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First steps with 17mm Shiftlens...

Ristretto

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2025
Messages
45
My first steps with the Laowa 17mm Shiftlens... :D

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Very little, easy removable in post
 
I've been considering buying this lens for a while now, but I'm unsure about the resolution quality. I couldn't find any meaningful tests specifically for the Hasselblad X2DII 100C. So I'm glad I came across your photos. Well, I think it's worth the risk.:)
 
I've been considering buying this lens for a while now, but I'm unsure about the resolution quality. I couldn't find any meaningful tests specifically for the Hasselblad X2DII 100C. So I'm glad I came across your photos. Well, I think it's worth the risk.:)
it's worth indeed ;) . Don't get me wrong; this lens has neither the sharpness or the resolution of a native Hasselblad lens - no surprise if you look at the different pricepoints. But this lens isn't about technical perfection, it's all about drama...:D.

When I do have a little bit more experience and also some testing done, I will publish a review on my blog www.fotoristretto.ch in the near future. But for the moment I have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of fun with this lens!
 
Some more... :D

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Ever thought of using the great Hasselblad HTS tilt-shift adapter from the H serie with a HC28mm and a XH adapter for your X2Dii?
 
Ever thought of using the great Hasselblad HTS tilt-shift adapter from the H serie with a HC28mm and a XH adapter for your X2Dii?
Yes, but it’s difficult to find, much more expensive, considerably heavier, and significantly less convenient to use. Besides, I already have the XCD 4.0/28mm.
 
More... :)

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Initially, I was a bit concerned over the image quality it not being an XCD lens. Here’s a fantastic review of the 17 on the x2dII. Mathphoto also tested the 35mm lens, and in general he posses a wealth of knowledge about anything Hasselblad. Being a full frame equivalent optic, he did say you would see strong vignetting if over extending the movements of the lens. BUT to me, if you had to tilt/shift that far out you could easily crop out the vignetting given the 100MP sensor. I have been using Phocus Mobile & C1Pro to achieve tilt corrections in post, but it would be great to achieve this optically. Time to start saving more pennies for another x2d lens!
 
An addendum I neglected to mention. I have another 3rd party lens, a TTArtisan 90. Shooting under discharge artificial light, I must keep my shutter speed very slow, 1+seconds, to avoid severe banding. I’ve experienced this when shooting Sony in the past. Using the Laowa 17 + a polarizer at F11-16, my average exposure would average 4 + seconds so banding should NOT be an issue.
Initially, I was a bit concerned over the image quality it not being an XCD lens. Here’s a fantastic review of the 17 on the x2dII. Mathphoto also tested the 35mm lens, and in general he posses a wealth of knowledge about anything Hasselblad. Being a full frame equivalent optic, he did say you would see strong vignetting if over extending the movements of the lens. BUT to me, if you had to tilt/shift that far out you could easily crop out the vignetting given the 100MP sensor. I have been using Phocus Mobile & C1Pro to achieve tilt corrections in post, but it would be great to achieve this optically. Time to start saving more pennies for another x2d lens!
 
In my experience, vignetting is minimal and can easily be corrected in post-processing, provided that the lens hood is removed. I normally have the 3:2 crop enabled on my camera, but I can of course use the full sensor area when needed.

Strictly speaking, banding is not a problem with the lens, but rather with Hasselblad’s painfully slow electronic shutter, and therefore occurs with every third-party lens. The shutter speed required to prevent banding depends primarily on the wavelength of the artificial light.
 
Hello. I completely agree with your assertion about the slow electronic shutter for Hasselblad, have heard this mentioned in previous reviews of the camera.

At times I used to use electronic shutter for discretion on my Sony bodies when shooting interior events.

The only way I could prevent banding was to keep my shutter speed no slower than 160th of a second. Then I did not see any banding but shooting at that high of a shutter speed in certain environments negated the benefit of using the electronic shutter for silence in the first place. Kind of a catch 22

I appreciate your reply.
 
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