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X2D II: ideas for firmware improvments

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nurf

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Maybe you are about to contact Hasselblad support, maybe you even like my ideas and are interested in them too, anyway it could not hurt if multiple people request them to make the product even better.

  1. quick focus mode change
    There is already a button to switch through all focus modes, what it's missing is a filter to only cycle through the relevant ones the user wants (like you can configure what screen setups you cycle through when hitting the o key)
  2. separately saved focus position for landscape and portrait
    A lot of other cameras offer this optionally, you can have your focus point always at head level no matter the camera's orientation, Hasselblad is missing this
  3. faster focus point movement
    If you start moving the focus point with the 4 way joystick it first jumps one step, pauses and then starts to move continuously, this is a very slow method, especially if you have to do it twice since there are no diagonal movements, would be better if it starts moving continuously as soon as I keep it pressed (small movements short tap, or optional behavior)
  4. allow to customize AE-L AF-D buttons
    Camera has a lot of interesting functions to put on a button, so let us have all the buttons, AF-D would also be fine if I could put a different AF Method on there than I have on the shutter button (like Sony or Canon do)
  5. upper display is to bright on dark sets
    It's distracting, needs an option to turn it off or at least turn it off if the EVF is active (I can't look at it if I look through the EVF anyway)
  6. Fix the connection to Windows PCs
    At this point you could almost call this an Apple only device with Hasselblad admitting troubles with Win11, leaving Windows users no option to get to the original raw files without fff conversion by Focus or buying a CFe card just for the purpose of accessing the files
 
My main beef is that LV highlight clipping information is still missing.

I would also appreciate a quick way to toggle exposure simulation on and off.

And, of course, raw histograms would be lovely, even if only in image review.
 
AF using working aperture (up to a user-configurable minimum aperture), to eliminate focus shift problems of some lenses (4/28 and 3.2/90, for example).
 
nurf said:
Maybe you are about to contact Hasselblad support, maybe you even like my ideas and are interested in them too, anyway it could not hurt if multiple people request them to make the product even better.
  1. quick focus mode change
    There is already a button to switch through all focus modes, what it's missing is a filter to only cycle through the relevant ones the user wants (like you can configure what screen setups you cycle through when hitting the o key)
  2. separately saved focus position for landscape and portrait
    A lot of other cameras offer this optionally, you can have your focus point always at head level no matter the camera's orientation, Hasselblad is missing this
Click to expand...
+ Single Button press to set the focus distance to the hyperfocal distance.
nurf said:
  1. faster focus point movement
    If you start moving the focus point with the 4 way joystick it first jumps one step, pauses and then starts to move continuously, this is a very slow method, especially if you have to do it twice since there are no diagonal movements, would be better if it starts moving continuously as soon as I keep it pressed (small movements short tap, or optional behavior)
Click to expand...
Include a range of focus point movement speeds users can select between.
nurf said:
  1. allow to customize AE-L AF-D buttons
    Camera has a lot of interesting functions to put on a button, so let us have all the buttons, AF-D would also be fine if I could put a different AF Method on there than I have on the shutter button (like Sony or Canon do)
Click to expand...
Every button - should be programmable
nurf said:
  1. upper display is to bright on dark sets
    It's distracting, needs an option to turn it off or at least turn it off if the EVF is active (I can't look at it if I look through the EVF anyway)
Click to expand...
Alternatively - have the ability to vary the display brightness
nurf said:
  1. Fix the connection to Windows PCs
    At this point you could almost call this an Apple only device with Hasselblad admitting troubles with Win11, leaving Windows users no option to get to the original raw files without fff conversion by Focus or buying a CFe card just for the purpose of accessing the files
Click to expand...
Is the issue with PC'c with WIndows rather than the camera ?

PLUS

Frame averaging across 2 exposure or many exposures like the the IQ4 backs -- sure this could need to be tethered with Phocus -- which means Phocus needs the ability to focus stack, exposure average and "image" average -- the function that the IQ4 does in the back, oh and "the Hasselblad X2D II does not support pixel shift or multi-shot photography -- so give the camera these as well -- with whatever in camera processing possible.
 
Last edited:
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
nurf said:
Maybe you are about to contact Hasselblad support, maybe you even like my ideas and are interested in them too, anyway it could not hurt if multiple people request them to make the product even better.
  1. quick focus mode change
    There is already a button to switch through all focus modes, what it's missing is a filter to only cycle through the relevant ones the user wants (like you can configure what screen setups you cycle through when hitting the o key)
  2. separately saved focus position for landscape and portrait
    A lot of other cameras offer this optionally, you can have your focus point always at head level no matter the camera's orientation, Hasselblad is missing this
Click to expand...
+ Single Button press to set the focus distance to the hyperfocal distance.
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
  1. faster focus point movement
    If you start moving the focus point with the 4 way joystick it first jumps one step, pauses and then starts to move continuously, this is a very slow method, especially if you have to do it twice since there are no diagonal movements, would be better if it starts moving continuously as soon as I keep it pressed (small movements short tap, or optional behavior)
Click to expand...
Include a range of focus point movement speeds users can select between.
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
  1. allow to customize AE-L AF-D buttons
    Camera has a lot of interesting functions to put on a button, so let us have all the buttons, AF-D would also be fine if I could put a different AF Method on there than I have on the shutter button (like Sony or Canon do)
Click to expand...
Every button - should be programmable
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
  1. upper display is to bright on dark sets
    It's distracting, needs an option to turn it off or at least turn it off if the EVF is active (I can't look at it if I look through the EVF anyway)
Click to expand...
Alternatively - have the ability to vary the display brightness
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
  1. Fix the connection to Windows PCs
    At this point you could almost call this an Apple only device with Hasselblad admitting troubles with Win11, leaving Windows users no option to get to the original raw files without fff conversion by Focus or buying a CFe card just for the purpose of accessing the files
Click to expand...
Is the issue with PC'c with WIndows rather than the camera ?

PLUS

Frame averaging across 2 exposure or many exposures like the the IQ4 backs -- sure this could need to be tethered with Phocus -- which means Phocus needs the ability to focus stack, exposure average and "image" average -- the function that the IQ4 does in the back, oh and "the Hasselblad X2D II does not support pixel shift or multi-shot photography -- so give the camera these as well -- with whatever in camera processing possible.
Click to expand...
IQ4 does not in-camera focus stacking (merging), but, like X2D, it does focus bracketing. What is the difference between exposure and image averaging. Yes, in-camera frame averaging would be nice, but the camera needs to handle gapless recording, when possible.

It was reported that X2D Mark 2 can do the same pixel shift as Mark 1.
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
--
areallygrumpyoldsod
Nikon and Hasselblad shooter -- wildlife and and --
https://www.andymillerphoto.co.uk/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajm057/
I do not respond to PMs or messages via my website
Click to expand...
 
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
  1. upper display is to bright on dark sets
    It's distracting, needs an option to turn it off or at least turn it off if the EVF is active (I can't look at it if I look through the EVF anyway)
Click to expand...
Alternatively - have the ability to vary the display brightness
Click to expand...
Already possible but still too bright.
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
areallygrumpyoldsod said:
  1. Fix the connection to Windows PCs
    At this point you could almost call this an Apple only device with Hasselblad admitting troubles with Win11, leaving Windows users no option to get to the original raw files without fff conversion by Focus or buying a CFe card just for the purpose of accessing the files
Click to expand...
Is the issue with PC'c with WIndows rather than the camera ?
Click to expand...
It's a mass storage device, no magic there, it should just work + Hasselblad admitted they have work to do on that issue.
 
Last edited:
I really only want two improvements. Several of the others mentioned in the thread would be nice (like addressing how to accurately focus with the lenses that have focus shift), but there are two I would care about more than any of the rest:
  1. A monochrome preview function for when I intend to shoot a black and white image
  2. Ability to name my custom profiles so I don’t need to keep a cheat sheet taped to the bottom of the camera. This one, I would think, would be quite simple.
 
Ah yes the old naming issue, so far I have not created custom profiles, I have to check if M can store settings independently from A (like Canon cameras), then M would be my studio setup, otherwise I guess I would create a studio profile.
 
nurf said:
Ah yes the old naming issue, so far I have not created custom profiles, I have to check if M can store settings independently from A (like Canon cameras), then M would be my studio setup, otherwise I guess I would create a studio profile.
Click to expand...
You get five total profiles in the X2D and X2DII. They cover pretty much all the settings in the camera, from mode (PASM) to ISO to aperture to shutter speed to custom button assignment to drive mode (single, continuous, self timer). So, no, M can’t store settings differently from A if I’m understanding what you mean by that.

I find the custom profiles very convenient, but we all have our different ways of using cameras. I do tend to forget whether I put “Action”, such as it is, into profile 4 or profile 5. Hence my desire for names.
 
Agree, the ability to name the profiles would really be good. It would be enough that it can be done when the camera is connected to Phocus.

Here are some other things I would also like to see in updated firmware:
  • Ability to copy files from the built-in SSD to the CF-Express card. Then you can make a copy or a backup of selected images. It also gives you the opportunity to access the images on the SSD if you are unable to connect to the camera with a USB-C cable.
  • Make it possible to shoot raw files in smaller sizes, such as 50 mpix and 25 mpix, like Leica offers in some cameras (But as I understand it, this is not possible to fix in the firmware)
  • Sensor cleaning function
  • Possibility to transfer GPS-data to images taken when connected to Phocus mobile
  • Use the free icon-place on the start menu screen to a shortcut icon to the custom profiles
  • User customizable speed of the joysticks movement of the phocus point
 
When using tracking after taking a shot while holding the shutter button half-pressed, the camera often loses the subject and the focus point returns to its original position.
 
Oh I forgot, support for FTP server upload would bypass the issues with Windows and Android.
 
You can use the AF while holding down the "aperture preview" button.
 
In fact, the situation is the same in AF-S mode: the camera refocuses between shots even though I keep the shutter button half-pressed. This makes it difficult to use the focus and recompose technique.
 
Hasselblad wasn't really known for its tracking AF, so considering they've just introduced it and it's already performing better than Fuji APSC (who have been doing this for a while), I'm really impressed with what the Hasselblad offers.
 
Just to exclude the obvious, did you disable the function that resets the AF point after taking a shot (I think the standard setting is: active).
 
nurf said:
Just to exclude the obvious, did you disable the function that resets the AF point after taking a shot (I think the standard setting is: active).
Click to expand...
I have this feature turned off. You can try it yourself. AF-S, center point. Focus, recompose, take a photo, but don't release the shutter button all the way. When you try to take a new photo, the camera will start focusing again. This is very inconvenient.
 
nurf said:
Hasselblad wasn't really known for its tracking AF, so considering they've just introduced it and it's already performing better than Fuji APSC (who have been doing this for a while), I'm really impressed with what the Hasselblad offers.
Click to expand...
Hasselblad does this just as well as Fuji, but it only works for the first frame. After that, it loses the subject.
 
Well Fuji loses the subject even without taking the shot after a few seconds.

But yes you're right, after taking a shot it reaquires focus at the focus point location.

I wonder if it can't be held because of the long blackout time.

So moving the focus point where it needs to be instead of focus/recompose seems to be the better action, that's why it should be possible to move it faster.

Or quickly change to full frame face detect AF with the press of a single button if it's only one person in the frame.
 
Last edited:
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