Fujifilm USA Manager: “Fujifilm X-T4: Lots of Pre-Orders and Available Mid-May”

Fujifilm USA manager Michael Bulbenko made a 10 minutes video on Instagram introducing the Fujifilm X-T4.

Just as the top Manager Toshi Iida said a few days ago in this must see interview, also Michael confirms the strong pre-orders for the Fujifilm X-T4.

But strong pre-orders in times of Coronavirus COVID-19 also introduce shipping difficulties.

Regarding the shipping, I must say I am confused. Let’s sum up the different official statements we got so far in chronological order.

  • March 26: Fujifilm Japan issues a press release, saying that the black X-T4 will ship as expected in late April, but the silver one has been postponed to late May
  • April 2: Fujifilm UK manager says that both colors, silver and black will ship in late April, but body only version. The kit versions will follow “weeks later”
  • April 9: Fujifilm USA manager says that nothing will ship in April, and all will ship in the 2nd or 3rd week of May

Maybe every country will get a different shipping time? That would be unusual for Fujifilm, but in these days everything is unusual.

If we look at stores, BHphoto marks it as available April 30, while Adorama expects it on May 4.

You can see the Manager video and a summary down below.

Fujifilm X-T4 Manager Video

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Fujifilm Photography in Times of COVID-19 Quarantine, the FujiRumors Lockdown Diary and the Revival of the XF 55-200

I read somewhere, that about 4 billion people are forced to stay at home now to slow down and hopefully stop the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

In my country, the stunning Dolomites in Italy, we are locked in since over 1 month now. Of course I strictly follow the rules and never leave my apartment, except to buy food 1 or 2 times a week, and to quickly bring out my old dog in the fields just under my home.

Teaching Online

I continue to teach. Just online! With live streaming lessons, videos I upload on youtube [does this qualify me as a vlogger now??? ;) ], material I send to students via email and more. I try to do my best.

But the more I do it, the more I miss it to enter a classroom, write on a blackboard, smell the chalk, but most importantly, interact with my students.

But hey, these days there are people, who live far bigger challenges than me. So no complaint here. Just a wish that everything goes back to normal soon.

Lockdown Photography

The first weeks all went into figuring out how to do this online teaching. Trying different platforms for online live lessons, adapt my material to make it online teaching fit, figure out how to reach the various students best (some have only a smartphone, no computer, no printer, etc), and more practical issues to sort out.

But now that I have some sort of workflow, I can start thinking at my lockdown photography.

In my small rented apartment, I am running out of subjects rather quickly.

What I did now, is I started to take out my Fujinon XF55-200 lens, a lens I hardly use anymore since I own the Fujinon XF18-135mm (which never stops to surprise me, as you can see here).

The goal?

Get a decent shot of the little birds flying around my balcony, and the XF55-200 is the best lens in my arsenal for that. So it gets its revival now!

So far I have failed, though, not for the limits of the gear, but because of my lack of skills. But I have time to practice, improve, and I will upload an image on my instagram if I get a decent shot.

Inspiration

Another thing I like to do, is to check out all our facebook groups, and see how other fellow Fujifilm X and GFX shooters deal with these lockdown days and what they shoot.

I have picked out some images and shared them below. May them motivate you (and me) to stand up, and do the best out of this situation, also photographically speaking.

COVID-19 Image Roundup

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FUJIFILM Announces Start in USA of Clinical Phase II Trial of Antiviral Drug AVIGAN for COVID-19 Patients

Fujifilm has just issued a press release, where they officially announce that their anti-influenza virus drugs “Avigan ® Tablets” has started a clinical phase II study in patients new coronavirus infection in the United States.

The purpose of this study is to confirm the therapeutic efficacy and safety of Avigan.

The study is scheduled to be conducted at three facilities: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Massachusetts State University Medical School.

In case you are unaware of the different phases, down below is a table taken from wikipedia.

In Japan, they are at Phase III of the tests already, as we reported here.

Press Release

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Fujifilm X100V Gets Gold Award at DPReview: “The Most Capable Prime-lens Compact Camera, Ever”

DPReview has just published their Fujifilm X100V review, and it gets the gold award with a 86% rating.

In their conclusions they write:

The Fujifilm X100V is the most ambitious X100-series model yet, and arguably the most important, second only to the original. With the X100V comes a new (and much improved) lens, the addition of touchscreen control, and a tilting rear LCD. Meanwhile, a suite of powerful video features brings it into line with models in Fujifilm’s XT-series. The end result is a better and more powerful camera, more suited for use alongside a modern ILC than its (understandably highly popular) predecessors. It’s the priciest of the X100 series to date, but in my opinion the extra cost is justified

You can read the full review at dpreview.

Top X100 Community: Fujifilm X100 facebook group

What we like What we don’t
  • Updated 26MP sensor offers good noise performance and fast readout
  • Excellent, highly tunable JPEG engine with good detail and noise reduction
  • Multiple film simulations with truly pleasing color output
  • Redesigned lens removes close-up ‘haze’ of previous models and improves corner performance
  • Class-leading 4K video capabilities
  • Tilting touchscreen
  • Great electronic / optical viewfinder
  • Good build quality, optional weather-sealing
  • Impressive low-light autofocus
  • Limited customizable buttons with elimination of four-way controller (Touchscreen function swipes won’t be to everyone’s taste)
  • Outright autofocus speed is still on the slow side
  • Face-and-eye detection UI a bit clunky
  • Full weather-sealing requires additional purchase
  • Some odd customization limitations, particularly for My Menu
  • Menus are getting overly complex
  • AF performance is less effective in OVF
  • Redesigned OVF makes it harder to anticipate AF point location