But here is one important thing that should not pass unnoticed: the official list of supported Fujifilm cameras.
So I think it is worth to highlight them in its own article. Accroding to Tamron, the new Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 will work fine with the following Fujifilm cameras (see below):
The Fujifilm X-T line was never supposed to be a flagship camera.
Let me explain why.
When Fujifilm launched the Fujifilm X-H1, they called it their flagship camera, giving it top of the line features that no other camera had at that time (like IBIS) and in part still no other camera, except for X-Pro3, has (like the ultra-tough body). The Fujifilm X-T2 was positioned under the X-H1.
However, since it took Fujifilm so long to release the Fujifilm X-H1 successor, the Fujifilm X-T line had to take over the “flagship-role” for a couple of years.
But now, with the the release of the Fujifilm X-H2S and the pre-announced Fujifilm X-H2, everything is going back to normal so to say.
X-H is the flagship, and X-T is the mid-range.
And that’s not me saying it, but Fuji Guy Billy, who went through the “what is what” in the Fujifilm camera lineup with Bigheaedtaco, who then shared Billy’s list with us in the video below (starts 9:59).
X-S series:
Refinement: Base Level
Interface: DSLR design with PSAM interface
X-T** series:
Refinement: Base Level
Interface: classic SLR design with classic interface
X-E series
Refinement: Base Level
Interface: Rangefinder design with classic interface
Who REMAINS and who is OUT
I agree with Bigheadtaco when he speculates that all those camera lines mentioned in the list will see a successor at some point. Otherwise I believe Fuji Guy Billy would not have mentioned them
if correct, this means that also the X-E line will continue, hence there is hope for a Fujifilm X-E5
this means little hope for Fujifilm X-A8, Fujifilm X-T300, X-A30
the “new” entry level (or base line) is considered the X-T** and X-S line
PSAM PANIC
there will be 3 lines with a more classic interface, and 2 lines with PSAM dials
Non-PSAM dial camera lines will remain the majority in the Fuji lineup (4 non PSAM lines vs 2 PSAM lines)
Fujifilm has not lost its soul! Classic control lovers like me will have plenty of cameras to pick from also in the future
By getting rid of a few lines and separating more clearly the remaining ones, Fujifilm has addressed one of the major concerns that was confusing Fujifilm X shooters: too many camera lines positioned too close to each other without sufficient differentiation.
In short we could say that every line will have a higher end and a lower end version
HIGH: X-H line – LOW: X-S line
HIGH: X-T* line – LOW: X-T** line
HIGH: X-Pro line – LOW: X-E* line
P.S.: It was just so much more fun when Fujifilm used other terms to identify their camera lines, like when they said the X-T** line for hipsters :).
In addition to a steady sales recovery of color photographic paper and broadcast and cinema lenses from the impact of COVID-19, strong sales of newly launched instant photo systems and digital cameras led revenue to increase by 16.9% year-over-year to ¥333.4 billion, and operating income to increase 2.4 times year-over-year to ¥37.0 billion.
In the consumer imaging field, steady sales of instant photo systems, color photographic paper and dry minilabs and materials drove revenue higher. New products launched in 2021 include the instax mini 40, a new entry-model compatible with mini-format film, in April, the instax Link WIDE, a smartphone printer for wide-format, in October and a flagship model instax mini Evo in December. All new products were well received in the market and boosted sales.
In the professional imaging field, we launched the large-format mirrorless digital camera FUJIFILM GFX100S, which realized a high resolution of 102 million pixels, the FUJIFILM GFX50S II equipped with 50 million-pixel image sensor, released in September 2021 as a brother model, and the FUJIFILM X-T30 II mirrorless camera, which is the latest model from the X Series released in November 2021. All products gained high reputations and sales remained strong. Revenue was significantly higher year- over-year as sales of broadcast and cinema lenses, which had been hit by a decline in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, turned upward, and sales of lenses in the monitoring /measurement field, including long-range surveillance cameras and machine vision lenses, fared fell.
distracted a French presidential candidate during his interview (story here)
One of the most recent entires in the awards list is the one of Fujifilm X shooter Magdalena Wasiczek, who won the International Garden Photographer of the Year Award (IGPOTY).
Magdalena has created this stunning, shimmering play on light, as she elevates this humble butterfly to the heavens. The magic of this capture is literally in the very air, with raindrops and macro lens used to great effect.
With this calibre of capture, it is easy to see why this will be her third overall IGPOTY win, and I offer her my congratulations for achieving this most amazing distinction.”
Congratz to Magdalena! You can check out all the details and see the image in full size at igpoty here.
But wait, there is more!
Also John Pettigrew made it among the finalists in the wildlife in the garden category with an image taken with X-T30 and XF55-200 (image below).
Personally I’ve switched to updating via camera remote App. The reason is simple: it’s much faster, easier and convenient than updating via SD-Card.
So I definitely recommend to give it a try.
But how does it work?
Well, Fujifilm has given precise instruction on how to do it, but there is one thing that should be mentioned in addition to Fuji’s instruction to avoid updating via App becomes a frustrating experience.
Don’t make the error to connect your phone to the camera the same way you do it when you want to transfer images from your camera to your phone (hence connect via Wifi and fiddle around with the App and Camera to establish a connection).
Nothing of all that is needed.
You can simply leave your camera in live view. Just make sure that it has Bluetooth enabled. Everything will happen automatically and needs just few clicks once you have downloaded the firmware file on your phone.
So the process looks like this:
make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your camera and on your smartphone
download the firmware for your camera on your smartphone
once downloaded, click “update” on your phone first and then “OK” on your camera
you camera will ask you to connect via WiFi to your phone. Click “Connect” on your phone [in my video below you read “verbinden”, which is the German word for “connect”]
once connected via Wifi, your phone will start to transfer the firmware file to your camera
as soon as your camera has received the full file, it will automatically start with the firmware update [you don’t need your phone anymore once the firmware upgrade started on your camera]
switch off the camera when the camera tells you to do so
It’s very easy, and for your convenience I have made a short video that shows the process down below.
Many are afraid that there could be issues due to network instability or what not. But don’t worry about that. You only need Wifi connection to quickly transfer the firmware file from your phone to the camera. The firmware update itself is performed by your camera independently only once it has received and saved the full firmware file from your smartphone to its own memory. So don’t be afraid of losing connection with the phone during the firmware update itself. Your camera is doing its stuff by its own at that point and the smartphone is not needed anymore.
Remember:
use a fully charged battery on your camera
updates are cumulative, so no matter what firmware update you currently have on your camera, you can right away update to the latest version (hence skip intermediate firmware updates)
Now Cosina has published the main specs and a new product image (see above) of this lens at their website in Japanese, which I now report here on FujiRumors machine translated.
A large aperture quasi-wide-angle lens with the latest optics using one double-sided aspherical lens and two abnormal partial dispersion glass. Although it is a compact size, it has excellent resolution from the aperture opening, and large blur due to the large aperture of F1.2 can be obtained.
Just as the 35mm version, also this one has electronic contacts to transfer certain information such as EXIF data.
I love the look of this lens, and actually also of the Voigländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 X. And although I am tempted to get one, I so far have not treated myself with one, since I’d pay for features (the electronic contacts) that do not work on my Fujifilm X-E3.
Last year, Cosina launched the Voigtländer Nokton 35mmF1.2 X, with no autofocus, but with electronic contacts which allows for transfer of EXIF data and more (more details at the bottom of the article).
Now Cosina will also launch the Voigtländer Nokton 23mm f/1.2 APS-C lens for Nikon Z and Fujifilm X mount.
Also in this case, there will be electronic contacts but not autofocus.
It’s nice to see that Cosina understands us Fujifilm X shooters (or most of us) better than what Sigma does, and did put the effort to design the X mount version with an aperture ring. I wish the new Sigma X mount trinity would have an aperture ring too. But it’s no dealbreaker in my eyes. I shot my 27mmF2.8 without aperture ring for long and with great joy (but I replaced it now with the new XF27mmF2.8 with aperture ring).
For me, shooting Fujifilm is not only, but also about the experience. This is also the reason why I got the TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4. It’s the look and feel of it, attached to my X-E3 or X-T4, that simply makes me enjoy shooting with it every now and then.
And surely the new Voigtländer NOKTON lenses for Fujifilm X hit the same nerve, with a lovely vintage design and the bonus of electronic contacts that make it an appealing option for X shooters.
Personally, though, the Voigtländer options is not on my radar, because my Fujifilm X-E3 camera is not supported (yet). The full list of supported X series cameras can be found at the very bottom of this article.
