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.