Weather Sealed XF 18-135 to be announced on 26th of May (Memorial Day) – (new source)

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I’ve got this information from a new source. Take it with a grain of salt… but we will very soon be able to see if the source is correct:

The new XF 18-135 will be officially announced on Memorial day (26th of May).

The price, as spotted by FR-reader MJr, could be $/€200 above the [shoplink 12887]XF 18-55mm[/shoplink] (at least as listed at the Dutch store artencraft).

If true, stay tuned for a live blogging session on that day here on Fujirumors.

cheers
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X30 coming on July 3rd? (via dpreview)

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silver X20 discontinued at BHphoto

X20 (save $50): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline

Hi all!

There is a forum member over at dpr, who claims to have the following information:

The X30 will be annonced on July 3rd. It will have a 1″ X-Trans sensor. There will also be a “cheaper compact based on the X100.” (the X70 rumored by Fujirumos already months ago here).

The source of the rumor? Well, the author (“labe”) gives different sources for his information (at one point saying “XJR china” (xjrumo) and another point saying “PM from a friend”).

I have to agree with FR-reader John (who passed me the link, thanks): „I guess it might be slightly more reliable (but only slightly) if there’s some photography event that day.“

The X30 was rumored to come in February/March by digicame-info. A FR-source corrected it and said that it was to early, as it will come in “summer”.

Digital Medium Format Camera from Fujifilm coming by the end of summer? (new + anonymous source)

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Tell me, why go “just” Full Frame? According to a new and also an anonymous source, Fujifilm will launch a digital medium format mirrorless camera.

Of course, for now, be very careful with this information and take it with the usual grain of salt. That said, here is what the 2 sources told me:

New Source

Fuji will launch a digital Medium Format camera by the end of summer.

Anonymous Source

Fuji is working on a digital medium format mirrorless camera. The prototype is said to look like a [shoplink 12882 ebay]X-PRO1[/shoplink], with hybrid viewfinder, but more of a size of the Fuji GF670. The prototype is using the same Sony CMOS sensor present in the Pentax 645z.

_ _ _

It’s a tough battle in the fiercly contested mirrorless market! Latest rumors suggest that also Sony will launch a Mamiya 7 style MF camera (source-SAR). But, as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going! And Fuji seems to be ready to face the challenge.

Keep in mind that the Sony and the Fuji rumor are both still NOT confirmed by trusted sources.

However, if the rumors are true, then also Fujifilm has some trump cards to pull out of its sleeve. A Medium Format digital mirrorless camera, the rumored X200, X30 and the X-PRO2. (OMG, lots of rumors I have to work on! ;-) )

Ok, I’ll put my best also into this rumor and see if I can confirm the MF Fuji ASAP. Of course, feel free to help me and to make my work a bit easier. If you decide to share some information, you can do it completely anonymously via rumor box (if you don’t mind, use a nickname, so that I can eventually recognize you in future), or contact me via email at fujirumor [at] gmail.com.

stay tuned for more
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X20 discontinued at B&H… X30 (with sensor bigger than 1“) on the way?

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These days, all eyes are set (deservedly) on the umpteenth version of Sony’s RX100, the RX100MIII. It’s crazy how frenetically Sony updates its products (see also the Sony A7-R-K-S).

That’s not really the same policy of Fuji. The X-PRO1 is about 2 ½ years old, and still hasn’t been replaced. And of the 13 X-cameras currently available, only 4 were replaced by newer models in about 3 years (X10=X20, XF1=XQ1, X-E1=X-E2, X100=X100S). Fujifilm seems to focus more on firmware updates to improve the performance of older cameras. This Kaizen philosophy might be bad for electronic imaging field of the company (which is still losing money), but it’s definitely good for us customers.

Now, one of the next cameras that could be replaced in foreseeable future is the X20. The X30 is rumored to come in “summer”, and, as the usually well informed xjrumo said months ago, the sensor will be bigger than the 1” sensor of the RX100III.

Another hint that the X30 could be in the pipeline: the silver X20 is already discontinued at BHphoto… and US stores that have some left in stock, are selling it now with a $50 price drop. Check it out at AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline.

And what do you think? Should Fuji follow Sony’s path and release udpated cameras with new (even minor) hardware changes more often (e.g. X-PRO1S)? Over at the Fujirumors facebook page Anurag said that Sony is “keeping up with the market“, while Olle said: “I myself value a brand that constantly keeps improving their current firmwares and meanwhile produces cameras with bigger improvements (x-t1) and great lenses. I work in a camera store and if its something the nex-users are asking for its the non existens nex lenses.“

So the question is, if it’s better to launch an X-PRO1S/T/N or whatever, instead of waiting 3 years for the “major breakthrough” promised by Fuji with the X-PRO2.

stay tuned
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Patent: new color filter, also for organic sensor!

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The innovation continues. Fujifilm is working hard on the new organic sensor. Will this be the sensor of the X-PRO2? I still don’t know it. In the meantime check out the patent for new color filters giving better color reproducibility and less noise, applicable also to the organic sensor, at freepatentsonline.com.

Organic sensor or not, looking at the various polls shared here on FR, the majority of you prefer an APS-C sensor over a Full Frame sensor.