Hasselblad X2D II Firmware Updates Since Launch
The X2D II launched with firmware 1.0.1.7 and user manual v1.0. Your camera is probably running something newer. The latest release as of April 2026 is 1.2.7.16. Four public firmware drops have shipped since launch. The manual on Hasselblad's website is still the v1.0 from August 2025.
Everything below is what the camera can do now that the v1.0 manual doesn't cover, plus the full changelog.
Key finding: Four firmware updates have shipped for the X2D II since launch: 1.1.8.6, 1.1.9.2, 1.2.7.11, and 1.2.7.16. The v1.0 user manual predates all of them. At least fourteen features and behaviour changes shipped in firmware with zero coverage in the manual.
What firmware version should I be running?
The current public release as of April 2026 is 1.2.7.16. To check what's on your camera: Main Menu ā General ā Service.
How to update
Two paths.
Via Phocus 2 Mobile (usually faster). If your phone is already paired, open Phocus 2 Mobile. When a firmware update is available, the app prompts you to download it and push it over the wireless link. That's how I caught 1.2.7.16 the morning it appeared on the CDN. The in-app flow sometimes stalls or fails to detect the new version. Restart both the app and the camera, or fall back to the card path.
Via CFexpress card (the manual way). Download the .cim file from Hasselblad's Downloads page. Copy it to a freshly formatted CFexpress card. Insert the card. Main Menu ā General ā Service ā Check for Update. The camera reads the file off the card. "Update is completed!" shows on the touch display when it's done.
Either path: charge the battery fully, don't interrupt the update, and downgrade is not supported once installed.
Notes on the most recent release are in my 1.2.7.16 announcement post.
What's new since the manual was written?
Absent from the v1.0 manual. All shipped after 2025-08-26.
Simulated shutter sound (1.2.7.11)
A synthetic shutter click that plays when the electronic shutter fires. The setting lives under Exposure, of all places.
Variable frame rate disable for Live View (1.2.7.11)
New toggle in Display settings. Forces Live View to a constant frame rate instead of adapting based on scene content. Disabling the variable rate makes the EVF feel smoother. Costs you some battery.
Updated Custom Button settings interface (1.2.7.11)
The custom button assignment UI got redesigned. Same options, different navigation and arrangement. The manual's screenshots show the old layout.
Reset Connection Settings (1.1.8.6)
A function under Connection settings that wipes stored WiFi, USB tethering, and paired-device state. Useful when tethering breaks after a Phocus 2 Mobile session, or when switching between computers. Not in the manual.
Human eye detection improvements (1.1.8.6)
The 1.1.8.6 notes call out better eye detection success rate and focus accuracy. The manual mentions eye detection in passing (the AF point shifts to the nearest detected eye), but does not document detection success rates, false-positive behavior, or how the 1.1.8.6 firmware update changed accuracy. Works inside the existing AF-C and single-shot AF flows.
High-ISO smudging fix in Continuous drive mode (1.1.8.6)
Images shot at ISO 12,800 or higher in Continuous drive mode used to show smudging artifacts. Fixed here. Matters if you shoot bursts at high ISO: wedding receptions, dim events, low-light wildlife.
RAW-only format option in Full Auto mode (1.1.8.6)
Full Auto used to force a JPEG-inclusive format. Now you can shoot RAW only while still using Full Auto. Useful if you want auto exposure but run a pure-RAW workflow in Phocus.
Quick rating mode via rear custom button (1.2.7.11)
Press the rear custom button in Browse Mode and you're in Rating Mode. No tapping the star icon. Ratings assigned on-camera travel with the file into Phocus. See the thumbnail options guide for how ratings survive import.
Touch AF now pauses subject detection (1.2.7.11)
Tap the screen to place a focus point and subject detection pauses for that focus operation. Before this, detection would fight your manual placement and yank the focus point back to whatever it saw. The manual describes tap-to-focus and subject detection as independent, no mention of the interaction.
Automatic AE-L with HDR or Full Auto (1.1.8.6)
With HDR capture enabled or the camera in Full Auto, AE-L locks automatically during the multi-frame capture. Before 1.1.8.6 you had to lock exposure yourself, and HDR brackets could drift between frames.
AF-C improvements: smaller faces, faster focusing (1.1.8.6)
AF-C now picks up faces at longer distances (smaller in frame), acquires focus faster, and fires with less exposure delay after lock. Not in the manual.
Lens exposure count query (1.1.9.2)
The camera can report cumulative actuations on an attached XCD lens. The 1.1.9.2 notes frame this as a bug fix ("fixed failure to query the lens exposure count"), which suggests the feature shipped earlier with a broken query path. Either way, the manual says nothing about lens exposure counting.
Zoom to 100% during image processing in Browse Mode (1.1.8.6)
The camera processes images after capture. You can see the spinner at the top of the screen. Most Browse Mode operations used to be locked out while that spinner was up. This release lets you zoom to 100% during processing, so you can check focus on the last frame without waiting. The manual says the opposite: "During image processing after shooting, some of the settings are unavailable."
Main Menu configuration during image processing (1.1.8.6)
Most Main Menu settings can now be adjusted during image processing. The "settings unavailable during processing" line in the v1.0 manual is narrower than documented.
Behaviour the manual hints at with firmware caveats
A few features DO appear in the v1.0 manual with explicit "update firmware to the latest version" caveats:
Tap-and-hold HDR icon to disable preview. Mentioned in the Browse Mode section. The interactive control wasn't in 1.0.1.7.
RGB and luminance histograms for HDR images. The manual calls these out with the caveat "Update firmware to the latest version. Otherwise, the function may not be available." Landed in 1.1.8.6. The Phocus 4.x HDR workflow post covers how those histograms translate into the editing stage.
Touch to Move AF Point as a user-toggleable setting. The manual mentions this at Main Menu ā Focus, with the note "if using firmware later than 1.0.1.7, make sure Touch to Move AF Point is enabled before use." The option didn't exist in 1.0.1.7. The default may differ from what the manual screenshots show.
Full changelog since launch
Verbatim from Hasselblad's release notes document, with dates.
Firmware 1.2.7.16 (2026-04-14)
What's new
- Improved stability and overall user experience.
Notes
- Downgrade is not supported after the update.
- "Update is completed!" will be shown on the touch display once the update is successful.
See also: my detailed analysis of firmware 1.2.7.16 including a binary comparison against 1.2.7.11.
Firmware 1.2.7.11 (2025-11-27)
What's new
- Added simulated shutter sound feature. Enable in the Exposure settings.
- Supported to enter rating mode quickly in Browse Mode by pressing the rear custom button.
- Supported to disable variable frame rate in the Display settings to improve frame rate in Live View.
- Updated the custom button settings interface.
- Optimised touch autofocus. When tapping the screen to move the focus point in Autofocus Mode, subject detection will be temporarily disabled.
- Optimised the vibration feedback after levelling the device with the spirit level.
- Fixed issue where powering off during a long exposure would only take effect after the exposure was complete.
- Fixed issue where the camera might automatically enter Standby mode and disconnect when connected to an iPad via cable in mass storage mode.
- Fixed issue where the camera might not be detected when connected to a computer via cable in certain Windows environments.
- Fixed issue where the camera touch display might flash when inserting the battery.
- Fixed issue where purple streaks could appear at the top of HDR images.
- Fixed occasional issue where the exposure information might not be displayed in Live View after powering on.
Firmware 1.1.9.2 (2025-09-22)
What's new
- Improved stability and overall user experience.
- Fixed failure to query the lens exposure count.
- Fixed issue where checkbox selection didn't work in some settings.
Firmware 1.1.8.6 (2025-08-26)
What's new
- Supported to zoom in to 100% to view image details in Browse Mode during image processing.
- Supported to configure most of the camera settings in Main Menu during image processing.
- Supported to temporarily disable the HDR effect when previewing HDR images. Tap and hold the HDR icon to achieve this.
- Supported RGB histogram and luminance histogram display when previewing HDR images.
- Supported automatic exposure lock (AE-L) when HDR is enabled or the exposure mode is set to Full Auto.
- Supported to set the image format to "RAW" only when the exposure mode is set to Full Auto.
- For Autofocus Continuous (AF-C):
- Supported detection and focusing on smaller faces.
- Improved focusing performance and reduced exposure delay.
- Added option to enable or disable "Touch to Move AF Point" in the Focus settings.
- Added "Reset Connection Settings" function in the Connection settings.
- Improved highlights performance of HDR JPG and HEIF images.
- Improved shadows performance for image preview.
- Improved human eye detection success rate and focus accuracy.
- Reduced smudging in high-ISO (ISO ā„ 12,800) images captured in Continuous drive mode.
- Fixed accidental parameter changes caused by overly sensitive front/rear scroll wheels.
- Fixed occasional failures to focus after the camera exits Standby Mode when used with the XCD 2,8-4/35-100E lens. Latest firmware of the lens required.
How this page stays current
Last updated: 2026-04-15. Current firmware covered: 1.2.7.16.
Every new firmware release adds release notes here and any behaviour deltas to the sections above. Bigger releases also get their own announcement post.
If something on your camera behaves differently from what's described here or in the manual, email me. I'll cross-check it against the firmware version notes. For the desktop Phocus side of the same story (reference for software that Hasselblad also hasn't documented past 3.8), see my running Phocus 4.x user guide.
Related reading
- The Phocus 4.x user guide for Mac: the software companion to the X2D II workflow
- X2D II firmware quirks worth knowing about: undocumented control and interface behaviours
- Why your X2D II RAW files drop to 14-bit in Continuous mode: the bit-depth trade-off documented
- Metering for highlights on the X2D II: getting the most from the X2D II meter
- Flash and TTL on the X2D II: community-tested flash compatibility
References
- Hasselblad X2D II 100C Firmware Downloads: source of the
.cimfirmware files and release notes document - Hasselblad X2D II 100C User Manual v1.0, published 2025-08, available from Hasselblad's support site
