[UPDATED] Fujifilm Autofocus Feedback: Mostly Positive and The Curious Case of the X-T3 (or the Root of All Autofocus Issues?)
Time for another autofocus test roundup (see part 1 here).
I will include several videos, including the one of Edvard, who shares interesting findings about the X-T3 which potentially shows where the AF issues with Fujifilm started.
Summing Up All Videos – tl;dr version
- everybody agrees that now autofocus is workable again, even Edvard
- some got better results than others, I guess based on use case, testing scenario and settings
- Adan in “video 7” for example is very impressed and applauds Fujifilm for the improvement and says he is confident to use it now for his professional video work
- others aknowledge the improvement, say it is something you can rely on for work, but highlight it is not yet at the level of top tier AF of other brands
- Edvard is the most critical and I will share his findings below (with some interesting findings)
- UPDATE: Edvard published a second video, which I share below with his main findings
- there is still room for improvement (and looking at Edvard’s video some of the improvements could be achieved by using parts of the algorithm used on X-T3 firmware 3.00/3.30)
- and finally… Thierry in Video 1 has simply one of the most beautiful settings and light to record a video (I know it’s unreleated, but I appreciate it when photographers try to give us also a great scenery ;))
My take:
Having a usable and workable autofocus is nice. This takes away stress for those, who rely on autofocus for work.
And that it is workable has been now confirmed by the very same people, who made very harsh videos against Fujfilm in the last few months. So there is no bias there.
My fear:
Most reviewers seem to be overall pleased and happy. But the error the Fujifilm engineers could do now, is to consider the autofocus chapter closed. There is still work to do, and maybe some feedback they get today from these videos can help them to improve further.
Read for it?
Below I will share a couple of videos. I could ignore the postiive feedback, but I think it has just as much reason to exist as negative feedback.
What FujiRumors can do is just to share it all to give you the most comprehensive overview possible.
My personal experience?
Well, none. Because I am still waiting for my X-T5 to get the update, but my X-T5 has so far shot 0 seconds of video in its entire life so I would not be able to compare it to how it was before.
What the April firmware broke, though, was the stills side of it. It did fail on me when shooting still standing people. But the June firmware fixed that, so now I have no issue in taking family pictures.
But don’t ask me for video… my X-T5 does not even know it has this option.
Video 1
Thierry Gibralta was very critical not only of Fujifilm autofocus, but also of Fujifilm overall lately. And of course we have shared his thoughts also here on FujiRumors.
He went so far to say that the November firmware update is Fujifilm’s last chance or there will be a mass-exodus of people leaving Fujifilm for other systems.
Now Thierry has tested the new firmware and here are his conclusions:
- there are definitely some improvements
- walking away or towards the camera, the camera keeps tracking eyes/face. It seems like there is a huge improvement
- even with backlit situation, the camera sticks to the face
- Fujifilm is finally passing the “leaf” test. He is filming surrounded by leaves and in the past the camera would jump to the leaves and also this has improved a lot
- what he noticed, when he tries to put something in front of the camera, with eye tracking the camera tends to focus on the background, whereas in face tracking it tracks the object in front of the camera. So use face tracking if you want to showcase products
- it seems like there is hope right now
Video 2
Next up Luca Petralia, one of my favourite YouTubers, Fujifilm but also Sony shooter.
Refreshing: he also tested the Fujifilm X-H2S for stills, because, believe it or not, these cameras can shoot also stills, not only videos ;).
- in video improvement is visible
- Fujifilm fixed that the AF box goes random around
- It’s not perfect
- this firmware is ment to keep the Fujifilm users in the system, not to offer the best autofocus on the market
- his expectation was to get a camera back that is reliable in photos and videos
- for video, the improvement is pretty significant. It still misses here and there but these are sporadic moments and nothing he worries about
- now fully usable good video autofocus
- video improvements are pretty dramatic. Not perfect, but now it is usable for work
- he needs more testing to evaluate fully the stills side of autofocus
- he tested the XF56mmF1.2 in rather unconventional uses for such a lens
- he says he “set it up for failure”, because used in conditions and with movements in which you don’t really shoot portraits
- moreover, he says that in terms of hit rate, he only considered those images sharp, where he was 100% sure they are sharp. If he even had a minimal doubt if it perfectly nailed focus, he considered it unsharp
- XF18mmF1.4 – walking towards camera
– both, firmware 7.00 and 7.10 gave him about 76% hit rate (high bursts shot at f/1.4 with subject walking towards camera) - XF18mmF1.4, this time running towards camera
– firmware 7.00 got 27% hit rate and 7.10 got 33% hit rate - XF56mmF1.2 walking towards and away from camera (but not at a great distance) plus turning around
– firmware 7 got 16% and 7.10 got 33,2% - XF56mmF1.2 walking this time from much further away
– firmware 7 got 65% and 7.10 got 62% - for stills, no big difference except for one area: the new firmware, when it was missing with the 56/1.2, it was missing by a very small margin, suggesting that the camera tracks properly, but the lens is not keeping up
- he needs to shoot more scenarios, wildlife, street, etc to really form a final opinion on that
Stills Photography Feedback
Over at the dpreview forum, Morris0 tested the X-H2S for stills, especially bird photography. In short:
- Executive Summary: A delight!
- camera focus on eye even when parts of the face is obstructed
- regarding the failure to focus on close subject when camera was last focused at infinity: now the camera will find focus on your subject. Fantastic!
- Subject moves head after focus achieved: Camera reacts and gains focus within 1 frame at 40 FPS
- Multiple subjects in the frame: The camera locks on the closest subject and tracks it
- Second subject jumps into the frame while camera has focus on initial subject: Camera stayed locked on the initial subject
- Previous firmware: camera detects leaf as bird: This still happens though if there is a bird in the frame the camera focuses on the bird now
- Focus speed: Firmware v 7.0 slowed autofocus. Autofocus is now blazing fast
So, at least in this test, there seem to be improvements in certain areas also for stills photography.
You can read the full report at dpreview here.
Video 3
In the video below, the reviewer says “it’s massively improved from version 7. Version 7 was just unusable. There is a slight pulsing in the background, but honestly my Canon R6II also does this. Maybe I need to dial into my settings a bit more. But people are going to look at my face, not at the background video, so it is not a distraction. This firmware is definitely usable especially for talking head videos. Walking towards camera tracking is working, but it’s not smooth”. At this point he says he will have to change the settings to make it smoother and he will do more testings with other settings. “You do have to dial the settings in a little bit so the camera behaves as you need for your use case. […] This is a very welcome update by Fujifilm”.
Is it perfect? Nope. But can he work with it and deliver videos to clients? He says “yes”. It’s workable, It’s OK. Thanks Fujifilm for fixing it”.
Non Violent Comunication – An Intro
I once read a book that changed substantially the way I interact with people. It’s called Non Violent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg.
With “violent”, you don’t have to think at people shouting or saying bad words. Or even worst: don’t take it as people being violent in general. It’s way more subtle.
“Violent communication” is the one that creates walls instead of opening windows, and even the sweetest soul on this planet can use this kind of violent communication.
Nonviolent communication on the other hand is the one that uses a language that expresses needs and feelings without blame or judgment. This kind of communication makes the listener more receptive to your considerations as it avoids to trigger defensive mechanisms that lead to misunderstandings and conflict. It’s a language that invites cooperation rather than creating resitance.
Why do I say this?
Well, because I know Fujifilm will read this. And I believe the tone I write things can make the difference.
I can use an apocalytpic and desperate tone about Fujifilm autofocus, but that would very likely lead Fujifilm to stop reading whatever I write and dismiss it as the usual negative stuff written to stir up the community and make traffic.
But I want Fujifilm to listen. I want them to read. So I allow myself to wrap Edvard’s message in a non-violent language. But again, “non-violent” in a very subtle way as in the concept of Marshall’s book. Because there is something in Edvard’s message, that I believe could be useful for Fujifilm. And I need to make sure Fujifilm reads it.
With that said, here are Edvard’s findings.
Video 4
Edvard has tested the new firmware.
Let’s me start by saying that I don’t think his analogy at the beginning is accurate. He says we should not be greatful to Fujifilm, because it’s like you lend money to a guy and ask it back in 2 weeks, but he only returns it after 8 months. You should not say thanks to that guy.
But that’s not what Fujifilm did.
Fujifilm gave us free firmware updates we do not pay anything for. They are supposed to improve the cameras (and in many areas they do), but they can occasionally also break things.
Breaking things via firmware is something that happens to every brand, Fujifilm, Nikon, Apple, Micorsoft, Canon, etc.
What matters is how brands react to this.
Fujifilm usually did a good job, but I agree that in this case they were too slow and communication was lagging.
Not ideal, but still better than what recently happened with Sony, who broke the camera via firmware update and did ask customers to pay 700+ bucks for the fix.
With that said, let’s focus on what’s going on in our little garden.
TEST
Yes, it is usable now. Yes, you can work with it now. But in his testing he concludes that firmware 1.00 was still a little bit better.
But the main issues (eye box that starts tracking random things, camera focuses on closer objects despite focus box being placed elsewhere), those are fixed.
Is he impressed. Of course not. But at least it is something you can work with now.
And here comes the curious part about the X-T3.
Years ago Edvard contacted me saying that the X-T3 had better AF than the X-T4. He shared a video with me and I did share the video on FujiRumors (a video he removed, so it is no longer visible on FR).
Well, now that becomes relevant, because Edvard noticed the following.
There are areas, in which the Fujifilm X-T3 with firmware 3.30 is actually better than more modern Fujifilm cameras or even the X-T3 with firmware 4.00.
What we can see (or actually hear), is that the autofocus motor of the lens when used with X-T3 fw 3 adjust in a very rapid succession, whereas with X-T3 + fw4 or newer camera models the focus motors don’t refresh as fast.
It seems that firmware 3 on X-T3 sends signal to lens motors faster and in a more rapid succession than what current cameras are doing now, allowing for smoother/faster AF transitions.
But be careful if now you desire Fujifilm X-T3 AF on newer cameras.
Because there are areas in which the new cameras are way superior. Edvard does not highlight this in his video, but maybe he’ll do in part 2 of the video.
5th generation cameras can recognize subject from way bigger distance than the X-T3 fw.3. The new firmware is also better in keeping AF box on the eye or subject because of AI detection. But the X-T3 has the notch when it comes to be smoothness, because it seems it allows the lens AF motors to make more rapid and shorter refreshes.
So, in short, what Fujifilm should do is to combine the superior subject detection and sticky tracking box of 5th generation cameras with the better autofocus motor movements of the X-T3 with firmware 3.00/3.30.
Conclusion
As you can see, just as I have shared multiple videos of Edvard back in May (and even in 2021), I do it also today. Whatever is of potential value for Fujifilm in terms of feedback, will always be shared on FujiRumors.
I might not agree with Edvard all the time, but no matter what his tone is, his style, whetever I like it or not, if I can extrapolate something that might be useful out of his videos, I’ll do it and share it, just as I did in the past and I do today.
My conclusion?
As Luca Petralia said, this firmware will very likely stop the bleeding. The AF is now something workable again. And in fact, the feedback as we could see on most YouTube videos is mostly positive.
But it’s not on par with the top tier models of other brands, so it is still a work in progress. And maybe there is some good in firmware 3 of X-T3 that Fujifilm could take and use for the newer models.
UPDATE:
Edvard published Part 2: His findings:
- X-T3 ver.3 had the smoothest tracking, but not as good subject tracking as 5th generation cameras (loses the eye easier if you turn the head etc)
- X-T3 ver. 4 and 5 had the best multi detection (does not get distracted by contrasty background and focuses on the closest object)
- 5th generation have the best subject tracking and stick eye box, but you don’t have the smooth transition of X-T3 ver.3 or the reliable multi of X-T3 fw 4 and 5
So Fujifilm, you basically have it all in the firmware already. You just need to combine it all to make it close to perfect.
Video 5
This guy is very happy. Says it is as least as good as the firmware 1.03. Definitely usable for commercial work. Not on par with top tier models of other brands, but definitely much improved over the previous firmware and something you can rely on for work.
Video 6
Philipp was very critical about Fujiiflm regarding the autofocus. And now?
- impressed by the capability to stay locked on the eye
- less to no confirmation shifting as the camera is racking focus and trying to find what it’s supposed to be focusing on. It just goes to something and sticks on it instead of hunting back and forth
- it does not freak out when the subject leaves the frame. If finds something to focus on relatively smoothly and quickly most of the time
- if sensitivity is set to +4, if you leave the frame, it will keep the focus frame for a good amount of time, that’s pretty cool
- eye box is sticky
- the 16mm performed better indoors than outdoors when tracking. Even with linear motor, outdoors it did not perform more smoothly than stepping motor lenses
- outdoors, especially coming back into the grame with sensitivity +4 tricks the camera and needs longer to acquire focus. It does not happen with lower tracking sensitivity
- as far as problem goes, it is not really able to real time track a subject, there are always some frame that will be out of focus. There is a stepping progression, no smooth transition in and out
- it’s the best version he has used and he thinks it is usable for a lot of different scenarios especially for content creation
- if you love Fujifilm for all the other things it is great at, then this is definitely going to be workable
- he shows a video tracking bird, and it tracked really good, also between branches it tracked the small bird
Video 7
Adnan says in his video:
- Man, this is an improvement, I gotta give it Fuji
- this looks really good. Guys, this is usable
- this tracking now is usable
- I am very very impressed
- I gotta say I am super impressed [when tracking an object with little to know contrast – white cup on white table in white room]
- autofocus has definitely improved, very similar to firmware 1.0
- this is a much better system to have as a professional
- he is confident to use it for his work (videographer)
- Fujifilm, when you do something right, I will applaud you