with HTS using a H-mount adapter, of course.

The camera I use is the A7rII. It has both electronic first shutter curtain and fully electronic shutter, although the fully electronic shutter has slow scan time and is limited to 12-bits. The A7rII has some disadvantages, like small battery with a short battery life, a haphazard menu system. But that is nothing I cannot live with if the camera makes good images, and it does.

Best regards
Erik

Erik: Yes, very interesting. What camera are you using and what tilt/shift device?  I will have a copy of the new Nikon 19mm Tilt/Shift lens tomorrow and I have the various pano gear I might need for multi-layer stitching. The fact that (finally) Nikon is offering a flexible tilt'shift device on a PC lens is a big help, thus allowing users to have TILT parallel or perpendicular to shift.

Although I have (and have had) a number of technical cameras, most I am selling off as either too cumbersome or not well designed. However, I regularly use the Cambo Actus with my various enlarger and view-camera lenses, but don't enjoy the 15-20 lb. cameras anymore. I am getting old, yes, but more important is that I want to take the tilt/shift outside for much of what I do.

The flexibility of this new Nikon 19mm lens is a good sign. Also, that Nikon finally is producing higher-quality lenses, although at an expense. They are worth it. I understand that the Nikon 19mm PC-E is not at the level of the Zeiss Otus lenses, but close enough, considering what they can do in addition via tilt, shift, etc. I am about to see and I can always return the lens if it does not help me. The series of recent articles by Lloyd Chambers on the 19mm PC-E is wonderful, and now he has moved onto the details and problems of stitching with the lens, nodal points, etc.

Lenses like the 19mm PC-E on the Nikon D810 offer us another approach similar is some ways to the new Hasselblad X1D, which I still have on order.

[Michael Erlewine]

Hi Michael,

I use a HCam Master TSII.

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/56810-hcam-master-tsii-sony-a7rii.html

It is based on the Mirex adapter, but has a built in tripod collar, so lens is fixed while the cameras does the tilt and shift. There are no gears, though. Maximum shift is +/- 15 mm and maximum tilt is 11 degrees (or 10?). In the real world, shift is limited by internal baffles, say around 12 mm.

On the front it has a Canon mount. Rear mount is exchangable.

I don't think the X1D will work with T&S options as it does not have a built in shutter or control for non Hasselblad leaf shutters built into lenses. It may work with HTS using a H-mount adapter, of course.

The camera I use is the A7rII. It has both electronic first shutter curtain and fully electronic shutter, although the fully electronic shutter has slow scan time and is limited to 12-bits. The A7rII has some disadvantages, like small battery with a short battery life, a haphazard menu system. But that is nothing I cannot live with if the camera makes good images, and it does.

Best regards
Erik

Fascinating! If they come out with an adapter for Nikon F-Mount, please let me know. As for me, I go round and round about the "technical" cameras. I have tried the various Novoflex CASTBAL and BALPRO, but the design is faulty for my work and so I don't use them. Same with the Rollei X-ACT 2, which I found not well designed enough and too heavy. I am selling my brand new one on Ebay right now. In fact, I am getting rid of a lot camera equipment, like many mint Nikon lenses that are not well-enough corrected for me, including all three of the PC-E lenses, the 14-24 and 24-70 f/2.8 Nikkors, the 135mm DC Nikkor, and so on. I appreciate them but not enough to actually use them. And I am done assembling a museum of lenses I don't use, just because I like them.

I should get the new Nikon 19mm T/S PC tomorrow and imagine that I might keep that, since I have long wanted a solid wide-angle lens with some movement. It is not ultra-wide, but if it is sharp enough and if the parallel movements work, it may help.

As for the X1D, I have heard that it will take the Hasselblad HTS, which would have to be mounted on H-mount adapter, which has led me to wring my hands, cancel my order for the H-Mount adapter, and sell of the Hasselblad 120mm Macro that I bought. I have had enough of jury-rigged equipment. My plan is to use the Nikon D810 and perhaps get the next iteration of that wonderful camera... AND try the X1D system, which won't tilt and shift, but I crave some plain-old photo taking with a smallish kitanyway..... since I have almost all of the other kind of equipment. I do love the Cambo Actus very much, and all of my exotic lenses will have to be happy with that. I am watching for the Fuji GFX out of the corner of my eye, and may sell the X1D and get that. 

But do let us know if there is any more interesting equipment like you pointed out. Thanks.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

You can use it with some Nikon lenses, using the Novflex EOS/NIK NT adapter.

Best regards
Erik

Fascinating! If they come out with an adapter for Nikon F-Mount, please let me know. As for me, I go round and round about the "technical" cameras.
But do let us know if there is any more interesting equipment like you pointed out. Thanks.