FR-Reader Wishlist Corner: The One Thing Where Leica Q3 Beats Fujifilm X100VI and More Firmware Wishes

FR-reader Wishlist Corner

Recently we published a bunch of gear/hardware related wishes we have received from the Fujifilm community.

Now it is time to share a bunch of firmware wishes.

by Oli

Here is a link to my blog post about my experiences with the X100Vi and the WCL as a “poor man’s Leica Q”.
I guess you might be able to read German: shashindo.de/fuqi/ (google translated).

There is actually ONE reason why the Leica Q3 is “better” than the Fujifilm X100VI: The handling of the metadata!

Leica writes the crop focal length and crop pixel size in the metadata!
It’s too bad that Fujifilm doesn’t also set the crop focal length in the metadata!
It would also be nice to find the name of the custom setting (aka film simulation) here in the EXIF data. Well, you can still have wishes…

Thought you might be interested ;-)
Or in case you do have access to Fuji Development department somehow, maybe you can drop this there… :-D

by Keith

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Market Share 2023: Fujifilm 430,000 Units Sold and 6% Market Share

Nikkei has published the global sales number and market share of digital stills and video cameras sold in 2023. The numbers are based on data from CIPA and JEITA and have been reported by the Japanese website dclife.

Here are the numbers for 2023:

  1. Canon … 3.34 million units (46.5%)
  2. Sony … 2 million units (27.9%)
  3. Nikon … 810,000 units (11.3%)
  4. Fujifilm … 430,000 units (6.0%)
  5. Panasonic … 260,000 units (3.6%)
  6. OM Digital … 180,000 units (2.5%)
  7. Ricoh Imaging … 60,000 units (0.8%)

Nikkei writes that the decline in the global market share of digital cameras is slower than before, and the demand for high-performance mirrorless cameras is increasing. Nikkei says “high-performance mirrorless is strong, and the market is recovering“.

This is more in less in line with the market share given to us by Techno Research System, which is limited to mirrorless cameras, though.

  • Canon 41,2%
  • Sony 32.1%
  • Nikon 13.2%
  • Fujifilm 8%
  • Other brands 5.5%

Considering that Fujifilm has no dedicated video camera, nor DSLRs in offering, it is safe to assume that the vast majority of the 430,000 units are X and GFX camera sales. Not sure if the (almost dead) Fujifilm Finepix line is included in the list, but even if it would, it would be a negligable number.

Let’s put context to these numbers.

In 2023, Fujifilm launched 2 cameras

Moreover, in 2023 Fujifilm kept struggling to produce and ship what they had announced in previous years.

The list could go on forever, but bare with me if I stop it here to avoid to turn this article into a rant.

All I’ll say is that the number, 430K, is way below of what Fujifilm could have shipped if only they figured out a proper way to produce more gear rather than relying on creative, flawed and no-cost solution like using blockchain to improve parts procurement.

They did not increase production (except now for the X100VI). They did not hire more workers. They did not expand factories. They just accepted things as they are and so we got to absurd situation like the one of the X-E4, which was launched in January 2021. I noticed the X-E4 in stock only once in October 2021 and then it was mainly out of stock everywhere until it got discontinued in 2023 while tons of people still had one on pre-order.

The Fujifilm CEO calls this a “normal” situation, but I have not seen other brands struggle as much with deliver as Fujifilm. Sure, it’s not all Fuji’s fault, as nobody could have thought that Fujifilm’s popularity would expload like this. But the years passed, and Fujifilm failed to adjust to the new high demand.

Anyway… it is what it is.

Fujifilm sold 430,000 cameras in 2023. But it could have been easily twice as much if they’d have been able to ship their gear properly worldwide.

Lady Gaga with Fujifilm X-T3, Apple and Microsoft United by Fujifilm Love, Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas using Fujifilm and More – Famous X Shooters and Fuji in Ads

Famous X Shooters and Fujifilm in Ads

It’s been a long time that I have not done a “famous X Shooter” roundup and a roundup of Fujifilm gear used in ads.

Today I am going to catch up with it by delivering a rather big one :).

Thanks to everybody who has passed what they’ve spotted around!

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga, a renowned American singer, recently starred in a T.V. commercial where she is seen using a Fujifilm X-T3 camera! The commercial is for Nurtec ODT, a migraine medicine. You can see the full ad on YouTube here (screenshot above)

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TTartisan 100mm f/2.8 2x Macro Lens for Fujifilm X and GFX Announced

Last year TTartisan announced the TTartisan 100mm f/2.8 Macro 2x lens with tilt and shift functionality.

Now they have removed the Tilt-Shift feature and they released the TTartisan 100mm f/2.8 2x Macro.

It’s a manual focus lens and it can focus as close as 0.25 meters (0.8 feet). Magnification 2:1 and weight of 700-748g.

You can check out charts and full details at the dedicated Amazon page here.

Is this lens that could be useful for your photography? Well, make your research and I will share a review below for you to check out.

Personally I own the spectacular Fujinon XF80mmF2.8 macro and that’s more than I deserve for my humble macro photography skills. But yeah, even though I got it during one of the official Fujifilm rebates, it still costs much more than the TTartisan 100mm f/2.8 Macro.

Photographing the Belgian National Day with Fujifilm Gear – Guest Post by Olivier Polet

guest post by Olivier Polet – website

I am 57 years old and I have been a press photographer in Belgium for over 30 years.

Like every year, I reported on the parade of July 21, 2024 for the Belgian national holiday in Brussels. This annual report is often an opportunity to renew my archives of the royal families by taking beautiful portraits of them.

When Fujifilm asked me to become their ambassador, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I exchanged my old guns for lighter Fujifilm equipment.
My Fuji equipment: two X-H2S bodies, the traditional optics and also the famous XF 150-600 mm

This fabulous optic allows me to take portraits of members of the royal family with beautiful ambient light.

I placed the 1.4X multiplier on the optics which allows me to work at 1260mm!

I must first of all say that the autofocus, which was sometimes a little hesitant, seems very efficient to me since the latest firmware version. There is no more hesitation, the focus is direct.  Small drawback, the aperture… at 1360 mm I have to work at a diaphragm of f:11 at 1250 iso. For a speed of 1/100. I use a lightweight monopod. The subject does not move and this speed is enough.  I often run the reports through the Topaz software which increases the sharpness and allows for higher sensitivity subjects to remove slight noise. Although the noise is less and less present at high sensitivity with the XH2 S, the Topaz software allows you to work at high sensitivity without any fear.

Another positive point is the lightness of this lens and its stabilization which brings a lot of comfort to shooting.

In addition, the optical unit moves internally which provides additional comfort when shooting!

If we publish the aperture, this optic in 24/36 conversion allows us to cover focal lengths from 225 mm (without the 1.4X) to 1260mm with the 1.4X. With the multiplier. An absolute weapon in many situations which allows me to compete with my colleagues and produce often different images.

It is without hesitation that I take this lens as soon as I can, which remains light for its focal length and which brings me different images.

I work in RAW and develop them with Capture One software.

You can see more picture on my web site: www.photographe-polet.com

All this pictures are done front of the king’s palace in Brussels during the national parade.
The distance between the photographers and the royal family is approximately of 70 meters.