Fujifilm: The Good and the Bad – DPRTV

DPRTV published a video about the Good and the Bad of Fujifilm.

The Good

  • many different styles and design of cameras that appeal to different type of photographers
  • whether you like more modern or vintage, Fujifilm has it
  • lots of price points using the same sensor
  • they keep innovating their APS-C sensor lineup, now they have high resolution 40MP and stacked 26MP
  • steadily improved video features
  • X-H2/S both video optimized models but for whatever your priority is: X-H2s for less rolling shutter and slightly better dynamic range or X-H2 for absolute detail. But many features are similar between the too
  • autofocus third party options

The Bad

  • Fujifilm is now focusing on higher end, but they can grow on affordable range
  • they hoped they make more affordable XC primes like the XC35mmF2, but that still their only XC prime
  • more affordable pocket sized cameras
  • tracking continuous autofocus. Fujifilm is getting stickier, but it still lagging a little bit behind and you get more false positive with Fujifilm than with other brands. Sometimes its the lenses that can’t keep up with the tracking
  • no tap to track in video mode
  • why no native leaf shutter lens option for the GFX system? Fujifilm made leaf shutter lenses in the past for Hasselblad in the past. You can adapt those H series Hasselblad lenses (Fujifilm H mount adapter G) but you don’t have autofocus. Fuji’s argument might be that sensor readout is getting faster and eventually there will be stacked sensor or global shutter, but that’s still a long way off for medium format

The Lastest and Greatest

Blame the Fujifilm X-T5…

Have you noticed that cameras like the Fujifilm X100V, X-E4, X-T30/II, X-Pro3, X-S10 are out of stock in many places?

And why is that?

A sudden brilliant influencer marketing campaign by Fujifilm?

Nope. ;)

You have to blame the Fujifilm X-T5 for that!

In 2022, Fujifilm has launched three crucial cameras for their future: Fujifilm X-T5, Fujifilm X-H2s and Fujifilm X-H2.

And why are they so crucial for Fujifilm?

  • X-H line can potentially bring more new customers into the Fujifilm X system
  • the X-T* line is Fuji’s bread and butter
  • higher end cameras have more profit margin than cameras that cost $1,400 or less
  • niche cameras like X-Pro3 don’t make nearly as much money as more mainstream cameras

So what Fujifilm did is simple: they knew that by March 2023, when the Japanese fiscal year ends, they absolutely must ship out as many X-T5, X-H2 and X-H2s cameras as possible. And given the parts shortage, they had to reserve most of the remaining parts for those three cameras.

And especially the Fujifilm X-T5, Fuji’s most important camera, is one that can not fail on the shipping front.

That’s why Fujifilm is extremely well prepared with the Fujifilm X-T5, and that’s why B&H Photo will be able to ship out all pre-ordered X-T5 cameras on day 1 (and they still have X-T5 left in the warehouse).

That’s valid also for other vendors, who will very likely also have a decent stock (but I did not talk to other vendors, so this is just my guess). Except for certain retails for the reasons I explained in the comments to this article.

In short: if you are looking for an X-Pro3, and X100V, X-T30II and X-E4 or any other camera you can’t find in stock, then blame the Fujifilm X-T5 for that.

X-T5 USA Pre-Orders

Fujinon XF30mmF2.8 Macro Pre-Orderrs

  1. USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama
  2. Worldwide: AmazonCA / Amazon of Your Country
  3. UK: AmazonUK / WexUK / ParkCameraUK
  4. EU: AmazonDE / AmazonIT / AmazonFR / AmazonES  / CalumetDE / FotoErhardt / Fotokoch / PCHstore

X-T5 Other Countries

X-H Cameras

FR-Readers Wishlist Corner: Firmware Suggestions, Video-Less X-Pro4, Fujinon XF16-160mmF3.5-5.6 and More

Wishlist Corner

I am terribly sorry…. terribly sorry that many of you had to wait so long to be featured.

But no matter how hard I work, especially in a crazy 2022, with 3 higher end cameras coming out and 4 XF lenses coming out, I simply could not find time to collect all your wishes and share them.

So I’ll do it today… I grabbed a large beer, took a deep breath, and worked to organise the wishes I have received over the last few months in this article.

So… down below it is: the FR-readers wishlist roundup

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Understanding Fujinon XF30mm F2.8 R LM WR Macro

Fujifilm USA runs over the several 30ish-ranged Fujinon lenses, highlighting their differences and making a final recommendation.

Lots of choice in that range, but which one is best?

Fujifilm USA (video below) says the XF30mmF2.8 Macro is probably the best prime lens you should consider getting if you are new to the X system and you are looking to purchase your first prime lens.

Because it’s kind of the jack of all trades: it can do macro (the others can’t), it has extremely fast autofocus even at close distances (some of the other lenses have not that fast AF), it is very sharp, has low to no chromatic aberration, it’s ideal for high resolution X cameras (X-T5 and X-H2), and with $600 pricing it is still affordable for many people.

My take?

Well, I personally would still recommend the XF35mmF1.4 as first prime lens. It can’t do Macro, but it is still affordable and much faster with its 1.4 aperture. Plus it’s one of those character lenses that will give you magic results.

But certainly the XF30mm f/2.8 is also a wonderful and versatile option for a first prime lens.

You can watch the full video below.

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

The Revenge of the Fujifilm X-T4: Declared Best Mirrorless Camera by Germany’s Most Prestigious Consumer Organisation (and X100V Best Compact)

Who is…

If I am looking for unbiased, objective and competent reviews about anything electronics related, I often look at recommendations of Stiftung Warentest, a “German consumer organisation and foundation involved in investigating and comparing goods and services in an unbiased way. It was founded on 4 December 1964 by the Federal Republic of Germany as an independent foundation under civil law*”

Stiftung Warentest even gets €3.5 million a year from the German state as “compensation for the fact that it does not carry any advertisements in its publications because this could compromise its independence*“.

In short: those guys are not been flown around the world by companies in order to possibly get favourable reviews ;).

And now let’s come to today’s story, which we start with the easy one, the X100V.

Fujifilm X100V

Stiftung Wartentest declared the Fujifilm X100V the best fixed lens compact camera. That’s an easy one, as there is simply nothing that comes near to the X100V in terms of price, features and performance in this segment.

Fujifilm X-T4

Out of all the mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras they tested, Stiftung Warentest declared the Fujifilm X-T4 their best allrounder camera, with a rating of 1.4 (max 1.0). You can read their test in German behind a paywall at their website here.

This is a nice “revenge” for the Fujifilm X-T4, a camera that has been a bit mocked by Fujifilm itself in their Fujifilm X-T5 launch promo ad.

Now, you know my take on this:

the Fujifilm X-T4 had to carry the flagship burden, hence it was forced to be exactly how it is (bigger, heavier, etc). But now that the X-H2/s finally came out, the Fujifilm X-T* line could go back to its roots again with the wonderful Fujifilm X-T5, hence it could become smaller, lighter, offer a 3 way tilt screen and overall just be more photography centric.

If it wasn’t for the selfie screen, I could have loved my Fujifilm X-T4 almost as much as I love my X-E3. But sadly even after years of use, I simply could not grow fond of it, even though I occasionally could appreciate the advantages of a fully articulating screen (even for photography only).

So I am happy to see the Fujifilm X-T4 getting this important recognition.

It is still a wonderful camera, and for some even preferable over the Fujifilm X-T5. And right now you can also get it with a discount.

Oh, and in the 12th position of this ranking we find the Fujifilm X-E4 ;).

* source – wikipedia

X-T5 USA Pre-Orders

Fujinon XF30mmF2.8 Macro Pre-Orderrs

  1. USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama
  2. Worldwide: AmazonCA / Amazon of Your Country
  3. UK: AmazonUK / WexUK / ParkCameraUK
  4. EU: AmazonDE / AmazonIT / AmazonFR / AmazonES  / CalumetDE / FotoErhardt / Fotokoch / PCHstore

X-T5 Other Countries

Fujifilm Financial Results for Q2 FY2022: Instax Beats Nikon and Brisk Digital Camera Sales Push Imaging Division YOY Revenue (+23.7%)

Fujifilm has published the results for the second quarter of the 2022 fiscal year (July 1 to September 30, 2022).

The main digital camera launched in these months was the Fujifilm X-H2s, which Fujifilm says sold “strong”. The results for the high resolution Fujifilm X-H2 will be visible only in Q3 of FY2022, since it started shipping only in late September/early October.

Instax

Instax keeps rocking.

Instax alone made more revenue (¥119.1 billion) than Nikon’s Imaging Products Business (¥114.5 billion).

A special mention goes to the INSTAX mini Link 2 and the INSTAX SQUARE Link.

Digital Cameras

Good results also for Fuji’s professional imaging division with a revenue of ¥64.3 billion (+18.6% YoY).

Forecasts

Given the good numbers, Fujifilm changed their previous FY2022 forecasts (announced in August) for the imaging segment (numbers in billions of yen)

  • Revenue Forecast: from 360.0 to 390.0 (revenue for FY2021 was 333.4)
  • Operating Income Forecast: from 42.0 to 52.0 (operating income for FY2021 was 37.0)

And the best has yet to come for Fujifilm, with the sales of the Fujifilm X-T5, which will push the revenue of Q3 and Q4.

R&D

R&D expenses for the first half of the fiscal year were 4.8 billions of yen (was 4.1 in first half of FY2021). So a good sign also here, as Fujifilm seems to be gradually increasing the R&D resources for the imaging solution.

Summary

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

I am Sorry Fujifilm, but You MUST fix This NOW (a Firmware Request and a Workaround)

Over all these years of covering Fujifilm I came to one conclusion:

there is a dedicated team inside Fujifilm that serves the sole purpose to figure out how to annoy customers by constantly changing camera controls.

Well, that team was very successful again.

Let me quickly explain.

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Fujifilm X-T5 Look Up Table (LUT) for F-Log and F-Log 2 Now Available

This LUT file is to edit the movie data below when the data is edited by a movie editor on your PC or Mac.

* F-Log movie data recorded with GFX100S, GFX100, X-E4, X-S10, X-T30 II, X-T30, X-T2, X-T3, X-T4, X-T5, X-Pro3, X-H1, X-H2S, X-H2 and X100V
* F-Log2 movie data recorded with X-H2S, X-H2 and X-T5.

Download

F-Log 3D-LUT file / F-Log Data sheet

Last updated: 11.7.2022
F-Log_LUT_E_Ver.1.24.zip [11.8MB]
*Decompress the “F-Log_LUT_E_Ver.1.24.zip” file and launch “.cube” file from a movie editor.
Last updated: 6.16.2022
F-Log_DataSheet_E_Ver.1.1.pdf [192KB]

F-Log2 3D-LUT file / F-Log2 Data sheet

Last updated: 11.7.2022
F-Log2_LUT_E_Ver.102.zip [2.5MB]
*Decompress the “F-Log_LUT２_E_Ver.1.02.zip” file and launch “.cube” file from a movie editor.
Last updated: 6.16.2022
F-Log2_DataSheet_E_Ver.1.0.pdf [120KB]

X-T5 USA Pre-Orders

Fujinon XF30mmF2.8 Macro Pre-Orderrs

  1. USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama
  2. Worldwide: AmazonCA / Amazon of Your Country
  3. UK: AmazonUK / WexUK / ParkCameraUK
  4. EU: AmazonDE / AmazonIT / AmazonFR / AmazonES  / CalumetDE / FotoErhardt / Fotokoch / PCHstore

X-T5 Other Countries

It’s Over – Time to Vote Your Top Fujifilm (Related) Gear 2022

click the image to find out what is FujiRumors' Top Product
click the image to find out what is FujiRumors’ Top Product

Top Fujifilm Related Product 2022

Well, not bad at all Fujifilm!

3 higher end cameras coming out and 4 XF lenses.

We certainly can agree upon the fact that Fujifilm wasn’t lazy in 2022!

And since during the last X summit the Japanese manager said that this was the last X summit of the year (hence there won’t be any more announcements), we can already vote on what was, according to you, the top Fujifilm related product of 2022.

In the survey I will also include the Sigma 18-50mmF2.8, which might not be available yet, but as latest leaks suggest, it should come shorty. And we pretty much also know how it performs optically, as it is already available for Sony E mount and you can read the reviews at B&H Photo here and at AmazonUS here.

So feel free to vote the survey down below:

My Top Fujifilm Related Product of 2022 was...

View Results

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Fujifilm X Summit Nov. 2 at 9AM New York Time: What We Know Will Come (and What I Hope)

Are you guys ready?

FujiRumors certainly is, ready to deliver you an epic announcement day on November 2 at 9AM New York time.

So what will we surely get?

I mean… X-T5… it can hardly get more exciting that this!

And yet, as we have learned from the past Fujifilm X Summit, Fujifilm always has some surprises during X summits that not even FujiRumors saw coming.

So what could Fujifilm launch that FujiRumors never rumored? (and to be clear I have no rumors about)

Well, here is what I hope for (NOT RUMOR):

  • Fujifilm X App: there are rumors and even official Fujifilm slides leaked here on FR, but I have no information on it come along with X-T5. And yet, I certainly hope for it
  • new film simulation: usually with the introduction of new sensor and processors, Fujifilm also launched new film simulations. But this did not happen with the X-H2s and X-H2. So again, I have no rumors, but I hope Fujifilm will give us one on the X-T5
  • richer lens roadmaps: if you take a look at the latest X mount roadmap and GF mount roadmap, they are very poor on future lenses. I hope Fujifilm will release new roadmaps richer in lenses
  • Kaizen Firmware: given the huge effort put into completely re-writing their autofocus algorithm starting introducing a massively improved face/eye AF and subject/animal detection, it is no surprise that there hasn’t been much time and money left to update older cameras with the latest features. But now that it is done, I hope Fujifilm will reassure us that more Kaizen firmware will come in future and that they will make a statement about it during the X summit
  • Mock-ups: what Fujifilm likes to do is to show mock-ups of upcoming lenses. And despite FujiRumors already having made a size comparison of the XF8mmF3.5 with other Fujinon lenses and sort of hands on mock-ups of the upcoming Tilt Shift G mount lenses are already to be seen at BHphoto here, I hope they will show us the latest mock-up version
    – Fujinon GF 110mm f/5.6 Tilt-Shift Lens
    – Fujinon GF 30mm f/5.6 Tilt-Shift Lens

So, that’s my top 5 hopes. And what about you?