XCD 45P focus issues?

albenz · July 28, 2020, 04:31:29 AM

Dear all,

I have finally received my XCD 45P and I love it but there are some issues and I was wondering if it was just me or if anyone else is experiencing the same problems.

- Manual focus sometimes gets "stuck" especially when pointing the camera down or up. When I turn the focusing ring I can feel the mechanics on the inside, I guess the motors, but the lens doesn't change focus at all. When it works then the focus ring turns super smooth with no resistance. When I hit the focus button on the back of the camera then it works again. It feels pretty random when it happens and when not. The camera is set to manual focus.

- In manual focus the ring is moving pretty smoothly (when it works) but when I get close to infinite focus I can turn the ring just a bit further and everything is out of focus. It's as if I can focus beyond infinite.

- The lens is pretty loud when auto focusing which is okay, but sometimes there's a slightly different pitch or sound coming from the motors as if something is slightly out of sync. This happens especially when the focus goes from extreme near to very far.

- When focusing under certain conditions it takes the autofocus quite a while to find the focal point. It usually goes from infinite to the closest range and back before stoping at the right spot.

Anyway, I also wrote to Hasselblad about this. But I was just wondering if anyone has experienced any of those issues too. Thanks in advance for letting me know. Btw. My 45P is brand new. Just got it about a week ago.

Alexander

hgtate · July 29, 2020, 04:04:57 AM

Sounds like there is a mechanical problem with the focus mechanism. As it is only one week old I would insist on a replacement not a repair.

albenz · July 29, 2020, 08:39:57 AM

Very good point. Just heard back from Hasselblad and they confirmed that it might be a mechanical issue. Something is for sure not working the way it should.

Thanks for the respond.

pss · July 29, 2020, 04:08:01 PM

Actually sound very much like mine...i mostly use manual focus because AF is too slow (the 45P seems slower the my other lenses) and i have the same experience with the lens getting "stuck" out of focus, i can still turn the ring but it wont change...i usually turn AF on and it finds focus and i turn it back to MF...
I also contacted hasselblad (USA) they asked me about firmware and said they would check with Sweden...

albenz · July 29, 2020, 08:05:37 PM

Dear pss,

Yep that is exactly my experience. I hope this is not considered a feature but rather a bug. I will let you know once Hasselblad has made a decision on my lens. I am still waiting for a response on how to proceed. I have sent the R&D team photo and film material and according to them it's not normal.

I'll be back when I have more info.

Alexander

pss · July 30, 2020, 08:15:48 AM

Kind of glad to hear that you are in the same boat....i am using the lens and it works great (other then those moments when it does not)...looking forward to hearing back...thx!

albenz · August 06, 2020, 04:54:16 AM

Dear pps,

So I have heard back from Hasselblad. I did send my lens to Sweden to have it checked and it turned out there was something wrong with it. They did exchange it and a new one is on its way. I should have it shortly. So if you feel you experience the same problems I would definitely have it checked up. I could have kept using it with all the little workarounds, but I just felt that a quality lens should work flawlessly.

I will let you know once I get the new lens how different it feels. Apparently they tested the new lens before shipping it to make sure it was okay.

Hope this helps.

photoenthusiasm · August 06, 2020, 11:11:46 PM

Yesterday I finally received my sample. Very happy both with the lens and the fact that I have no issues yet.

albenz · August 07, 2020, 05:01:45 AM

Just to wrap this up from my end. The new lens arrived and it's quite a difference. The auto focus is faster and more reliable, the lens is quiet compared to the other one and the manual focus works flawless. I noticed that there is more "resistance" when focusing. It makes the lens feel more solid somehow. The last one was super smooth but turned almost too easily in manual focus.

In any case, I am glad I got it fixed and I have to say from this particular experience, the Hasselblad team was outstanding in handling this case.