There is a movie coming up called “Hector and the Search for Happiness”. It’s about a psychiatrist that changes his life and searches the globe to find the secret of happiness. Now guess what his travel camera is? Yes, the X100S will go with him all the way, and you can also see it in the trailer at 1:28 or in this image here.

This is definitely a masterpiece… I mean the X100S ;-). I don’t know if the movie is good too, but I have a good reason to watch it ones it’s out here in Europe.

Now, X100/S owners, what is your experience when you travel with it?

Debarshi Duttagupta‎: Im a landscape Photographer from Calcutta, India using the Xpro1 and X100s.

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The rumors, the deals, the news, the gear discussions… it is all well and good. But at the end of the story there is an X-shooter somewhere on this globe composing an image and pressing the shutter button. So let’s take a short break from the ordinary Fujirumors rumors/news/deals mill and focus on the one thing that at the end really matters: the image.

These shots were all shared and voted on the FR-facebook photostream by passionate X-shooters all over the world. Thanks a lot for that. If you also have an absolute favorite image to show, don’t hesitate to share.

How to share images: go to the Fujirumors timeline, click “Photo/Video” and post your image and your comment. They will then be visible at the FR-facebook photostream. The most liked ones will be featured in the next X-shooter Facebook zone.

I wish you a good start in this new week,
facebook, google+, RSS-feed and twitter

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Ata Mohammad Adnan: A man praying his Asr prayers before the main farz prayers. Jamat Al Falah Mosque, Chittagong. Camera: Fuji X-E2 + 18mm f/2.

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Sean Marc Lee: Nago Beach, Okinawa, Japan. Fuji XT1 + 35mm. iso 200, f2.8/ 1/4000

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Bertie Pearson: At the Rodeo with the XT1 and 35mm 1.4

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James Day‎: Yosemite National Park. Fuji X-T1 & 10-24mm f4. Edited in Lightroom with VSCO 5 Presets for Fuji X. more here: www.facebook.com/jamesdayweddings

Push the READ MORE button, to see more Top Liked images

As to expect, the first bunch of lenses run quickly out of stock at Adorama and Pictureline. But you can still find some at AmazonUS and BestBuy.

And now also BHphoto has the lens available here.

In Stock Check

USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / [shoplink 26452 ebay]eBay[/shoplink] / – EUROPE: wexUK / wexDE / PCHstore / [shoplink 26452 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]

– Fuji XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens — a hands-on review at aboutphotography-tomgrill: “If it’s bokeh you’re after in selective focus, this lens is not going to have it. The slow maximum apertures work against it. Once again, however, Fuji has surprised us with a few tricks up their sleeve to deliver the best performance from a lens type that is typically only suited for amateur or very casual shooting. The weather-resistance, new auto-focus, incredible vibration reduction range, and fine optical performance helps make this a lens hold its own in the Fuji optical line up.”

– Initial Impression of the new Fujifilm 18-135 lens at vicsfujixblog: “My initial impressions after I have literally had this lens in my possession for five hours- Outstanding! It has the usual Fuji quality, produces sharp pics, has a nice weight, the zoom and aperture ring move perfectly and it is a joy to carry around on the X-T1. I feel it is a great value for $899. I could easily travel with just this lens. I have a wide-angle and short telephoto. I could do close-ups, landscape and portraits too. Great lens. Buy it!”

– FUJINON XF 18-135mm F3.5/5.6 WR OIS – Reviewed at bokeh-monster: “Once you sum up all the points from the widely varying situations we tossed its way, it has to be said, although it performed admirably, it is terribly boring, with little character. It does what it does with no surprises. It is very suited to small aperture photographers (situations which benefit large depths of field, for example landscape work) and covers a general purpose focal range which will get you by for most situations. You could definitely do worse for a travel lens. And as long as action stopping low light photography with razor thin bokeh are not part of your repertoire, then the new FUJINON 18-135 mm might just be the one you have been waiting for.”

When Fujifilm published its latest roadmap, the big surprises weren’t the new lenses Fuji added (they were all already known since months thanks to the FR-sources), but the fact that apparently the weather resistant XF 16-55F2.8 lens won’t feature the OIS (optical image stabilization) anymore.

I don’t get it. Fujifilm’s marketing is right now explaining us that the OIS in the brand new XF 18-135 is so awesome, that you hardly need a tripod anymore. They show us videos comparing its OIS technology with the one of the Canon’s 18-135 (and the Fujinon wins hands down), with the XF lens taking nice, sharp photos even at 1/4th of a second.

Why should the amazing 5.0 Stop Image Stabilization technology not be included in the XF 16-55mm?

Last week I’ve asked this question over at the FR-facebook page. And most of the X-shooters agreed: no OIS on the 16-55, no buy.

I also wanted Fuji to include the OIS in the 90mm. In this case opinions differ: some say that the 90F2 prime needs OIS too, others want to keep costs, size and weight down and therefore do not want OIS. For example James Kimber, who said: “OIS is a lifesaver for zooms. I like my primes as compact as possible though.”

Personally I’d like to have OIS in both lenses and then switch it on/off according to the situation. But that’s just my humble opinion.

Now, as promised, I’d like to hear your opinion. Make your considerations, feel free to share them in the comments, and finally simply vote the poll: do you want the OIS in these two lenses? Yes or No!

I hope/think that someone in Tokyo will take note of your feedback ;-).

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

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In stock update: the XF18-135 is right now available at AmazonUS (via 3rd party [Murphy’s camera], 1 left at normal price), at BestBuy and at Adorama. There are still 3 available at kenmorecamera here (99,9% positive feedback). In Europe it’s available at PCHstore.