Interview with Kayce Baker, marketing director at Fujifilm North America
Here’s what Kayce Baker, director of marketing for professional digital cameras at Fujifilm North America, says in his interesting interview with IR founder and editor-in-chief Dave Etchells.
You’ll find some surprising infos, like the fact that Fuji sells more X-E1 body only versions than the kit with zoom lens. And that they are selling more 35mm prime lenses than all of the X-PRO1 bodies in the market so far.
She also gives some news about Fuji’s roadmap where some lenses are slated for early 2013. “We’re looking at around April to May availability for the 55-200mm, as well as the 27mm pancake. For the 10-24mm and 23mm f/1.4, more towards the end of the year or the beginning of 2014.”
She explains how Fuji worked to improve lens flare on the X100s and also that”… together [X-Trans II and no low-pass filter], those allow a 30% improvement in signal to noise over the previous model, and a 25% increase in resolution.”
And what about Adobe and Apple? “As far as I understand it, we have given each company all the algorithmic information that they need, and which they have requested to be able to make a more powerful and accurate RAW converter process.”
Read the whole interview at imaging-resource here.
yjPN!g~~60_35.JPG)
u
5 months ago |So sad to see that 23mm f/1.4 is going to be released “towards the end of the year or the beginning of 2014″. =(
Antoine
5 months ago |I’m pretty sure they want to promote the X100s sales this way. People with an XE1 or XP1 who can’t wait for a 23mm will buy the X100s and may eventually get the 23mm lens when it’s out. Frustrating for buyers but pretty strategic for Fuji sales…
Daniel
5 months ago |he!
That’s really bad news. The most important lens in the XF lens lineup will come that late!
Come on Fuji, you understood it with the X100, but now you forgot it with the XF lineup.
BTW: Same for Auto-Iso setup –> X100: Juhu, XP1: Big whine
Luis
5 months ago |No info about the 1.4/56mm. Given that message, it doesn’t sound like it’s coming soon. Well, too sad. I’m waiting for this lens so heavily. 60mm macro is not really an option for my kind of work. Looks like I need to switch back to FF DSLR again to fill this gap. Actually not what I’ve hoped for…
Adrian
5 months ago |I’m kind of happy that there is a few months’ period between launches, as I need the time to a) make up my mind if i NEED or just WANT a lens and b) convince my wife that I NEED the said lens…:D
Alex V
5 months ago |And what about 56/1.4?? 2014 too? ((
Paul
5 months ago |Those lens dates are incredibly irritating. They have previously practically misreprented that they’d be coming out definately this year and probably in the first half. Makes Nex seem less bad now.
Antoine
5 months ago |It’s a pity she didn’t say when the 56mm f1.4 would be released…
nxxo
5 months ago |i want the 56 f1.4 mee too
Markdphotoguy
5 months ago |That’s annoying. I’ve been selling off some of my Nikon glass in anticipation of the 23mm. To learn its going to take so long is agrivating. I may have to give the SLR Magic 23mm a look.
Hopefully he got it wrong in the interview. If not Fuji should update the roadmap ASAP so adopters of the system can plan ahead.
Mads Pihl
5 months ago |Suddenly I am even happier that I got the (amazing) Sigma 35 1.4 for my Canon about a month ago. It just felt like the Fuji 23 1.4 was not coming in Q1 – and I felt like the household needed a 35mm.
Turns out my homemade prediction was more than a lot off since now the 23 1.4 might be 2013Q4 or 2014Q1? Well… That’s like 7 dog years away…
(Although I am pretty sure I’ll buy it when it comes out just because I can’t help it).
Bernie Ess
5 months ago |Fuji, I want the 56/1,4 for porrtait. The 35/1,4 is possible, but not optimal for portraits, specially near portraits/ head shots.
56/1,4 was in the road map for the first half of 2013.
Please deliver it!
u
5 months ago |60mm works for portraits very well. You don’t really need f/1.4 unless you want to take the picture of someone with their face all blurred out.
Bernie Ess
5 months ago |56mm versus 60mm is not just about max aperture, it is the general look – 56mm will be optimized for portraits for sure, which means smoother transitions, nice blurred backgrounds. The 60mm portraits I saw were a bit harsh by their look. Also the new lenses will all have silent linear motors, the 60 (and the 35/1,4) don’t have that.
I will wait.
marco
5 months ago |the fixed lenses will use standard motors.
only the zooms will have linear motors.
Paul
5 months ago |Hear Hear Bernie!
Bernie Ess
5 months ago |Sorry, Paul, what do you mean?
Adrian
5 months ago |It’s a way of agreeing with someone
. He basically says that he agrees with you.
Gaffman
5 months ago |So much negativity around here
They’re not being jerks about lens releases… its pretty clear that the production capacities are stretched from product demand. Good things!
More concerning is the growing impression that Adobe & Friends have everything they need to better decode the X-Trans but they’re actively choosing not to.
I mightn’t be buying an X100s but I hope everyone one else does to shove more X-Trans into Adobes’ smug little faces.
Tim
5 months ago |I’m grateful they produced a lens roadmap at all. It enabled me to buy an expensive camera body NOW and know that in the future some of the lenses I want will be available.
Without that I would have had to purchase the only alternative, a Leica. And for me that is a Catch 22 situation because I can’t afford a Leica body and a Leica lens!
ggweci
5 months ago |Having an X100S on pre-order, this is by far the most important part for me:
“As far as I understand it, we have given each company all the algorithmic information that they need, and which they have requested to be able to make a more powerful and accurate RAW converter process.”
I look at this more optimistically than you and hope that it means that Adobe and Apple are definitely working on a solution for them to be able to work properly with the X-Trans sensor. Even though Fuji isn’t a top player like Nikon or Canon, they do have a dedicated following that is continuing to grow, so it would be of benefit for LR and Aperture to work properly with their current and all future products.
Gofordrink
5 months ago |“towards the end of the year or the beginning of 2014″
I guess that’s the same release period for xpro2?
Daniel
5 months ago |… with an for 23mm optimized hybrid viewfinder.
No, still I am quite dissatisfied with that possible new schedule.
u
5 months ago |I guess you might be onto something here.
chris
5 months ago |No surprise Fuji is pushing back the 23mm with the X100s coming, IMO its the same reason that Fuji didn’t have that lens from the introduction of the X system – its afraid of cannibalizing sales from the X100.
Sound business strategy for Fuji, sucks for users. I bet the Xpro2 and the XE2 hit with the new lenses at the end of the year – xpro2 at photokina – and the XE2 early next year so the whole X lineup will have Xtrans II.
When the current roadmap is flushed out and the XE2 hits, I’ll to buy into the X system for my travel camera if Fuji gives them full manual control over video. I’m just not impressed with the Nex roadmap and its the lack of fast lenses. I shoot lots of stills and video when I travel, I want both, so I’ll sit on my 5n and see what Fuji does.
Bernie Ess
5 months ago |There is no photokina in 2013 – only every 2 years…
kuishinbou
5 months ago |Yes, the way they favour the x100s over their interchangeable lens system is disappointing – the x100s will have far superior features and those features will likely not be introduced to an interchangeable lens camera anytime soon, especially considering that their lens road map is far off target now. The current x series camera system for interchangeable lenses is incomplete and still beta-like, which means I still can’t switch to Fuji…it is frustrating and am getting tired of waiting.
Christian
5 months ago |Reading that interview it’s unclear wheather the 30% improvement is compared to the X100 or the girst generation X-Trans. I believe its the X100, but I have not seen a definite answer to this anywhere..
marco
5 months ago |yes it’s compared to X100. (i saw it in the official fuji page)
i think the new X-trans is exactly like the old with phase detection sensors
Tom
5 months ago |I’m one of the few not-so-sentimental guys regarding the upcoming lenses. While it sucks the lenses are delayed, I rather want Fuji to perfect the lens — no distortion, minimal CA/flare, real MF focus. Patience will pay off.
The most interesting part of the interview though, it’s the film part. I wish there will be a major resurgence. Sorely missing those Astia and Provia.
Rob P
5 months ago |Guess I’ll need to hold onto my Zeiss 24mm for NEX a lot longer than I expected. Was hoping to see the 23mm f/1.4 by Spring. Oh well
Let’s hope it’s an awesome lens. Would like to see the pull-back ring with real manual focus (á la the new 21mm). If that’s there, and we get focus peaking for the XP1 (or an XP2), then it’ll be a near-perfect setup and worth the wait.
Tom
5 months ago |Most importantly, keep the cost down. The 14mm is too steep.
deng
5 months ago |Steep? Seriously?
Tom
5 months ago |I don’t know about you, but I’d think twice about spending $900 on a wide prime. The 3 initial lens were around $600, then the 18-55 costs $700, now the 14mm $900. Anyone wants to take a guess at the new lens MSRP?
deng
5 months ago |Its price is higher because it’s a much more complicated lens and heavily corrected its shortcomings in hardware as opposed to XF18 which is heavily corrected in software.
They just wanted it to be as close to perfection while still relatively keeping it small and light.
For such complex lens it’s still very cheap when compared to other brands.
deng
5 months ago |Also – if you want a cheaper super-wide lens – just wait for Samyang/Rokinon to produce it.
Sooner or later they will do it becaue they pretty much do it for all the mounts they can think of.
It will lack AF, lack EXIF, will be most likely distorted.
But on the other hand it’s price will be likely one third of Fuji and it will be sharp.
Aleste
5 months ago |No news about focus peaking in the E-X1?
marco
5 months ago |I agree.
for an aps/c 2.8 that’s really a lot.
if u think the new sigma 35 1.4 for full frame is the same price….
Aleste
5 months ago |No news about focus peaking in the E-X1?
Jared
5 months ago |Boo. I was hoping to get the wide angle zoom sooner. 10-24mm is the perfect range! I wouldn’t take the lens off the camera when hiking… Ah well, I guess I’ll keep my voigtlander 15 and maybe consider the voigtlander 12 or the upcoming zeiss 12.
CHD
5 months ago |Man…count me in as someone NOT happy with the pushed out dates for lens releases. Seriously…the 23mm and the 10-24 both pushed to possibly 1st quarter of 2014??? Brutal. As an early XPro1 buyer that means almost 2 years from when I bought the camera.
I understand it takes time to come out with the lenses but this is a MAJOR deviance from the roadmap.
CHD
5 months ago |If Zeiss comes out with their promised 12mm first….I think they get my money.
Marc
5 months ago |I for one am quite pleased as I find the long zoom and especially the pancake 27mm to be much more useful additions to the line-up. They make perfect sense to me: If I want to shoot at 23mm I can use my zoom. If I wanted to go wider than 18mm I could buy the 14mm (no need, though). But at the moment I cannot go longer than 60mm nor can I transform my X-E1 into a more compact model. Don’t forget that the 23mm is not a small lens.
Marc
kuishinbou
5 months ago |I agree…the telephoto lens should be great and makes the system more complete. I would be happier if they introduced the 10 – 22 mm in the spring as well, as 14mm is not wide enough. The Zeiss 12mm may be a good option though, depending on the quality of the lens. That said, I wish they were introducing the new sensor and features in an interchangeable lens camera, as that should be a fantastic camera and true replacement for my DSLR – but should have minimum shutter speed settings for auto ISO, if they are smart. I am not really interested in buying the beta-like x-E1, as it still appears to have AF issues and does not have minimum shutter speed settings for auto ISO…
u
5 months ago |> If I want to shoot at 23mm I can use my zoom.
if you want to shoot any non-long focal length you can use your zoom just as well
> nor can I transform my X-E1 into a more compact model.
Yes, you can: 18mm f/2
Marc
5 months ago |OK, I should have been more precise:
… nor can I transform my X-E1 into a more compact model *with a versatile, general purpose focal-length*
The 18mm is just too wide for my taste and the the 27mm will be noticeably more compact.