First post here, so hello everyone.
I had the opportunity to play around with a pre production X1D for half an hour or so yesterday (at Dales Photographic in Leeds, UK).
Overall very nice, but with some positives and negatives for me.
The main question I have though is that the pre production model doesn't have a way of moving the focus point from the centre to anywhere else in the frame, when using the EVF. When using the back screen you just touch where you want it to focus, so easy. The Hasselblad person said that this would be sorted out before deliveries start happening, but couldn't explain how.
Any ideas how this will likely work?
There isn't a multi selector type rolling button, so I'm not sure. Any ideas?
My other thoughts, for what they are worth? As background my photography is landscape, street portraits and street vistas (for want of a better expression). I currently use a Nikon D810 and mainly primes between 24mm and 100mm.
So X1D positives:
- Nice size and nice feel in the hand, felt nicely balanced. Not that much different weight and size from the D810, but thinner.
Good 3" touch screen and interface.
Image quality looked pleasing (though they didn't let me put my own SD card in and bring images home to check, but I could download to their noteboook and pixel peep a bit. Not sure if it was shooting JPG or RAW.
There isn't a remote release, but it has WiFi so will be easy to implement as a phone app or similar.
You can set the shutter for long exposure times (up to an hour I think) so no need for bulb.
The EVF comes on when the eye is put to the viewfinder.
And negatives (AND SOME OF THESE WILL BE PRE PRODUCTION FIRMWARE RELATED):
- The EVF didn't see that clear to me. It was OK but streets away from an OVF.
The Nikon D810 AF system is superb and comprehensive and the X1D seemed pretty basic by comparison! Maybe there are options I didn't locate.
There was only a Single Shutter release option and no Continuous Shutter, so you can't fire off a couple of fast shots when taking street portraits. It would have to be two separate shots. Taking street shots quickly wouldn't really work, as far as I could see, you have the EVF to activate and you have to get focus and you have to take single shots. Having said that, it does bring a more calm and calculated approach, which is maybe a good thing.
Battery lasts for around 300 shots I'm told, a long way short of Nikon's 1000+ but around the same as other EVF cameras maybe.
For me to get an X1D I would have to sell everything else and try and use it as a sole camera. Initially I felt that would be difficult and no gain, except extra cost! But I maybe warming to a forced slower approach to people photographs so we'll see.
