dcraw

Marius: “Hi Patrick, Just wanted to let your readers know that the latest dcraw (v9.18) has support for X20 and X100s. Thus far this is only solution for the few folks using Linux exclusively. It’s possible this support will be included in Darktable and RawTherapee soon. Thanks for all the interesting bits on your website.” They told me that interpolation for all X-Trans sensor cameras is much improved.

Best of…

– Who’s the king of the advanced compact cameras according to techradar? It’s the [shoplink 12883 ebay]X100S[/shoplink]. “Its image quality is also good, but it is surpassed by that of the Fuji X-Pro1, which is capable of producing pictures that aren’t far off those from some full-frame cameras.” Check it here.

– And techradar has also the answer to the following question! Which of these 6 high-end compact cameras is the best? The competitors are the [shoplink 12884]X20[/shoplink], [shoplink 13127]Sony RX100[/shoplink], [shoplink 13128 ebay]Panasonic LX7[/shoplink], [shoplink 13129 ebay]Nikon P7700[/shoplink], [shoplink 13130 ebay]Olympus XZ-2[/shoplink], [shoplink 13131 ebay]Canon G15[/shoplink]. Discover the winner here.

X100S

[shopcountry 12883]

– henrysmithscottage took his X100S and X-PRO1 to a trip in Baltimore. Read his considerations about these cameras here: “I have noticed, that compared to its predecessor the X 100, the X100s appears to have a decreased battery life.  This had been annoying to me before the trip, but I learned that if you keep the camera off (and not rely on the auto shut off feature), that the battery life was quite tolerable.  I did not need to change a battery over the three days of the trip (probably shooting 150 frames).”

– NY ist the Mecca for street photography, and rileyjoseph took some shots there with the X100S and X-PRO1 that you can check out here. “So will I be selling my dSLR and only using my X00s + X-Pro1? No. I will keep it for the times that I need a full frame, faster AF camera with the availability of a tilt shift lens. Primarily for when I am going to make a specific photo that would require it. It is a great tool. Great and heavy.”

– Roel has the X100S since two months now. Did he regret selling his X100? “As I started off saying in this article, I don’t want to have any regrets in life. Although I regretted selling my original X100, I have no regrets in purchasing the X100S and I will keep it in my bag until one of us dies.  It is an excellent fixed lens camera and I am sure it will give me many years of great service and images. Fujifilm has done a good job with their X series cameras.  In the beginning, new products (X10, X100 and X-Pro1 specifically) had a number of problems that needed to be sorted out, but now it seems that recent releases (such as the X-E1, X20 and X100S) have very few, if any initial issues – plus the Fujinon lenses are exceptional.  That is good news for all of us in the Fujifilm camp and I encourage them to keep innovating and listening to user feedback.” Read the whole review and see his shots here.

lenses

Fuji XF 55-200mm [shopcountry 12892]

– Tom Grill posted his hands on review (with many downloadable hi res image samples) of the new 55-200 here:

“Looks like Fuji produced another winner with the 55-200mm for its line of zoom lenses. It shows true professional qualities: no distortion, solid build, high resolution, image stabilization, and quick focus. This is a lot for a lens with a $699 price tag, much better than most zooms I have tested in this price range, and even better than some costing several times as much.”

image courtesy: aboutphography

– photogenykstudios posted his 55-200 impressions and samples here: “At $699 its not near as cheap as the 55-200 variations  from Tamron, Sigma and Sony. It is far better built though, and is stabilized. The IQ is also in a different league from the budget zooms. Its closest rival would be the [shoplink 13385]Canon 70-200/4[/shoplink].  The Canon is faster at the long end (barely), has less range,  and costs more, so again the Fuji wins here.”

– sgoldswoblog tested the Zeiss Touit 12mm lens here.

“The 12mm has some bad features compared to the Fuji 14, it has softer corners at wider apertures, it isn’t optically corrected for distortion and it is expensive. There is no question that fans of the 20-21mm focal length shouldn’t really go for the Zeiss. So it’s a Turkey? No way, it’s a very fine lens with some different design choices from the Fuji, that’s all. If you want the widest possible UWA then go for this lens. By definition it is wider but it is also a fine lens in its own right and I still suspect the centre is a hair sharper than the Fuji.[…] The only reason this lens doesn’t deserve superlatives left and right is the existence of the Fuji 14mm. If the Fuji didn’t exist or was a little bit more average, the 12mm would be a must buy lens, as it is it’s a very good lens that’s not as good primarily because of variations in sharpness in the corners. However there is no question in my mind that a person wanting the widest lens available shouldn’t hesitate in buying the Zeiss instead of the Fuji 14.”

image courtesy: sgoldswoblog

Zeiss Touit 32mm in stock status check: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / AmazonUS / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel
Zeiss Touit 12mm in stock status check: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / AmazonUS / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel

IN STOCK: A limited number of XF 55-200 is now in stock at AmazonUK here (shipped and sold by AmazonUK) and also three at AmazonUS, but via third party reseller here (you have to pay $100 more to purchase it).

Fuji XF 55-200mm [shopcountry 12892]

image courtesy: martin-doppelbauer

Martin made a quite unfair comparison between the [shoplink 12881]X-E1[/shoplink] with [shoplink 12892 ebay]XF 55-200[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 13457]Canon EOS 5D Mark III[/shoplink] with [shoplink 13458]Canon 70-300 IS L[/shoplink]. “But yet, Fuji claims itself to achieve the image quality of a full-frame camera. So let’s see“. You can read the whole comparison here (available in English and German). Some extracts:

“In direct comparison, I could not detect any significant drawback in the focus speed compared to the Canon 70-300 IS L at least in static, high contrast scenes. To run the focus from infinity to close range takes similar time on both optics. I already have noted the limitations of the X-E1 when recording fast-moving objects (birds in the air, or motor cycling, but also: Crawling babies head from the front) elsewhere. Because both the focus point and the viewfinder image freeze after the first shot in continuous shooting mode, there are little to no chances to get a good picture in such situations. Here, the DSLR is still unbeatable (and the EOS 5D Mark III shines in particular with its uber-autofocus anyway).

Somewhat disappointing is the vignetting of the XF 55-200 at maximum aperture. At least you can correct this well by software.

For a comparison of system resolution, I have run the X-E1 and the XF 55-200 against the EOS 5D Mark III with the excellent 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS USM. Not quite a fair comparison, as I admit frankly, because the Canon lens costs easily twice as much as the Fuji zoom. And we don’t even talk of the camera body […] Compared with the EOS 5D Mark III, however, Fuji’s zoom has a significantly lower resolution. The Canon 70-300 L resolves about a third more lines across the board, occasionally even 50% more. An equivalence to the Canon full-frame system is beyond question.

The XF 55-200 […] convinces with a very solid overall performance. Across all focal lengths and apertures it has a good sharpness with minimal chromatic aberrations without significant weaknesses. Sure, it can not keep up with a very good full-frame camera and lens. But this is outweighed by price, weight and size.

Fuji XF 55-200mm [shopcountry 12892]

image courtesy: martin-doppelbauer

IN STOCK

Grab it if you can! There are only 4 XF 55-200 in stock at AmazonUS (via third party) for the normal price of $700 (click here)! It’s the only lens that is not part of the Fuji X-superkit deals.

There are also only 5 Zeiss Touit 12mm for normal price sold by third party reseller here and one 32mm here.

TOUIT FIRST IMPRESSIONS

FR-reader Craig has both Touit’s and begins his ongoing review. He told me that “I’ve gotten my new Zeiss Touit 12mm and 32mm lenses today, and have written a “First Impressions” article on them. I will be shooting with the Touits for the next week, and writing several updates with lots of real world samples. If you are interested, here it is!” So, stay tuned at Craigs website. Just an extract of his first impressions:

““they are smaller than I expected.”[…] but they are actually the perfect size for the mirrorless systems […]. both lenses feel very solid and well made in my hands. […] The apertures have a nice “old-fashioned” click sound to them and most will be happy to hear that they are a bit stiffer than their Fuji counterparts.”

_ _ _

XF 55-200 in stock status check: USA:  Adorama / BHphoto / AmazonUS / DigitalRev / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonUK / AmazonDE / PCHstore Brussel / Worldwide ebay: slidoo

Zeiss Touit 32mm in stock status check: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / AmazonUS / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel
Zeiss Touit 12mm in stock status check: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / AmazonUS / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel

X100S

[SOLD OUT] Two X100S is now in stock at AmazonUS via third party reseller, but you have to pay $200 extra to grab it. Let’s hope for AmazonUS to ship the X100S directly soon.

ZEISS TOUIT: FR-READERS IN STOCK STATUS CHECK

– Roger told me that the new Zeiss Touit lenses for Fuji X-mount are now in stock at precision-camera (Austin TX) here (12mm) and here (32mm)

– FR-reader Franz received a message from his German reseller (fotoversand-afa.de). Looks like the new Zeiss optics will be with the vendor mid-next week.

– tzsantos told me that they are available also in Portugal at jvalles.com

Zeiss Touit 32mm in stock status check: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel
Zeiss Touit 12mm in stock status check: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel

ZEISS TOUIT: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

– For the dc.watch first impressions and samples of the Touit 12mm X-mount click here (translated version)

XF 55-200: FR-READERS IN STOCK STATUS CHECK

–Mark: “I just got a call from Henry‘s to let me know that the Fujifilm 55-200 that I pre-ordered is now in the store for me.  So the lens is now available in Canada.”

– Peter: “This is not a rumor but a fact. I was notified that my order for the XF 55-200 lens was shipped tonight from Cyberphoto in Sweden. :-) I hope I get it before the weekend!”

XF 55-200 in stock status check: USA:  Adorama / BHphoto / AmazonUS / DigitalRev / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonUK / AmazonDE / PCHstore Brussel / Worldwide ebay: slidoo (available in Japan)

XF 55-200: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

1) photogenykstudios first impressions (and samples) of the XF55-200 can be read here.

“The XF55-200… may even be the most accurate of the Fuji lenses to date. Speed wise it wont set any records, but it wasn’t bad either. I would say it focused a lot better than I was expecting it to. I saw no difference after performing the needed firmware update. I have no complaints in either speed or accuracy. The image stabilization is also brilliant. I was effortlessly able to take tack sharp shots at 1/40 of a second at 200mm.

The IQ was nothing short of amazing. Tack sharp at 200mm, be it stopped down or wide open. Contrast, colour, sharpness, all excellent. No matter the aperture or focal length I could not take a bad shot from a pure IQ perspective. […]  What I liked best however was the rendering. The way the lens and camera draw the image, especially backlit shots, were breath taking.”

2) “Hi Patrick! Got my Fujinon 55-200mm today at Saturn shop in Düsseldorf Germany. Only 50 Pieces will be delivered right now to Germany. Did some pics today (not edited, all handheld) You might use them on your fabolous site if you want. Greetings from Düsselorf, Michael” See Michael’s first shots with the XF55-200 here.