My new x1d and x1d ii

[colonel]

Thanks for the advice I received here on the x1d range, and of course the many threads I have read here and elsewhere.

In summary I am an amateur that shoots travel and urban photography, with some landscape and architecture. I have used many types of cameras but gravitate to Leica M, which I use most of the time (although have enjoyed the Q3 recently). I am never sure why, but I get many more keepers with this system. I guess I am a more slow photographer.

Why did I buy medium format ? because I am curious and have never used it before, but always attracted to increasing IQ. Why Hasselblad ? I love the look, feel and build. Guess I am shallow, but need to like the equipment and the process I am using.

I bought an x1d 4116 in lovely black with a 45mm f3.5 lens. The results blew me away. I didn't expect them to be so good, with super clarity and deep colours that need no real editing. The surprising thing is how much better they are then FF cameras I have used before, including 60mp sensors.

With the latest firmware it runs very smoothly, including the well thought out menu system. I love the Swedish (and German) simplicity.





It would be nice to have IBIS, but good technique minimises the need somewhat. This is at 1/8 - a tiny bit blur but pretty great for 50mp:



After reading comments, I was surprised at how "normal" the camera is. The start up time is not amazing but the warm up from standby is not bad. The AF is also not bad at all. Not really missing any photos:



The colour depth is lovely:



The main downside I suppose is that I now have an extra step in editing. I edit the raw file in Phocus first. Just some small changes, but based on advice, I want to keep all color, clarity, exposure, contrast, sharpness and other "whole picture" changes within Phocus.

Phocus is actually quite nice to use and reasonably fast. I then output a 16bit tiff and finish editing in Lightroom. Typically cropping, content removal/adjustments, etc. This also puts the photo in my catalogue and produces a jpeg. It is an increase in storage, with the .3fr files at 108mb, the .fff files at around 80-90mb (produced after import of the .3fr into Phocus) and the .tiff files running at about 300mb. I read that Hasselblad users usually delete the .3fr and .fff. I haven't got around to deciding what to delete yet, so I am hoarding 

So a funny thing happened. I was offered a mint x1d ii. At the same time I was offered a very good price for my 4116 body. So without thinking I sold and bought. So now I am a proud owner of an x1d ii.

The differences have been well documented here. I never felt the x1d was inadequate but the much faster start up time is really very useful for my type of usage. The menus are slicker, but I didn't feel the x1d lacked. The bigger and higher resolution screen is cool though. The gps built in is much more convenient, although I don't really use it.

There were a bunch of things I didn't expect however. The USB charging is a really good thing to have. I also found out of the x1d ii has metal buttons and dials, whereas the x1d's were plastic. The VF of the x1d ii is larger, brighter and oled, a welcome improvement.

Apparently the SD card and connector door design is slightly upgraded. The menu has been re-organised. It is still simple and clear, and, in addition, you can also see the menu now in the EVF if required. The battery has increased to 3400 mah and is supposed to run the camera for slightly longer.

There is a good article here which goes through the differences:
vieribottazzini HASSELBLAD X1D II

I find the focus system very accurate, and easy to pick focus point.

The sensor very good even at iso 6400. I am still looking for courage to go higher:


Colours are natural and punchy at the same time:



The reaction speed is good:







and lastly the clarity and contrast are great out of the box, of course kudos to the amazing lens.



Most of all, this is a really enjoyable camera to use. It is a bit of a seminal moment for me. Certainly a fundamental change in the equipment I use, which is not often.

[MGrayson]

Congratulations. While the saying is that it's the photographer and not the camera, a good camera system makes it easy to take more photos and so become a better photographer.

[tenmangu81]

Congratulations ! I had the same impression of IQ when I switched from Leica (M240) to the X1D II. Amazing and fun at the same time.
Don't forget that TIFF files are less flexible than RAW as far as adjustments are concerned in Lightroom. So, don't throw away your .fff !!