Hasselblad X2D: Stopped-Down Manual Focus to Compensate for Focus Shift
Related: Hasselblad, Hasselblad medium format, Hasselblad mirrorless, Hasselblad X2D 100C, medium format, optical focus shift, Other World Computing
re: Hasselblad X2D
The information below comes to me from a friend with a Hasselblad X2D 100C, running firmware version 1.1.1. Presumably it applies to the 3.x versions and nothing has reverted.
I will have to go back and update my review pages accordingly, which came from my October 2022 review which used firmware version 1.0.0.
Obviously, stuff got fixed in 1.1.1 and later releases, along with many new features.
Focusing stopped down with Hasselblad X2D
According to my friend’s tests today (cannot confirm myself), the process is identical to the Fujifilm GFX100S and siblings.
The order matters:
- Engage focus preview mode aka depth of field preview mode.
- Enter magnified Live View
- Focus. The lens should remain stopped-down, allowing focusing perfect for that aperture and better for darker ones vs wide-open.
As with Fujifilm, steps 1 and 2 cannot be reversed; you must first engage focus preview then magnify. Focus preview does nothing if already magnified (on Fujifilm it pops you out of magnification).
My X2D user friend states that the focus preview toggles (no need to hold it down continuously). I have not confirmed this personally. Assuming that, this is exactly how it ought to function.
Tips for focusing stopped down (all/any lenses/cameras)
Know your lens including whether it has appreciable focus shift and what kind.
First, none of this applies wide open since there is no stopping down involved.
When less than 2 stops down from full aperture, focus at the shooting aperture.
For darker apertures eg f/8, stopping down 1.5 to 2 stops is usually about right to compensate for most (not all) focus shift. For example, focus the Hasselblad XCD 38mm f/2.5 at f/4 or f/4.5 to minimize the focus shift seen at f/5.6, f/8, etc.
Below, from Hasselblad XCD 55mm f/2.5 Examples: Early Oil Paintings of Ann Kurz-Chambers (X2D)
©1996 Ann-Kurz Chambers. Oil on canvas. Cranberry Cultural History #3 in a series.
Hasselblad X2D 100C + Hasselblad XCD 55mm f/2.5 V @ 45.3mm equiv (55mm) RAW: +10 Whites, +10 Clarity
[low-res image for bot]
