So, we just leaked the date of the next Fujifilm X Summit, which will happen on September 12.
Now I am curious to know what you guys are hoping for to come.
That’s why I have now launched a survey that includes plausible, less plausible and borderline impossible options.
I’ll not include 110% impossible cameras, which would be for example a Fujifilm X-H3 or Fujifilm X-H3s, as those cameras are hardly 1 year old (or less). Or the Fujifilm X-T6 or Fujifilm X-S30.
What we will inlcude are the Fujifilm X-T5s (X-T5 with 26MP stacked sensor of X-H2S), Fujifilm X-Pro4, Fujifilm X-E5, Fujifilm X-T40, Fujifilm X100V successor (X200, X100VI, X100 whatever), Fujifilm X80, Fujifilm XF20, Fujifilm X-T300, Fujifilm X-A8, Fujifilm X-A30, Fujifilm X-M2, Fujifilm GFX100 successor, Fujifilm GFX100S successor, Fujifilm GFX50R successor and Fujifilm GFX50SII successor.
*Note: if you buy at Amazon Italy, make sure to buy only gear shipped and sold by Amazon to qualify for the cashback
*Note: Amazon Italy is qualified retailer, but Amazon UK and Germany are not qualified
*Note: purchase camera and lens together so that they appear on the same bill.
And as usual at launch day, there was a lot of buzz.
But in all that buzz, some stuff tends to go under that should actually get way more attention, and some stuff for some reason Fujifilm did not mention at all.
So, in order to celebrate this little wonderful camera, let me tell you the 5 things you might have missed about it.
Top 5 Things
Double the internal memory of X-S10
This allows for longer bursts over the X-S10
Smoother EVF than X-H2 and X-T5 The Fujifilm X-S20 can shoot up to 30fps (faster than X-H2 and X-T5). And, so I have been told, as opposed to the X-T5 and X-H2, at the respective highest fps the EVF runs even smoother than its higher end siblings showing no signs of jerkiness at all , and of course also no blackout (with full 100fps live-view). One of the advantages of coupling the new X Processor 5 with the fast to read out 26MP X-Trans IV sensor and a decent, but lower resolution viewfinder than the X-T5 and X-H2
LCD Boost
Compared the the X-S10, the X-S20 sports an almost twice as high resolution on the LCD (1,04 vs 1,84 million dots)
6K 3:2 Open gate
The X-S20 can shoot 6K 3:2 Open Gate, which is not possible on the Fujifilm X-T5 and X-H2 for example
Optional Fan
Extends filming duration at more than twice the time. note that CineD and other reviews got great heat management performance also without the fan (at CineD the battery died before the camera even was able to overheat). But under tough conditions, the fan will help and extend recording time for more than twice, as we can see from the media slides I will share below.
So, down below (or at my dropbox) are the media slides. These are screenshots I took during the Fujifilm USA Tech Talk. There might be some data in there you might find interesting. Enjoy :).
Until now it always worked like this in the Fujifilm world: Fuji’s APS-C series cameras get the latest and greatest technology and then the same sensors and processors are used on Fuji’s GFX cameras.
With two differences, of course.
the GFX sensor is about 4 times larger than the APS-C sensor
the GFX sensor has a Bayer filter array instead of X-Trans
But other than that, the silicon wafer used to make these sensors is exactly the same.
This means that for example the 26MP BSI X-Trans IV sensor is the very same we find on the GFX100/S, just Sony cuts a 4 times larger part out of it for the GFX sensor, hence 102 MP.
That’s great for Fujifilm, as it saves them R&D if they can use the same platforms over several systems and, for example, simplify the transfer of their APS-C firmware into their GFX system by using the same processor and sensor technology.
And what this mean for the rumored Fujifilm GFX100 replacement?
Well, if Fujifilm will continue doing what they always do then I see 3 options.
And I say 3 options, because the Fujifilm X-S20 shows us that Fujifilm is still considering that 26MP BSI sensor part of their lineup and hence to be potentially used in future cameras.
The Best Sensor is…
The three most obvious options at this point are:
102 MP non-stacked BSI sensor (same of X-S20)
102 MP stacked BSI sensor (same of X-H2S)
158 MP non-stacked BSI sensor (same of X-T5)
But of course, there are also other sensors that Sony has available. We reported here about:
162 MP stacked BSI sensor (in GFX format)
123 MP global shutter sensor (in GFX format)
Sure, a 162MP stacked medium format sensor would be extremely expensive. And as far as global shutter goes, it’s not usually Fujifilm who uses breakthrough technology for first. Those sensors come from Sony and my guess is that before we don’t get it on a Sony camera, we also won’t see it on a Fuji camera.
That’s why for now I will not include the latter two options in the survey. But if sources tell me crazy things are going to happen with the GFX100 replacement, then you can bet I will let you know first here on FujiRumors.
The Survey
And now to the survey… and the question could not be easier than this one: which sensor do you want on the Fujifilm GFX100 replacement?
*Note: if you buy at Amazon Italy, make sure to buy only gear shipped and sold by Amazon to qualify for the cashback
*Note: Amazon Italy is qualified retailer, but Amazon UK and Germany are not qualified
*Note: purchase camera and lens together so that they appear on the same bill.
Yep, you read it right: despite all the fantastic and super-hyped and hyper-popular gear Sony, Canon and Nikon have launched, the video that most people watched in all these years on DPRTV was the X100V review.
And not to talk of the great customer reviews it is getting all over the most popular stores:
Unfortunately, our supplier cannot provide an accurate timeframe so we have suspended backorders for this item.
X100V – A Failure?
Given the massive interest for the X100V and the inability for Fujifilm to deliver, the question that I now have is that this can be seen as a success or a failure for Fujifilm.
I mean, clearly Fujifilm can call it a success, as the demand is high. But they could have made so much more money, if only they were able to deliver the X100V.
And while to a certain degree it’s OK to have delays for a very popular camera, coming to a point where you totally block orders for over half a year with no outlook for the situation to improve, also signals a certain failure on Fujifilm’s side to demonstrate flexibility and creativity in adjusting plans and production properly.
Yes, they did try some curious solution like the use of Blockchain to optimize supply network of digital camera parts, but that was done 1 year ago and the results can’t be seen anywhere, with many Fujifilm cameras still not available or in some cases even discontinued, despite people having those cameras on order, as it was for example the case for the X-E4, a camera MANY of you guys ordered, but did not receive because Fujifilm stopped producing it.
And in fact, back in May, Fujifilm candidly admitted that they are still struggling with parts shortage.
So from this point of view we could see all this also as a failure, as Fujifilm can’t capitalize anywhere near to what they could have, if they’d have been able to organize a realiable parts supply for the X100V.
X100V Successor?
I know some will wonder what this means for the Fujifilm X100V successor (however they are going to call it).
I am working on the rumors and as soon as I have something reliable in my hands, I will let you know.
But imagine you are Fujifilm, you have an insanely popular camera in the house and all you have to do is to manufacture as many of them as possible to make lots of money.
If I was Fujifilm, then I would not be in any hurry to come out with a successor and just use every part I can get to make as many X100V as possible for as long as it will remain this popular. I mean, why keep aside parts for an eventual Fujifilm X200 or X100VI or however they are going to call it, if they can make great money with no need of further R&D investments today with the X100V already?
But again… that’s just my personal perception of this situation.
What matters is what our sources tell us in regards to the Fujifilm X100V successor. And for that, my friends, I invite you to stay tuned on FujiRumors.
The rumors… they will… drop… for sure.
Feeling Lucky?
“I feel lucky and will click the links to see if the X100V is in stock*” :)
As you can imagine, I am is working on it and the rumors will drop for sure. What I am not sure is if you’ll love or hate what you’ll hear. For that, you’ll have to read FujiRumors and I’ll have to read your reaction in the comments.
However, I have excluded all the X-S20 rumors from the list, as at this point it’s not a problem if you missed them, since the real thing is now out and you can get all the details and specs at the dedicated pages.
Interestingly, despite all the rumors and new gear, the most read article was about the new firmware updates, which shows that sometimes we want to get improved what we already have rather than new gear.
May was also my most active month on YouTube so far.
In this case we will include also the rumor related videos, simply because many of them are filmed while I was out on several locations around my home and you might enjoy to watch a bit of the Dolomites, the Road of Wine and so forth.
The Japanese website newswitch posted an article, where they talk about the recovery of the camera market.
In that article, they quote the Fujifilm CEO Teiichi Goto, who said that they have found a new gold mine in the photography business.
“The photography business was a stagnant business, but I found a new ‘gold mine’.”
Teiichi Goto, president of Fujifilm Holdings (HD), shows signs of success. The operating income of the Imaging segment in fiscal 2022 is expected to increase to 72.9 billion yen, which is approximately double that of the previous fiscal year.
The company’s Imaging segment includes the instant camera “Cheki” [admin note: known as INSTAX outside of Asia] and the digital camera “X series.” In particular, it seems that the promotion of digitization, starting with the smartphone printer “Link Series,” contributed to the increase in earnings.
I agree with Johnnie from CineD, when he says that the X-S20 is the best camera you can get at this price. Fujifilm did pack lots of stuff in it, and even some stuff we don’t find on higher end Fujifilm cameras.
For example, the X-S20 can shoot 6K/30p 3:2 open gate (X-T5 and X-H2 can not). It has a headphone jack (my X-T5 has not). It has fully automatic subject detection mode (not even the high end X-H2S has that). It can be used as a webcam without the need of the Fujifilm X Webcam software and more.
There is lots to love about the X-S20.
And there is lots to love also about the Fujinon XF8mmF3.5, a wonderful little lens capable of resolving all the 40MP of the X-Trans V HR sensor.
Also the XApp is a nice fresh start for Fujifilm, it comes with some lovely new features like activity and timeline, which are kind of a diary of your photographic activity and I think this App is a great new start and I hope in that it will extended with new features in future (RAW transfer anyone)?
But all this goodness could not help me to get rid of that feeling of disappointment. And here are 3 reasons why.
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