XF 10-24: shipping soon in Japan + X-T1 + 10-24 first impressions

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Fuji XF 10-24mm: [shopcountry 20414]

X-T1: Kit in Stock at AmazonUS and Adorama, body only at Bestbuy here.

X-T1: [shopcountry 21553]

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X-shooter Roger (US) wrote me an email with the following information: “The dealer in Japan that I purchased 56mm lens from just informed me that the 10-24mm lens arrived today and I purchased for $ 1010. Should have it next Monday or Tuesday.” [shoplink 22646 ebay]Here is the Japanese eBay reseller[/shoplink] who has the 10-24 in stock. Roger said that “The dealer in Tokyo that I referenced earlier has now posted this lens on Ebay at $ 1090. The posting does not say how many are available. I have purchased the 56mm lens in the past and it was shipped same day and packed extremely well. EMS Express shipping was 4 days to West Coast. The 10-24mm was ordered and shipped today. This is a reliable dealer and prices lower that other Ebay sellers in Japan.”

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First Impressions

– Camera Preview: Fujifilm X-T1 with XF 10-24mm F/4 R OIS at bigheadtaco here: “This camera is everything that all the hype built it up to be. This camera is a game changer (I hate to use this term since everyone is using it); and I think that companies that haven’t invested into the larger sensor (APS-C and full-frame) mirrorless camera market (Canon, Nikon, Pentax) better beware. Although I highly respect the micro 4/3 system (amazing variety of bodies and lenses), I think many are now thinking about upgrading (sensor-wise) to the Fujifilm X series with their eyes on the X-T1. […] Overall, a great lens [10-24] and a great addition to the already complete line up of lenses in the X-series. The size and weight is equal to the complexity of the design and performance of this lens. It’s very addictive being able to shoot so wide, and I found myself just walking around and taking in the world at 10mm!! Ideally, I did find that I preferred shooting no wider than 14mm when shooting street.”

–  My first pictures with the new Fujifilm XF 10-24 F4 R OIS  at mworsdorfer here: ” Before I share the following images with you I have to say a few words about the new XF10-24. If you think this lens is small and compact, you’ll be disappointed. It is pretty much exactly the same size as for instance [shoplink 22639]Nikon’s 10-24[/shoplink] or [shoplink 22640]12-24[/shoplink] equivalent. However, there is absolutely no way that you can compare these lenses. ”

 

“Just a hell of a lot of fun!” (the Verge X-T1 review) + Gariz leather case available

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Gariz just released the [shoplink 22595 ebay]new leather case for the X-T1 here[/shoplink]. Several colors available.

theverge review here: “And at the end of the day, shooting pictures with the X-T1 is just a hell of a lot of fun, making it really hard to put down. Between that and its rock-solid performance when I need it to grab the perfect shot quickly and without fuss, it’s a near-perfect camera for me. Next year, I won’t have much of a problem choosing which camera comes with me to Barcelona — the X-T1 will be in my bag.”

In stock check

Fuji X-T1: [shopcountry 21553]

XF 56mm review at photographyblog: “Must have lens for Fuji X-mount users”

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Fuji XF 56mm: [shopcountry 21554]

– 5 out of 5 stars for the XF 56mm. Read the full review of photographyblog here:

“Priced at £899.99 / $999.99, the Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R is something of a considered purchase, but we found it to be a very adaptable lens that can be used for a lot more things than just portraiture, helping to justify the cost. We’d definitely recommend the new Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R as a must-have lens for all Fujifilm X-mount users.”

[UPDATE] FR-reader Tobias sent me his comments about the photographyblog review via email. He said that “Hello Patrick, the photographyblog test shows some edge softness at wide apertures. But his test is flawed. I tried it: the edge softness occurs only at minimum focusing distance! Just 20cm-40cm further away from the subject, the sharpness is fantastic across the frame, right up to the edge.”

– A Bikini Model and the Fuji XF56mmF1.2 R Lens at joshmcleodphotography here: “It is probably one of the most impressive lenses I have shot with… EVER! Even wide-open the lens performed exceptionally well. Shooting directly into bright sunlight also posed no problem for this little gem… lens flare was non existent, the autofocus was both fast and accurate and the images it produced are far far better than I could have hoped for, even the JPG’s (Lightroom still has no support of the X-T1 RAW files). In fact I am so impressed with its wide-open performance I am about to pull the trigger on a variable ND filter so I can shoot at F1.2 all the time.”

– first impressions at admiringlight here: “At first blush, Fuji has created a heck of a lens with the XF 56mm f/1.2.”

– “On the XE2 it certainly looks a beast. The combo may lesson one handed shooting overall, but a two handed grasp feels just right. Focus is assured and snappy and the lens is buttery smooth (and this would be butter churned by dusky maidens with long limbs and faultless skin smooth). And the bokeh, well it’s a Fuji lens with a max aperture of F/1.2, it’s fujilicious.” Read more at draigphotography here.

miXed zone: X-T1, 56, 10-24 reviews, new Fujifilm Magazine (no.3) and more

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Fuji X-T1: [shopcountry 21553]

kit in stock at BHphoto

– low light AF and EVF test on youtube here.

– My Fujifilm Love Affair – a X-T1 & XF56mmF1.2 R two week review at jkspepper here: “Why am I calling this a love affair?  Perhaps it’s because this best sums up the experience I have for the Fujifilm devices, both the newly released X-T1 and the aging X-E1 before it. […] The biggest change however is not with the technology of X-T1 AF system but rather my own perception of it; I no longer seem to worry about focus anymore.  With my other cameras (the new Sony A7R included), I always have an expectation of AF failure which is one of the reasons why I set my cameras to back button focus and DMF; I never rely on AF and can manually override as necessary.  Shooting the X-T1 over the last few weeks I have realised I no longer assess a scene with the same mentality as when I shoot with the RX1, X-E1 or A7R, I haven’t even used MF.  I’m not saying it’s perfect or even close to a dedicated PDAF system but it’s definitely more usable in many more situations than before.”

–  Talking about Fujifilm’s X-T1 with an Australian Fuji rep on here.

– X-T1 + 60mm focus speed test here on youtube.

– review at nikonglass here: “Other reviewers are noting how the X-T1 is merely an evolution of the XE2 but for me a diehard DSLR user, the X-T1 is actually a game changer that has the potential to shake Nikon and Canon so hard that they will be forced to answer back sooner than later.” For AF tips and setup suggestions click here.

– Fuji X-T1 the pro’s and con’s thebigpicturegallery here: “So a big question I have heard alot of people asking, is how is the AF and focus tracking, well put it this way, my Nikon D3 bodies are totally redundant now. The af and focus tracking speed of this camera is fantastic. I shot an event yesterday where fast camera reactions were needed, shooting with the 55-200 zoom I captured frame after frame of in focus shots, its that quick at focus and tracking,I was also shooting the X pro 1 with the 14mm attached, the speed difference is quite amazing, where the X pro 1 has a little think before shooting, the Xt1 is pretty instant. As good as a DSLR maybe not quite but its a smidgen difference.”

– Fuji X-T1…. a quick 1st impression at tonysweet here: “The autofocus is a quantum leap from the Xpro 1 and the XE-2, which is to be expected as the technology advances.”

– 10 First Impressions on the Fuji X-T1 at bcapphoto here: “The depressed buttons on the directional pad will take a bit of getting used to. They aren’t as easy to press as with the X-E2 and other models.

– First impressions at jekuarce here: “Earlier this week I had a chance to touch, taste, smell, and feel the new Fujifilm X-T1. I’m trying to lighten my load of camera gear. My Canon 5DMIIs are just too heavy for me. They pack weight when traveling. I’m a small guy so I can’t carry much with me. I was hoping to switch over completely to Fujifilm with this camera (I do own a x100s).”

– First Long Exposures with the Fujifilm X-T1 at stephenip here: “As you can see, the good for me outweighs the bad. While the X-T1 isn’t perfect, it does offer several improvements for long exposure photography over the X-Pro1. The biggest ones being the new EVF and tilting LCD. Are these must have improvements, not by any means. But since I was in the market for a new camera, they are certainly welcomed.”

– Fuji X-T1 + 23mm – Sony A7 + 35mm – Panasonic GX7 + 17mm Comparison at soundimageplus here: “So what does this prove? Well to me it proves firstly that differences between camera / lens combinations aren’t as great as often stated and secondly, apart from the odd exception, camera and lens choice for me is as much about handling, design, ease of use and enjoying the process as it is about marginal differences in image quality.” Further comparison between these cameras here: “A sensor / camera combination with the image quality of an A7r, the high ISO performance of the Fuji X series and the video quality of the GH3 would be something to behold, but we will have to dream on for that.”

– Gid Ferrer: “Just want to share some photos using the XT1 with the 18-55, 14mm, and the [shoplink 12946 ebay]Samyang 8mm[/shoplink] Fish eye.” See them on his Flickr here.

 XF 56mm f/1.2
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– The Dream Team – Completed! Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R review at olafblog here: “I could write a lot more but I would probably lose all my credibility as a lens reviewer – that’s how much this lens has impressed me. After using this lens on numerous assignments I decided to share with you more images than usual over the next few weeks. They include landscape shots, street photography, portraits and weddings.”

– X-T1 + 56mm model shoot at f-sunny here: “The lens reminds me of my Canon 85mm f/1.2L – another portrait specialist – it has that smooth bokeh and wonderful contrast – it just makes people look gorgeous!”

– A day with… Fuji 56mm 1.2 R at sebimagery here: “The build, the feel, and the optical quality of the Fuji 56mm 1.2 R are simply top notch.  You toss in the fact that it’s under $1000!!!  Unbelievable!!

– Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 lens – Hands on review at aboutphotography here: “Let’s just get this out of the way up front: This lens is sharp. It is sharp in the corners, sharp in the center, even sharp in the corners wide open at f/1.2. On top of that it has no discernible distortion, and internal focus is fast and quiet.”

XF 10-24
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EYES WIDE OPEN – First Thoughts on the XF 10-24 F4 R OIS at olafblog here: “I have spent the weekend shooting almost all my imagery at the wide-end of this lens, 10mm. What an impact it creates! While it is too early to evaluate all the technical attributes and write a full review of this lens, I can say with full confidence that if you are a serious landscape photographer, this lens should find its way into your bag.”

 X-E2
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 – Omar Barcenas: “Hey Patrick, Just letting you know I’ve shot my first wedding with a XE 2 (with a 23mm 1.4 and a 35mm 1.4) and D700 combo. What I found was that the XE 2 had really beautiful color that hardly needed work, where as the D700 took a lot more effort to get pleasing colors and skin tones. The bride getting was shot with the XE 2 and 23mm, while the ceremony was the D700, because I needed the fast AF. What I found was that the D700 colors needed a lot of work to get pleasing colors, where as the XE 2 was 90% there and just needed a little tweak… But with the XT 1 coming, all my gear will be Fuji in the future, I won’t need the AF from the D700 anymore. http://www.omarbarcenas.com/projects/commercial/jonathan-yvonne/

– Dustin: “Not sure if this is the right way to contact you about this but I thought you might be interested in some photos I made with my X-E2 and 23mm f/1.4“. See them here at dustinfranzphotography.

X100S
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 – John: “Hi, I’ve followed your site for a while and wanted to share with you and your readers a recent photo project I completed with the X100S while also challenging myself to use it as my primary camera for three months.  Hope you enjoy: see it here.”

– Fuji X100s Review: Awesomesauce at theglezzdaily here.

– The x100/x100s must have accessory at sebimagery here.

– Made with a X100S at furfur here (translation).

– Review: Fujifilm x100s – The perfect Image at doublexposurephoto here: “If it wasn’t obvious thus far, I LOVE this camera. After waiting a long while for it and reading so many positive reviews I was wondering if the it could stand up to my overblown expectations of it. Turns out it easily does! The camera never leaves my sight. I can take it everywhere I go and not be burdened by it. In fact, I rarely use my Canon any more. I was looking for a smaller camera to go along my DSLR and ended up finding a whole new photographic experience.

X-E1
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 – Richard Hinton “I started shooting with a Fuji X-E1 last summer, and I am hooked on Fuji. I plan on building my Fuji system, and stop building my Nikon system. I even revived my website. Thought maybe some people would like to see my images.” Visit his blog imbuedimages here.

– Ray Wong: “I just recently spent a month in India with my X-E1 and three XF lenses.  I’ve written about my experience with that kit and have included a link to some photos.  If you think it’s worthwhile sharing on your blog, feel free.” Ray Wong’s Flickr / travel photography Flickr:Body: Fujifilm X-E1. All black with electrical tape covering the logo. I’m very pleased with how it performed. It’s discreet, durable, and light weight. I definitely did not baby this camera. I used it in the Indian Himalayas where it was constantly exposed to below freezing temperatures, the deserts of Rajistan where sand was the main risk, and in the dense urban areas where it was consistently bumped around. Not once did it give me any trouble. It’s light weight was important. I spent hours climbing around the different monasteries at high altitude in the Himalayas. The weight never burdened me even in that environment.”

– Bristol in February at fujiphotographer here: “Quality is terrific straight out of camera, I’m always enjoying the experience of picking up my X-E1 and just taking photos.”

– Jeremy: “Hi Patrick, I’ve been a follower of your blog FujiRumors.com for some time now, probably since the rumors of the X-E1 started circulating.  I probably visit your blog twice a day on average.  I am a huge fan of Fuji cameras and have owned an X-E1 for well over a year now.  I don’t shoot exclusively Fuji; most of the time I mix it up with a D800 and a Leica M9.  But there are a few occasions where I only take out the Fuji.  I have listed couple of blog posts of my own below that are where exclusively shot with the Fuji X-E1 and the 35mm f/1.4. I hope you find them a testament to the creative possibilities these cameras can open up for a photographer/artist. From my photography site (Attending a concert with the X-E1) / From my personal site (Ukraine the beautiful).

X-PRO1
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– Michael McQueen: “So my trip is coming to an abrupt end in the coming days but I was able to witness the showman ship of the Uruguayan Carnaval.. the longest carnival in the world.. lasting 40 days. This photo essay was shot on just one. Check it out.”

– March 3rd, 2014 ….. Fuji XP1 and 35mm 1.4 … Kills The Fuji XT1…) for Me! at streetshooter here.

– A wander around Lincoln to test Fuji X-Pro 1 settings at patrickstubbs here.

– An Afternoon in Paris at danielincandela here.

– Fuji X Pro 1 and VSCO pack 05…street photography Liverpool at ianmacmichael here.

– Travel Photography With Fujifilm X-Pro1 | Destination : Nepal | Doors of Nepal at shukurjahar here.

– Ground Level – Fujifilm X-Pro1 & XF 60mm 2.4 R Macro at roblowephoto here.

X100
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– Street Photography with the Fuji X100 at colinnichollsphotography here.

lenses

– Fujifilm 16-50mm Lens Review: This lightweight and budget-friendly Fujinon kit zoom shows impressive image quality at imaging-resource here.

RAW-conversion

 – Create your own Lightroom Plug-ins with Photoshop Droplets at thomasfitzgeraldphotography here: “To start, as part of my on-going quest to get the most out of Fuji X-Trans files, I had been working on a way to clean up the weird edges that Lightroom can give with x-trans files. I ended up with quite a complex photoshop action, which actually works quite well (more on that in a future post) and also adds some sharpening and a few other things.”

a little bit of everything

– Why WiFi or How the Fujifilm Camera App saved me at doncraigphoto here: “Nice to have the engineers of these cameras developing technology that I don’t think I need until, well, I need it. And, it just works. Great.”

Why do we like black and white photographs? at stockografie here.

– New FujiFilm Magazine is out! issue no.3! Read it here.

lens deals (great also for EU-citizens)

BHphoto: New Benefits for International Customers: PayPal now open to all countries!

XF 14mm: $200 off (price $700) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline
XF 18mm: $200 off (price $400) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline
XF 23mm: $150 off (price $750) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline
XF 27mm: $250 off (price $200) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline
XF 35mm: $150 off (price $450) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline
XF 60mm: $250 off (price $400) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline
XF 55-200: $200 off (price $500) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline

German FR-reader Luzu explains how to order from Europe: “Choose UPS for international delivery, their option “UPS Super Saver” for around 45$ is the cheapest anyways. If you “pay on delivery”, UPS will handle all the customs work for you and deliver the item home to you where you pay the customs costs directly to the mailman. No going to customs office needed! Declaration of the deliveries from B&H is made very professionally by them and UPS, so I guess German customs are seldom stopping them. I already ordered two lenses this way (the 27mm and the 55-200mm) without problems! Btw.: The delivery is by plane and super fast … around two days only!

Light Leak Problem: Fuji GER says “just a few X-T1 affected and repaired within 10 days”

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Light Leak

A German FR-reader asked Fuji Germany for a solution with regard to the light leak issue on his X-T1 (I’ve reported about this problem here). They said that the problem affects just a few cameras (“es sind einige wenige Kameras betroffen“) and they will take the camera via UPS, fix it within 10 days and sent it back to him.

[UPDATE: The German FR-reader just told me that his local reseller replaced his X-T1 (so no need to go through the repair service), but the new camera suffers from light leak too… I don’t know how reliable Fuji is when they say “just a few cameras” are affected by the light leak]

Also my buddy Andrea of sonyalpharumors writes about the light leak… but on the [shoplink 19559]Sony A7[/shoplink] (read here)… it occurs when you use flash and the light filters into the camera even when all the doors and covers are closed. But the A7 light leak is a non issue, accoring to imaging-resource. They say that the [shoplink 13457]Canon 5D Mark III[/shoplink] leakes even more (as other Nikon and Canon cameras).

And what’s your experience with the Fuji service?

P.S: TJ Donegan via fujirumor [at] gmail.com : “Just wanted to let you know that we put up a nice article explaining the X-T1’s light leak issue, where it comes from, how it compares to other cameras, and how to fix it. The secret is pretty simple, as you’d expect: Gaffer’s tape. Anyway the link is here, feel free to grab the hero image or any of the shots from the post, we just ask that you credit Reviewed.com.

First Impressions

X-shooter Sabino did the upgrade from the X-E1 to the X-T1… and he seems to enjoy it. You can read his first impressions in English here, or here in Italian: “Well, let’s start with the only thing that i would like to change on this new Fuji camera: the 4 selection buttons on the front side are definitely to small… but I will get used to… Apart from this, the X-T1 it’s one step more in the photographer’s paradise!!”

In Stock Check

the kit is in stock at Amazon and the body at Adorama

X-T1 body only ($1,299): USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / EU: wexDE / wexUK / PCHstore /
X-T1 with 18-55 ($1,699): USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / EU: wexDE / wexUK / PCHstore /