Recently we published a bunch of gear/hardware related wishes we have received from the Fujifilm community.
Now it is time to share a bunch of firmware wishes.
by Oli
Here is a link to my blog post about my experiences with the X100Vi and the WCL as a “poor man’s Leica Q”.
I guess you might be able to read German: shashindo.de/fuqi/ (google translated).
There is actually ONE reason why the Leica Q3 is “better” than the Fujifilm X100VI: The handling of the metadata!
Leica writes the crop focal length and crop pixel size in the metadata!
It’s too bad that Fujifilm doesn’t also set the crop focal length in the metadata!
It would also be nice to find the name of the custom setting (aka film simulation) here in the EXIF data. Well, you can still have wishes…
Thought you might be interested ;-)
Or in case you do have access to Fuji Development department somehow, maybe you can drop this there… :-D
And until a few weeks ago, the lens was also always listed at the official Fujifilm X mount Sigma lens page here.
Well, as spotted by a fellow FR-reader (thanks), the Sigma 100-400mmF5-6.3 has now been removed from the Sigma X mount lens selection page.
There is still the dedicated product page up here, but as you can see from the screenshot above, the lens is out of stock for all mounts, except for L-mount, which is in low stock.
The question now is if Sigma is phasing out the Sigma 100-400mmF5-6.3 and if they plan to release a replacement in the near future.
I have no answer to any of these questions, but if there is anyone out there who has it, feel free to contact me.
Anyway, if you are interested in the Sigma 100-400mmF5-6.3, it is currently available with a $100 discount at BHphoto and if the removal from the Sigma website means anything, then this might well be the last units you’ll find new on the market.
It would be a pity if this lens would have been discontinued, since it is a great low budget alternative to the Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6.
It’s time to dedicate some space here on FujiRumors to your wishes and ideas as far as future Fujifilm cameras goes.
Hence, down below are a few emails with Fujifilm camera wishes I have received.
And yes, I have also received lots of non-camera wishes, which I will share in another future FR-reader wishlist roundup.
As for the rumors… guys, don’t worry… there will be plenty of them. ;)
Oh… and the Fujifilm X-E5, Fujifilm X-M5 and Fujifilm X50 you see above are all just renderings I made. But if somebody out there has the real images (of any upcoming camera or lens) and wants to share the joy with the FR-community, feel free to drop me a message.
Fujifilm US Manager Victor Ha had an interesting interview with CineD.
The interview is 1 hour and 20 minutes long. I strongly recommend you to watch it all. But if you are in a super hurry right now, here are the main takeaways:
X100VI Success
a lot of the X100VI success has to do with luck and timing
but also a lot of if has to do with the fact that the camera has gone through 5 generations
a lot of people want to make high quality images. Sometimes they are not really photographers, but artists in other areas, chefs, or a different profession or something that requires high quality imaging
in today’s world, no matter which you profession you are in, you do need a certain level of image quality that could exceed the phone
a large number of people who bought the X100VI are new to the Fujifilm brand
traditionally the X100 line always was also a camera that was grabbed by people who have other brands
customer base has expended a lot into first time buyers, first time users, first time camera owners
the X100VI is also a great product
all these things came together
Fujifilm has a great reputation in providing tools that are response to feedback of customers, and also balance it with what the market wants and what’s possible technologically
X100VI is special because it is a combination between esthetics, design, tactile feel
photographers (image makers) are moving towards the desire of having dedicated devices. You want to spend a certain amount of time engaging with a device where you can look through a viewfinder and there won’t be notifications popping up
the job of camera manufacturers is to create devices that offer the best image quality possible in different sensor sizes and from entry level to professional market
when asked about features like in-camera editing, Victor says the thought of it makes him sick. First, because the JPEG’s coming out of his camera are the best in the business. And there are some options in-camera like push and pull etc (admin note: via the internal RAW converter), so Fujifilm has at some degree on-device editing
Fujifilm wants to offer users different ways to get images off the camera, and that’s evolved in the last couple of years (Camera to Could, new XApp, etc)
but Fujifilm’s first mission is to provide the best image quality possible. For that you need a good lens, a sensor, processor, image science etc.
Fujifilm is very pleased in seeing how Camera to Cloud is being adopted and they see continuous growth and more users try the service
C2C is used by photographers and videographers
WiFi congestion interfere and create problems with Camera to Cloud
internal memory storage? Victor Ha says he would be reluctant to that. He was taught that it’s important to have physical backups. Also, in some cases taking a file from the card can be easier than getting it from the cloud. And taking the files through a cable when you do not have a reader is easier than pulling the card.
manufacturers must understand that they need to offer different ways to get files off from the camera, not just one
Victor is currently on a trip through Europe with his GFX100SII (+GF50mm and GF80mm) and shooting also street photography with it is very satisfying
he did not use GFX so much before, but during this trip he got in deep love for that camera
[when asked what if Hasselblad, now owned by DJI, comes out with an attractive MF camera] of course Fujifilm pays attention what other competitors are doing. Victor hopes that competitors come out with tools that challenge their tools.
he believes that Fujifilm’s tools will always win in the end because “we have great fans, we have great image science, great colors, great optics“
the industry needs to grow and make better tools. Fujifilm needs competition
Without a vibrant and strong industry, lots of things will go away and nobody wants that
There is more to the interview, so make sure to check it out in full.
Just a few quick comments:
As far as in camera editing goes, for me the internal RAW converter is one of the big reasons why I stick with Fujifilm (Sony for example does not offer it as far as I know). Because truth be spoken: for hard core editing nothing beats the RAW file and a proper editing software. But I am often around with busses and trains to do my day hikes, and one of the things I love is when, on my way back from a long day of shooting, I can sit in the train, go through the images and pass some time having fun editing the images with the internal RAW converter. By the time I am home, I might have already edited enough images to a point that I feel completely happy with it and I can upload them on my phone and share them… and of course without the need of edit them later on with an editing software.
In the interview they talk about having kind of Lightroom like controls directly in camera, like on the Zeiss ZX1, but personally I think that’s an overkill. I’ll just use my computer for more heavy editing. I prefer to have the simplicity and immediacy of the internal Fujifilm RAW converter to do quick adjustments.
As for the internal storage, I think that would be nice to have, if that would allow for even faster writing speeds over a CFexpress Card, but only if there would still be a memory card slot for a backup. I probably would be too scared to go on vacation with internal storage only, and maybe get my files corrupted 1 or 2 weeks into the holiday. So Victor Ha makes a great point when he talks about having a backup solution somehow.
Camera to Cloud on the other hand sounds like a great idea that faces some real life challenges when it comes to the transmission of those files. I don’t know if any of you uses it. If so, please let us know your experience with it.
And the point now came in which I thought I should not even talk about these awards anymore here on FujiRumors.
However, I also noticed that every time I post about them, there are quite a few out there who in the comments on social media rejoice about Fujifilm winning an award.
And who am I to take away such an easy and genuine joy to people. It’s a messy world that needs more joy, not less.
So, let’s be happy and celebrate the fact that EISA declared the Fujifilm X100VI the best compact camera.
Well, guided by our sources (THANKS), we can now say with certainty that it will be a 28mm equivalent lens.
So the lens itself will give you a wider field of view than what you find for example in the lovely Fujifilm X100VI.
As far as the aperture goes, also here I do not have 100% solid confirmation. But I got contacted by a source, who was right in the past (message to source: yes, you used that nickname in the past, so keep using it in future if you decide to contact me again. Thanks!).
According to that source, it will be an f/3.2 lens. I guess the source ment f/3.2 on GFX, hence f/2.5 depth of field equivalent in full frame.
But again, this time I share the aperture without having it multiple confirmed by trusted sources. However, if the source is right, it will be elevated to the “trusted source” status. But until then, please take it with a grain of salt.
I’ll give you updates on the aperture as soon as I have them.
Another message to the source: I hear announcement will be in 2025. I will look again into it. If you want, you can also contact me 100% anonymously via Signal. I will also try to get the other info multiple checked as soon as possible. Thanks so much again for the help.
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.
As you know, I am a happy owner of the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5.
Well, happy until a certain point.
Because as I wrote in a complaint post here, the firmware for the GF50mmF3.5 had been suspended and remained so for many months (now years).
I did moan about it here on FujiRumors, but nothing happened.
Nothing until today! :)
Because FINALLY Fujifilm has released a new firmware for the previously suspended GF50mmF3.5 as well as the GF35-70mm.
And not only that.
Also the GF500mmF5.6 as well as every single Fujifilm GFX camera got firmware updates.
In the X series world, we get firmware updates for the Fujifilm X-T4 and the Fujifilm X-T50.
ATTENTION: Please update first the GFX camera firmware (no lens attached) and only after that you should update the GF50mm or GF35-70mm firmware.
＜Important Notice>
In the unlikely event that firmware update process for any of the above interchangeable lenses is interrupted and the message below appears, please claim “Repair Service Center” in your country to upgrade the firmware. You can read the full firmware instruction here.
Note-1：The followings are messages when the firmware update is interrupted (Messages vary depending on the model).
Customers with GFX100 II/GFX100S II/GFX 50R/GFX 50S
“FIRMWARE UPDATE ERROR!! PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FUJIFILM OFFICE”
Customers with GFX100S/GFX100/GFX 50S II
“FIRMWARE UPGRADE ERROR!! CONTACT A SERVICE CENTER
