VOTE: the ultimate Kaizen firmware poll!

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Kaizen, continuous improvement philosophy. Japanese for “improvement” or “change for the best”, refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, and business management.” src-wikipedia

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Do you remember Marco Ricci’s (website) firmware wish list the article “because we love Kaizenhere? Well, there where 163 comments with further suggestions for firmware improvements. I promised myself to look into it and sum them up in March, when I have a week of holidays and finally a bit more time to launch a new, updated firmware poll.

But I don’t have to, because, sometimes, it happens that FR-readers decides to surprise me and to help me.

So it happens that FR-reader DIS took a look at all firmware suggestions and summed them up into one big super-firmware-poll (divided in 3 blocks).

Everything is in there, even those firmware suggestions FR-reader DIS strongly disagrees with. So he said that, “the block “Other updates” has some strange or impossible to be realized things. It should be distinguished a lot from the main list. Otherwise it won’t be taken seriously by Fuji.

Now all you have to do, is to vote the top 3 firmware updates you’d like to see in each poll (and add in the comments the one you miss).

Thanks a lot for your time DIS!

And also thanks a lot to Fuji for keeping this Kaizen spirit and improving even discounted Fuji cameras (even though it means sacrificing sales earnings for customer loyalty as a Fuji manager told us here). This is how you treat your customers base.

And here are the polls: 3 blocks, each one with a maximum of 3 selections.

For Flash Photography I prefer the...

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For Concert photography I prefer the...

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For Studio Work I prefer the...

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Bug reports

1. RAW/JPEG switch in Fn works only for the first shot. After the shot it’s back again.
2. Hot shoe instability: “So many times it is not working: getting frozen, not seeing the flash unit,… Both the X100 & X-Pro1 have very similar behavior. With third party stuff – transceivers – it gets even more wrong, sometimes working, sometimes not. I even had to perform a complete reset of the camera a few times, because the flash-shoe refused any operation. And Fuji, while you’re busy with this, make also the IR pilot light of the EF-42 work with the X-series to assist the AF in low light.”
3. Transfer of GPS coordinate from phones to X-E2 doesn’t work.
4. When your frame count reach the limit the only way to continue of making photo is to format card! Even if card is not full

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X-shooter facebook zone: top liked images!

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Carlo Milani

The importance of having good fortune and the [shoplink 12892]XF 55-200[/shoplink]!

XF 55-200: $200 off (price $500) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline

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Here are some of the top liked images on the Fujirumors facebook wall. Feel free to share your very best shots too.

enjoy your day,
facebook, google+ and twitter

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Christina Davison

Beach pre wed image from X-pro1 at the weekend.

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Stefan Wössner

Mountains of Color

X100S @ 25s f2.0

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Robin Schimko

Street Shooting Berlin

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Frederic Beudot

Cold Day in Ontario. XP1 + [shoplink 13645]Zeiss 12/2.8[/shoplink]

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Nir Leshem

X-Pro1 with Lee’s seven5 big stopper (mounted on an XF 14mm). ISO 200, f4.0, 20sec

XF 14mm: $200 off (price $700) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline

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Mark Leong

Got lucky with the helicopter moving across the sunset w/ Fuji X-E1 & 35mm f.14

XF 35mm: $150 off (price $450) at BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / Pictureline

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XF deals

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

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Fuji manager says: X-E2 EVF refresh rate like X-T1 soon, high X-T1 pre-orders and more!

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Fuji manager Toshihisa Iida said: “Initial [X-T1] demand is roughly twice what we’d planned

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There is an interesting interview with a Fuji manager at the CP+ on dpreview here. Here some excerpts:

Kaizen… or new firmware updates coming soon

This is a good news for X-E2 owners like me. Fuji will “release new firmware for the X-E2 soon which will improve the refresh rate of the EVF bringin it to the same level as the X-T1 and also add an interval shooting function.”

The Kaizen philosophy has a negative impact on the sales of newer models, but “in the long run customer trust is very important. We’re a relatively new brand and we need to build trust.

DEFINITION: Kaizen: continuous improvement philosophy. Japanese for “improvement” or “change for the best”, refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, and business management.” src-wikipedia

X-T1 pre-orders

Initial demand is roughly twice what we’d planned, so we’re increasing the capacity at our factory as much as possible, at least for the next few months.”

[admin: The latest Fuji report says that, despite the good sales of the X-E2 and X100S, Fuji’s imaging divsion is still losing money.]

Fuji vs DSLR and FF

“Q: Do you you want to compete against professional full-frame cameras? A: Inevitably yes, we have to compete against full-frame. The professional market is very segmented, and for example for sports photography I think the X-T1 is already competitive. So yes, I’d like to challenge full-frame.”

We need to educate customers that mirrorless is not inferior, it can be better than DSLR.”

the future

Fuji thinks that, in future, 50% of the market could be mirrorless, but, at the moment, “what’s missing is awareness on the part of the consumers about the benefits of mirrorless. […] In my opinion this is due to the lack of focus on mirrorless from the two big brands, Canon and Nikon.

X-A1 vs X-M1: Fuji is currently testing how well the X-A1 (Bayer sensor) sells compared to the X-M1 (X-Trans sensor), because “going forward we don’t need two entry-level models. It’s undecided at this point.”

The strategy for the future: “The only way is to keep innovating.

QWill X-Trans sensors get bigger, in the future? A: At the moment we’re focusing on the APS-C format but in the longer term, after we’ve completed our lens lineup… I can’t deny the possibility.”

X-T1 pre-orders

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 /

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miXed zone: Projet 192, X-T1, Fuji’s imaging division still losing money (but less than before) and more!

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image courtesy: Projet 192

Madrid, March 11, 10 years ago… the day of the commuter trains passenger bombings. On that day, 192 persons died.

Now, 10 years later, 192 photographers created “Projet 192” (website) in memory to those souls. Each photographer took one image to remind one of them. You can see the whole gallery here.

It’s a touching tribute to the people who died that day. And, among all the other great photographers, also Donato Chirulli (riflessifotografici) dedicated one picture to one of the victims of that terrorist attack. He took it with his Fuji X-E1.

X-T1

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 /

– X-T1 shooting report at yodobashi here (translation).

– Chris Donkin’s (f-sunny) X-T1 unboxing here and test shots here. He also tested the tracking here and after his initial test he says: “they’ve cracked it.”

– Vibranze: “Some photos taken with X-T1 with 14, 56 lens during Fuji X-T1 pre-order session in Singapore.” Check them here on Flickr.

– Jonavin: “Fuji Canada doing in store demos of X-T1 at some Canadian retailers start Friday February 21. adencamera and henrys.”

X-E2
[shopcountry 17992]

– Ari Hallami: “Here’s a story (in Finnish) about “fullframe” Fuji X-E2 + Metabones Speedbooster. I have tested lenses such as Canon FD 50/1.2L, 85/1.2L, 35/2 + few others with the setup and the results are very good (bokehlicious) indeed. I haven’t found any articles about this, so it could be a good read for Fuji shooters (even if the Google translate will mess up the text).” Check it here (translation).

Introduction to the Fujifilm X-E2 by X-Photographer Kale Friesen at KaleJFPhotography (youtube).

X100S
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– “Goodbye God, I am going to Bodie” with the Fuji X-Pro1 & Fuji X100S at olafphotoblog here: “It is hard to describe what draws us to places like Bodie. Maybe it is the beauty of the forgotten and rusty; maybe it is the dark history or a search for ghosts of the past. One thing is for sure – after documenting all major ghost towns of the West over the last few years we couldn’t be more pleased. Each ghost town provided us with great history lessons, unforgettable adventures and beautiful imagery.”

Simplicity and the X100S Part 2 at stephenip here: “As I’ve mentioned in the past, the X100S is the camera I turn to whenever I want to keep things simple. Without having to worry about zooming or changing lenses, I’m left to focus on creating images. By concentrating on what I see in the viewfinder, I find that I’m not only more creative with my compositions, but more able to find a narrative in the images I bring home. Here is a series of images from my latest exercise in simplicity.”

Using the Fuji X100S to Photograph a Wedding at rogerspictures here: “There are lots of benefits of using the tiny and silent Fuji X100S to photograph a wedding. Although I mainly use Canon cameras through the wedding day, there are many great opportunities when this little camera is a better option for me. That’s usually when I want to get in close to my subjects without affecting their behaviour. Its small size, and silence is what’s most important here. But there have been small and quiet compact cameras around for a while now – what makes the Fuji different is the amazing clarity and image quality. These images fit in perfectly with those shot on the larger Canon SLR’s, and it’s pretty hard to distinguish between them in the finished set.

– X100S review at luminous-landscape here: “[…] as I worked with it something surprising happened. I started creating images I was excited about. I had ideas for images I did not have before. I started finding excitement in subjects I previously considered mundane, or for which I had no vision. The simplicity of the camera did that. The X100s is a simple camera with a fixed lens that makes me focus on taking photographs rather than on what gear I am going to use. It brings me back to thinking about photographs, instead of thinking about my equipment. It renews my vision and focuses my attention on the image rather than on the gear. Small and lightweight, I forget I am carrying it until I want to make a photograph. The camera is almost transparent. It lets the photograph come through and the vision free to express itself, renewed and fresh. As such it fosters a return to the fundamentals, to what photography is about.”

X-PRO1
[shopcountry 12882]

Using the Fuji X-Pro1 for action sports at andywaterman here: “The X-Pro1 will never be sold as a pro sports camera but if you persevere with it, you’ll get some fantastic results. It encourages a way of shooting that slows things down and makes you think in advance of pressing the shutter. I like that. The lenses are small, light and fantastically sharp (I really want to try the 56mm f1.2) and the camera itself is small and light compared to a DSLR. ”

X-A1
[shopcountry 17194]

Fujifilm X-A1 – Is this the best low light camera for under $1500? (even though it only costs $499?) at imaging-resource here: “We’ve just started testing the Fujifilm X-A1 and quickly ran across something astonishing (and we don’t use that word very often): It blows the doors off the close competition at higher ISOs for delivering good detail while keeping the noise levels low, and even challenges some cameras costing more than $1000!

lenses

Still Life with MC ROKKOR-PG 58/1.2 at vkphotoblog here: “Finally I got time to put together a small set of B&W still life images inspired by a visit to friend’s rustic cottage and taken with my favourite camera and legacy lens.”

RAW-conversion

Updated X-Trans Sharpening Presets for Lightroom at thomasfitzgeraldphotography here: “The looks presets are there as a starting point. They’re there to get you in thew ball park, and you can then tweak the settings to your own tastes. Each of the looks uses the “SuperSharp” sharpening settings.”

switch to the X

Why I left Nikon for Fuji X at jiriruzek here: “There are hundreds or thousands articles about Fuji X cameras all around. I have never seen something like this before. Why? Fuji simply has managed to produce camera you fall in love with. And it is not only one camera, it is almost the whole X line. Instead of the usual “Photos of Tuscany” photographers write “Photos of Tuscany with Fuji X”.”

hand grip

– Hands-On with the new Fuji MHG-XPRO grip at f-sunny here: “All in all a very nice grip – much more of an engineered solution, and something which should really have been supplied day one. Not cheap, but it’s so useful that I can easily justify the cost.

a little bit of everything

– Fuji’s imaging division is still losing money… so what’s the news? Well, they loose less money than before! Read the report here.

Is Full Frame Still the Best? at digital-photography-school here:If you’re an aspiring pro, you may feel that you need a full frame camera to be taken seriously. In fact, this has never been completely true. There are plenty of professional photographers who use crop sensor cameras. The quality is more than good enough, and if you’re a sports or wildlife photographer you may also appreciate the extra reach that an APS-C camera gives you with telephoto lenses.

Fujifilm Metering at fujivsfuji here: “Fujifilm cameras […] seem to disregard the chosen AF point, and instead meter based on the centre of the frame. No matter what. I guess the camera presumes that whatever is in the centre of the frame is what you’d like to set your exposure to.”

– X Series Daylight shooting with ND Filters at f-sunny here: “One of the limitations for any camera is the shutter speed – and on the Fuji X Series, the shutter speed tops out at 1/4000. Normally this isn’t an issue, you rarely even have to think about it. But if you’re using fast glass, and shooting with wide apertures in bright daylight, that 1/4000 shutter speed can start to become a real problem. For example, shooting f/1.4 in sunlight, even with the base ISO of 200, could require a shutter speed faster than 1/4000. The X100 and X100s solve this by offering a built-in 3 stop Neutral Density (ND) filter. […] While the X100 and X100s have the ND filter built-in, the other Fuji X models do not. You need to add your own screw-on ND filter to produce the same effect, and you’ll need one for each lens/filter sizes in your lens set. (Fuji have failed to standardize on a single filter size, so this is a real pain/expense).”

– SanDisk announced new UHS-II SD-cards here. It’s what you need to boost your X-T1’s writing speed!

XF deals

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

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