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The gear that got away: reader responses

06 Jun

Gear that got away: reader responses

After sharing our own stories of selling gear and later coming to regret it, we heard from our readers with their own tales of woe – and we weren’t quite prepared for the emotional rollercoaster ride it would be reading your comments! From an unlikely reunification, to a camera left behind in combat, to a sturdy lens that wouldn’t quit (until a spider moved in) your stories have all the excitement of a summer blockbuster. Take a look at a selection of our favorites.

Yashica Electro 35

CMCM: For purely nostalgic reasons, somehow and somewhere I lost track of my very first camera… a rangefinder Yashica Electro 35, bought in the Cu Chi, Vietnam PX in early 1967. This was apparently the first electronically controlled camera (hence the name “Electro), in which you selected the aperture and the camera automatically chose the shutter speed. It had an excellent fixed 45mm f1.7 lens, and my copy had a non-working light meter for most of its life. I used it sporadically until about 1979, when I got a Canon AE-1.

I’ve recently been digitizing old slides, and I’ve been amazed at how lovely the photos from the old Yashica could be. Wish I knew what happened to it! However, for fun I recently found an absolutely mint one that appears to have never been used, and even the light meter still works!

Panasonic LX100

The Jimmy 86: I’ll always somewhat regret selling my LX100. I was very much a fledgling photographer when I got (and arguably still am) but I took some of my favorite photos with it. The aspect ratio selection switch was just a dream and the camera was essentially good at everything.

I’ll likely never sell a camera when I upgrade again.

Olympus Trip 35

Photo by Marc Lacoste via Wikimedia Commons

BoborTwo: My 1st ‘proper’ camera, an Olympus Trip 35 (the David Bailey one, as my mum used to say).

It opened my camera eye, and led to me selling photos … but stupidly, I traded up to an OM10 on it, and it was gone forever. I tried to get it back some 2 years later, but it had been sold on to random customer in the Jessops in which I traded it.

I deeply miss it, I knew its limitations – there were many, but it took a long time for me to find something I loved as much – a Minox 35 GT – I will never let it go.

Nikon D700

philm5d: My Nikon D700. I had taken it to Scotland on Honeymoon however. Looking at the pics I wished I hadn’t got rid of it – lovely images and also a degree of sentimentality. A chap in Europe had bought it. Two years later I found his eBay name on an old email and offered to buy it back. He wrote back to say sorry he’d sold it on but if he came across the buyer’s details he’d tell me. Six months later he wrote to say he’d found owner two’s username details back in UK.

SO I messaged guy no.2. He said sorry he didn’t want to part with it. I put his eBay name in favourite sellers and two years later he’s selling a guitar. I offer to buy the guitar AND the camera and lo and behold he offers to list the camera at a crazy price (to dissuade others) + “offers” and tells me what he’s accept which was £450. So now I have my camera back after its travels. It’s slightly more worn with 45000 clicks but works perfectly. The serial number tallies with my honeymoon pics etc and I am happy. Beat that if you can!

Vintage photography magazines

valosade: Complete editions of Modern Photography and Popular Photography magazine from the 70s and 80s. When I moved I put them in a paper collection. I was insane, especially Modern I like to read every day …

felix from the suburbs: In my case, I had several decades worth of Modern Photography and Popular Photography nicely stored in cardboard boxes in the basement. We went up north one week-end and came back to a burst pipe in the basement right over where those boxes were kept. The magazines were turned to mush. Much heartbreak that day.

Leica M-2R

Leica M2 photographed by E. Wetzig via Wikimedia Commons

Rodger Kingston: It was 1973, and I was newly married and new to photography, still on my first “serious” camera, a Minolta SRT 101 SLR (which I eventually ruined by backing into a swimming pool at a wedding rehearsal, but that’s another story).

A friend offered me a new Leica M2-R with a Dual Range Summicron and Close-Focus Attachment for the ridiculous price – if I remember correctly – of $ 250, with the proviso that if I didn’t like the camera, I had to offer it back to him at the price he sold it to me for.

A complete newbie, I’d gotten used to the tunnel vision of an SLR, and found the inscribed frame of the Leica rangefinder unsettling to use, so after a short time I sold it back to him.

Now, a lifetime later, my favored cameras have been rangefinder/viewfinder style for many years (including a few Leicas), but none as sweet as that M2-R that I let slip away because I didn’t have the sense to learn how to see with it.

Olympus C-8080

Photo by photophile with Olympus C-8080

photophile: I purchased the huge, brick-like C-8080 it in early 2005 – and loved it straight away. THAT lens was astonishing at resolving detail. The supermacro mode was to die for, the flip-out LCD was really handy for shooting flowers & bugs at ground level and those direct on-body buttons to change metering mode and shooting mode etc – wow! BUT – it was slow to focus and RAW write speed was snail’s pace plus it was a bit noisy above ISO-200. So when the E500 came out, I thought it was time to ‘upgrade.’ As the SLR wasn’t cheap, I sold the C-8080.

The regret was immediate. Yes the new toy was great – but it seemed a bit sterile, too easy to use! Bizarrely, I actually MISSED having to fiddle and fidget with the C-8080, I especially missed the on-body buttons – hated having to trawl through menus on the E500.

Bought a used/abused unit in 2009. And I still have it. Love pressing buttons and turning dials, making it whirr and chirp as it struggles to lock focus. Bit like me!

Rollei 2.8

Photo by Sputniktilt via Wikimedia Commons

mikegc: I took my Rollei 2.8 to Vietnam in 1969. I was a combat photographer with the First Infantry Division. During an assault, the Rollei took a hit as I was running. The bullet passed through the body of the camera that shattered the viewfinder lens and the focusing control. I left it in the jungle and I’m very sorry I did that. It would make a great conversation piece.

Yashica Penta J

Photo by Rick Oleson

ikon44: In my student years in the mid 1960s I sold my UK-made Corfield Periflex 3a for a Yashica Penta J a 35mm film camera with selenium-gold clip on light meter (that was the good decision). The meter clipped on over the shutter speed dial, you chose a shutter speed and the meter gave you the ‘correct’ f stop. It was really easy to use and I found it very reliable.

I sold it in 1970 for an Olympus Pen F and have kicked myself ever since. Many of my friends had (and raved about) the half frame Olympus Pen F. I sold the Yashica for the Pen F and have never recovered from the mistake of thinking I could do better with ‘someone else’s’ idea of the right camera. I now have Nikon D750, and D610 and Fujifilm XT2 and am happy with them all… each for its own purpose.

Panasonic Lumix GF3

Wingsfan: Laugh if you want, but I traded a Lumix GF3 in on an Olympus E-M1 Mark II when they were offering $ 200 for any camera on trade on the E-M1 Mark II. I don’t regret it, because the Olympus is a much better camera, but I forgot how simple and fun it was to use the GF3. Plus, even though my daughter got to inherit my Lumix G5 out of the deal (she had been using the GF3), she still reminds me how much more she likes to GF3 to this day.

Canon PowerShot G12

davesurrey: A while ago I made a spur of the moment decision to reduce my camera collection and sold, amongst others, a Canon G12.

Then every time I saw the space on the shelves where that little fellow had sat I felt nostalgia over take me.

It was far from the best camera I possessed, even then, and it wasn’t even the one I instinctively grabbed when I went out. But there was something about it that I enjoyed.

So I solved the problem and now have a lovely G12 sitting on my shelves again which does get the occasional use.

Was it logical buying another again? Of course not, but what’s logic got to do with passion.

Canon EF 100mm F2 USM

Photo by Ashley Pomeroy via Wikimedia Commons

aceflibble: …For more technical reasons, my first copy of the Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM. That lens was absurdly sharp and well-corrected and had, by far, the fastest and most confident autofocus on the 1Ds cameras. I stupidly sold it when I got the EF 85mm f/1.2L II and immediately missed it. Tried the 70-200 f/2.8 IS as well but still wasn’t happy, so sold both the 70-200 and 85 and bought another copy of the 100. Sadly, that copy was nowhere near as good as my original. Sold it and got a third copy, a bit better but still not quite there. Somewhere out there is a world-class copy of the 100mm f/2 and I hope whoever has it appreciates what they have.

Nikon FM

Photo by Callum Lewis-Smith via Wikimedia Commons

tcab: Traded my Nikon FM film camera & 105mm lens for a film Pentax point and shoot before an overseas holiday. Walking out of the shop I happened to look around and saw the shop owner fondling the Nikon gear with a huge grin on his face. I thought maybe I had made a mistake, but left it at that and went on my holiday.

Twenty or more years later I look back and think – what was I thinking! I loved that camera – it was my first, too. Sure I have all sorts of better cameras now, but still regret selling that classic Nikon.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The gear that changed my (photographic) life: reader responses part 2

03 May

Reader responses part two – gear that changed my life

Photo of Canon AE-1 by DPR member WoifC

We’ve compiled more of our favorite responses to the question we’ve been asking – both of ourselves and our readers – “What was the piece of gear that made the biggest difference to your photography?” We enjoyed reading all of your stories and have picked out a few of our very favorites to highlight.

This time around, we saw many responses expressing gratitude toward the person who inspired them to pursue photography, in addition to the gear that made the difference. There were also several responses naming the books that changed their photographic lives, which is a sentiment we can definitely get behind.

Reading your answers to this question has been a true joy in times when joy has been harder to come by than usual. We’re grateful to share in the remembrances of the people, books, cameras and lenses that spurred each of our readers further down a path pursuing photography. Thanks to all who took the time to respond, and if you haven’t yet it’s not too late! Leave a comment and tell us your story.

Pentax K10D

Doc Pockets: I was to take a 15-week road trip in a quest to photograph what most will call lousy winter weather. A 1996 4X4 F350 with a service body took us from the Sonoran Desert (home) to and across all the Canadian provinces ending in the Maritimes then driving down the American East Coast…. Three bodies, two DA* 2.8 zooms and a wide prime was chosen.

Drenched in downpours (Vancouver Island), blizzard -blasted (Cabot Trail), sand-blasted (Lake Superior’s shorelines) and one spent two hours with the 50-150mm 2.8 DA* attached in 20 feet of silty water (thanks to my sister) without the slightest problem. To this day those cameras work!

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‘My friend Peter’

JeffieBoy: He is about 5 yrs older than me and for 40+ years has been a mentor and someone I have looked up to. The first time we met, he walked into the room and mumbled something like F5.6 under his breath.

He later explained that he was teaching himself to quantify light In his mind’s eye so he would always be ready to get a good exposure. I practised for a month or more and eventually got very good at it… My cameras were always ready because I was unconsciously presetting everything as light changed.

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Michael Reichmann

Chris Butler: It wasn’t an “it” but a “who” that changed my concept of what I could do with with a camera. Specifically, it was Michael Reichmann’s 2000 comparison of digital images to film, in which he had the audacity to prove the 3 megapixel D30 could produce images as good or better than film. I sold all my considerable film gear and never looked back. Well done, Michael, and RIP.

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Pentax SFXn

Photo of Pentax SFXn by DPR member arthur01

arthur01: …the game changer for me, as a wedding photographer using film, was the underrated Pentax SFXn. It was the first time I used autofocus. As a person wearing glasses and struggling to achieve sharp focus as it got dark towards the end of the after ceremony shots it made all the difference. It prolonged my wedding career.

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‘The New Joy of Photography’ (1985 edition) by the Editors of Eastman Kodak Co.

donnybrook: I was a young field engineer that had just bought a used Minolta XG-7 and a few lenses off a colleague to upgrade my point and shoot film camera. That book basically taught me photography and I would review it before going on vacation trips with my film SLR for years. Not just aperture and exposure compensation but balance, composition, vision and light. Lots of great shots to admire and motivate.

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Nikon D5300

Photo by DPR member Aphidman with Nikon D5300

Aphidman: In 2013 I discovered that 35mm film could not be found outside of cities, and realized it was time to change technologies. Used Air Miles points to get the D5300. It re-ignited my love of photography that had been dormant since my teenage years. Used it to discover what kinds of photography I enjoyed most; 4 years later, upgraded to a D7500… which addressed all the things that held me back with the D5300. An adult daughter now uses that D5300, for which I will always have fond memories.

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Nikkormat Ftn

Photo via Wikimedia Commons by E Magnuson

CTaylorTX: It was January 15, 1972. Fairhaven Camera in East Haven, CT. I was 16, and had saved for a year and was ready to buy my first 35mm SLR. The man behind the counter had already loaded the batteries into a Pentax Spotmatic SP1000. My mom looked at me and said “I have another $ 50, is there something you would like better than this?” I pointed at a Nikkormat Ftn with 50mm f/1.4 Auto-Nikkor – “yes, that!” … While I still love the Pentaxes, the Nikkormat opened the doors to shooting Nikon for the next two decades.

Oh, yes, how do I know the exact date? On the ride back home, the car’s A.M. radio informed me that ‘American Pie’ was now #1 on ‘America’s Top 40’. Thanks for the memory, Kasey Kasem.

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Canon TS-E 17mm F4L

Photo by DPR member John Crowe with Canon 17mm F4 L TS-E

John Crowe: After striving to improve my ultra wide angle photography for 25 years, through three different formats, I sold the 4×5 and 120 cameras and went all in on the Canon 17mm f4 L TS-E. That was almost 10 years ago, and soon realized that not only could I correct perspective but that I could also shift and stitch images together to create even wider views! It took a couple more years for the stitching software to catch up, but once it did, I could achieve the kind of results that I had been searching to create for decades.

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Sony a6000

Photo by DPR member Luddhi with the Sony a6000

Luddhi: …I was rarely taking my camera out as it was too heavy to take bush-walking so I pestered my local camera shop trying out all the lighter cameras until – against the advice of the shop, I bought a Sony a6000. This changed my life. I was able to carry it in my jacket pocket.

I carried it in my hand for about 6 hours through Washpool National Park after I tore my jacket pocket. I could take satisfactory photos one handed – important when holding onto a tree to lean out and take a shot of a ravine. Also whereas my grandchildren would flinch when they saw me with the 50D they practically ignore(d) the a6000. So I now have some good and some funny shots of my grandchildren that I otherwise would not have got.

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Canon AE-1

Photo by DPR member WoifC taken with the Canon AE-1 and Ilford FP4

WoifC: When I was 6 or 7 years old, my mother gave me a Canon AE-1 no one used… There was no film in it and I walked around, tried to focus on anything I found interesting and was soooo proud that I was allowed to push the shutter release button. That’s 30 years ago but I still remember that day and know that this was the day I fell in love for photography.

My son is now 8 years old (since Monday) and loves to take photos too. Sometimes he asks me to borrow my X-T2… and walks around taking photos like I did when i was as old as him. Maybe we will share this hobby when he is older. I hope so.

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Speed Graphic

Photo of minor league baseball images created by DPR member SRHEdD using 35mm and Speed Graphic cameras

SRHEdD: I worked for a rural ad agency and shot 35mm Nikons, but we hired a photographer with a Sinar 4×5 from a larger metropolitan area at great expense. On vacation, I saw an old Speed Graphic in its fiberboard case with two lenses and a half dozen film holders for $ 200 at an antique shop. It worked perfectly. I bought a Polaroid back when I got home and instantly replaced having to hire anyone else.

I shot food for a major poultry company, team photos for a minor league baseball team, and some great still lifes used for our clients’ annual reports, etc. I think it was then that I was comfortable calling myself a professional photographer.

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Foba camera stand

Photo of DPR member Jim Kasson with Foba camera stand

Jim Kasson: Lots of gear has allowed me to do things I couldn’t otherwise do. I couldn’t have done Staccato before the D3. I couldn’t have done much of Timescapes without the Betterlight scanning back. But the piece of gear that has changed my life the most in the past few years is a Foba camera stand. Setups that were a pain are now effortless.

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The gear that changed my (photographic) life: reader responses

17 Apr

Reader responses: the gear that changed your (photographic) life

As we share stories of the gear that made the biggest difference to our photography, we’ve asked DPR readers to respond with their stories as well. To our delight (and believe us, we need delight right now), hundreds of you have responded. While we’ve enjoyed reading them all, below are some excerpts from our favorites.

Find out what gear changed the lives of your fellow readers, and be sure to respond with your own if you haven’t already! We’ll continue sharing our favorites until, uh, something different happens in the world.

35mm F2 AIS Nikkor

Image via Wikimedia Commons by Paul1513

lightandaprayer: A 35mm f2 AIS Nikkor was one of the first lenses I bought new for use with a battered black Nikkormat FT2 I found at an LA pawnshop. I still own the lens; I sold the much-loved FT2 to a friend’s son and later replaced it with a mint FT2 that I still use today.

Ultimately the 35mm was replaced with a 35-70 2.8 Nikkor and it quickly became one of my most used work lenses. But a 35mm always had a place in my bag. I’m glad that I have hung onto much of my fave film-era prime glass. I simply enjoy using them more than any AF lens on both digital and film Nikons.

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Kodak Brownie 127

Image via Wikimedia Commons by Enrique

entoman: The gear that changed my life was a Kodak Brownie 127…. given to me as a Christmas present at age 8.

I think I knew instantly that I wanted to be a photographer. When I collected my black and white prints from the local chemist, a kind young lady assistant said “Ooh, these are good pictures, are you going to be a professional photographer when you grow up?”

She inspired me, so I took more pictures. And I’ve never stopped.

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Nikon D4

Razor Sharp Studios: For me the Nikon D4 that I purchased in 2013 took my sports photography to a whole new level. Until then I was barely getting 5 or 6 fps with a gripped D300. In the super quick world of horse racing, I would barely get a second worth of time at the finish line to capture the winning horse…

Being able to go up to 10 fps greatly helped me get more keepers in terms of published images. Still one of my favourite work bodies in the field.

Photo taken in Dubai in 2018 at the Meydan racetrack.

See more of his work on Instagram at @zoomnclick.

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Minolta SRT101

Photo via Wikimedia Commons user Hiyotada

gopherino: My Dad turned me on to photography… He was his high school yearbook photographer/editor, and 28 years later, so was I. By the time I went from Brownie to Instamatic to polaroid, it was time to learn to covet my Dad’s Minolta SRT101…

Photography, travel, tennis and business were interwoven threads that bound me with a most amazing father. He would have been 92 this year, and I think of him every time i pick up my Sony FF cameras and lenses.

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Nikkormat FT3

WV Communications: My dad let me use his Nikkormat FT3 in high school as the yearbook photographer. What a great camera, although the meter was a little wonky. If I asked nicely, I could use his black Nikon F2 with motordrive for football games. I felt pretty awesome clicking off frames of Tri-X.

By the time I was in college shooting for the school paper, I scraped enough money together to buy a brand new FM10, which while a great camera, was in a much lesser league than the classics. By that time, we were developing film and then scanning into a Mac Quadra for layout. I feel fortunate to have experienced the twilight of the film era. Now I’m getting back into film for the joy of it.

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Samsung EX1 / TL500

thielges: For me it was the Samsung EX1 (TL500). Having previously used a Konica Minolta A2, I saw the EX1 as being a lighter carry around camera, not a replacement for the A2. Then one day I was processing photos from both cameras and noticed how those from the EX1 really popped in comparison. Crisp, bright, and with noticeable broad dynamic range.
From then on I used the EX1 exclusively and bought another Samsung travel zoom to cover the tele end….

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Panasonic LX3

Samuel Dilworth: The LX3 was a revelation to me… It made the digital dream a reality, although I had other digital cameras before (notably a Nikon D60 and lenses).

I had moved to Paris, and the combination of that city’s beauty and this small, functional, Raw-capable camera gave me many photos I liked at the time. I should reprocess them with today’s Raw-developing software.

Read the full comment and see more sample photos

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Hasselblad launches X1D II 50C with improved handling, faster responses and lower price

22 Jun

Hasselblad has released a new version of its X1D medium format digital camera that offers a range of upgraded features and a speedier operating system. With improvements based around user feedback, the X1D II 50C offers a larger rear screen, a higher resolution EVF, faster startup and reduced lag, as well as a collection of menu and interface changes. Hasselblad says the new camera offers a ‘quicker and more intuitive medium format experience’. Critically though, the new version will cost a good deal less than the original X1D, presumably to bring it closer to the price of the Fujifilm GFX 50R.

Using the same body and pixel-count as the original X1D 50C, the Mark II is clearly an upgrade rather than a completely new camera, a fact reflected in the naming convention. A new processor appears to have been used that speeds up the operating system so that the time it takes the camera to start up is cut by 46%, shutter lag is cut and the blackout time between frames is reduced.

Users will get an extra 0.4 fps on the maximum drive mode taking the frame rate to 2.7 fps, and the time it takes to preview and scroll through recorded images has been decreased. The new processor allows a 62% better refresh rate in the viewfinder too – it’s now 60 fps – and focus accuracy has been improved.

Hasselblad claims the 3.6″ rear screen is the largest available on a digital medium format camera, and has increased the resolution to 1024×768 pixels with the total number of dots standing at 2.36M compared to the 920,000 screen used on the original model. Likewise, the EVF resolution has jumped from 2.36M dots to 3.69M (1024×768 vs 1280×960), and the new 0.87x magnification gives users a bigger view.

Hasselblad says the camera’s menu system has been tweaked to make it more logical and to deliver easier access to the functions, while new icons and clearer language make finding what you are looking for more straightforward. The menu can now be displayed and operated in the viewfinder, while a new system for touch AF has been incorporated and the control screen will now display more information, including self-timer and a Balance Scale to indicate exposure adjustments.

JPEG users will be pleased to hear that the X1D ll 50C allows not only full sized JPEG images but that JPEGs can be recorded on their own with no Raw accompaniment. And, the company says the quality of its JPEG files has improved – though we don’t get to know how exactly.

The camera’s 24.7Wh battery can be charged either in an external charging block or in-camera via the USB socket. This also allows the battery to be charged via a powerbank when on the location. Another new feature is that a GPS module is now built into the body instead of being supplied as a hot shoe accessory. This saves the $ 175 that it costs for the hotshoe model used with the original body if one wasn’t supplied with your camera, while freeing up the hot shoe for a flash unit.

The Hasselblad X1D II 50C will be available in July 2019 and will cost $ 5750 (before tax) or €6000/£5400 (inc VAT). For more information see the Hasselblad website.

Phocus Mobile 2 allows Raw download and cabled connection

Hasselblad has also updated its Phocus Mobile iOS app so that now users can not only control the camera and rate images, but additionally download Raw and JPEG files to their iPad Pro and iPad Air (2019) devices. The app can connect to the X1D II 50C either via Wi-Fi as before or via the camera’s USB-C port, and will now support tethered shooting.
Phocus Mobile 2 is free, and will be available on Apple’s App Store.

Press release

X1D II 50C – AN EVOLVED MEDIUM FORMAT PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE

In the pursuit to continue the journey of taking medium format outside of the studio, Hasselblad is pleased to announce the next installment of the X System – the X1D II 50C Mirrorless Medium Format Digital Camera. Dedicated to optimising the X System for a wider audience of creatives, Hasselblad has listened to user feedback and improved upon the first generation with enhanced electronics for a quicker and more intuitive medium format experience.

Continuing in the legacy of being the most portable and lightweight digital medium format camera, the X1D II 50C lets you take the power of medium format in a footprint smaller than most full frame DSLRs in a beautifully designed, compact package. Its large, high resolution 50-megapixel CMOS sensor (43.8 x 32.9 mm) is 1.7 times larger than 35mm full format sensors, packing in huge pixels (5.3 x 5.3 nm) for capturing images with superb tonality. With outstanding colour depth and an impressive dynamic range of 14 stops, which allows for capturing immense details in both shadows and highlights, the photographer is left with plenty of room for adjustment in post-processing. With Hasselblad Natural Colour Solution (HNCS) technology integrated into the camera’s system, exceptional, true-to-life tones are delivered that match what the human eye sees.

Building upon the award-winning first generation, the X1D II 50C blends form and function with minimalistic, Scandinavian design aesthetics and a smooth handling experience with its ergonomic grip. The new X1D II 50C continues to provide creatives with incredible Hasselblad image quality, with 16-bit RAW images and now full resolution JPEGs, in a compact, lightweight design.

Developing upon the first generation of the X System, the X1D II 50C’s upgraded electronic platform includes a higher resolution 3.6-inch 2.36-million-dot touch display, which is physically the largest LCD display currently available on a digital medium format camera.

Additionally, the X1D II 50C features a higher resolution enhanced OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 3.69-million dots and a high magnification of 0.87x, letting you see the bigger picture. The much higher resolution of the rear display screen (1024×768) gives a more vivid, true to life image viewing experience.

The X1D II 50C’s live view features a faster refresh rate, reduced shutter lag and black out time between frames, an improved continuous capture rate, and a startup time cut almost in half from the first generation. Building upon the highly-intuitive user interface of the previous model, further refinements have been made to the X1D II 50C to improve the camera’s handling experience, including the ability to access the menu system when looking in the EVF, giving greater usability in the sunniest conditions.

Enabling an even more portable medium format workflow, Hasselblad’s post production solutions now include the new Phocus Mobile 2. Connected via USB-C and Wi-Fi, photographers can transfer RAW and full quality JPEG files directly from the X1D II 50C and edit RAW images on their iPad Pro or iPad Air (2019) while out on the field.

PHOCUS MOBILE 2 TAKES IMAGE PROCESSING WORKFLOW TO A NEW PORTABLE LEVEL

Expanding the possibilities of the Hasselblad workflow, Phocus Mobile 2 takes the image editing process to a new, portable level. Compatible with the X1D II 50C via either USB-C or Wi-Fi, this application is currently supported on iPad Pro and iPad Air (2019) models, enabling the traveling photographer to have a quicker, more mobile workflow. With Phocus Mobile 2, users can import, edit and rate RAW images and import and rate full quality JPEG images directly on their portable device. In addition, Phocus Mobile 2 supports full quality image export, tethered shooting and direct camera control.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Hasselblad launches X1D ll 50C with improved handling, faster responses and lower price

19 Jun

Hasselblad has released a new version of its X1D medium format digital camera that offers a range of upgraded features and a speedier operating system. With improvements based around user feedback, the X1D ll 50C offers a larger rear screen, a higher resolution EVF, faster startup and reduced lag, as well as a collection of menu and interface changes. Hasselblad says the new camera offers a ‘quicker and more intuitive medium format experience’. Critically though, the new version will cost a good deal less than the original X1D, presumably to bring it closer to the price of the Fujifilm GFX 50R.

Using the same body and pixel-count as the original X1D 50C, the X1D ll 50C is clearly an upgrade rather than a completely new camera, a fact reflected in the naming convention. A new processor appears to have been used that speeds up the operating system so that the time it takes the camera to start up is cut by 46%, shutter lag is cut and the blackout time between frames is reduced.

Hasselblad claims the 3.6″ rear screen is the largest available on a digital medium format camera, and has increased the resolution to 1024×768 dots-per-inch with the total number of dots standing at 2.36 million compared to the 920,000 screen used on the original model. Likewise, the EVF resolution has jumped from 2.36 million dots to 3.69 million (1024×768 vs 1280×960), and the new 0.87x magnification gives users a bigger view.

The camera’s 3400 mAh battery can be charged either in an external charging block or in-camera via the USB socket. This also allows the battery to be charged via a powerbank when on the location. Another new feature is that a GPS module is now built into the body instead of being supplied as a hot shoe accessory. This saves the $ 175 that it costs for the hotshoe model used with the original body if one wasn’t supplied with your camera, while freeing up the hot shoe for a flash unit.

The Hasselblad X1D ll 50C will be available in July 2019 and will cost $ 5750/€5000/£4500. For more information see the Hasselblad website.

Phocus Mobile 2 allows Raw download and cabled connection

Hasselblad has also updated its Phocus Mobile iOS app so that now users can not only control the camera and rate images, but additionally download Raw and JPEG files to their iPad Pro and iPad Air (2019) devices. The app can connect to the X1D ll 50C either via Wi-Fi as before or via the camera’s USB-C port, and will now support tethered shooting.
Phocus Mobile 2 is free, and will be available on Apple’s App Store.

Press release

X1D II 50C – AN EVOLVED MEDIUM FORMAT PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE

PHOCUS MOBILE 2 TAKES IMAGE PROCESSING WORKFLOW TO A NEW PORTABLE LEVEL

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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