Fujifilm published a new episode of their secret development story.

This time they talk about Fujinon lenses, more precisely about AF motors, lens perfection vs lens character and also about optical image stabilization.

They also explain why they removed the OIS switch on some lenses, and that the notion that you should always turn it off when shooting on a tripod is no longer accurate.

This is something we already said in the past, but Fujifilm goes a bit more in depth about it today. However, this is all automatically Google translated by YouTube, so while I did my best to try to get it summarized for you guys (with my son trying to climb on me while I was reading and typing), if any FR-reader has some skills in Japanese and would like to sum it up better for us, feel free to do so and share your recap in the comments down below or via email at fujirumor@gmail.com.

• Red Badge lenses: great image quality and fast autofocus. Also weather resistant
• red badge lenses represent Fujifilm’s highest technical level, flagship lenses
• first red badge lenses where Fuji’s constant f/2.8 zooms
• then came the XF200mmF2, and extraordinarily amazing lens
• XF50mmF1.0 emphasis is on smooth bokeh rather than on ultimate resolution
• the new 18mmf/1.4, 23mmF1.4 and 33mmF1.4 focus on resolution
• Fujifilm tries to give lenses a different character, based on their purpose of use [and as the Sigma CEO said, making a perfect lens is way easier than making a lens with character. Which is why I LOVE my good old XF35mmF1.4 R – see it in action here in Barcelona]
• then Fujifilm explains what the various markings on the lens mean
• R for aperture ring, LM for linear motor, OIS for optical image stabilization and WR for weather resistance
• autofocus speed is getting faster and faster
• there are also other AF motors, like stepping motors, DC motors etc [Fuji Guy Billy elaborated them all very nicely here]
• you have to place the AF motor in a way that it won’t create shake in the lens
• linero motor is the smoothest and fastest AF motor option [and of course it has its downsides too, as Fuji Guy Billy explained here]
• some Fujinon lenses have lost the OIS switch (for example the XF70-300mmF4-5.6 and the the XF16-80mmF4)
• usually it is recommended to switch off OIS when shooting on a tripod
• but on some lenses Fujifilm now recommends to keep OIS turned ON when shooting on a tripod
• but honestly, the time when it’s better to keep OIS on or OFF when shooting on a tripod is not so easy to determinate and it’s actually quite complicated
• Fujifilm has developed a system where the camera will decide if it is better to keep optical image stabilization ON or OFF
• please let the camera decide how to deal with OIS
• Fujifilm did remove the physical OIS switch on the lens to make sure it is the camera to take the decisions [but you can always turn it off in the menu, if you want to have control over it]

You can see the full video down below.

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What You Did and How I’ve Tried to Honor it!

Let’s start by highlighting what you did in 2021 for FujiRumors:

• about 50,000 comments on FR-articles (about 130 comments a day)
• 151,680 votes in our polls

Your massive participation is the reason why Fujifilm reads us with greatest care, as proven multiple times such as here, here and here.

I did try to honor your massive participation by working as hard as I could, with the added challenge that this year I became father, which made working consistently on FujiRumors not always the easiest thing.

But I did try hard, and here are some numbers. You judge if that’s good enough to deserve your time and trust.

• 867 blog posts written in 2020 (average of 2.37 articles every single day of the year – weekends and “holidays” included)
• 83 rumors shared
• 92,8% correct rumors (rumor check here – but quite frankly, it’s more a 99% accuracy. I explained why in this article)
• about 18 messages written every day to those of you who contacted via fujirumor@gmail.com, Facebook and Twitter and Instagram Direct
• 560+ replied comments in the various FujiRumors articles
• 100% Free ;)

Phew!! :)

Most Read Article

• BREAKING: Fujifilm X-H2 Will Come in 2022 and be Worth the Wait

Most Read Non Rumor Article

• Fujifilm Releases Firmware Updates for GFX100/S (Blackmagic RAW), GFX50S/R, X-T4, X-T3, X-H1, X-Pro3, X100V, X-E4, X-T30

Most Read Guest Posts

1. Fujifilm Instax Wide Printer Concept – Note: Fujifilm listen to us and gave us the Instax Link Wide Printer (which also I ordered and I have received now)
2. The GFX 50 Series is an ISO-less Classic
3. The Perfect Exposure

Day with most Contacts

January 27 with the following articles (all this just a few hours after my son was born!):

1. Does Fujifilm Need Full Frame? Fujifilm GFX100S vs Sony A1 vs Canon R5 vs Nikon Z7II Specs Comparison
2. LIVE BLOG Starts NOW: Fujifilm GFX100S, GF80/1.7, X-E4, XF70-300, XF27/2.8II
3. Fujifilm X Summit WATCH LIVE – NOW on FujiRumors! – GFX100S, GF80/1.7, X-E4, XF70-300, XF27MKII
4. Fujifilm GFX100S has 16 Bit RAW and GF80mmF1.7 costs $2,299… or Setting Wrong Rumors Right (not Mine)
5. “Just Leak it!” or the True Story of the Fujirumors GFX100S Leaks ;)
6. New Firmware Updates for X100V, X-T30, and X-Pro3 Announced
7. Fujifilm launches mirrorless digital camera “FUJIFILM GFX100S”
8. Fujifilm launches FUJINON Lens GF80mmF1.7 R WR
9. Fujifilm launches mirrorless digital camera “FUJIFILM X-E4”
10. Fujifilm launches “FUJINON XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR”
11. Fujifilm launches FUJINON Lens XF27mmF2.8 R WR

Most Clicked…

• Most Clicked Outgoing Link: SonyAlphaRumors
• Most Clicked Product: Fujifilm GFX100S at BHphoto
• Most Clicked FR social Media: FujiRumors on Facebook

Top 10 Articles of 2021

1. BREAKING: Fujifilm X-H2 Will Come in 2022 and be Worth the Wait
2. What We Expect to See from Fujifilm in 2021… and What Not!
3. Fujinon X Mount Roadmap 2021/2022 Updated with Latest Rumored Lenses
4. Fujifilm Releases Firmware Updates for GFX100/S (Blackmagic RAW), GFX50S/R, X-T4, X-T3, X-H1, X-Pro3, X100V, X-E4, X-T30
5. Fujifilm X-E4 Leaked: Images, Price and Press Release
6. While Sigma Sleeps, Tamron Confirms Three More Fujifilm X Mount Lenses Coming Next (11-20mmF2.8, 17-70mmF2.8 and ?)
7. BREAKING: No More Fujifilm X Series Camera Coming in 2021
8. BREAKING: Fujifilm X-H2 with 26 Megapixel coming 2022 (and Now the Big Question is…)
9. Fujifilm Product Timeline 2021/2022: About X-H2, GFX50SII, XF150-600 and More (And What Will NOT Come)
10. The Error Fujifilm is Doing (and Sony Not)

Fujifilm X-H2 Rumors Recap

Since apparently the topic of most interest also for 2022 is the Fujifilm X-H2, here is a recap of rumors we have shared so far in 2021.

• Fujifilm X-H2 coming 2022
• Fujifilm X-H2 will shoot 8K DCI/UHD
• Fujifilm X-H2 will cost less than $2,500 – and that’s a big deal
• Fujifilm X-H2 will be first X series camera to use new sensor and processor
• Fujifilm X-H2 with X-Trans sensor – any why this is good news – confirmed by Fujifilm
• 40 Megapixel sensor
• there will be 2 Fujifilm X-H2 cameras
• the two Fujifilm X-H2 cameras will have two different sensors
• one X-H2 has 40 megapixel, the other has another megapixel number
• second Fujifilm X-H2 will have 26 megapixel

And 2022…

… will be a whole lot of fun, trust me… just follow FR if you want to know more ;).

Social Media Boom

Our social media and pages have reached new heights compared to 2020.

• FujiRumors Facebook page – 66,250 followers
• FujiRumors Twitter page – 23,677 followers
• FujiRumors Instagram page – 15,812 followers

And also our facebook groups grew massively compared to 2020.

• Fujifilm X-T group – 68,300 members
• Fujifilm X100 group – 41,300 members
• Fujifilm Silm Simulation Group – 37,300 members
• Fujifilm GFX group – 30,300 members
• Fujifilm X-Pro group – 22,500 members
• Fujifilm X-H group – 16,700 members
• Fujifilm X-E group – 10,400 members
• Astrophotography with Fujifilm – 9,800 members
• Viltrox X mount lenses – 5,700 members
• Fujifilm X Mount Third party Autofocus Lenses – 4,700 members
• Fujifilm X-S group – 3,600 members

In 2022 we will have for sure a very wild ride here on FujiRumors.

But before we jump on the 2022 rumor-rollercoaster, let’s look back at how things went in 2021.

And I tell you this: I will be BRUTAL to myself, because out of the 5 wrong rumors, I personally consider only 1 really wrong. Why? Well, read my notes at the bottom of the article and I think you’ll agree with me.

Note: if you wonder where the “Sigma X mount lenses coming in 2021” rumor is, well, that was a rumor we shared back in 2020, hence it is not in this list. The rumor however has been sort of confirmed a few months later by Sigma itself, who literally wrote on their social media “we may see some X mount Sigma lenses in 2021“. And after tons of teasers, even the Sigma CEO himself confirmed X mount glass is coming. Sure, I consider this a wrong rumor shared in 2020, but it is clear to me that once again it’s the parts shortage that forced Sigma to adjust their schedule.

With that out of the way, here is the 2021 rumor check:

• 83 rumors shared in 2021
  
• 13 rumors still to be verified (all rumors with high reliability)
• 65 correct rumors out of 70 verifiable rumors
• 5 wrong rumors out of 70 verifiable rumors
• 92,8% correct rumors

Rumor Overview with Rating (about Gear coming in 2022)

While 2020 was tough due to the rise of the pandemic and several lockdowns around the world, in 2021 the industry had to face also the challenge of the parts shortage.

In the Fujifilm world most noticeable of all were (and are) the struggles Fujifilm has to deliver our gear. I consider myself lucky, as I had to wait “only” half a year for my Fujifilm GFX100S and I was able to grab the last XF27mm f/2.8 R WR available at my local store, but others are waiting for almost a year now on certain gear and tons of Fujifilm gear was out of stock for large part of 2021.

So let’s hope that everything will go back to normal during 2022, first of all for us, who would love to go back to our normal lives, and also for Fujifilm, so that they can feed our passion for photography with new and exciting gear without letting us wait to long for it to be delivered at our homes.

With that said, it’s time to look back at what sold most among the FujiRumors community in 2021 (if you are curious to know which gear sold strong in 2020, check out this article).

Top Sellers 2021

TOP SELLING ACCESSORIES

1. SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO
2. Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD (officially recommended by Fujifilm to charge your X/GFX cameras)
3. Fujifilm NP-W235 Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery

TOP SELLING CAMERA OVERALL

1. Fujifilm GFX100S

There was no battle. It outsold them all. No wonder the GFX100S is a rare good on the market these days. Good luck finding one.

TOP SELLING CAMERAS

1. Fujifilm GFX100S
2. Fujifilm X-T4 (substantially behind the GFX100S)
3. Fujifilm X-T3
4. Fujifilm X-E4
5. Fujifilm X-S10
6. Fujifilm X-E3 (pushed by this deal)
7. Fujifilm GFX50S II
8. Fujifilm X100V

I bet not even Fujifilm itself saw this massive success for the Fujifilm GFX100S coming. Among the FR community it outsold by a large margin every other camera, even the Fujifilm X-T4. A homerun. And as an owner of the Fujifilm GFX100S myself I can understand that this camera is making many people very happy right now.

Not surprising, the X-T line keeps to be on top of the X series, just beaten by the GFX100S.

However, huge struggles for the X-T30, dethroned by the stellar X-S10. The new X-T30II did not reinvigorate the sales at all. What Fujifilm needs to give us now is a Fujifilm X-T40 with IBIS.

• Fujifilm GFX100S: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / Focuscamera / Moment

TOP SELLING LENS OVERALL

1. Fujinon XF70-300mmF4-5.6

Usually this raking is dominated either by some more affordable third party lenses (last year won by the Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 AF or in 2018 by the Laowa 9mm F2.8 Zero-D) or by those lovely small and compact Fujicron lenses (in 2019 won by Fujinon XF35mm f/2).

And while the Fujinon XF50mm f/1.0 came very close to winning it back in 2020, this year there is a clear winner: the Fujinon XF70-300mmF4-5.6!

• Fujinon XF70-300mmF4-5.6: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / Focuscamera / Moment

TOP SELLING FUJINON X/GFX LENSES

1. Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR
2. Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7 R WR
3. Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR
4. Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR
5. Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R LM OIS WR
6. Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR
7. Fujinon GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR
8. Fujinon XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR
9. Fujinon XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR
10. Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR

Sure, the XF70-300mm is the king, but the ultra fast GF80mm f/1.7 sold incredibly well, better than any other Fujinon XF lens that is not the XF70-300mm. Another GF lens in the top seven, with fantastic sales, is the Fujinon GF 35-70mmF4.5-5.6.

As far as I can remember, it is the first time I see any GF lens in the top 10 selling list, and this time we have even two of them. The inevitable signs of a huge rise for the GFX system.

And despite the original XF27mm f/2.8 being one of Fujifilm’s most sold lenses of all time (I am not kidding, until 2016 it was the best seller only behind the original XF35mm f/1.4), the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR entered the top 3 positions. Surely it helped that it came bundled with the X-E4. Many original XF27mmF2.8 lovers, however, also purchased it (like me) separately, just because it had the one feature that we missed on the first version: an aperture ring (and weather sealing too).

Great sales also for the new f/1.4 trinity of lenses launched this year and the best seller of last year, the Fujinon XF50mm f/1.0, resisted in the top 10 ranking also in 2021.

TOP SELLING THIRD PARTY LENSES

1. Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3
2. Pergear 10mm f/8
3. Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 AF
4. TTartisan 50mm f/1.2
5. Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO
6. Samyang 12mm f/2.0 AF

Tamron picked such a smart lens to enter the X system, and the FujiRumors community did reward them with great sales. What I didn’t see coming are the good sales for the super small and super affordable Pergear 10mm f/8.

TOP SELLING SOFTWARE

1. Capture One
2. Luminar AI
3. Topaz Labs
4. DxO PhotoLab 5 (sale push thanks to new X-Trans support)
5. ON1 Photo RAW version 2022

Last year Luminar did beat Capture One, but the release of Capture One 22 changed the ranking again, putting the software of my choice back on top of the ranking.

From zero to (almost) hero also for DxO PhotoLab, which thanks to fresh X-Trans support entered the ranking of the top selling software.

TOP SELLING INSTAX

1. Instax Mini EVO
2. Instax Link Wide Printer

The closest item in terms of sale to the Fujifilm GFX100S was the Fujifilm Instax Mini EVO. And huge success also for the long awaited Fujifilm Instax Link Wide Printer.

• Instax Mini Evo: BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama
• Instax Link Wide Printer: AmazonUS, BHphoto, Adorama

And 2022?

I am pretty confident that the Fujifilm X-H2 and the XF150-600 will enter the ranking. Sigma basically announced already that there will be X mount lenses, so I guess we will see them at some point in 2022, and if they make wise picks (with lenses like this for example), then I can see them crushing into the top seller ranking for 2022.

And of course there will be more. But for that, you will have to follow FujiRumors very closely ;).

For now, feel free to make your guessed/wished top selling ranking for 2022. It will be fun to look back next year at it and see how good your guesses were.

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• Fujifilm GFX User Group
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Join Our Facebook Pages

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In their usual very entertaining way, Chris and Jordan from DPRTV share their best and worst camera gear episode for 2021.

Instead of the best stills and hybrid camera categories (as they did last year), this year they axed the hybrid category and replaced it with the best video camera, which has been won by the DJI Ronin 4D. I wish they would have kept the hybrid category.

Also, there is not one overall best lens, but best lens for M4/3, APS-C and Full Frame. Medium Format is not contemplated in the lens options, so the stellar Fujinon GF80mm f/1.7 (which I use every now and then with very gratifying results) had no chance to participate to this years’ DPRTV selection.

Best Lens for M4/3

1. Olympus 8-25mm f/4 Pro
2. Panasonic/Leica 25-50mm f/1.7

Best Lens for APS-C

1. Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN
2. Fujinon XF33 mm f/1.4 R LM WR: They are happy to see that Fujifilm is updating their older prime lenses

XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / Focuscamera / Moment
XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / Focuscamera / Moment
XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / Focuscamera

Best Lens for FF

1. Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD
2. Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM

Best Video Camera 2021

1. DJI Ronin 4D
2. Nikon Z9

Best Stills Camera 2021

1. Nikon Z9: 3D AF tracking. Excellent dynamic range. 45 MP. Rugged and versatile and not the most expensive.
2. Fujifilm GFX100S: they love image and build quality. Really premium medium format sensor with more approachable price point. Makes high end medium format accessible to a lot more people. You can’t find the camera anywhere, as everybody wants one.

Look, I own the Fujifilm GFX100S and I admire it. It stunns me over and over again. And if you want the best image quality, more then you could ever desire, then go for it. But as much as I admire it, I can’t fall in love with it as I do with my Fujifilm X gear, since it lacks of manual controls. To be clear, it is fast and stupidly easy to operate. But just not as fun. So Fuji, take the X-T form and function, and make a GFX out of it, pretty much like this prototype you’ve showen to us in the past.

And yet, it has captured some precious family memories at a quality I do not deserve :).

GFX100S: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / Focuscamera / Moment

Worst Video Camera 2021

1. Sigma fpL

Worst Lens 2021

1. Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95

Worst Stills Camera 2021

1. Sigma fpL

GFX100S

 

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