The Fujinon XF 18-135mm will be f/3.5-5.6 and NOT f/3.5-4.8 as shown by Fuji at the CP+ in February

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2 days ago I told you: “REMINDER: we know it since the CP+ in Japan, but Fujifilm hasn’t still updated the roadmap: the 18-135 is getting faster (from f/3.5-f/5.6 to f/3.5-f/4.8)“.

I said it because Fuji itself has shown it at the Japanese photo event CP+ in February (as you can see in the image at the bottom).

Well, that’s not true anymore… and if Fujifilm wanted to create confusion, then they were successful.

Here are the facts: at the beginning of January Fujifilm published a new roadmap listing the Fujinon XF 18-135 f/3.5-5.6. But afterwards, at the CP+ in Japan (February), they unveiled a mock-up of the same lens with an aperture range that goes from f/3.5 to f/4.8, as you can see from the image at the bottom (courtesy: dpreview). At this point all X-shooters thought that Fuji enhanced it, me included… but the illusion last only until today:

In fact, if you’ve read Rico’s X-E2 firmware 2.00 article (a MUST for every X-E2 owner), you’ll notice that he says that the lens won’t be 4.8 at the long end but 5.6! That’s the final word in this little f-stop drama.

Therefore I updated Fuji’s roadmap again, as you can see at the top… a very nice lens range for such a young system, and, for many, the quality of the glass is one of the main reasons to swtich to Fuji.

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image courtesy: dpreview

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Download X-E2 firmware 2.00 NOW: better EVF, focus peaking colors, new FN button functions and more!

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HOT DEAL

The X-E2 body is currently $62 off at BHphoto (+ 4%reward), AmazonUS and Adorama (+ 4% reward) / The silver X-E2 kit is $100 off at BHphoto (+4% reward) and AmazonUS .

_ _ _

So here we are again: the next firmware update is online here. It will bring your (and my) Fujifilm X-E2 to the next level and a few steps closer to the Fujifilm X-T1. Thank you Fuji!

Here is the list of improvements.

  • Enhanced EVF including the world’s fastest* display lag-time of 0.005 seconds
  • Selectable colors for outlines for Focus Peak Highlight
  • Added functions that can be assigned to the Fn (Function) button
  • Added “Suppressed Flash” option when selecting flash mode
  • The phenomenon is fixed that in FILM SIMULATION Bracketing, third picture is recorded as “ASTIA” although the third picture is set as “PRO Neg. Hi”.

For a first look at the new firmware check out Rico’s X-pert corner special “X-E2: Behind the firmware 2:00“.

Now let the Kaizen download party begin and download the new X-E2 firmware here.

NOTE: If you have problems to see the firmware ver. 3.01 then you probably have to clean the cache! The easiest way is described in Rico’s X-pert corner post “Tips for Updating your Firmware”: “just delete your browser cache or force your browser to reload and refresh the page by, for example, holding the Alt or Option key while clicking on Reload.

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DEAL

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Available: X-T1 kit at AmazonUS (via third party) + Fujifilm Apps for Kindle Fire

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FUJIFILM Camera Remote / FUJIFILM Photo Receiver / FUJIFILM Camera Application

FR-reader Philipp Kämpfer told me that the various Fujifilm Apps are now available also for Kindle Fire:

“I have been thinking about getting a [shoplink 23916]Kindle Fire HDX[/shoplink] for some time now. Mainly because of the superb display that seems to come closer to 100% sRGB than any other such device I know of. The main thing that held me back was the concern that the Fuji camera apps – Camera Remote to be exact – wouldn’t work properly (especially since installation would have been rather compicated). At least for me it was impossible to get any conclusive answer to that question. Anyhow: Today, when I browsed the Amazon “Appstore for Android” I realized that all three Fuji Apps (Camera Application, Photo Receiver and Camera Remote) have been added (April 16, 2014). They are listet under “Kindle Fire Apps“. ;-)”

X-T1 kit / XF 56mm

At the moment there are 2 X-T1 kit available at AmazonUS here (via third party reseller).

And while the [shoplink 20414]XF 10-24[/shoplink] is finally in stock everywhere, the XF 56mm is still hard to find. There are 3 left at [shoplink 24059 ebay]top rated Plus eBayUS reseller kenmorecamera[/shoplink].

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“Another classy addition to your X100S kit”: Fujifilm TCL-X100 review at photographyblog

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Fujifilm TCL-X100 listed at BHphoto. Still no official price listed.

Four out of five stars: that’s the rating of the recently announced Fujifilm TCL-X100 at photographyblog here. In their conclusions they say that:

“The Fujifilm TCL-X100S is another classy addition to your [shoplink 12883]X100S[/shoplink] kit, perfectly matching the camera body in both build and optical quality and usefully lengthening the focal range from 35mm to a classic 50mm. […] Image quality is a little underwhelming when the lens is used wide-open, producing a rather dreamy effect, but sharpness is great in the center when it’s stopped down to f/4, and at the edges of the frame from f/5.6 onwards. Chromatic aberrations in particular are very well controlled, geometric distortion is impressively low, and there’s little vignetting to be concerned about.”

If you really want a narrower angle of view than the X100S natively offers then the new TCL-X100S tele conversion lens is a solid choice, and a logical addition to the already released [shoplink 12893]WCL-X100[/shoplink], giving the discerning X100/S owner a very nice collection of 28mm / 35mm / 50mm lenses.”

And in case you missed it, here is Rico’s exclusive first look for Fujirumors readers at the Fujifilm TCL-X100.

The Fuji X-gear IN & OUT of stock check!

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Which Fuji X-gear is IN or OUT of stock at the moment? And where can you find it? Here is an overview.

The X-T1 is still mostly out of stock. Same for the 56mm. And after the latest Fuji X-deals, many XF lenses are still a rarity on the market.

USA IN STOCK CHECK

X-T1 body: AmazonUS (1 left via third party) / DigitalRev
X-T1 kit: Pictureline / [shoplink 23995 ebay]eBay 1[/shoplink] / [shoplink 23996 ebay]eBay 2[/shoplink] / DigitalRev /
XF56mm: AmazonUS / [shoplink 23999 ebay]eBay[/shoplink] / DigitalRev
XF10-24: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Pictureline / [shoplink 23997 ebay]eBay 1[/shoplink] / [shoplink 23998 ebay]eBay 2[/shoplink] / DigitalRev
XF23mm: OUT OF STOCK
XF55-200: AmazonUS / Pictureline /
XF27mm (black): Pictureline /
XF27mm (silver): BHphoto / AmazonUS /
XF 35mm: OUT OF STOCK