Fujifilm X30 and Fujifilm XQ2 Officially Discontinued: the Death of Fuji’s 2/3 sensor X-cameras? :: Dpr Compact Camera Roundup

pps

It’s over, for the Fujifilm X30 and Fujifilm XQ2. The are now officially discontinued!

If you think this means the Fujifilm X40 is coming, well, don’t put too much hope into it. Knowing Fuji, nobody can 100% exclude that there will be, eventually, one day, a successor called X40… but currently there is no such thing on the horizon. Read the Trusted Japanese Source rumor here.

What we are assisting now, is probably the definitive death of Fuji’s 2/3 sensor X-series camera line. And looking at the very low sales of these cameras, I guess most X-shooters won’t really miss them. Already a few days after its launch, it was clear that the X30 was a failure (read my X30: Bad Start & Low Sales article). The reason is simple: as dpreview says in today’s Compact Camera roundup here “we don’t like the small sensor compared to competition“.

But what is bad for Fujifilm, is good for deal hunters. Just look for [shoplink 28445 ebay]X30 ebay deals here[/shoplink] and [shoplink 45049 ebay]XQ2 ebay deals here[/shoplink].

Fuji X30: USA: [shoplink 28445 ebay]eBay[/shoplink] / AmazonUS / BHphoto / FocusCamera / Adorama / Pictureline – EUROPE: [shoplink 28445 ebay]eBay[/shoplink] / AmazonDE
Fuji XQ2: USA: [shoplink 45049 ebay]eBay[/shoplink] / AmazonUS / BHphoto / FocusCamera / Adorama EUROPE: [shoplink 45049 ebay]eBay[/shoplink] / AmazonDE / AmazonUK / AmazonITA

Full List of Today’s Gold Box Deals: AmazonUS, BHphoto, AmazonDE, AmazonUK

almost weekend ;) ,
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The Making of the XF35mmF2 :: “Designed for X-Pro2! Construction is more luxurious than XF35mmF1.4”

 

X-Pro2 + XF35mmF2 designed together

XF35mmF2 was announced and released prior to X-Pro2, but the product planning took place concurrently. The fact is, the product planner of X-Pro2 and XF35mmF2 is the same person. Furthermore, the product designer is also the same person.

[…] X-Pro2 and XF35mmF2 were planned and developed to be the best match for each other.

The Lens Design & Construction

First, XF35mmF2 is skinny. It’s not small, but skinny. It only measures 60mm in the largest diameter. If it is smaller than 60mm, then everything would fit within the body mount. It looks nice and clean when the lens is attached to the body and minimizes the vignetting in the OVF. Everyone would like the clear view.

XF35mmF2 is also quiet. […] If the lens is noisy, then it is pointless to have a quiet camera.

[…] If you look at the number of lens alone, XF35mmF2 comprises 9 elements in 6 groups (including two aspherical lenses). This construction is more luxurious than XF35F1.4. The aspherical lens is really effective for the compact optical length.

[…] In order to meet the requirement within the small lens barrel, metal barrel with high rigidity is used. We minimized the size by making each parts with multi-purpose. XF35F2 uses all metal parts for the exterior. […] In order to process the fast AF, actuator and micro computer are installed.

Other criteria had to be met to be in the XF lens lineup. To have 1/3 step aperture ring, new click mechanism was developed. Two balls are positioned, so that there will be an assuring click even though the rotation distance is short.

Do you guys own both, the XF35mmF2 and XF35mmF1.4? Feel free to share your feedback about these lenses in the comments.

XF35mmF2 WR: USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / FocusCamera / Adorama / EU: PCHstore / AmazonUK / AmazonITA /
XF 35mmF1.4: AmazonUS / BHphoto / FocusCamera / Adorama / Pictureline – EUROPE: AmazonDE

[UDPATED] Fujifilm X70 wide angle adapter (WCL-X70) available for Pre-order!

WLCKSAH

Recently Fujifilm released a Firmware update for the Fujifilm X70. It added support for the WCL-X70, which will be available very soon.

Well, you can now pre-order the WLC-X70 at BHphoto, AmazonUS and Adorama.

UPDATE: For image samples check out Fuji’s official page.

The WCL-X70 is a dedicated wide conversion lens that multiples the fixed focal length by approx. 0.8x, converting it to 21mm (35mm format equivalent). Not only does this lens emphasize perspective, it is also perfect for capturing a broader view such as when shooting in tight spots or landscapes.

Sony Sensor Factory will Resume Operations at the End of May :: Will this delay affect the release of the Fuji X-T2?

There is a further press release regarding the Kumamoto Sony sensor production facility that was hit by the earthquake earlier this month (via SonyAlphaRumors).

Sony says they will resume operations at the End of May.

As you know, Sony makes the APS-C sensors for Fujifilm. For now I still believe the X-T2 will be announced in late June / early July. However, we can’t exclude that it will be available on the market later than orignially planed.

Status of Sony Group Manufacturing Operations Affected by 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes (Third Update)

Due to the earthquake of April 14, 2016 and subsequent earthquakes in the Kumamoto region, operations at Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation’s Kumamoto Technology Center (located in Kikuchi Gun, Kumamoto Prefecture), which is the primary manufacturing site of image sensors for digital cameras and security cameras as well as micro-display devices, were halted and currently remain suspended. With aftershocks continuing and employee safety the foremost priority, inspections of the facility and the development of a recovery plan remain ongoing. The current status of operations for the Kumamoto Technology Center is as follows:
  • Damage to the building itself has been confirmed to be primarily to the upper layer of the building, and reinforcement work will be carried out in this area.
  • The clean rooms used for wafer processing and manufacturing equipment, both located on the lower layer of the building have not been significantly damaged, and preparations are now underway to resume production. Manufacturing operations are targeted to resume around the end of May 2016.
  • Regarding back-end processes, such as assembly and measurement, as well as processing operations for components such as camera modules, which are carried out on the upper layer of the building, Sony has confirmed that there is damage to the clean rooms, manufacturing equipment and other equipment. Further analysis of the extent of this damage is currently underway.
  • Damage to finished product inventory such as image sensors at Kumamoto Technology Center is limited, and shipments of these products have already resumed. The status of semi-finished and uncompleted products is currently being confirmed.

The impact of the earthquakes on Sony Corporation’s (“Sony”) consolidated results continues to be evaluated. In the Devices segment, there is expected to be direct physical damage to Kumamoto Technology Center. Sony expects to incur expenses primarily for recovery and reinforcement work in response to the physical damage to the relevant portion of the Kumamoto Technology Center. Sony may also incur large opportunity losses, mainly in the Devices and Imaging Products & Solutions segments due to suspension of production for a certain period of time.

In addition, due to the suspension of manufacturing operations at Kumamoto Technology Center and potential disruption to the supply of components to Sony from certain third-party suppliers that also have manufacturing facilities in the Kumamoto region, it is possible that business operations within the Mobile Communications, Game & Network Services and Home Entertainment & Sound segments also may be affected. This potential impact is currently being evaluated.