Introducing a classical-look model that supports the popular square format new square-format film “SUNSET” with graininess and gradation also available.
I was with my Fujifilm X-T5 and the XF18-135mm because I wanted to take landscape images, but also images of the marmots who just came out from their hibernation (as you can also see in this video).
The X-S20 Would Have Done Better (than X-T5)
So I set my X-T5 to animal tracking because of the marmots.
But then I notice an alpine chough on a rock nearby ready to jump into flight.
I wanted to track the “take-off”, but first I had to press an FN button, then scroll down to bird detection, press to confirm, go back in live view and then… the bird had already taken off.
My first thought?
“If only I’d have had the smartness of the (more affordable) Fujifilm X-S20, I would not have missed this shot“
Why?
Because the Fujifilm X-S20 recognizes and tracks all sorts of subjects automatically, without any need to press a single button and go into the menu and tell the camera what it has to track.
That’s a level of smartness my X-T5, but not even the X-H2 or X-H2S has.
I can hear some say: “but it’s just a few presses on the buttons to change subject“. And that’s true. In most cases, you will have enough time to change the settings. But in my case, it all happened quickly, faster than I could react.
It Works So Great, but with One Big Missed Opportunity
If you couldn’t care less about this feature, that’s great.
We are all different, and you are probably just seeing and reacting to things faster than I do.
But the point is that Fujifilm has this technology available. It’s there on the X-S20 and it works very well according to those who tested it such as Gordon from Cameralabs, who says:
Auto Subject Detection does a great job to automatically recognize subjects. You don’t need to manually select the type of subject anymore.
Although there is a limitation, which would be completely avoidable if Fujifilm would provide a firmware update for it. In fact, Gordon rightfully remarks*: *the full review of Gordon can be found down below
Sadly Auto subject detect does not work, unless you are in the full AUTO mode, which is a missed opportunity. Workaround: switch quickly to AUTO if you want the camera to track automatically (but then you’ll also get Auto Dynamic Range, which can work well but sometimes give a too HDR like look.
This is a limitation that Fujifilm could fix with a quick firmware update by not linking auto detection to the full Auto mode.
Also, I do hope that Fujifilm will bring this feature (not the full AUTO feature, but the automatic subject tracking feature) also to the more expensive 5th generation Fujifilm X-T5, X-H2 and X-H2s.
Notice of domestic price revisions for some photographic film and INSTAX “Cheki” products and the resumption of orders for “color negative film 135 size” and “reversal film 135 size and 120 size”
Google translated
[ADMIN NOTE: The press release is for the Japanese market, and since it says “domestic”, we can assume that (for now) the price increase affects only the Japanese market. We want to make this clear for our readers here in the article as well as in the headline in order not to mislead you]
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your continued patronage of Fujifilm products.
FUJIFILM Imaging Systems Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Matsumoto) is working to improve production efficiency for photographic film and INSTAX “instax” products amid soaring component and raw material prices, transportation costs, etc. We have tried to absorb the cost by reducing costs and other measures, but it is difficult to absorb it through corporate efforts alone, so we will revise the price as follows.
We ask for your kind understanding and apologies for the inconvenience.
We appreciate your continued patronage of Fujifilm products.
Price revision date, target product and revision (price increase) rate
*1 This is the rate of revision (price increase) to our shipping price.
In addition, orders for “color negative film 135 size” and “reversal film 135 size and 120 size”, which had been temporarily suspended in Japan, will be resumed from June 12th. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Admin Note: Film that was previously affected by the shortage
The curious thing about this bug: people were forced to use a workaround for a while, and I know that some fellow GFX100S shooters, who applied the workaround, now actually stick with it as they find it more convenient that keeping the button pressed to change exposure compensation.
So, not all the bad comes to hurt, at least not for those, who now stick with the workaround solution.