Fujifilm X-M5 Autofocus Test Tidbits

It’s still not easy to find proper autofocus test regarding the Fujifilm X-M5.

So all we have for now are little tidbits here and there, mainly coming from Asian countries, which are traditionally the main market for the X-M (or perviously the X-A) line.

I will share two videos below.

The first is (I think) a Chinese video. Click the play button below to start the video right at the AF section. Here is what we can notice and what the guy said:

  • lens used: Fujinon XF 33mmF1.4
  • cat tracking seems to work fine also when the cat moves in a busy space and behind some obstacles
  • the guy runs towards the camera and says (if the translation is accurate), that the accuracy is 80-90%, with most of the images out of focus only when the subject was very close to the camera
  • it seems that the entire episode is filmed on X-M5

The second video comes from Brazil. I share it because the reviewer covers half of his face with the hand, but the X-M5 does not get distracted and keeps focus on the eye. In fact, you can see the eye box jump to the left eye as soon as the right eye is covered by the hand. So at least this issue seems to be solved.

In a third video below we see the AF tracking in video, which does not look very convincing. Or, as the autor of the video, Matt, said: “Personally think [autofocus] it’s not as bad as some people were worried about, but definitely still not perfect.”

First conclusion: it’s better in tracking cats than humans :)

Of course I am kidding. We really do not have many elements in our hands to make a proper judgement. But the Fujifilm X-M5 should ship in about 10 days (November 21 according to stores), so I guess soon enough we will have a much better understanding of its AF performance.

And maybe we will get the promised autofocus firmware update before that, so that we can judge the new AF on our own 5th generation cameras.

Fujifilm GFX Fixed Lens Camera Lens Patents Spotted – GF35mm F3.5, GF40mm F3.5 and GF50mm F3.5

The following lens patents for the GFX have been spotted by the Japanese website asobinet.

  • GF35mmF3.5
    (more precisely 33mmF3.6)
  • GF40mmF3.5
    (more precisely 39mmF3.6 and 43mmF3.6)
  • GF50mmF3.5
    (more precisely 51mmF3.6)

Asobinet speculates that these are patents for a fixed lens camera, since it has a short back focus.

Fellow FujiRumors readers already know that the fixed lens Fujifilm GFX will come in the first half of 2025 with a 28mm equivalent lens, which means it will be 35mm in GFX format.

All of the patents show an f/3.5 aperture, which would be a f/2.8 depth of field equivalent in full frame.

Full Patent Details

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

Viltrox and Tamron Fujifilm X Mount Deals Launched

 

Viltrox Savings

Viltrox has launched a sale on its Viltrox Fujifilm X mount lenses with up to 15% savings at Amazon US here.

I did check other stores like BHphoto here, Viltrox here & Co, but so far I can see the rebate only at Amazon USA here.

Tamron Savings

Tamron X mount lenses are now rebated at BHphoto here, AmazonUS here and at Adorama here.

Fujifilm Deals

Cameras

Zoom Lenses

Prime Lenses

Save up to $200 on Fujifilm X-T5 and Selected XF lenses in USA

Fujifilm USA has launched new Fujifilm X deals. Here is the full list of savings.

Cameras

Zoom Lenses

Prime Lenses

New Amazon Prime Deals: Save Additional 20% on Reconditioned & Open Box Fujifilm Gear

 

Amazon has launched a 20% rebate on selected used items.

Relevant and of potential interest for Fujifilm shooters are:

Third Party Batteries

Other deals

General Amazon Prime Deal Pages

BHphoto Fall Deals – 2 Days Only

Adorama Flash Franzy Sale – 2 Days Only

BHphoto and Adorama Launch Their Own 2 Days Only Deals

At FujiRumors, we always emphasize that competition is a positive force. The stronger Fujifilm’s competitors become, the more it drives Fujifilm to innovate and improve.

This concept also applies to major online retailers, who strive to outdo each other by offering better deals to attract customers.

And so it happens that exactly on the days when Amazon launched their massive Prime Deal days, also BHphoto here and Adorama here strike back with their own 2 days only deals.

So we do recommend you to compare prices among several stores to see who is offering the best deal on gear you might be interested in (including your local stores).

Top Picks

Amazon Prime Deals – 2 Days Only

BHphoto Fall Deals – 2 Days Only

Adorama Flash Franzy Sale – 2 Days Only

Selected Amazon Deals

Amazon Prime Deals Live Now

 

The Amazon Prime Deals are now live.

Top Picks

Selected Deals

October 14 X Summit: Beyond New Gear, Fujifilm’s Spotlight on Design Might Steal the Show

If I should point out one single thing that really intrigued me to follow the just announced Fujifilm X Summit on October 14, then it’s the highlight Fujifilm put into the “Design” aspect of the event.

I mean, all the new gear is nice and good. But it could be the design aspect to really steal the show, just as it did in the past.

But let’s go with order.

The X summit on October 14 will take place at the Fujifilm’s design center “Clay Studio” in Tokyo.

Fujifilm said in the launch video:

The theme of the X Summit is “design”. From product design to engineering design, we will deliver new information to you from a design perspective. You won’t be disappointed with the X summit.

This theme opens up a lot of exciting possibilities.

Fujifilm could give us rare insights into how they develop and produce new gear, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their design philosophy and processes. From the initial concepts for a new product to the real-life challenges they encounter during development, all the way through to final production.

Now that alone would be very interesting to me. But I am a nerd for such things. And by the way, the best insight in terms of Fujifilm gear manufacturing we got so far is this one here.

But we could get more than that.

We might even see mockups or future concept designs that showcase Fujifilm’s vision for the evolution of their product line and maybe even get development announcements.

It happened already in the past, when Fujifilm displayed the moduar GFX design concept, or they made the Fujifilm X-Pro3 development announcement, or when they displayed the first design concepts and mockups of the Fujinon XF33mmF1.0.

They even showed us early GFX concepts including an X-T styled GFX (which btw showed us the hidden LCD screen concept half a year before the X-Pro3 development announcement) and much more.

And whenever Fujifilm has showcased potential design concepts for the future, those ideas have consistently overshadowed the actual products announced at the event.

Who knows, maybe we will even get first design hints to the Fujifilm TX-3 panoramic camera possibly coming in 2028 or the fixed lens GFX scheduled for 2025.

Emphasizing design could provide us with valuable insights into the direction Fujifilm plans to take with its future products.

But whatever Fujifilm will show us, this focus on design has the potential to be the most captivating part of the event.

I, for one, can’t wait to see what Fujifilm reveals, as I have a strong feeling it will satisfy my inner nerd and tech enthusiast… and who knows, maybe even give us a glimpse into the good stuff to come in future ;).

Fujifilm X-Pro4 (X-Pro5?) Coming with Improved Hybrid Viewfinder (and What I Hope it Will be)

Today we have an update regarding the Fujifilm X-Pro4… or however it will be called, maybe even Fujifilm X-Pro5. That name would make sense, since Fuji Guy Billy said he can see the X-Pro line getting the 5th generation goodness, hence I think there is a possibility that Fujifilm could call it X-Pro5.

We have been informed by a source, who was right in the past (THANKS), that there will be an improved hybrid viewfinder on the X-Pro4/X-Pro5.

I don’t know yet what the improvement will look like. Is it just a higher resolution EVF? A larger viewfinder?

But what I really hope is the same what Thomas B. Jones said in his latest X-Pro5 whishlist video (see below in German): the return of the slot-in magnifiers.

So what’s that?

Well, if you are not familiar with the X-Pro line, up until the Fujifilm X-Pro2, the X-Pro line offered a slot-in magnifier for 0.36x and 0.60x magnification mode in the OVF.

This has been changed on the Fujifilm X-Pro3, which offers a fixed 0.52x magnification which is great if you are shooting with Fujifilm’s  23mm, 33mm or 35mm lenses (which most X-Pro users do).

However, with lenses like the Fujinon XF18mmF1.4, the image that hits the sensor is larger than the one that can be displayed on the OVF.

The return of the slot-in magnifier could solve this problem and make the XF18mmF1.4 the perfect match for the next X-Pro camera.

But again, I do not know what the change the hybrid viewfinder will have, nor if it will be something minor or major. But if I hear anything more, I will let you know here on FujiRumors.

Fujifilm GFX50S II Kits Start to be Discontinued – The End of 50MP GFX?

The first stores in Japan are now marking the Fujifilm GFX50SII as discontinued, as reported by the Japanese website asobinet.

In the US we can see the kit version is out of stock at BHphoto (with the “request assistance” note) as well as unavailable at Adorama.

Given that it is now discontinued in Japan, I don’t have high hopes for at least the kit version to be back in stock anywhere else.

The Fujifilm GFX50SII was announced back in September 2021.

Fujifilm did lots of things right with the GFX50SII, but one thing wrong.

They did give us a nice and relatively compact body, with IBIS and 4th generation processor. The price was quite good back than in 2021. But the one thing they got wrong is the sensor. They used the identical 50MP sensor in use in the original Fujifilm GFX50S and also in the even older Pentax 645Z of 2014.

Make no mistake: the sensor itself delivers wonderful files. But the readout is slow. And you can put in the best processor in the world, but in terms of autofocus speed and rolling shutter performance there is only that much you can do when your true bottleneck is in the sensor (non-BSI and contrast detection AF only).

Now, I get it. For many GFX50SII shooters “autofocus speed” might not be the top priority. I think at all those who shoot landscape photography for example. But for many, like me, who also document family life with GFX, a decent autofocus is definitely welcome. That’s why I went for the GFX100S (with BSI and phase detection).

I get it that Fujifilm can only use Sony sensors, and that there is no 44×33 BSI 50MP sensor out there. So Fujifilm has to use what Sony offers. But at the end I think that the life-cycle of that ancient 50MP sensor should have ended with the GFX50R in 2018. Re-proposing it again in 2021 in the GFX50SII was just one iteration too much for that sensor.

Where do we go from here?

Well, I don’t know if this is the end of 50MP GFX. I still hope (not rumor) that somehow a 44x33mm 50MP BSI and Phase Detection sensor will appear one day. Or maybe something in between 50 and 100 megapixel. But that is more in the hands of Sony semiconductors rather than in Fujifilm.