image courtesy: riflessifotografici

He really knows his job! Max just shared his XF23mm review at riflessifotografici. Will he say WOW again? Read it here (English version).

“There are lenses that give you the answer as soon as you attach them to your camera giving you the confidence that many satisfactions will come with them. This is what happened (for me, of course) with the Nikkor 85mm F1.4D and the 35mm F1.4G, the Leica Summicron 35mm pre-asph and the Zeiss Sonnar 35mm F2 of the [shoplink 14322]RX1[/shoplink].

You look through the viewfinder, shoot, look at your picture and just say…WOW!

[XF23mm] the lens is sharp even wide open, it has a great flare resistance and it’s unbelievably corrected against distortion.

Fuji XF 23mm: [shopcountry 16128]

According to soundimageplus the phase detection update for Fuji XF and XC lenses (available here) made the AF on the X-E2 definitely faster… so fast that soundimageplus can’t really tell if there is a difference to his [shoplink 15259]Panasonic GH3[/shoplink] (which is considered one of the fastest)!

“Moving between close up and distance is also lightning fast. I even tried it in a very dark cupboard and again it worked very well and locked on quickly and accurately. […] I can say that the X-E2 with this update has demolished the notion that Fuji X cameras are sluggish at AF. There is now (unfortunately for the people who own them) a significant and observable difference between this camera and the X-Pro 1 and X-E1.”

Read more at soundimageplus’ blog here.

FR-reader flesix said in the comments to the previous FR-post here that on his 35 and 60mm “the AF is certainly better when using the inner 9 AF points (that feature PDAF), but the improvements vary a lot. From almost unnoticable to tremendous.”

Keep it up, share your findings in the comments.

Is this the kind of news you’ve waited for to switch to the X? Then here is where you can get your brand new X-E2! (And read Rico’s first look at the X-E2 here.)

X-E2 – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / Fotomundus24 GER / PCHstore / AmazonDE (via DR) / AmazonUK (via DR)

Pre-order now also at AmazonUK

X-E2 – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / Fotomundus24 GER / PCHstore / AmazonDE (via DR) / AmazonUK (via DR)

XQ1 – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / PCHstore / AmazonDE (via DR) /AmazonUK (via DR)

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The big question is: how fast is the AF on the new X-E2 really? The AF-performance was maybe the only real weak spot of the overall amazing X-system. Although much improved firmware after firmware, the AF of the X-E1 still can’t catch up with the records of Panasonic and Olympus.

What changed with the X-E2? Bert Stephani tested the AF-performance during Kobe’s soccer game:

“The X-E2 has an AF system that combines contrast detection and phase detection technologies. Theoretically this should improve focus speed a lot, particularly in good light. So I took the X-E2 and the [shoplink 12892]55-200[/shoplink] to Kobe’s soccer game last weekend to give the AF a serious challenge.

I didn’t expect the X-E2 to focus as fast as a Canon 1Dx or a Nikon D4 but I also didn’t expect it to be really useable for shooting soccer. But to my surprise it held up pretty well and I got quite a few action shots. The continuous focus is still a bit hit or miss, but it focusses so fast that I got some nice stuff in single shot focus mode.

I’ve seen some impressive numbers about the focus speed after the lenses will have received a firmware update, so things can only get even better in the near future. “

Read Bert’s full article (and see his shots) here at confessionsxl.com.

image courtesy: confessionsxl

USA: AmazonUS  / eBay / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / DigitalRev EUROPE: AmazonUK (via DR) / DigitalRev / eBay

1) We know it, the X-A1 doesn’t feature an X-Trans sensor and has an AA-filter… but don’t worry, the image quality is still impressive! According to trustedreviews there isn’t a camera in the X-A1 price range that delivers better ISO results than the cheapest X-series camera. Outstanding ISO performance and details, good battery live (Fuji quotes 350 shots but trustedreviews shot almost 400 “including usage of the Wi-Fi feature and several shots with flash“), impressive operational speed:

“Indeed, the sharpness of the Fujifilm lenses and the camera’s impressive image processing combine to deliver a level of detail some way ahead of expectations.”

2) steve-digicams X-A1 review is online here: “Low light performance was outstanding. As you will see on our Samples page, noise is not much of a concern with the X-A1. The camera offers a very impressive ability to shoot in dimly lit situations without introducing a distracting amount of digital noise. […] The biggest disappointment with the auto focus is that it does not operate in burst mode. […] The mirrorless camera market has a serious contender in the X-A1. Its APS-C sensor, high image quality, and stellar low-light performance make it a very attractive option. Fast burst shooting in both JPEG and RAW formats sweetens the deal.”

3) It’s again: Fuji X-M1 vs Fuji X-A1. This time it’s the Spanish site dslrmagazine that compares them here (translation). As already shown by Rico (here and here) and Max (riflessifotografici here), the X-M1 with X-Trans sensor delivers better results also according to dslrmagazine.

So the X-Trans is “superior” to the Bayer sensor. You’ll notice the difference especially at higher ISO’s and if you set the NR at its minimum (and especially if you pixel peep!). But if the better image quality is worth the $200 extra is another question. Both cameras deliver great results. The X-A1 seems to be the better deal for dslrmagazine: loose a bit of image quality, but save $200!

image courtesy: dslrmagazine

first bunch of lenses is shipping

The Spanish site dslrmagazine shared its XF23mm review (mounted on a X-E2). Read the result of their field test here (translation). It’s a high quality lens with “character”, beautiful bokeh, no distortion, very little lens flare… lot of great feedback! For their technical test click here (tranlsation). They say it’s worth every cent: “From a technical point of view, image quality, those opting for this lens will soon discover they have made a good investment with € 929.”

photzone‘s XC 16-50 review can be read here: “The Fujinon XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS is a fairly good standard zoom lens but it doesn’t really stand out due to a number of weaknesses. In terms of resolution, the quality is generally high in the image center and decent in the outer image field. The lens relies heavily on auto-correction with respect to its native distortion characteristic which is nothing short of extreme at 16mm. Since most users will never notice this, this is probably an acceptable compromise (albeit a lossy one). The original vignetting is rather heavy at large apertures but also corrected behind the scenes. Lateral CAs are an issue at 16mm at large aperture settings especially in the image corners.”