Fujifilm X-Trans Roundup: Skylum DAM Video and Tutorials, CaptureOne Tutorials & Tips, X-Trans on Lightroom, X RAW STUDIO & More

Fujifilm X-Trans Roundup

I am currently owner of Lightroom (standalone), Picktorial, Iridient and Luminar.

I think I will try Capture One next, since it made huge improvements in 2017 and in many ways is superior to Lightroom.

One day I will leave Lightroom completely, and luckily I have plenty of options to choose from.

So just like you, I try different software, watch tutorials, and try to make up my mind on which one will be the best for my life after Lightroom.

And in my search for the perfect software, I like to share the stuff I watch and study with you in dedicated Fujifilm X-Trans roundups.

Let’s start with the roundup.

Capture One

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Fujifilm X-Trans Vs. Bayer: Pros and Cons of Going Bayer or Sticking with X-Trans Sensor

X-Trans Vs. Bayer

First and foremost, let me say that I LOVE X-TRANS.

But the fact that I love X-Trans, does not prevent me from discussing the big Bayer Vs. X-Trans debate, that has recently been fueled again by DPReviewTV in the X-T100 review and Tony Northrup in his X-H1 review, in the most objective way as possible.

So today’s question is: is there any reason why Fujifilm should go Bayer also on higher end APS-C Fujifilm X-series cameras?

WARNING

Some people do probably not have the 5 minutes of time it needs to read this article. They will read the headline, and arguing in favor or against X-Trans/Bayer by default :) .

So for those people, who refuse to read the article and don’t go beyond the headline, I will at least make a bullet-point list, in the hope they will read that one at least.

This is a super short condensation and simplification of more complicated subjects, and as such it is naturally an inaccurate list. Each point will elaborated and clarified in all its shades below.

X-Trans Pros

  • less color noise at high ISO
  • less moiré (an advantage that will become negligible once APS-C sensor go beyond 30MP)
  • sharper compared to cameras with same pixel number and optical low pass filter, unless the processing in camera is very aggressive, like on X-A5 and X-T100
  • more pleasing “film-like” grain at high ISO

Bayer Pros

  • 20%-30% less processing power required (possible benefits listed below)
  • cheaper to produce than X-Trans

Brutally short conclusion:

  • X-Trans is better for image quality
  • Bayer is better for features and speed, unless Fujifilm can compensate for the extra 20-30% processing power required by the X-Trans sensor with a more powerful processor (present in Fujifilm X-T3), new sensor tech for faster sensor readout (maybe stacked sensor) and better heat management (present in X-H1)

If you want, you can now start your 5 minutes reading time :)

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Sharpening Fujifilm X-TRANS files with No Wormy Artifacts in ADOBE and the X-T100 BAYER sensor has Worms, too!

Sharpening Fujifilm RAW Files

In our Debunking Fujifilm X-Trans Myths article, we already explained that you can get wormy-artifacts less results using Adobe products only. Sure, you have to sharpen differently compared to how you sharpen Bayer RAW files, but it is possible.

And it is curious to note that 2 products from the same company, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop, behave differently when it comes to X-Trans RAW sharpening. Out of the box, Photoshop works very well, Lightroom not so.

If you don’t use Photoshop, my recommendation is to use Irdient X Transformer as a Lightroom plug-in, so you take advantage of Iridient’s better default X-Trans demosaicing directly in Lightroom.

Anyway, the more X-Shooters make videos or write about how to get best sharpening results with X-Trans files, the better it is. We have to spread the word that you don’t have to live with wormy artifacts at all.

Adobe Lightroom Vs. Photoshop Vs. Fujifilm JPEG

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Nikon D850 Vs. Fujifilm X-T2 :: How Useful Are X-T2 High ISO Settings? :: Weddings with Fujifilm Review :: X-E3 Vs. X-T20 & More – miXed zone

Cover Stories

Workshops and Exhibitions

  • pixmart (Morocco) – Free workshop and X-H1 touch and try on May 11 and 12

Fujifilm X-E3

Fujifilm X-T2 & More

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Fujifilm 2017 Rewound: Top Highlights Month by Month

Fujifilm 2017 Rewinded

2017 was another exciting Fuji X year, and in order to cover it properly, I have shared almost 1,000 blog posts.

A lot of things happened, and maybe some of you might have missed something. So I have checked back all articles and selected some highlights for you. No FujiRumors rumors are included in this list.

It was not easy to pick out a few highlights… but below you can find the list month by month. Let us know what you consider the highlight of 2017.

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Adobe Lightroom/Camera RAW Update Released: Nothing Fujifilm Specific + LR 6 New Camera Support Update on December 19

Adobe_logo

Adobe just released an update for to the entire Lightroom CC ecosystem, including for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and the web, as well as updates to Lightroom Classic CC and Adobe Camera Raw.

Adobe added support for new cameras and lenses, and added some new features, but nothing Fujifilm specfic this time.

Check out all the details at lightroomjournal here.

An update to Lightroom 6 for perpetual licensed customers for new camera support will be available on December 19th.

Some Lightroom Alternatives

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Adobe Says “We Remain Committed to Invest in Lightroom Classic”

There is a new FAQ article up at the adobe.blogs, addressing some of the concerns from the Lightroom community that arosed after their latest announcements.

Is Lightroom Classic being phased out? How long will it be until Adobe kills Lightroom Classic?

No, we’re not phasing out Lightroom Classic and remain committed to investing in Lightroom Classic in the future. We know that for many of you, Lightroom Classic, is a tool you know and love and so it has an exciting roadmap of improvements well into the future. But please hold us accountable as we make updates in the following months and years to let us know if we’re meeting your expectations.

Help me guys… does he mean “indefinitely”? :D

Why did you abandon the Lightroom standalone version?

Customers are overwhelmingly choosing the Creative Cloud Photography plan as the preferred way to get access to Lightroom. We’re aligning our investment with the direction our customers have signaled over the last several years.

I translate it for you: “we make tons of money with the cloud… and now we want to make even more”

Some Lightroom Alternatives – Updated

via petapixel

Adobe NEVER Promised Lightroom Standalone Forever :: Lightroom Alternatives :: And More X-Trans Content

Did Adobe Really Promise LR Standalone Forever?

Now, I can get it that many people are annoyed by the fact that, unlike rumored elsewhere, Lightroom 7 will never come, and that now you have to pay a monthly subscription to get Lightroom Classic CC instead.

I’m with you: I don’t like monthly subscriptions, and I join the criticism.

But now I see websites claiming, that Adobe “promised” us to offer forever a Lightroom standalone version and these claims bring the hate and shitstorms against Adobe to a level where it should not be, since Adobe never promised such a thing.

In fact, here is their full official quote from blogs.adobe back in 2013:

“Future versions of Lightroom will be made available via traditional perpetual licenses indefinitely.”

I’m not a native English speaker (it’s actually my 4th language), but to my knowledge “indefinitely” does not mean “forever“, but more “for an unspecified period of time“. So let’s critizise Adobe based on what they do and not based on fake clickbait news.

With that said, the new reality is called Lightroom Classic CC… so let’s see how it works.

Some Lightroom Alternatives

  • Capture One is a great alternative, especially since they recently improved the X-Trans support (but we still wait for a few more things sich as Fujifilm GFX support and film simulation profiles). Check out also this Fujifilm-centric Capture One webinar.
  • Also ON1 has made progress in the Fuji X-Trans world. They improved the X-Trans demosaicing first on February 15 here, and then on June 7 here. They promised film simulation profiles on July 21 here and On1 Photo Raw 2018 is coming with a lot of new features.
  • MacPhun Luminar is coming big in the last few months, with versions for Mac and Windows. Definitely worth to check it out.
  • Iridient is a much-loved RAW demosaicing software by the Fuji X community.
  • The “RAW Power” App brings Aperture style interface & functions to MacPhotos. We reported about it here.
  • Another appreciated alternative is darktable. It’s free and is full of features (now also for windows). Moreover, the sourcecode is opensource and if the development stops, other people can go on with it.

X-Trans Zone

  • Image Editing Experiments With The Fujifilm X-T2 and Film Simulation JPEGS at thewanderinglensman
  • Image Editing Experiments With The Fujifilm X-T2 and Film Simulation JPEGS; Part II at thewanderinglensman
  • There’s a special offer at this moment to get DXO Optics Pro 11 Essential for free! Check it out at: dxo.com/us/practicalphotography. Keep in mind that DxO does not support Fuji RAW files, so you have to convert your files to TIFF to be able to use them. Offer expires November 30. Thanks to Arnoud for the link: www.arnoudlievense.nl
  • ApolloOne, a very popular photo viewer for Mac just got an update to version 2.0.0. Version 2 adds a number of new features. The most notable ones are: fast image tagging/culling with Auto Advance mode, new built-in RAW decoder (based on LibRAW, same as the one used by FastRawViewer), and the association of XMP sidecar files for RAW images (change rating, delete, rename). In addition, you can now view HEIC image files (and HEVC videos) on macOS High Sierra with complete EXIF info. The best part is that it is now free to download at the App Store here, so you can try before you buy. Check it out!