Travel Photography – Fujifilm X-Pro 2 vs. Canon 5D Mark III

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Travel photography demands high technical performances of a camera. A suitable camera should be able to reliably deal with constantly changing lighting conditions (dynamic range, ISO-performance, white balance) and react as fast as possible to spontaneous moments and movements (autofocus), just to mention the most important requirements. Among the “must have” of such an all-rounder camera are anyway colour-balanced and sharp photos.

Since the market launch back in 2012, I have been shooting with the Canon 5D Mark III and numerous prime lenses from Canon. The 5D delivers excellent picture quality, is fast-paced, and has a very good ISO performance for most situations. It comes quite close to such all-rounder. However, throughout the past four years I often met and exceeded the limitations of the 5D, which drove me crazy at times and brought me somewhat to the point of despair. These weaknesses include in particular its size, its crazy high weight (12kg in total with all lenses) and its poor dynamic range.

For my trip through Morocco in October, I got the opportunity to photograph with the Fujifilm X-Pro 2 to test the camera thoroughly. I have been wanting to try a mirrorless-system for a long time. Nonetheless, a full frame mirrorless camera would be no option for me. Full-frame mirrorless offers zero advantages compared to full-frame DSLRs in lens size and weight (only the 70-200f.2.8 weights 1,5kg!). So if you have a bag full of gear, the only area where you can save space and weight is the camera body alone which isn’t a big benefit. Initially I was very sceptical towards the idea of changing from a full frame to a supposedly weaker APS-C system. Given my high expectations regarding picture quality, I could hardly imagine that an APS-C camera could nearly keep up with a full frame camera.

My resume after travelling for two weeks with the X-Pro2? I’m just about to sell my entire Canon gear and switch to Fujifilm. Here are the reasons.

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Dear Fuji, You are One Firmware Away From the Perfect Camera :: X-T2 Reviews :: Trying Nikon after Shooting X-mount (miXed zone)

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Hard to find, but not impossible: X-T2 in Stock at official Fujifilm Seller Kenmorecamera

Fujifilm X-T2
USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / CANADA: AmazonCA / EUROPE: AmazonDE / Calumentphoto DE / AmazonUK / AmazonITA / AmazonFR / AmazonESP / PCHstore / WexUK / AUSTRALIA: CameraPro

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Fujifilm Manager: “We Imagine a Smaller Fujifilm GFX with Global Shutter […] Global Shutter Will Change the Industry” (+ make Leaf Shutter Useless?)

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LuLa Fujifilm GFX Interview

Kevin Raber from Luminous Landscape had the opportunity to interview Fuji Guy Billy and Fuji Manager Makoto Oishi. You can see it here.

Some interesting aspects I can highlight for those, who are in a hurry and can’t watch the Video right now.

Adobe Support + Adapters

Billy and Oishi mentioned several times that, thanks to the Fujifilm GFX development announcement, Fujifilm can already discuss with other manufacturers and software companies and work early on supported products for the GFX.

So they say that Fujifilm is already talking with Adobe for support and that adapters are possible, even for leaf shutter lenses, made by Fujifilm or third-party manufacturers.

** Fujfiilm GFX Facebook Group **

Sensor Made by Sony?

Kevin asks if Fujifilm uses a Sony sensor. Billy says that the sensor is highly customized, from the microlens to the silicon process. They do not mention Sony.

Why Focal Plane Shutter + Global Shutter

Kevin also asks what about the future evolution. Will we ever see a GFX with even more megapixel.

Billy’s answer: “The focal plane shutter design allows the GFX to be expandable. So the current lenses, whatever sensor technology comes down the road, will still be capable and that’s one of the key benefits of going with the focal plane shutter.”

And what about the global shutter? Is Fuji looking at this possibility? Fuji Manager Oishi answeres: “Of course we know about the global shutter, and it will change the photography world. Of course we expect it, but currently we don’t have any ideas, because we don’t have that sensor.” Billy: “When the global shutter sensor comes to be, it will be a big change just to the whole camera industry, taking away all the limitations of current electronic shutters.” Oishi: “We always imagine: if the GFX has global shutter, so we can imagine something new. A smaller body. And we also always imagine our X-series with global shutter.”

So to me they seem quite confident about the future of the global shutter… and once it will be part of the GFX system, many out there will be happy to have invested in smaller, less complex and cheaper GF lenses due to the lack of leaf shutter, that work perfectly with the new global shutter.

have a Great Weekend Start ;)
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Medium Format :: Leaf Shutter or Focal Plane Shutter? – POLL *** And What Will Change with the Global Shutter

Fujifilm Global Shutter Camera coming in 2018 (at the earliest) – SRP :: Organic Sensor, The State Of The Art!

Fujifilm X-Pro2: Using Firmware 2.00

Hier gibt es eine deutsche Version dieses Artikels.

Kaizen in Action

Firmware 2.00 for the X-Pro2 offers 20 official improvements and more than half a dozen bug fixes. This article explains what’s new for users of the X-Pro2 and readers of The Fujifilm X-Pro2: 115 X-Pert Tips.

by Rico Pfirstinger

Update (02NOV16): Firmware 2.01 for the X-Pro2 restores compatibility with older Nissin i40 flashguns.

Firmware 2.00 for the Fujifilm X-Pro2 is available free of charge—click here to download the current version directly from Fujifilm’s website, but make sure that the name of the downloaded firmware file isn’t changed by your web browser. To avoid name conflicts, verify that no older firmware file for the X-Pro2 is already in your download folder. The correct file name for an X-Pro2 firmware file is always FWUP0008.DAT.

Firmware Update – Here’s How

Please have a look at tips 4 and 5 of  The Fujifilm X-Pro2: 115 X-Pert Tips (enter coupon XPERT40 for a 40% discount). They offer valuable advice on updating the firmware of your cameras and lenses. Additionally, an illustrated guide about downloading new firmware is available here (MacOS) and here (Windows). Click here for a PDF manual from Fujifilm that summarizes and explains the new functions of firmware 2.00. Sadly, this manual also contains several errors.

To check the current firmware status of  your X-Pro2 and any attached lens, switch on the camera while you press and hold the DISP/BACK button.

Firmware 2.00 takes the X-Pro2 closer to the level of the X-T2

In addition to installing new camera firmware, you must also update the firmware of a dozen XF and XC lenses:

Click on the link for the lens you want to update, or click here to access the general update page for all X-mount lenses. To update a specific lens, its corresponding firmware file must be in the top directory level of your camera’s memory card. To start the update process, insert the memory card that contains the new lens firmware file in slot 1 of your X-Pro2, then press and hold the DISP/BACK button while you switch on the camera.

Important: To copy a firmware file from your PC to an SD card, the memory card has to be mounted as a regular drive. It is not possible to transfer files from your computer to a memory card in the camera via a USB connection. So either use a computer with a built-in SD card slot or connect an external SD card reader to your computer.

It is possible (and also quite practical) to copy the firmware files for your X-Pro2 and all your lenses together to the top directory level of the same memory card. That way, you can perform all necessary updates one after the other from one SD card. Just make sure that the lens you are trying to update is attached to the camera while doing so.

This video from Fujifilm illustrates the firmware update process using an X-Pro1 as an example

Firmware 2.00 contains numerous improvements that affect autofocus performance, the electronic shutter, ease of use and power management. It also offers a new flash system.

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Full dpreview Interview with Fujifilm Manager T. Iida :: Fujifilm GFX will Hit the Market in Spring!

spring

dpreview just pubished the full interview with well known Fujifilm Manager Toshihisa Iida. They talked about the Fujifilm GFX. Among the others T. Iida says here:

  • APS-C is more speed, more portability – that’s our X-series. And our medium-format is for ultimate image quality.
  • Fujifilm GFX: The challenge is how to get the light hit the sensor evenly – in the center and also at the corners. In order to achieve that we customized the microlenses . […] Also we optimized the silicon process. We spent a lot of time and resources on this kind of customization.
  • The challenges [of recording 4K Video] for every manufacturer are power and heat. And there are two ways minimize their impact. One way is to make the camera bigger. The second way is to make the video file smaller, by recording video from a cropped area of the frame. We think that it’s important to pursue the ultimate in quality, so on the X-T2 for example we tried to minimize the crop factor. Some manufacturers are offering crops of 1.5 X or 1.7X. This doesn’t help photographers at all.
  • We designed these new lenses to be future-proof. The potential resolution of these new lenses is much higher than 50MP. Our benchmark is 4700 line pairs. So the lenses can resolve at least 100MP.
  • Probably, in 2 years time, the size of the mirrorless market will exceed the market for DSLRs, globally.
  • The smartphone is not the enemy, it’s a complement to a camera. And how to enable connectivity between a smart device and our cameras is very important. We will focus on making it faster, smoother.

You can read this and much more in the dpreview interview here. They also gave us a more precise idea of when the GFX will hit the market. According to dpreview it will be spring (so late March/April at earliest)

Fujifilm GFX Facebook Group

Special deal for FR-readers
Save 20% on Damiens Books “Portraits” and/or “The Fujifilm X-series guide”. Use code “ilex” at checkout
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Hasselblad X1D Vs. Fujifilm GFX Start-Up Time :: Why Fujifilm Chose Focal Plane Shutter & More!

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Fujifilm GFX

Start Up Time Compared

The Hasselblad X1D has a nice, simple, slim & clear design. But is it also a workhorse? Well, Jörg Kampers shared at the Fujifilm GFX facebook group his hands-on feebdack (with Video):

Turn on, get a coffee, start shooting….. And this thing get’s so hot, that the coffee stays hot….. ONE focus point for now….really? The GFX starts up almost as fast as the X-T2, the viewfinder is bright and big. Yes, it’s no scandinavian design, but it works and will be able to adapt leaf shutter glasses !!!

On the contrary, as you can see in this video, the Fujfilm GFX seems to start up quite instantly… and it’s just a very early prototype.

GFX Thoughts & Hands On

  • Out-of-focus thoughts about a new Fujifilm medium-format GFX 50S at olafphotoblog
  • GFX Hands On in Dutch at gregtheulings (translation)
  • Fujifilm GFX 50S Preview at photographyblog: “One of the main differences between the Hasselblad X1D and the Fujifilm GFX 50S is that the latter has a focal-plane shutter, allowing for shutter speeds as fast as 1/4000th of a second. It also means that the lenses can be made smaller, lighter and cheaper as they do “not need to have a built-in leaf shutter.”

Why Focal Plane Shutter (and no Leaf Shutter)

Why did Fuji chose the in body Focal Plane shutter over leaf shutter in lenses? Well, because the focal plane shutter has its advantages. Like popularphotography said:

  • The focal plane shutter allows Fujifilm to adapt other lenses via adapter (leaf shutter lenses and regular lenses).
  • The focal plane shutter allows faster shutter speeds wide open than leaf shutter lenses

Sure, it makes the camera bigger, but it adds also felxibility to the entire system. You can’t have it all… the market will decide, who made the better choice, Fujifilm or Hasselblad.

Always popularphotography reminds us how Hasselblad said that designing zoom lenses for Medium Fomrat cameras is very hard (that’s why, for now, the offer just primes). But Fujifilm will offer a zoom lens right from the start.

Oh, and in the video below, you can see it compared side by side with the Canon 6D.


Fujifilm GFX 50s – Start Up Time and (mini) Autofocus Demonstration (VIDEO) :: ** UPDATE ** Native ISO100 + X-T1/GFX Side by Side

The Fujifilm GFX facebook group is very active, and those interested to know about it, make well to follow it. You’ll find the GFX tidbits there faster then I can share them here on FujiRumors.

Some of the group seem to have also access to the interesting backstage, where a selected group of people can actually hold working protoypes. One of them is Max Angeloni (riflessifotografici), and he shared on the group this video. His comment

“So … the Fujifilm GFX is still under development. So even the specifications have not all been revealed. Official data can be read on the brochure. For the rest we have to wait a bit ‘ . Surely already now it appears going in the right way regarding operating speed“

I’ve uploaded the video on my youtube channel, in order to make it visible to everybody, also those, who don’t have facebook and do not want to join the group. But the original content can be found here.

If you have any questions, talk directly to Max in this facebook post.

UPDATE: According to mirrorlessons here, the Fujifilm GFX should have a native ISO that starts from 100.

X-T2 Does Motocross – AFC Superb! :: Why Fuji X Images are so “Film-Like” :: XF23mmF2 First Look by Rico & More (miXed zone)

XT2 does moto cross AFC – Superb at fuji-x-forum

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

Fujifilm X-T2
USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / CANADA: AmazonCA / EUROPE: AmazonDE / Calumentphoto DE / AmazonUK / AmazonITA / AmazonFR / AmazonESP / PCHstore / WexUK / AUSTRALIA: CameraPro

XF23mmF2 WR

  • XF23mmF2 WR First Look by Rico Pfirstinger in German at fujixsecrets (translation)
  • XF23mmF2 Vs. XF23mmF1.4 Vs. X100T by Rico Pfirstinger at flickr
  • 60 Minutes with the XF23mm f2 in Mexico at macleancomms /

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Metz Teases “FIRST CLASS FLASH”… and Fuji X-Shooters “Will Not Be Disappointed!” HSS and TTL Support?

metz

Metz is teasing a new flash at their facebook page here.

“At photokina, we present you a new flash light which will be the starting shot of a new generation of insertion flashes! With new developed technologies and construction, we save more than 30 % of the manufactured size. #SizeMatters ;)

Till photokina, we will publish further exlusive information concerning the new flash light on facebook!”

After this facebook post, X-shooter and FR-reader Thorsten said in the comments, that he will buy it, if it supports HSS and TTL for Fujifilm cameras. The answer of Metz was:

“We will publish further information in the next days, but one thing we can say now is that for sure you will not be disappointed“

Is a compact alternative to the EF-X500 on the way?

Fujifilm Medium Format Mirrorless… X-Trans Sensor or Not? And the Answer is…. (Source Right in the Past)

Sony Killer (?) Fuji X-T2 Tracks Dogs at Least as Good as Nikon D750 :: Good News Fuji Fans, Lightroom is All You Need (miXed Zone)

X-T2 USB

This must be the Upcoming Fujifilm Mini-Format Camera :-)
thanks to Steven Hyatt webiste / instagram

Full List of Today’s Gold Box Deals

AmazonUS, BHphoto, AmazonDE, AmazonUK

Fujifilm X-T2

Jonas Rask – Shooting The Product – Fujifilm Nordic Youtube
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Shooting the X-T2 Product Images at jonasraskphotography

X-T2: USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / CANADA: AmazonCA / EUROPE: AmazonDE / Calumentphoto DE / AmazonUK / AmazonITA / AmazonFR / AmazonESP / PCHstore / WexUK / AUSTRALIA: CameraPro

  • DON’T MISS THIS ONE: Fujifilm X-T2 Review by Rico Pfirstinger! 12,000 words and hundreds of sample images, animated GIFs and videos. Everything you need to know about the Fujifilm X-T2.
  • X-T2 Review at bokeh-monster: “Miles ahead of the XT1/XPRO1/XE1&2, so we wont even bother making the comparison.”
  • First Impressions of the New Fuji X-T2, Sony Killer? at cochranphotos: “I have been trying to make the jump to Sony [A7 series] so much from my Canon setup but the autofocus speed, battery and Sony lens selection have deterred me. This Fuji X-T2 though was amazingly fast for a mirrorless.”
  • Fuji X-T2 and the Dogs – Tracking Test at flipbook.schaake: “for a first test the results are impressive. I got at least the same amount of keepers as last year with the D750.”
  • Fuji X-T2 AF-C Test & More Sample Pictures by Kevin Mullins at f16.click: “In comparison, I also tested a similar scenario with my X70, X100T and also my X-T1 and of course, the X-T2 was the clear winner.”
  • Ben Cherry Nature X-Photographer – Taking the best from the X-T1 into the X-T2 at fujifilm-x
  • A 2-month field test of the Fujifilm X-T2 at medium: “I am one of those who doubt if Full-Frame is actually even a necessity.”
  • Fujifilm X-T2 Review (X-T1 vs X-T2 comparison) at MWESTPhotography youtube
  • Real World Video Samples and First Impressions at cinema5d
  • First Impression: Fujifilm X-T2 at joejongue: “Fujifilm has now greatly improved the AF tracking on the X-T2 and is a serious contender for sports / action photographers“
  • X-T2 Video First look at Man Down Photography youtube
  • X-T2 Vs. X-Pro2 buy or keep? at Matt Hart Youtube
  • X-T2 Vs. X-Pro2: The Value of Ergonomics at billfortney: “Ergonomics is vital to me for a user camera and the X PRO2 is  sheer joy to hold and shoot!”
  • Fuji X-T2 review in French at blogbyfred (translation)

X-T2: USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / CANADA: AmazonCA / EUROPE: AmazonDE / Calumentphoto DE / AmazonUK / AmazonITA / AmazonFR / AmazonESP / PCHstore / WexUK / AUSTRALIA: CameraPro

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