Fuji says X20 sensor quality beats the RX100 and 12 Megapixel MFT sensor.

Fuji had a meeting with journalists in Barcelona and there is a full report of the event at Quesabesde (translation here). And as you see from the image Fuji showed at the event they claim that the new Fuji X20 2/3 inch sensor is even better than the Sony RX100 or current 12 Megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensors (like the one used for the Panasonic GF5). That’s an impressive performance for a tiny 2/3 inch sensor!

That said UK friends may be happy to know that preoders for the X100s are up at Amazon UK.

Fujifilm X100S Manual Available For Download

[shoplink 6127][/shoplink]

Just a quick post to let you know that the manual for the [shoplink 6127]X100S (price & specs)[/shoplink] is available for download (click here). Thanks Glenn!

PREORDER

X100S: AmazonUS / Adorama / B&H

X20: AmazonUS: silver and black version / B&H: silver version – black version / Adorama: silver version – black version

Europe: UK: Wexphotographic X100s for £1099 / X20 silver and black for £599

 

Update- Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R Sample Images Published

Fujifilm posted on Facebook that the XF14mm f/2.8 lens will start shipping this weekend (source photorumors)

Finally some sample pics shot with a Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R have been posted on fujifilm.com (click here). For the specs click here.

The Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R can be pre-ordered at B&H and Adorama.

Fujirumors readers already had the opportunity to see some test shots and read a review here at the X-Pert Corner.

883533

 

 

National Geographic disqualifies contest winner because he removed a bag from the picture!

Want to report a story that happened to a photographer who won a National Geographic photo contest with his [shoplink 6136]Fuji X-Pro1 (price & specs)[/shoplink]. Harry Fish sent the following message to Fujirumors:

I won the National Geographic 2012 Photo contest with a FUJI X-PRO1 and was later disqualified. Should you find this news interesting for your Comunity and/ or readers, here you have a link to my blog article http://harryfisch.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/national-geographic-how-i-won-and-lost.html
And here another http://harryfisch.blogspot.com.es/2012/12/how-to-win-and-loose-2012-national.html
In case you would like any other kind of media (Word and or images),  please let me know.
Thank you in advance for your time. Regards, Harry”

Of course, you’re welcome. And here we are with the big dilemma. Is removing a single object from a picture such a strong alteration of the artistic value of the pic? See the pictures below, first the winning picture, next the picture with the removed object (the bag on the far right).

He then wrote to the magazine:

I lunged to the computer and sent a mail to [the] editor of the magazine, arguing that a crop, perfectly allowed by the rules, would have done away with the object without further alterations, the bag would have melted with a slight burning-darkening, that  it was unnecessary to remove anything digitally (the rule that bans deleting or adding  tries to  safeguard the spirit or nature of  the photograph. Here the nature nor spirit of the original photo was not altered) and, most of all, that the minimal, slight modification did not alter the picture.

The magazine editor answered:

“.. it is unfortunate you did not crop the bag or just leave it  in, as it really had no impact either way….”.

“no impact”… Well, no comments here. It is the old question about how much you can alter a picture, and when a picture stops to be an original picture. Check Harry’s post to learn all the details about this misadventure. Great pic Harry, in any case!

Comparison: APS-C with Speed Booster VS Full Frame

sb test

image courtesy: eoshd

“Both of these shots were taken with the same lens at 24mm. One is not a full frame camera! ” (NEX-7 top / Canon 5D Mark III bottom. Lens: Sigma 24mm F1.8)

So, eoshd started his Speed Booster testings. Almost identical field of view! “The Speed Boost effect on aperture is highly evident too. On the NEX 7 the camera reports the maximum aperture as F1.3 and it is certainly brighter.” Also the “depth of field is as shallow on the NEX 7 as the 5D Mark III despite the difference in sensor size.”

Do we really need a Fuji Full Frame now? At the end of his post eoshd says: “This is a groundbreaking product for photographers and cinematographers alike.” Just click here (eoshd website) to read much more and see more comparison pics!

In another post he explained how the Speed Booster works: “If your sensor is smaller than full frame, shrink the image that the lens throws to fit over it. That is the principal behind the Metabones Speed Booster which essentially gives you the full frame look and a brighter image all at once…” He says, among the others, that with this adapter:

  • A 24mm wide angle like the Canon 24mm F1.4L becomes a 24mm wide angle on the FS100, with the same shallow DOF and field of view as on the 5D Mark III
  • A F1.2 aperture on a Canon lens becomes F0.90, a significant 1 stop brighter image in low light
  • Depth of field becomes shallower – the same as it would be on full frame

Read the whole text here.

Metabones Press Release:

Petersburg, VA, USA, January 14, 2013 – Metabones® and Caldwell Photographic jointly announce a revolutionary accessory called Speed Booster™, which mounts between a mirrorless camera and a SLR lens. It increases maximum aperture by 1 stop (hence its name), increases MTF and has a focal length multiplier of 0.71x. For example, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II lens becomes a 59mm f/0.9 lens on a Sony NEX camera, with increased sharpness. The faster F-stop allows for shallow depth-of-field and a lower ISO setting for decreased noise.

Speed Booster is also particularly pertinent to ultra-wide-angle SLR lenses. The combined focal length multiplier of Speed Booster and an APS-C mirrorless camera is approximately 1.09x, making the combination almost “full-frame”. Full-frame ultra-wide-angle SLR lenses largely retain their angle-of-view on an APS-C mirrorless camera when Speed Booster is used.

The optics of Speed Booster is designed by Brian Caldwell, PhD, a veteran of highly-corrected lens designs such as the Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO Macro lens with exemplary MTF performance (focusing done with visible light requires no correction whatsoever for the full spectrum from UV to IR).

Speed Booster serves double-duty as a lens mount adapter, from Canon EF lens (but not EF-S) to Sony NEX, with auto-aperture, image stablization, EXIF and (slow) autofocus support for late-model (post-2006) Canon-brand lenses. It will be available in January 2013 from Metabones’ web site and its worldwide dealer network for US$599 plus shipping and applicable taxes and duties.

Other mount combinations will follow shortly afterwards. Leica R, ALPA, Contarex, Contax C/Y and Nikon F (with aperture control for G lenses) will be supported, as will Micro 4/3 and Fuji X-mount cameras. Support for other mounts will be added in the future.