Internal Fujifilm GFX100II Slide Claims 97% Eye AF Accuracy with GF55mmF1.7 in Studio Use

One of the questions is how accurate the Fujifilm GFX100II eye autofocus is.

A kind source decided to answer this question, and passed me an internal Fujifilm slide about the Fujifilm GFX100II, which shows that, for portraits and coupled with the Fujinon GF55mm f/1.7, Fujifilm has calculated a 97% autofocus accuracy.

This is of course for portraits. We are not talking about the accuracy when tracking any athlete running at full speed or something like that.

But I guess the most realistic scenario for the combination GFX100II and GF55mmF1.7 is anyway portraits or not really fast moving subjects (people at a wedding etc).

New GF Lenses

GFX Deals

Fujifilm CEO Says Cameras Sell Well (if they Are Made), Increased R&D for More New Products and BLACK FRIDAY Sales Opportunity

Recently we shared the second quarter financial results of Fujifilm (in Japan the fiscal year starts in April and ends in March)

The numbers were actually good:

Imaging achievements. The sales of instant photo systems and digital cameras were strong, with revenue up 19.5% YoY to JPY219.2 billion and operating income up 85.5% to JPY49.4 billion.

But despite that, the growth was not as strong as Fujifilm hoped for.

Hence, in a Q&A session discussing the financial results, the Fujifilm CEO (Mr. Goto) and the Vice President (Mr. Higuchi) were asked about the reasons for that.

Shibano [Q]: I would like to ask President Goto about Imaging. Since President Goto took office, I believe you have often expressed your strong belief in the potentials of Imaging. In fact, the strong performance of H1 of the fiscal year indicates this, but the operating income for H1 was JPY49.4 billion, and even though Q4 is usually weak, there is Q3, so H2 of the fiscal year, which includes the sales season, is expected to see a 387% decrease, or even a 17% decrease YoY, which is a little questionable. I would like to ask again if there is any specific reason for such a decline, worse than the previous year, in H2. This is the point what I would like to reconfirm.

Higuchi [A]: Regarding H2 of last year, we closed our U.S. plant in H2 of last year, and there was a one-time profit. One reason is that we don’t have it in this term. Another is that we have increased development costs for new products in H2 in order to continue to introduce new products without interruption, and we have also increased marketing expenses and marketing investment.

Goto [A]: I will continue with my answer. Now, we are looking at Black Friday toward December, the biggest sales season in the U.S. at the end of November, and the purchasing situation, or rather the movement, is on par with the previous year, but the voice from the person in charge is that inflation in the U.S. is high. We have heard that it is not clear whether it will be as good as the previous year. However, in fact, given the tight demand for INSTAX film and the fact that cameras are selling well if they are made, I believe that there is room for a bounce upward, although we are taking a firm stance now. Is that all right?

Good thing first: one reason why the profit was not as strong as hoped, was that Fujifilm has allocated lots of resources to increase development and marketing expenses in order to assure “to continue to introduce new products without interruption“.

Of course the managers talk about R&D money for Instax as well as digital cameras. But it’s great to hear that overall they keep investing more money to push development.

Also worth to note is the comment of Fujifilm CEO Mr. Goto, who says that “cameras are selling well if they are made“. And this is probably Fujifilm’s biggest issue so far, with lots of cameras out of stock and in many cases even a complete suspension of camera sales in certain countries until who knows when.

The CEO says the hope is to “bounce back” thanks to Black Friday sales, although inflation is still high and it is not sure if the holiday season will run as good as last year.

And in this regard, here are the current deals you find on X/GFX gear that should help Fujifilm to show up with better figures by the end of the fiscal year.

GFX Gear

X Cameras

X Lenses

Fujifilm Q&A here

RAW File Converter EX3.0 adds Fujifilm GFX100II Support

RAW File Converter EX3.0 adds Fujifilm GFX100II support.

RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0 powered by SILKYPIX Ver.8.1.14.0 – download here
The software update Ver.8.1.14.0 incorporates the following issue:

  1. Applicable models for the “RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0 powered by SILKYPIX” are added.
    Applicable Model : FUJIFILM GFX100 II

Latest GFX Gear

GFX Deals

Fujifilm GFX100 II Engineers and The Truth About the “New” Sensor and “Up to Twice” Readout Speed

Fujifilm GFX100II

Over the past few weeks, many have contacted me asking why I don’t talk about the reports that claim:

  • the Fujifilm GFX100 II sensor is not new
  • the Fujifilm GFX100 II does not read out at twice the speed and faster readout speed is achieved only with software tricks, meaning dropping down at 12 bit when in 8 fps mode

The answer is simple:

When Fujifilm published their first Fujifilm GFX100II development story episodes, they said they would talk about the GFX100II sensor in future episodes.

This is why I decided to wait, hear Fujifilm’s position, and then write an article that is as comprehensive and complete as possible.

And I am happy I waited, because in the 5th X Lab episode dedicated to the GFX100II, we get some helpful insights in the inner workings of the sensor (full episode with summary below)..

But before we dive into it, let me express my admiration for Jim Kasson’s brilliant work in analyzing the inner workings of the GFX100II and to Petapixel for bringing his findings to the attention of the larger public.

I decided to wait for more details coming from Fujifilm before reporting about it, but maybe they would not have disclosed those in such detail, if Jim would not have done his great work, and Petapixel made a huge buzz out of it.

The Truth in a Nutshell

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Fujifilm GFX50S II No Longer in Production and Fujifilm’s Biggest GFX Error Exposed

The first stores in Japan have started to mark the Fujifilm GFX50S II as no longer in production, as reported by the Japanese website asobinet.

No longer in production does not mean you won’t find samples anymore around tomorrow. It is more likely that there will be still stable stock for quite some months ahead.

And yet, this news induces me to share some thoughts about the GFX50SII and the GFX system overall.

The GFX50SII was launched back in September 2021.

During these two years, it was often sold with a $800 discount (as right now), showing that the GFX50SII struggled to sell nearly as well as Fujifilm hoped.

The main drawback: the GFX50SII used the old non BSI sensor of the original GFX50S (and the even older Pentax 645Z)  in times when Fujifilm already offered the GFX100 and GFX100S with modern BSI sensor and 100MP. I guess most people decided to go for the more modern and higher resolution models.

In my opinion, the GFX50SII could have sold much better if only Fujifilm would have kept the retro dials layout of the original GFX50S. It would have differentiated it much more from the rest of the lineup.

And overall, the lack of a proper retro styled cameras in the GFX lineup is one of the big mysteries of our time. It’s Fujifilm’s biggest error and an enormous missed opportunity. Especially in times where there is no significant development on the sensor area, the one thing that can really boost sales for a new camera is offering a different shooting experience, which in the GFX world would mean to offer something different than the usual PSAM layout.

Make no mistake: my Fujifilm GFX100S is giving me great joy and it is extremely easy to operate. That’s not the issue. But if Fujifilm would make the camera with exactly the same GFX100S specs but with an X-T layout, I would sell it and go for the Fujifilm GFX100T (imaginary name).

I hope somebody at the higher ranks of the Fujifilm Japan HQ is reading these lines (and they do, they even use FujiRumors surveys for internal meetings).

I know, Fujifilm, you consider PSAM the “safe” approach, as it is more mainstream. But unless you drop a 150MP GFX or a 100MP stacked sensor GFX, you will keep struggling to sell GFX cameras (or be forced to give them huge rebates).

If you decide to stick with the current 100MP BSI sensor (no matter how much you optimise its circuits, AD converters, microlenses, etc), then the best thing to do to create a camera that sells like hot cakes is to offer a different photographic experience. And that camera is called Fujifilm GFX100T or alternatively also the GFX100R.

Trust me on this Fujifilm. Do it, and we will throw our money at you… and my money will be the first to fly to your bank account.

Fujifilm BLACK FRIDAY Starts NOW with Massive Rebates on X and GFX Cameras and Lenses

Before we start with the black Friday Fujifilm deals, maybe some of you will remember Michal Krause.

He is the fellow FR-reader who wrote one of the most successful and appreciated guest posts here on FujiRumors (with LOTS of great images!)

Well, Michal has launched the English version of his book: Capture One Effectively – The Complete Guide to Capture One Pro 23.

You can read more details about the ebook at this page here.

Black Friday

Fujifilm has currently a huge black Friday sale running in USA.

You can check out the full list of deals at B&H here.

The deals include rebates on the X-H2 and X-H2S and lots of lenses.

Probably on their lowest price ever the XF50mmF1.0, the XF150-600mm, the XF200mmF2 as well as other lenses.

X Cameras

BONUS OFFER: Purchase a qualifying X Series body (X-H2, X-H2S, X-S10) or kit product along with a LEXAR 2000X 256GB SD Card and receive $100 off the combined purchase price!

X Lenses

GFX Gear

Fujifilm GFX100 II IBIS Performance with GF Lenses (vs GFX100S)

Thanks to a new smart system that relies not only on the gyro sensor to stabilise the sensor, but also uses data from the image sensor itself to fine tune stabilisation (more about it in our X summit summary), the Fujifilm GFX100II is capable of achieving 8 stops IBIS.

But this peak 8 stops performance is achieved not with all lenses.

In the chart above shared by Ken L Photo (in text format below) you can see how many stops of IBIS you get on the GFX100II with each GF lens. Also, you get the IBIS performance comparison with the Fujifilm GFX100S.

Full Chart

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A Massive Fujifilm GFX Review Roundup to Celebrate Massive GFX Deals

There are currently massive deals running on Fujifilm GFX gear. So I thought let’s share a dedicated GFX roundup, just in case you are interested in the system and want to see what others think about it.

Lots of reviews will also cover the Fujinon GF20-35mmF4 lens, which is not included in the rebates, but is a true gem and I am afraid will pretty much reduce sales for the Fujinon GF 23mm f/4 to a minimum, as it is more flexible and smaller, while still being optically fantastic.

Also, I warmly recommend you to join our Fujifilm GFX group, which is full of talented and passionate GFX shooters sharing their work and thoughts there.

Deals

The Roundup

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Fujifilm Releases Significant Firmware Updates for Many XF/GF Lenses (plus X-A3, X-A10, XA20)

Fujifilm has released firmware updates for plenty of lenses that will make the autofocus more silent, the aperture operate smoother and also give better tracking performance while zooming.

That’s a very nice upgrade especially for video shooters.

Not all lenses will get all these three updates. You can find the full detailed list below.

Firmware Details & Download Links

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **