flash wrote:
I've been working along the same lines. A super high IQ kit and then something more general and a compact. For me it's been:
1. GFX100S (23, 32-64,80 and 100-200)
2. X1DII, 907x, (w' 45P and 90) M11 or M10M (w' CV28, 50 and 90 Summicron APO's)
3. RX1R.
I keep most of the lenses for each system but this is my *daily* carry. I probably have another 10% for exotic things where I'll use specialty gear. And after 5 years off I'm thinking of shooting a bit more commercially. I would like to exercise the brain abit more and shooting is a good way to do it. My studio needs a clean but is still basically complete.
The main casualty in this has been my SL2. Love the camera and lenses but it's not really fit in anywhere. However none of the above do super wide or super long so it has a home, for now. Plus my Leica Godox trigger is due which makes it a bit easier to integrate into my work (if I work). I've been using my S1R with a 43 trigger. It's be nice to use the SL2 for headshots with the Summicrons. I do have the Q2 but it's my Sl 28mm more than a compact camera. 28 isn't a focal length I prefer and the camera is bigger than the Rx1R I have. If they made it with a 50 that would change.
I'll still have a use for the GFX.It has more zooms and a better set up for adapting my Canon TS glass. I'm thinking though I'll pair down the kit as the X2D lenses are released. It'll depend a lot on how the AF and IBIS compare. Hopefully testing starts later today.
Another interesting camera is the new XH2, who's sensor may flow to a new XPro2 or XT5. I held on to my XT4 and XF lenses due to having the GFX. If the X2D is as good as I hope I'll have 4 categories but more than 4 options.
Work: X2D, GFX, SL2
Travel and landscapes: X2D or GFX (XH2/SL2 if I need a super tele or super wide)
Daily Use Kit: M11, M10M or XH2
pocket: RX1R
A lot depends on improvements with the older XCD glass. I have all of it. So it's a big upgrade path. I hope it's just a bit more usable, especially the 80mm. It doesn't need to be A1 levels for me. I have no use for that. Just enough for me to make it usable for candid casual shooting.
Hopefully we'll see later today. I have 4 batteries charged and ready to go.........
I'm with you on the XT5 and watching that closely. I'm not convinced 40mp+ an APSC is a step forward.. need to see more samples coming out of that sensor.
I loved the S1R, but had the SL2-S with it and the dissonance when switching between cameras bothered me, so the S1R was the victim there.
Curious on your RX1R.. how would you rate it against the Q2. I've never shot with one, came close to buying it on a whim a few times.. but it's Sony, and I've always struggled with Sony as far as inspiring, fun-to-use equipment.. Sony to me is functional, "get the job done" stuff.
flash wrote:
A lot depends on improvements with the older XCD glass. I have all of it. So it's a big upgrade path. I hope it's just a bit more usable, especially the 80mm. It doesn't need to be A1 levels for me. I have no use for that. Just enough for me to make it usable for candid casual shooting.
I am hoping for two things: 1) better AF (especially in low light) and 2) no more overheating.
The 80mm is a fantastic lens but if you shoot if for a few hours straight your body will overheat and your sensor will eventually shut down.
BrandonSi wrote:
I'm with you on the XT5 and watching that closely. I'm not convinced 40mp+ an APSC is a step forward.. need to see more samples coming out of that sensor.
I loved the S1R, but had the SL2-S with it and the dissonance when switching between cameras bothered me, so the S1R was the victim there.
Curious on your RX1R.. how would you rate it against the Q2. I've never shot with one, came close to buying it on a whim a few times.. but it's Sony, and I've always struggled with Sony as far as inspiring, fun-to-use equipment.. Sony to me is functional, "get the job done" stuff.
i spend most of my time at or close to base ISO. The extra resolution will let me print close to A1, which I do often. I'm very keen on the XH2 and other cameras with this sensor. Reviews look excellent for my needs/desires. I already have most of the lenses.
The RX1RII I have easily meets the Q2 in performance and IQ. The Sonnar is a gem of a lens. AF is snappy. Tiny EVF is surprisingly usable. And the screen flips up. Battery life is awful (it's tiny). No touchscreen. Horrid Sony menus. But I put up with it because it's a 35 and half the size of the Q2. Inspiring? No.
SlowDriver wrote:
I am hoping for two things: 1) better AF (especially in low light) and 2) no more overheating.
The 80mm is a fantastic lens but if you shoot if for a few hours straight your body will overheat and your sensor will eventually shut down.
I haven't had that issue. I even shot a wedding with a pair of X1D's for a bit of fun (there were two shooters so speed wasn't a problem). Both cameras did a 10hr day just fine. Used 7 batteries though and the bodies definitely got warm (as designed)...... Also got to admit the ones I did using the GFX100S were a lot easier. A lot.
Gordon
*currently staring out a window for the delivery truck*
flash wrote:
i spend most of my time at or close to base ISO. The extra resolution will let me print close to A1, which I do often. I'm very keen on the XH2 and other cameras with this sensor. Reviews look excellent for my needs/desires. I already have most of the lenses.
The RX1RII I have easily meets the Q2 in performance and IQ. The Sonnar is a gem of a lens. AF is snappy. Tiny EVF is surprisingly usable. And the screen flips up. Battery life is awful (it's tiny). No touchscreen. Horrid Sony menus. But I put up with it because it's a 35 and half the size of the Q2. Inspiring? No.
Good info! I print A2 almost daily, and haven't had issues with the X-T4 scaling for that, but could see how beyond that size things could fall apart. I far prefer the X-T body style, so will give it some time and see what the XT-5 brings..
I'm in for a Q3 without hesitation, but in the meantime I might track down an RX1R II and give it a go.
Have the camera in hand plus the 38 and 55. Only an hour or so, so far. First thoughts.
- EVF is superb. Huge. Wonderful.
- New grip shape is better. Considering how good the old one was.....
- New lenses are soooo sexy. Beautiful. Light. Quiet.
- Operationally camera is MUCH faster. Startup is lens dependant. Up to 1.5 seconds. Quicker with the new glass.
Review and such is very quick. Faster than the GFX 100S.
- Camera gets warm like the old one. Video likely left out due to heat issues rather than photography purity marketing speak. Racked focus back and forward for an hour non stop and camera was warm, not hot.
- GPS is gone. I knew already but just in case you're wondering.
- None of my HC lenses focus on the X2D. With either the normal or 0.8 adaptors. They all do on the X1DII. Not sure if this will change but I will ask HB.
- Rear screen is improved. Touch is better. Also moving focus point using screen as a touchpad has been refined. More controllable and less jerky. Had no issues moving focus easily and precisely.
- No CAF or eye control. Coming in a future firmware update.
- Manual focus is fabulous on new lenses and pretty good with XCD lenses. No focus assist circle on HC lenses but the EVF makes everything pretty easy to focus.
-IBIS seems to work really well.
Autofocus performance:
There's a bit to digest here and updates to focus including eye detect and CAfF may change things. But for now.....
I tested all the current XCD lenses plus the new 38 and 55 on my X1DIi and X2D. I also did dirty unscientific comparisons to my GF glass on a GFX100S. I don't have all the GF glass but enough to do some comparisons. I only tested SAF as the X2D doesn't have CAF yet. For laughs I had my SL2 as well.
The SL2 is faster all the time with every lens, compared to the GFX and X2D. Sometimes a LOT faster (zooms especially). The GFX is what I'd call adequate for still shots. Not blazing but you could shoot some street etc. That's the benchmarks.
I got the impression that the new XCD-V lenses are not quite as fast as the GFX glass in general. I put the XCD 55V against the GF50 and 65, and the difference was very small but I felt the GF lenses had the edge. But there was not enough difference to make either one an obvious choice. They're close enough. I don't have a Fuji equivalent to the XCD 38V but it felt slightly faster than the 55. Focus is pretty confident. I could make them hunt but it was no less than the GFX100S. The upgrade from the X1D is huge.
Good news if you have a bag of XCD lenses. Free improved AF is included with the X2D. I have all the current XCD lenses and they all improved focus speed. I did have to spend half an hour upgrading firmware on most of them as I'd forgotten to do it. The 90mm wouldn't Af until it got the latest upgrade. Some lenses struggled with older firmware on the X2D.
The worst result was the 135mm with the TC. Any improvement over the X1DII is minor. But small is better than nothing. I was a bit disappointed with the 45P. As a newer lens I thought it would be better. But other glass fared much better. The P version is no better than the original 45 on the X2D.
The award for the biggest upgrade goes to the zoom. Initial tests have it as a bit faster than the 32-64 or 45-100 GF zooms (I tried both). The 35-75 is only fractionally slower than the new primes. This is fabulous news because this is the best zoom I've ever used. Honorable mention to the 80mm 1.9 which is now pretty close to the GF version of the same lens. I think the Af speed is really close. It's just the XCD80 makes some focus noise and the GF80 is almost silent.
In short the AF has gone from *considered* to OK without blowing your socks off. It's in the ballpark but not quite at GFX levels except for the 80, zoom and the two new lenses which are as close as to not matter.
Haven't done any IQ pixel peeping yet. Only been an hour or two. Not expecting anything short of stellar. I have the GFX and I prefer the HB lenses and colour science. Even the view through the glorious EVF is fabulous. I'll get around to pixel peeping and pushing the IBIS in a day or two.
Should you buy one? No idea. That's your call. I think if you have a GFX you're not going to see anything worth the massive side step. The GFX is faster cheaper and has more lens flexibility (20-35 anyone?). I do prefer the HB colours and lenses but it's an expensive call for sure for a little gain over a camera that also has excellent colours and lenses and you have the 110 which doesn't exist in the HB world.. If you have an X1D and you're on a tripod, probably not as well. If you shoot the X1D a lot and want improved speed and IBIS then go for it. Me? I'm already certain this will become my main system going forward. With the 38 or 55 on it the X2D is a stunning piece of kit. I'm really looking forward to the new 90. And if they do a 63 later I may not be able to control myself
flash wrote:
Have the camera in hand plus the 38 and 55. Only an hour or so, so far. First thoughts.
- EVF is superb. Huge. Wonderful.
- New grip shape is better. Considering how good the old one was.....
- New lenses are soooo sexy. Beautiful. Light. Quiet.
- Operationally camera is MUCH faster. Startup is lens dependant. Up to 1.5 seconds. Quicker with the new glass.
Review and such is very quick. Faster than the GFX 100S.
- Camera gets warm like the old one. Video likely left out due to heat issues rather than photography purity marketing speak. Racked focus back and forward for an hour non stop and camera was warm, not hot.
- GPS is gone. I knew already but just in case you're wondering.
- None of my HC lenses focus on the X2D. With either the normal or 0.8 adaptors. They all do on the X1DII. Not sure if this will change but I will ask HB.
- Rear screen is improved. Touch is better. Also moving focus point using screen as a touchpad has been refined. More controllable and less jerky. Had no issues moving focus easily and precisely.
- No CAF or eye control. Coming in a future firmware update.
- Manual focus is fabulous on new lenses and pretty good with XCD lenses. No focus assist circle on HC lenses but the EVF makes everything pretty easy to focus.
-IBIS seems to work really well.
Autofocus performance:
There's a bit to digest here and updates to focus including eye detect and CAfF may change things. But for now.....
I tested all the current XCD lenses plus the new 38 and 55 on my X1DIi and X2D. …
They work. they're completely silent. Focus is as you'd expect from the older camera. Again not up to IQ tests yet.
The new and old lenses focus faster on the X2D. A huge part of that is that they don't rack back and forward to work out the direction of travel. That's mostly how the old lenses improve on the new body. They don't actually move the groups that much faster. So when you take the new lenses and put them on the X1D or X1DII they have to rack in order to find focus and that's mostly what slows them down. But if you're happy with the X1D autofocus and you want the new glass you'll be fine.
Gordon
p.s. K and I had our adult kids over for dinner. Playing with camera and new lenses had no AF issues in normal indoor light in our kitchen and dining room. Similar experience to GFX100S. Maybe even a bit more reliable but that's speculation as I didn't test head to head.
fotog255 wrote:
I’m not up to date on something. I thought Fuji owned Hassleblad?
No. You're confusing that with DJI, who have a large financial stake (perhaps majority but no one really knows) in Hasselblad. Some tech has flowed over but we don't know exactly how much. The dual battery charger for the X series is definitely made by DJI for Hasselblad. But the cameras and lenses so far are HB products.
Hasselblad claim they are still fully independent but it's almost certain there's at least some tech and patent sharing going on. And the obvious stuff like DJI drone cameras having Hasselblad input and badging.
flash wrote:
Have the camera in hand plus the 38 and 55. Only an hour or so, so far. First thoughts.
- EVF is superb. Huge. Wonderful.
- New grip shape is better. Considering how good the old one was.....
- New lenses are soooo sexy. Beautiful. Light. Quiet.
- Operationally camera is MUCH faster. Startup is lens dependant. Up to 1.5 seconds. Quicker with the new glass.
Review and such is very quick. Faster than the GFX 100S.
- Camera gets warm like the old one. Video likely left out due to heat issues rather than photography purity marketing speak. Racked focus back and forward for an hour non stop and camera was warm, not hot.
- GPS is gone. I knew already but just in case you're wondering.
- None of my HC lenses focus on the X2D. With either the normal or 0.8 adaptors. They all do on the X1DII. Not sure if this will change but I will ask HB.
- Rear screen is improved. Touch is better. Also moving focus point using screen as a touchpad has been refined. More controllable and less jerky. Had no issues moving focus easily and precisely.
- No CAF or eye control. Coming in a future firmware update.
- Manual focus is fabulous on new lenses and pretty good with XCD lenses. No focus assist circle on HC lenses but the EVF makes everything pretty easy to focus.
-IBIS seems to work really well.
Autofocus performance:
There's a bit to digest here and updates to focus including eye detect and CAfF may change things. But for now.....
I tested all the current XCD lenses plus the new 38 and 55 on my X1DIi and X2D. I also did dirty unscientific comparisons to my GF glass on a GFX100S. I don't have all the GF glass but enough to do some comparisons. I only tested SAF as the X2D doesn't have CAF yet. For laughs I had my SL2 as well.
The SL2 is faster all the time with every lens, compared to the GFX and X2D. Sometimes a LOT faster (zooms especially). The GFX is what I'd call adequate for still shots. Not blazing but you could shoot some street etc. That's the benchmarks.
I got the impression that the new XCD-V lenses are not quite as fast as the GFX glass in general. I put the XCD 55V against the GF50 and 65, and the difference was very small but I felt the GF lenses had the edge. But there was not enough difference to make either one an obvious choice. They're close enough. I don't have a Fuji equivalent to the XCD 38V but it felt slightly faster than the 55. Focus is pretty confident. I could make them hunt but it was no less than the GFX100S. The upgrade from the X1D is huge.
Good news if you have a bag of XCD lenses. Free improved AF is included with the X2D. I have all the current XCD lenses and they all improved focus speed. I did have to spend half an hour upgrading firmware on most of them as I'd forgotten to do it. The 90mm wouldn't Af until it got the latest upgrade. Some lenses struggled with older firmware on the X2D.
The worst result was the 135mm with the TC. Any improvement over the X1DII is minor. But small is better than nothing. I was a bit disappointed with the 45P. As a newer lens I thought it would be better. But other glass fared much better. The P version is no better than the original 45 on the X2D.
The award for the biggest upgrade goes to the zoom. Initial tests have it as a bit faster than the 32-64 or 45-100 GF zooms (I tried both). The 35-75 is only fractionally slower than the new primes. This is fabulous news because this is the best zoom I've ever used. Honorable mention to the 80mm 1.9 which is now pretty close to the GF version of the same lens. I think the Af speed is really close. It's just the XCD80 makes some focus noise and the GF80 is almost silent.
In short the AF has gone from *considered* to OK without blowing your socks off. It's in the ballpark but not quite at GFX levels except for the 80, zoom and the two new lenses which are as close as to not matter.
Haven't done any IQ pixel peeping yet. Only been an hour or two. Not expecting anything short of stellar. I have the GFX and I prefer the HB lenses and colour science. Even the view through the glorious EVF is fabulous. I'll get around to pixel peeping and pushing the IBIS in a day or two.
Should you buy one? No idea. That's your call. I think if you have a GFX you're not going to see anything worth the massive side step. The GFX is faster cheaper and has more lens flexibility (20-35 anyone?). I do prefer the HB colours and lenses but it's an expensive call for sure for a little gain over a camera that also has excellent colours and lenses and you have the 110 which doesn't exist in the HB world.. If you have an X1D and you're on a tripod, probably not as well. If you shoot the X1D a lot and want improved speed and IBIS then go for it. Me? I'm already certain this will become my main system going forward. With the 38 or 55 on it the X2D is a stunning piece of kit. I'm really looking forward to the new 90. And if they do a 63 later I may not be able to control myself
Awesome!! Thanks so much for the detailed report. So glad to hear that about the 35-75, easily my favorite lens, and it lives on the X1D II. Seems the glowing review/feedback on the XCDV lenses continues.. I placed an order for the 55 as well to augment the 35 in my initial order.. we'll see if / when it shows up.
I think I'll pull my 90mm / 65mm XCD lenses of the market now. Glad they didn't sell!
Now to find the more elusive 21mm and 120mm XCD's..
Not too surprising on the 45p.. that one always felt as if Hasselblad prioritized price (though the optics are still very good) on that lens. It's not as much of a dot matrix printer when focusing as the 65, but it's close..
BrandonSi wrote:
Awesome!! Thanks so much for the detailed report. So glad to hear that about the 35-75, easily my favorite lens, and it lives on the X1D II. Seems the glowing review/feedback on the XCDV lenses continues.. I placed an order for the 55 as well to augment the 35 in my initial order.. we'll see if / when it shows up.
I think I'll pull my 90mm / 65mm XCD lenses of the market now. Glad they didn't sell!
Now to find the more elusive 21mm and 120mm XCD's..
Not too surprising on the 45p.. that one always felt as if Hasselblad prioritized price (though the optics are still very good) on that lens. It's not as much of a dot matrix printer when focusing as the 65, but it's close..
Would love to hear more if you have the time to compare the IQ of the XCD 90 vs the new XCD 90 V. It seems the older 90 has a flatter field of view and less astigmatism based on MFT charts. Not sure how much of this translates to actual results. Thanks!
flash wrote:
I'm upgrading my 90. I want what the 38 and 55 have got! Should arrive around the 25th, apparently, if my local importer has it correct.
Gordon,
Very thoughtful and kind of you to take so much time to share with us all your first impressions of the new X2D and V XCD lenses, much appreciated! Now as the rest of us wait for our orders to arrive we will wait for you to share how the images are from the new body and updated lenses including the incoming 90 2.5.
My biggest question and interest is how poorly the e-shutter behaves when it comes to rolling shutter.
Is it worse than the X1D IIC? Understanding that fast things like car traffic will show it no matter what, but what about just people walking on the street? Slight movement during portraiture? Etc.
Sam_W wrote:
My biggest question and interest is how poorly the e-shutter behaves when it comes to rolling shutter.
Is it worse than the X1D IIC? Understanding that fast things like car traffic will show it no matter what, but what about just people walking on the street? Slight movement during portraiture? Etc.
Jim Kasson measured the sensor readout for GFX100, which should be the same for X2D. The readout time is faster in 14-bit mode and slower in 16-bit mode than X1D.
SrMi wrote:
Jim Kasson measured the sensor readout for GFX100, which should be the same for X2D. The readout time is faster in 14-bit mode and slower in 16-bit mode than X1D.
Thank you for the pointer!
