X2D II
The Hasselblad X2D II Is ISO Invariant from ISO 200: My Measurements
What ISO really does on the X2D II, with measurements: shadows match from ISO 200 to 3200, highlights survive, and where ISO 100 fits.
Hasselblad X2D II & Phocus 4.x Guides | Tech Behind the Frame
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Expose to the Right on the X2D II: Add Light, Not ISO
ETTR still works on the Hasselblad X2D II, but only with light. Why raising ISO costs highlights, and what the histogram cannot show you.
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Essential Phocus 4.x Guide
The Phocus manual Hasselblad has not written: 85 topics, kept current with every release, updates included.
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Everything here stays free to read. Members fund the research and get the culling app, the guide, priority answers, and the measurement data behind the test posts.
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X2D II
XCD 25V Diffraction Test: Sharpness Holds Through f/8 on the X2D II
I measured the XCD 25V at every half-stop from f/2.5 to f/32 on the X2D II. Sharpness holds through f/8; here is what f/11, f/16 and f/22 cost.
Phocus
The Phocus Grayscale Panel Is a Real Channel Mixer
The Phocus Grayscale sliders look like a global brightness control. Measured on a ColorChecker frame, they're a genuine per-channel B&W mixer.
Phocus
I Asked Hasselblad Which Render Is the Real HNCS. Wrong Question, as it turns out.
Hasselblad engineering defines HNCS: an always-on stage in every Phocus render. What my earlier claim got wrong, and what the gap really is.
X2D II Clipping in Phocus: Why the Histograms Disagree
You shoot a high-contrast scene in HDR mode. The X2D II's screen shows a clean capture: highlights intact, histogram comfortable. Then
Phocus
Phocus 4.2.2 for Mac: HEIF Fixes, Language Switching, Smoother Zoom
Hasselblad released Phocus 4.2.2 for Mac on August 20th, five weeks after 4.2.1. The build is on their CDN and
Phocus
Hasselblad RGB Is Missing From Phocus for Mac and Lightroom Export Menus
The built-in TIFF-16 preset exports in Adobe RGB (1998), and for most work that is the right choice. This is about the
Phocus for Mac Doesn't Apply Your Import Preset by Default. Neither Do Your Exports
Same X2D II RAW through both Hasselblad apps: Phocus Mobile matches the Standard preset. Mac imports sit 10% away until you apply it yourself.
Earth Rotation Compensation on the X2D II: The 4-Hour Location Window
A reader question about the X2D II's stabilization sent me back through Hasselblad's documentation this week. What I discovered down
X2D II
The Data Was Always in Your Older X2D II Files. Now Your Editor Can Read It
Yesterday I wrote about Phocus quietly fixing a bug it never told anyone about. Hasselblad does the same thing with camera firmware, and twice
Phocus Quietly Fixed a Bug I Reported 231 Days Ago
In December 2025, I filed a bug report with Hasselblad: color labels set on a .3FR RAW file in Phocus didn't survive
3fr
Hasselblad X2D II RAWs Record Focus Distance. Now Your Editor Reads It
Every X2D II 3FR since firmware 1.2.7.11 records recoverable focus distance. Since firmware 1.3.16.1, Capture One and Lightroom read it and use it.
X2D II
Hasselblad XCD 35-100E vs the V Primes: I Owned Both and Chose Twice
A variant of this question lands on almost every Hasselblad forum almost every week in some form. "Help me bridge the gap: 35-
workflow
A Complete Hasselblad RAW Workflow: Cull, Phocus, 16-Bit TIFF, Lightroom
Every week the same question surfaces on r/hasselblad, in the Facebook groups, or in my inbox: what does a sensible Hasselblad workflow actually