SUSPENDED: Fujifilm Removes Latest XF16-55mmF2.8 Firmware and Promises Emergency Update

A couple of days ago Fujifilm has released several (also major) firmware updates. And they also promised Kaizen firmware updates coming.

The news today is that the firmware update for the Fujinon XF16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR was flawed and has now been suspended from the Fujifilm download page.

Fujifilm is preparing an emergency firmware and FujiRumors will let you know as soon as it goes online.

In Ver. 1.30 released on January 22, 2024, it was confirmed that the exposure of images taken with certain focal length and aperture value combinations became abnormal.
For this reason, the firmware download has been suspended.
We are preparing an emergency firmware for customers who have updated to Ver. 1.30, so please wait for it.

You can access the note about the removed firmware update here.

Hopefully it won’t end up forgotten and suspended forever like the GF50mmF3.5 firmware.

What to Expect from Fujifilm in 2024 (and What Probably Not)

Fujifilm 2024

In November we have shared quite some rumors (as you can see here). And not only that! In our previous 2024 outlook, we forgot to add gear that Fujifilm has already pre-announced to come in 2024 as well as give you a look into rumored third party AF lenses.

That’s why we need to update our view into the Fujifilm year 2024.

All the X/GFX rumors come from our sources, whereas the speculations are often based on hints and comments that managers gave in interviews.

Remember, Fujifilm will launch 3 or more cameras in the first months of 2024. This means there are still more cameras we have to (and we will) leak here on FujiRumors.

X/GFX GEAR COMING FOR SURE

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Fujinon GF14-20mm Coming – Really?

FujiRumors mock-up
FujiRumors mock-up

Fujinon GF14-20mm

A long list of “rumored” Fujifilm gear “leaked” on the web and we reported here.

I instantly warned you about a lot of inaccuracies in that list. Wrong stuff that we started to correct.

The first one to be unveiled as wrong is the Fujifilm GFX25.

Anyway, there was another piece of gear on that list, that intrigued people: the Fujinon GF14-20mm.

So let me put it this way:

The best I can say about it for now, is that none of our sources is aware of such a lens.

I don’t call it a “wrong rumor” simply because there is a difference between our sources saying something is fake (GFX25) and our sources saying they are not aware of certain gear.

But the fact that already the GFX25 rumor is wrong (and more on that list will be proven wrong), could be an indication that pretty much anything “leaked” on that list has to be taken with a grain of salt and it’s probably just a compilation of guesses and speculations wrapped into a more tasty rumor package to give it more credibility. I am NOT saying E8M made it up, it is likely that somebody else made it up and passed it to E8M, who then shared it. That’s the way guys try to convince you to publish wrong info.

Anyway, I have to be accurate when I report what our sources say. And they tell me they have no information about such a lens.

For me, this means that I have zero hopes for an eventual GF14-20 to come in 2024 and I am also not overly optimistic to see one in 2025. And if it never comes, I would not be surprised either.

If you need to go wide, your best option for a long time will be the Fujinon GF20-35mm f/4.

What will come for sure though, is what is on the roadmap: the Fujinon GF500mmF5.6 and the GF Power Zoom lens.

GF Lens Patents

The Future of Fujifilm in Patents (X and GFX gear). Filtered below you find the GFX gear related patents.

My Experience with the Fujinon GF55mm f/1.7 – Crafted to Trigger GAS

On Saturday, Fujifilm had one of its Italian Roadshow gear presentation in the lovely town of Trento just 30 minutes car drive away from my home.

Much to my surprise, they already had the Fujifilm GFX100II and the Fujinon GF55mm f/1.7 R WR there for testing. And I could test it for about 30 minutes only.

Now, initially I wrote an article that contained both, my GFX100II and my GF55mmF1.7 first impressions.

But I decided to split it up in two parts for one reason: the launch of the Fujifilm GFX100II has overshadowed what I believe is a true gem of a lens: the Fujinon GF55mm f/1.7.

So much so, that I believe Fujifilm should have given this lens a separate launch date.

But that’s how it is.

And that’s why FujiRumors wants to bring the GFX system world into the right balance again by giving the wonderful Fujinon GF55mmF1.7 the space it deserves.

So, here are my first impressions without GFX100II distraction.

Fujinon GF55mmF1.7 R WR – Perfection Achieved

INSANE!

I shot everything at f/1.7.

The reason?

It was so sharp wide open, that I was scared to stop down and to hurt my eyes with even sharper images (if that is even possible).

The good thing?

If you need to take a rest from all that sharpness, then just look at the background of the image and enjoy a massive relaxation for your eyes thanks to a wonderful, dreamy-creamy and buttery-smooth bokeh.

And the autofocus?

Surprisingly fast autofocus for a lens without linear motor in it. I mean, I used it initially on my Fujifilm GFX100S, and my first reaction was to read on the lens front element if there is really not “LM” (linear motor) written on it. I was very positively surprised. Having had experience with the GF80mmF1.7, I can say the GF55mmF1.7 is a significant step up compared to it.

Sure, Linear Motor lenses might still be faster. But shooting with the GF55mmF1.7 won’t be a frustrating experience in terms of autofocus. Actually quite a pleasing one it was for me.

I have also made a tracking test using the Fujifilm GFX100II and GF55mmF1.7. I will share the results in the second part of the review where I talk about the Fujifilm GFX100II, because I need to talk about settings, test conditions to put the results in proper context. So watch out for that one coming soon.

Two problems!

  1. The depth of field is very shallow. Used on my GFX100S, I had images where the top of the eyelash was in focus and the eye pupil itself not (see sample below). If you are going to shoot it wide open it certainly will help to have the best autofocus possible. And the best autofocus possible you get is with the GFX100II.
  2. True story: after my third “wow” while I was testing it and reviewing the images, my wife said: “but you are not going to buy it, right?” So now we have a problem. A problem that hopefully a nice dinner in a fancy restaurant and a couple of flowers will be able to solve.

Overall Conclusion

Not the lightest lens on the world, but it is also not too big for an f/1.7 lens. Well balanced overall with my GFX100S.

At f/1.7 it is so sharp that, true story, my wife complaint when she saw the images because she could notice every single little imperfection of her skin.

They say Bokeh is subjective, but this one is objectively very good.

Fujifilm said during X Summit that they use the aspherical lens manufactured with ultra precision resulting in the reduction of axial chromatic aberration and onion ring effect. it is also their first GF lens with 11 aperture blades for near perfect circular aperture.

If you love the versatility of the 40mm-ish full frame equivalent focal length, then this is the one!

And look, I own the Fujinon GF50mm f/3.5 and love it for its fantastic portability. But versatility comes not only from size, but also from speed. And at f/1.7 the GF55mmF1.7 opens up other possibilities in terms of low light performance and subject separation that make it just more suitable and flexible for more use cases.

I can totally recommend this lens if all you want in your life is the humble need for optical perfection in your images :D.

That’s at least my impression after 30 minutes of use. I had no time to test chromatic aberration, focus breathing and what not. So if those are critically important things for you wait for further reviews. Although what I’ve read so far is that also chromatic aberration is well controlled and Fujifilm actually emphasised during launch at the X summit the “reduction of axial chromatic aberration” and “less color fringe“.

Samples

Down below I will share three samples. All taken at f/1.7 using the Fujifilm GFX100S.

  • Sample 1 + Crop = shows how impressively sharp the performance is at f/1.7
  • Sample 2 + Crop = shows how shallow the DOF is and how that can lead to slightly out of focus images
  • Sample 3 = enjoy the smooth bokeh background

Get Yours

And the Rest of the New 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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WATCH Fujifilm X Summit NOW: Fujifilm GFX100 II, GF55mmF1.5, GF Tilt Shift and MORE – LIVE on FujiRumors

Fujifilm X Summit – LIVE COVERAGE
(refresh for updates)

Fujifilm X Summit – The Full Coverage Live!
SUMMARY + SCREENSHOTS

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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

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Oops I did it Again: I Bought my Dream Lens and Here is Why

image taken with Fujifilm X-T4 and XF80mmF2.8
image taken with Fujifilm X-T4 and XF80mmF2.8

I Failed

I tried, but I failed.

And I failed in less than 48 hours.

I am afraid too many of you guys know what I talk about: try to resist to G.A.S!

It all started February 1st, when Fujifilm launched new deals here in Italy (and all over Europe). And to my surprise, the deals included one of my top 3 Fujifilm items on my 2022 wishlist.

Less than 48 hours after the launch of deals, I found myself at my local photography store, my credit card flying over the sales counter and in my bag a box containing the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5.

And don’t worry, my wife approved this purchase… now all I need is her to approve also my other two Fuji-dreams gear 2022, meaning this camera and this lens ;).

I am Happy I Failed :)

Here is why I bought it, and I am so excited about this lens.

As you know, last year I bought into the Fujifilm GFX system by treating myself with a Fujifilm GFX100S and Fujinon GF32-64mmF4.

My main application for this wonderful combo is landscape photography.

So how is that working out?

Well, my go-to bag for hiking is my Camslinger Outdoor. I love the practicality of it to a point, that I won’t buy gear (for landscape photography) that does not fit in there. And despite having a sensor about 70% larger than full frame, the GFX100S with GF32-64mmF4 still fits!

So, for me, this combo is compact enough, and I can easily make my usual 4 to 6 hours hike with the GFX100S and GF32-64 on my hips.

Why do I say this?

Because I want to make clear that I don’t perceive the GFX100S with GF32-64 as too big for the purpose of landscape photography, especially considering what it is: a 100 megapixel medium format system that I can carry around all day on my hips. It’s frankly amazing.

But while it is a surprisingly compact combo for the purpose of landscape photography, the GFX100S combined with the GF32-64mmF4 is not small enough for my taste to bring it with me for more casual shooting, may it be for my street photography or to document my family life.

By getting the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5, though, the whole combo gets substantially smaller and lighter, making it much more portable and easier to pick also for casual photography.

And to be clear: my well-equipped APS-C system is and remains king when it comes to flexibility, performance and value for money. I still take my X system with me on hikes, on my travels, on my day trips with family and I also blindly trust it in crucial moments like when I had to photography my first wedding.

But owning the GF50mmF3.5 simply gives me more options and opportunities to pick up my GFX100S more often if I want to.

I am very happy with my purchase and I can’t wait to use use it comprehensively starting with this weekend.

We (my family and me) are probably going to the town of Sirmione this Saturday. I have never been there and can’t wait to test my new lens in such a wonderful little lake town.

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The Guardian Nominates Fujifilm Shooter and WPP Award Winner Yasuyoshi Chiba “Agency Photographer of the Year”

image courtesy - Yasuyoshi Chiba (via The Guardian)
image courtesy – Yasuyoshi Chiba (via The Guardian)

Do you remember when back in 2020, photographers using Fujifilm X and GFX gear creamed off tons of prestigious awards at the World Press Photo Awards, including the top spots for the two most prestigious categories, World Press Photo of the Year and World Press Photo Story of the Year?

Well, Yasuyoshi Chiba, the winner of the World Press Photo of the Year, who took this amazing image with his Fujifilm X-H1, has now been nominated “Agency Photographer of the Year” by The Guardian.

Congratulations again to Yasuyoshi Chiba and make sure to check out his instagram here, where all the images shared so far are taken with the Fujifilm X-H1 and Fujifilm GFX100.

As for the images in this specific reportage from Tigray (Ethiopia), Yasuyoshi Chiba used his GFX gear with the one lens I dream to own for my GFX100S, the Fujinon GF50mm f/3.5.

For the full article check out TheGuardian here.

One more thing:

Yasuyoshi Chiba is planning to do photo exhibition of the images of Tigray from Ethiopia (and Sudan for refugees) in February and March, both at Fuji’s imaging plaza (below is info, in japanese though). Pictures at the exhibition are all taken by GFX100+GF50mm.

Some Fuji Pro Work:

Not enough? Well, then know that photographers using Fujifilm cameras also…

  • won the world wildlife photography award (story here)
  • made the cover of the TIME magazine (story here)
  • won the World Photography Arts&Culture Award 2015 (story here)
  • won the First Prize of the World Press Photo Category “Stories (stroy here)
  • made the front page of the Wall Street Journal (story here)
  • were good enough for God’s work (story here)
  • captured America’s most hated man (story here)
  • distracted a French presidential candidate during his interview (story here)

Hey Jared… are you really sure about that Fuji, LOL? ;)

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