The Trials and Tribulations of Scanning with the X2DII

I swapped our old GFX100 (the huge one) for the new X2DII. I like Hasselblad/DJI's approach to filling out a lens line up more than Fuji's. The 2.5 primes in particular are just great...and I think Hasselblad designed a better 'camera' than the Fuji in a tool sense. But you can't have everything go your way can you? At first I knew I'd be losing Multi Shot until they update the firmware. The X2D has it but not the II. Lo and behold though that they both have it assuming you are tethering through Phocus! I did a quick test with the 55/2.5 and to me the difference is night and day for multi shot. I think the 400mp 6+ shot modes of the Fuji are interesting but don't add much actual detail. The 4 shot keeps the pixel dimensions the same but the image is much improved. Way more detail at 100% and lower noise. So...great! I do all my film scanning tethered anyway.

Ah you fool. You invested in the fancy Linos Inspec 105/5.6 and the Cambo helical focusing system. This lens is perfect for scanning as it is incredibly sharp and flat. Of course, no leaf shutter, it must be used in electronic shutter mode. That's fine, shutters can add vibration.

So I open Phocus and attempt to make my first multi shot scan and multi shot is grey'd out again! From what I'm finding out it's not available in e-shutter mode. I 'hope' this will be added in a future update, and wrote to DJI/Hasselblad asking if it's possible. Fingers crossed.

I had been thinking of investing in the RBC400 because the helical adapter does not extend far enough to go from 4x5 targets to 135 targets. To get that much extension I've been using 2 extension tubes, which is fine, but clunky. I also use the RPS500E platform and I find it absolutely superb. It's hard to say you should make such an investment if you can't say that you can match the output of a high end scanner though. I believe based on my eyes and tests this is possible but it takes a lot of fine tuning and the right tools.

I am well aware of the problems that can randomly occur with my workhorse Eversmart Supreme II, so the Hasselblad/Cambo set up is meant to be my offramp and back up system. The Hasselblad scans minus multi shot are very nice, though lower in pixel count than the ESII scans. The Linos lens is a stunner. I know things would be significantly improved if I can get around bayer interpolation. So I'm putting this out into the world. Maybe Hasselblad reads Photrio and will rush into the office to make this happen for me?

There's no telling whether or when the firmware update you're looking for will happen. In the meantime, you're using this to earn a living. Just buy a used GFX 100S, dedicate it to the repro setup, and save the X2DII for the other purposes that led you to prefer it. The 100S has pixel shift available for the times when it is needed, and when set to either electronic first-curtain shutter or pure electronic shutter it has zero shutter shock.

Relevant context: I own a 100S and have used it for repro work, albeit within a much less fancy copy setup.

Ok one point of clarification. Mutli-shot can be enabled in electronic shutter mode!!! The trick is, you have to use an extension tube which has a chipset so there is some communication with the camera. I made some stitched scans (4x5 in 3 lines down from the top) and had to get closer than the helical allows. What do you know, the multishot feature returned!

The below 3 image stitch was captured in multi shot mode and the resulting file is roughly 40x50" at 300dpi. Not bad, not as good as the Creo. It's nearly 4000ppi.

Keep in mind the actual file in PS will look better than the compressed crop I posted here.

Ok, the plot thickens. I took the tube off the camera and re-attached the bare helical adapter and multi shot was still enabled. I guess I simply had to wake it up.

Ha! Take good notes, so you can reliably re-summon the voodoo when you need to.

Anyway, if it works, it works. Enjoy!

Oren Grad said:

Ha! Take good notes, so you can reliably re-summon the voodoo when you need to.

Anyway, if it works, it works. Enjoy!

Click to expand...

I'm glad I called this thread 'the trials and tribulations', because that's exactly what it turned out to be! Now to dig into the flat field correction mode...

Voodoo!