unreliable autofocus with the XF-18mm

In our “Fuji future improvements wish list poll” the option “faster autofocus” reached the second place. Although firmware updates improved the autofocus, and the 18-55mm lens with the new linear motor focuses definitely faster than previous lenses, many users are still not satisfied with the autofocus performance.

This video concerns the XF-18mm lens (click here): “The X-E1 has problems locking focus in low light. But when it does, it is simply unreliable. Look at the distance scale as the camera locks and confirms the focus to different distances while the actual distance hasn’t changed.”

Our reader Sagi sent me this video. In his mail he wrote: “At first the X-E1 can’t lock the focus at all. At the same point, the Oly OMD (click here) locks times after time and fast… then I moved the focus point to a more contrasty area where the XE1 did managed to lock focus but not all the time… Notice that when it does lock, it locks each time to a different distance. This makes the auto-focus very unreliable… It doesn’t happen all the time, it seems to happen more often when using a wide open aperture and in high ISO… In most cases these little misses do not affect the outcome or at least it’s not that noticeable as the DOF covers it. But I do get inaccurate focus in real life situation.”

So, problems to lock the focus, troubles in low light and backlit situations, speed… These are issues that emerge in some reviews I’ve read and are frustrating for X-photographers.

Thanks Sagi (website)… now the debate in the comments is open.

Fujifilm purchasing Kodak patents

kodak

 

As petapixel reports, Kodak sold valuable imaging patents for $525 million to various companies. “The deal involves more than 1,100 patents related to the capturing, manipulating, and sharing of digital photographs.” Fujifilm is part of the consortium that purchased Kodak patents.

“Although this sale leaves Kodak empty-handed in terms of digital imaging patents, the company is still loaded with patents related to other areas of its business… Now that the sale has been completed, Kodak is free to move forward with its plans of conquering the world of commercial printing.”

via Petapixel

(thx Cynan for linking this news to me)

Walimex/Samyang 8mm 2.8 fish-eye lens with native Fuji X-Mount

What you see here above is just 2/3 of the whole image. If the photographer had published the whole picture, then you could have seen his shoes! That’s the 8mm focal length of the Walimex 2.8 fish-eye lens for Fuji X-mount.

what a stretched depth!

Hi

Another Fujirumor follower send me an email. This time it’s a Walimex 8mm 2.8 fish-eye lens on a X-PRO1! Read his experience and see the pictures here. (translated version) Also this time I made a short translation for you.

This are some extracts of his short review:

This Walimex 8mm 2.8 fish-eye lens is a MF lens with no electronic contact that transfers lens setting information to your camera, so there is no EXIF data. It’s a very compact lens, like the 35mm 1.4 of Fuji (click here to see the Fuji lens). You don’t need any lens mount adapter. He takes the images with a X-PRO1 in JPEG.

The image quality is absolutely amazing, with great colors and, as the tester says: “for me the sharpness is more than enough!” Sometimes he had some lens flares, especially with the sun in 45° to the lens, but with such a lens they are not that easy to avoid.

All in all he really recommends this lens. It’s fun to shoot with it!

To see his pictures on flickr click here.

The lens in this test is available at ebay-Germany (the seller delivers worldwide. Thanks for this clarification, Colin) right now, in black and silver (see them here on slidoo) or directly in ebay.de: Walimex pro 8/2.8 fish-eye black and in silver.

Here there are more Walimex lenses I found via slidoo.com (click here to see them all)

For the UK market, our reader Kim sent me the AmazonUk link to the Walimax lenses (click here)

There are more fish-eye lenses for your X-series, available also in USA. Take a look at this super-wide lens for your Fuji X here.

PS.: For another review with the Samyang 8mm click here.