October 14 X Summit: Beyond New Gear, Fujifilm’s Spotlight on Design Might Steal the Show

If I should point out one single thing that really intrigued me to follow the just announced Fujifilm X Summit on October 14, then it’s the highlight Fujifilm put into the “Design” aspect of the event.

I mean, all the new gear is nice and good. But it could be the design aspect to really steal the show, just as it did in the past.

But let’s go with order.

The X summit on October 14 will take place at the Fujifilm’s design center “Clay Studio” in Tokyo.

Fujifilm said in the launch video:

The theme of the X Summit is “design”. From product design to engineering design, we will deliver new information to you from a design perspective. You won’t be disappointed with the X summit.

This theme opens up a lot of exciting possibilities.

Fujifilm could give us rare insights into how they develop and produce new gear, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their design philosophy and processes. From the initial concepts for a new product to the real-life challenges they encounter during development, all the way through to final production.

Now that alone would be very interesting to me. But I am a nerd for such things. And by the way, the best insight in terms of Fujifilm gear manufacturing we got so far is this one here.

But we could get more than that.

We might even see mockups or future concept designs that showcase Fujifilm’s vision for the evolution of their product line and maybe even get development announcements.

It happened already in the past, when Fujifilm displayed the moduar GFX design concept, or they made the Fujifilm X-Pro3 development announcement, or when they displayed the first design concepts and mockups of the Fujinon XF33mmF1.0.

They even showed us early GFX concepts including an X-T styled GFX (which btw showed us the hidden LCD screen concept half a year before the X-Pro3 development announcement) and much more.

And whenever Fujifilm has showcased potential design concepts for the future, those ideas have consistently overshadowed the actual products announced at the event.

Who knows, maybe we will even get first design hints to the Fujifilm TX-3 panoramic camera possibly coming in 2028 or the fixed lens GFX scheduled for 2025.

Emphasizing design could provide us with valuable insights into the direction Fujifilm plans to take with its future products.

But whatever Fujifilm will show us, this focus on design has the potential to be the most captivating part of the event.

I, for one, can’t wait to see what Fujifilm reveals, as I have a strong feeling it will satisfy my inner nerd and tech enthusiast… and who knows, maybe even give us a glimpse into the good stuff to come in future ;).

Fujifilm X-M5: Good Bye Pop-Up Flash, More Dials, Joystick, Front Command Dial, X-Trans IV, X-Processor 5 and More

Some asked me what’s new on the Fujifilm X-M5 compared to the X-M1 or any other X-A camera for that matter.

Well, besides the stuff inside (of course the 26 MP X-Trans IV sensor and the X Processor 5), there have been some changes also on the body.

So here is the Fujifilm X-M5:

  • it has a front command dial (but no rear command dial) as we can see here
  • it has a joystick
  • the pop-up flash is gone
  • the lack of pop-up flash makes space for an additional dial
  • 3 dials in total:
    – on the left side, instead of pop-up flash, there is the film simulation dial
    – on the right side we have a PSAM dial and an unmarked dial
  • the X-M5 has no D-Pad (the X-M1 still had one)

So that’s the main changes.

Fujifilm Says Autofocus Firmware Updates for X-T5, X-S20 and Other Models Coming This Year

When Fujifilm had their X Summit announcement, they promised us autofocus improvements via firmware updates for the Fujifilm X-H2, X-H2s and GFX100 II.

Many, me included, wondered why there was no mention of other 5th generation cameras such as the X-T5 and the X-S20.

Now, I was confident something would come also for those models, which is why I wrote here “I would not be surprised if the Fujifilm X-T5 and other cameras would get a bunch of improvements too“.

Well, it looks like my intuition was right.

Fujifilm has now pinned a comment to their October announcement video that we shared here and said:

Dear Customers,
Thank you for your feedback and comments on our AF system performance.
We’ve been working on X-T5, X-S20 and other models as well, to release the firmware within this year for improved user experience. We will communicate the details as soon as we have more information.
We appreciate your understanding.

So here you have it. Also the Fujifilm X-T5 and X-S20 (and other models) will get AF improvements this year.

What I am not sure is if lower end models will also get F-Log2 C and Timecode Synchronization, but I personally could not care less about those features on my X-T5.

First (Partial) Fujifilm X-M5 Image Shows it Comes with Front Command Dial and Compact Size

Fujifilm is now pushing their next X summit all over their social media.

And on one of them, they show what looks like a very small camera in a trouser pocket, accompanied by the word “mobility“.

This is very likely a teaser for the upcoming Fujifilm X-M5.

And while we don’t see much of the camera, we can notice one little detail: besides being very compact, the Fujifilm X-M5 will feature a front command dial, which was not available on its predecessor, the Fujifilm X-M1, nor in any of its X-A line siblings as far as I recall.

The Fujifilm X-M5 will be announced at the X Summit on October 14 at 9AM New York time… and it’s not the only thing we’ll get ;).

Also, Fujifilm China has displayed a teaser which you can see below and it has been shared by the Chinese Weibo account 独立摄影师联合会 here.

IT’S HAPPENING: Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 MK II will be Fujifilm’s First Lens with De-Clickable Aperture Ring Switch

The Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 II will be Fujifilm’s first XF lens to feature a dedicated switch for toggling between a clickable and smooth aperture ring.

We remind you that the Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 MK II will be about 30% lighter and smaller than the original Fujinon XF16-55mm f/2.8.

And just to be clear: the image you see above is just a rendering I did.

Dear Luca, one of your wishes is becoming true ;).

the lens below is just a rendering, not the real deal