Fujifilm X-E4 Second Hand Price Higher than Original Launch Price

I stand to my point: the Fujifilm X-E4 was not a failure.

The true failure was that Fujifilm was not able to manufacture and deliver it.

Fujifilm even discontinued the X-E4 while many still had one on pre-order and were patiently waiting to get it shipped.

So it happens that for all those, who wanted the X-E4, the only option now is to look around at the second hand market, where, as reported by asobinet, the price in some countries can be higher than what the X-E4 did cost brand new. And digitalcameraworld has an article up here, where they explain how they sold their X-E4 for more than what they originally paid for it new.

Now, recently Fujifilm France hinted that there is no market for the X-E line. But if that was the case, I wonder why people are buying it second hand and overpriced, similar to what is happening to the Fujifilm X100V.

Anyway, I strongly hope the X-E line will continue. It’s a great alternative to those who want an X100-alike experience (minus OVF) but with the possibility to change lenses. Although I don’t really change lenses much on my X-E3, where this lens lives glued on it.

I still love using my X-E3, as you can see in my video here, but it starts to show its age, especially now that I also own the X-T5 with a terrific boost in terms of autofocus and features.

I would probably jump on an X-E5 on day one if Fujifilm would ever make one, just to get access to the new autofocus power and more film simulations (Reala included). Better if with 40MP, but I could also live with the Fujifilm X-S20 solution, so the 26MP combined with the new X Processor 5.

So please, dear Fujifilm, don’t axe the X-E line. Give us an X-E5, produce it in decent numbers, and you’ll see you’ll be rewarded for that.

Read also:

Fujifilm Manager: The End of Entry Level (X-E line?), X100V Successor, APS-C and GFX Full Frame Alternative, Market Share and More

image courtesy: Phototrend
image courtesy: Phototrend

The French website Phototrend had the opportunity to interview Franck Bernard, Director of the imaging division at Fujifilm France. You can read the full interview here and the summary below.

  • Fujifilm GFX100II and the new GF lenses were well received
  • Fujifilm’s strategy is to grip full frame between their APS-C and Medium Format bodies
  • When asked if X-H2S is popular among sports photographers, the manager said that the road is long. It’s not only a question of having the best product, but also of having the entire ecosystem
  • Overall market share in France? As far as hybrid cameras goes (full frame excluded), Fujifilm is market leader with 26% over the last 12 months
  • X-T5 is the best seller followed by X-T30II and X-S20/X-S10
  • the photo market is sustainable and will always remain so
  • smartphones accelerate the demand for cameras because at some point people will want to use a real camera for better quality
  • it’s too early to talk about an X100V successor
  • It has now been 3 years since the X100V was released and Fujifilm does not have a fixed renewal cycle forcing them to change bodies every three years
  • the demand for X100V is still high
  • “If we have decided to stop entry-level products such as X-T200 or X-E4, it is because it is not promising as a market“
  • but Fujifilm wants to keep more affordable models in the lineup (see X-T30)
  • third party lenses can have negative effect on Fujinon lens sales, but Fujifilm thinks they have the quality to compete with Sigma, Tamron and Co
  • Fujifilm is neutral in regards to third party lenses. They don’t oppose nor push them and they respect them

I’d like to make some considerations.

Fujifilm X-E Line

The French manager hinted that they dropped the X-E line, but that pretty much does not fit with the hints recently a Japanese Fujifilm manager gave us here. And also Fuji Guy Billy mentioned here the X-E line as a line that would continue (unlike X-T***, X-A* lines, which btw were just Fujifilm branded Xacti cameras since a long time anyway, as we reported here).

Fujifilm X100V successor

No, it’s not too early to talk about it.

Third party Lenses

The French Fujifilm manager said they are neutral towards third party lenses. Although I remember Fujifilm managers inviting Sigma managers and talking about Sigma lenses for example here. So this gives me the impression Fujifilm is quite positive overall towards third party lenses.

The French manager said they think they have the quality to compete with third party lenses. This depends. The newest third party lenses from Viltrox & Co are quite phenomenal for the price. Maybe here and there they might not match the quality of the top of the line most modern Fujinon XF lenses, but there are quality options also from third parties.

The real and most important factors, for me, to use as much as possible native Fujinon lenses are two:

  • lots of third party lenses do not have an aperture ring
  • color consistency among Fujinon glass. And since a Film Simulation are a big deal for me, I like Velvia & Co to look consistent across the various lenses I use. There are for example third party lenses, like my manual focus Samyang 12mmF2, that are very lovely, but the colors they give me are not the ones I consistently get with my Fujinon lenses.

These are for me the two main reasons why I mostly stick with Fujinon XF and GF glass, although I own third party lenses for both systems, too.

My Personal Gear

Voigtländer NOKTON 50mm f/1.2 Available for Pre-Order

The Cosina Voigtländer 50mm f/1.2 is now available for pre-order at BHphoto here.

The Fujifilm cameras that support the electronic contacts with this lens are:

  • X-H2S
  • X-H2
  • X-Pro3
  • X-T5
  • X-S20
  • X-S10
  • X-H1
  • X-T4
  • X-T3
  • X-T2*
    *When using the X-T2, the aperture value can be displayed in Fno by changing the aperture value display setting from TNo to FNo in the body settings.
  • X-T30
  • X-T30II
  • X-E4

Not Supported Cameras

  • X-T1
  • X-T20
  • X-T10
  • X-T200
  • X-T100
  • X-Pro2
  • X-Pro1
  • X-E3
  • X-E2
  • X-E1
  • X-M1
  • X-A7
  • X-A5
  • X-A3
  • X-A2
  • X-A1

List of Voigtländer lenses for Fujifilm:

Additional Details

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

Fujifilm 2024: A Look Ahead Between Rumors and Speculations (X-Pro4, X100R, X-E5, X-T40, New XF Lenses, GFX Future)

2023 is Done

We just told you that there will be no more Fujifilm announcements in 2023.

And since in terms of new gear we are done for this year, lots of people started asking me what is coming in 2024.

Now, I am working on it, and we have shared already something.

For example we told you that the next XF lens to come is the replacement of this lens here.

More rumors will follow.

But as you know, on FujiRumors we will not make up a single rumor just to make traffic, nor share anonymous rumors we receive in which I don’t trust.

We prefer to share less rumors, generate less traffic, make less money, and value your time with less, but accurate rumors.

But until more rumors drop, I thought we could also make one single article where we talk about the current state of the rumors and also make speculation on what could or we would like to come in 2024.

2024 – A Look Into the Future

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

It’s Over my Friends: No More X or GFX Related Announcements This Year

Yes I know.

I am aware that in the first half of 2023 Fujifilm has registered a camera with the code name FF230002.

And I am aware that never before Fujifilm needed more than 4/6 months to release a camera after its registration has been spotted.

This is why 99,9% of people out there are so sure there will be another Fujifilm announcement this year.

Maybe in November, as that’s a great month to launch new gear (Fuji’s most important camera has been launched November last year for example).

But this ain’t gonna happen, according to our sources.

In fact, we have been told (thanks!!!), that as far as 2023 goes, this was it. There is no new gear coming in 2023.

I mean, yes, the two GF tilt shift lenses still have to hit the market. But of course our sources mean that there won’t be any further announcements this year.

This means that we will also NOT get the next Fujinon XF lens that we already rumored a couple of weeks ago, in 2023.

So all we got (and will get) in 2023 is:

  • Fujifilm X-S20
  • Fujifilm GFX100II
  • Fujinon XF8mmF3.5
  • Fujinon GF55mmF1.7
  • Fujinon GF30mmF5.6 Tilt Shift
  • Fujinon GF110mmF5.6 Tilt Shift

Some great stuff dropped in 2023 for both systems, but certainly there was more to rejoice for GFX users rather than X series users this year.

But before the X series users start moaning, just a quick reminder on what we got in 2022:

  • Fujifilm X-T5
  • Fujifilm X-H2
  • Fujifilm X-H2s
  • Fujinon XF 30mmF2.8 Macro
  • Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR
  • Fujinon XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8
  • Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4

Sure, we always wish for more. But over the last 2 years I think we can agree that there has been quite some decent stuff for both systems.

And what about 2024?

Well, for that, my friends, you’ll have to follow FujiRumors.

Rumors, that will be shared exclusively for you here on FujiRumors.

Fujifilm Facebook Groups

40 Fujifilm Products Win Good Design Award

40 Fujifilm products won the Good Design Award.

In terms of X and GFX photography gear, these are the winners.

40 products in a wide range of business areas win Good Design Award

– Mirrorless digital camera “FUJIFILM GFX100 II” and “Structural color inkjet technology” chosen as one of the Good Design Best 100

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

Nikon Zf: Well Done Nikon, Retro is the “Innovation” that Will Boost Your Sales, but…

So, the Nikon Zf is out and originally I did not want to make any article about it.

But since the buzz is big and many headlines compare it to Fujifilm’s retro approach (like our Italian friends at Promirrolress here that gave it the headline: “the Nikon Zf makes Fujifilm tremble“), I thought to launch a dedicated article mainly so that you guys can discuss about it in the comments.

My comment?

In short: I love what Nikon did with the Nikon Zf, even though there are reasons I still consider Fujifilm the better pick.

What Nikon did right

The problem is this:

Pretty much all mid and higher end mirrorless cameras you can buy today are excellent.

At the same time, there is not much innovation anymore in terms of sensors. The last big jump was achieved with the stacked sensor. Since then, we are still waiting for the next big thing (global shutter?), but that “big thing” seems to be still far away.

So the question is: what could motivate people to buy a new camera, if what they have is already so good and the new gear does not really bring groundbreaking new specs to the table?

Is a 20% faster sensor readout or a 10% higher autofocus accuracy really a reason to upgrade gear?

I don’t think so.

But what could work as a much bigger motivation to upgrade than a slightly faster sensor readout is to offer a completely different photographic experience over the mainstream thanks to dedicated dials, retro look and feel, vintage manual controls.

Because even if the camera might be identical in terms of specs to many other cameras, it will still be able to offer something completely different thanks to the retro approach.

Also, in times where camera companies have to find ways to draw younger generations into their systems, the retro style could be paradoxically something that achieves exactly that goal, as we can see from the terrific success of the Fujifilm X100V.

That’s why I believe the Nikon Zf will become a terrific success. It is the one thing that sets it apart from all other Nikon Z cameras (except for the Nikon Zfc of course).

Nikon Zf or Fujifilm?

The Nikon Zf uses the same 24MP sensor of the Nikon Z6II. And we know from Photons to Photos dynamic range measurements data, that it is marginally better in terms of dynamic range over the 40MP Fujifilm X-H2 with X-Trans sensor (Z6II has a PDR of 11.26 vs X-H2 a PDR of 10.75).

But that’s actually not the point.

Other aspects are more relevant. The Nikon Zf has:

  • no joystick
  • no dual UHS-II card slot
  • no awesome film simulations
  • lenses without aperture ring
  • less megapixel than X-T5
  • more than 30% heavier than my X-T5 (plus the bigger full frame lenses, without aperture ring)
  • overall the X-T5 has better specs for stills and video (full specs comparison here)
  • fully articulating screen (I am not a fan of it)
  • more expensive than X-T5

Now these are just a few things that make the Nikon Zf not a temptation for me. But for many others these might not be an issue at all.

I am not bashing on the Nikon Zf. On the contrary, I applaud and welcome it, and it is the first camera from another brand that actually grabs my interest for more than just 5 minutes. ;).

I believe the Nikon Zf will become a terrific success. And I certainly wish it to Nikon. More vintage cameras on the market are always welcome and refreshing over the plethora of PSAM dial cameras out there.

Well done Nikon!

Fujifilm GFX100 II has 21% Better Autofocus Tracking Accuracy than GFX100S and We are All saying it Wrong!

Autofocus Boost

Fujifilm USA manager Michael Bulbenko has shared a video called “Understanding Fujifilm GFX100II“.

Now, I will let you watch the video below, where he runs over the specs.

But there is one thing that Michael Bulbenko says that I’d like to hightlight because I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else:

  • better autofocus accuracy: “the GFX100II has a 21% improvement in the hit rate of locking on to focus compared to GFX100S“

That’s of course a welcome improvement if you shoot in autofocus continous.

More accuracy combined with higher frames per second (8fps on GFX100II vs 5fps on GFX100S) will lead to more keepers.

But I dare to say that, if you are like me and shoot with your GFX in single AF or max 3 fps, then the 21% improvement are welcome, but not crucial.

What’s more important , for my shooting style, is the new autofocus algorithm and how reliable it is in tracking eyes/faces/subjects before I even press the shutter button.

My X-T5 is a huge step forward in this regard compared to anything else I owned before in the X series.

If the GFX100II has the same “confidence”, then this would be a big deal for me.

We are Saying it Wrong

Also curious: throughout the entire video Michael calls the GFX100II “the second” and not “two“.

And just today, Fujifilm USA released one of their fun product launch videos where they underline again that it’s “the second” and not “two”.

I guess the memo did not arrive to Fujifilm Japan, because during the Fujifilm X Summit, the Japanese managers kept calling it Fujifilm GFX100 “two” ;).

With that said, you can enjoy both videos down below.

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

Fujifilm GFX100 II Look Up Table (LUT) Input Device Transform (IDT) for F-Log for F-Log and F-Log 2 Now Available

Overview

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

<F-Log 3D-LUT file / F-Log IDT file>
* F-Log movie data recorded with GFX100 II, GFX100S, GFX100, X-E4, X-S10, X-S20, 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 3D-LUT file / F-Log2 IDT file >
* F-Log2 movie data recorded with GFX100 II, X-H2S, X-H2, X-T5 and X-S20.

Download

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

Last updated: 9.12.2023
F-Log_LUT_E_Ver.1.26.zip [11.8MB]
*Decompress the “F-Log_LUT_E_Ver.1.26.zip” file and launch “.cube” file from a movie editor.
Last updated: 9.12.2023
F-Log_IDT_Ver.1.00.zip[8.0KB] 
Last updated: 6.16.2022
F-Log_DataSheet_E_Ver.1.1.pdf [192KB]

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

Last updated: 9.12.2023
F-Log2_LUT_E_Ver.104.zip [2.5MB]
*Decompress the “F-Log_LUT２_E_Ver.1.04.zip” file and launch “.cube” file from a movie editor.
Last updated: 9.12.2022
F-Log2_IDT_Ver.1.00.zip[8.0KB]
Last updated: 6.16.2022
F-Log2_DataSheet_E_Ver.1.0.pdf [120KB]

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