The French website Phototrend interviewed a couple of Japanese Fujifilm managers at CP+.
You can find the full interview in French linked down below as well as a summary.
If it wasn’t for this ultra cheap accessory, my first travel with my new Fujifilm X-T5 could have been ruined (from a photographic point of view).
Here is what happened.
Destination: visiting my wife’s family in Hanoi, Vietnam, during Christmas Holidays.
While waiting for our bags at the Hanoi airport (after a humble 25 hours travel in the cheapest economy class seats), I took out my X-T5 and started to take some images. Then I asked my wife to hold the X-T5 while I handle the bags and bring them to the taxi.
Once we were in the taxi, rather exhausted from the long flight, my wife put the X-T5 on her lap. Arrived at her parents home, she totally forgot she had the camera on her legs, opened the door, got out of the car and the X-T5 tumbled down on the street.
When we collected the X-T5, we noticed major cracks on the screen.
But luckily I followed my own advice and did immediately apply a $3 touch sensitive screen protector on my X-T5 when I bought it.
This saved my X-T5 and once back home in Italy, I simply removed the broken screen protector using a dental floss and replaced it with a new one.
The X-T5 itself is still in perfect conditions and works like a champ. It’s a tough beast ;).
Lesson learned: don’t save on the wrong things. If you don’t have a self protecting fully articulating screen, then a screen protector is a must buy.
Now to the more pleasing part of the tale ;).
I didn’t get around a lot in Vietnam, as of course our main goal was to spend as much time as possible with her family and friends. So lots of the images I took are casual images capturing our daily life at home. Nothing of huge interest to share on FujiRumors, but for me personally the images that matter most.
But we did manage to squeeze in a 3 day trip to the nearby Ninh Binh province (to visit Tam Coc and Tràng An, where the movie “Kong: Skull Island” was filmed).
I traveled with the Fujifilm X-T5, the XF23mmF1.4 and my favorite travel zoom, the XF 18-135mmF3.5-5-6.
And I did put a little “challenge” on me: exit out of my film simulation “comfort zone” (mainly Classic Chrome and Astia) and try to use film simulations I haven’t used in a while.
This time around, I mostly used Classic Negative, mainly for street photography and cityscape, but also for some landscape images.
And I must say I really love the results and as a consequence I started to use it more often also once I got back home in Italy.
The lesson learned?
Well, I guess we all have film simulations we particularly love. And maybe in the past we used some film simulations that did not convince us and as a consequence started to ignore them.
But my tip would be to give that hardy used film simulation another try. You might find out you love it more than you initially thought.
It’s true, the Fujifilm X100V is hard to find these days.
But it’s actually much worst than that.
I took a look at all Fujifilm camera lines (the ones that survived, not the ones axed by Fujifilm), and we can see that the X100V enjoys great company when it comes to long waiting times.
What’s easy to find in stock are the higher end high profit margin top tier mainstream cameras.
This gives us two options on what is going on:
I don’t know you, but I’d go for Nr.2.
Now let’s look at the situation today.
X100V silver is expected to be in stock in fall 2023 at BHphoto. No time indication for the black X100V. You find only overpriced marketplace X100V cameras on Amazon. Out of stock pretty much everywhere.
X-Pro3 dura silver is expected in 2 to 4 weeks. No time indication for all other colors. Given that the X-Pro3 is slowly being discontinued, I am not very opmtistic about its future stock status.
X-E4 black is expected to ship in 6 to 10 weeks at BHphoto. No time indication for the other colors and kit combinations. We remind you the X-E4 was launched in January 2021 and the last time I’ve noticed the X-E4 in stock was back in October 2021. Not even the X100V has such a bad shipping record as the X-E4.
The Fujifilm X-T5 (both colors) is expected in 7 to 14 days at BHphoto. You can find it in stock at Amazon US and Adorama. There is 1 to 2 weeks waiting at Moment only for the black version.
The Fujifilm X-H2s is easy to find in stock. And you even get Capture One 23 for free if you buy it at Adorama.
The Fujifilm X-S10 is easy to find in stock.
The Fujifilm X-T30II is in stock in silver and the black one is expected in 7 to 14 days at BHphoto. It is in stock in both colors at Adorama here. You can find it in stock also via third party sellers at Amazon, and if you buy sold by Amazon it will ship in late February.
The Fujifilm X-H2 is expected in 7 to 14 days at BHphoto. Out of stock with no time indication given at AmazonUS, Adorama and Moment. I guess the huge chunk of 40MP sensors Fujifilm has available are used for the Fujifilm X-T5, so this inevitably means that it prolongs the waiting for the Fujifilm X-H2.
All good on the GFX front, with all cameras being easily available.
It’s time for our yearly rumor check, so that you guys can decide if FujiRumors was worth your time or not.
Fujifilm was the most busy camera brand of all in 2022.
They have released three higher end cameras, four XF lenses and one GF lens. Plus some accessories, such as the legendary cooling fan and the TG-BT1 Tripod Grip.
Now the question is: can the Fujifilm year 2023 match the year 2022 in terms of product launches?
Well, let’s look at it.
Eduardo Soteras has just been awarded with the UNICEF Photo of the Year 2022 for the image you can see above. The story is this one:
Although destroyed, the library in this elementary school in Ethiopia’s Tigray region is where two children have taken refuge in books. This little moment of happiness shows in their smiles. It is a rare moment. Because of the armed conflict with the central government, 5.2 million people in this region in northern Ethiopia are suffering from violence, displacement, malnutrition and a shortage of drinking water.
[…] The desire to discover and learn new things is often so great in children that it makes them forget the threat of a situation.That is the message of the Unicef photo of the year 2022,” said Unicef patron Elke Büdenbender, wife of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
“The winning image challenges us to do everything we can to ensure that children can play and learn even under the most adverse circumstances.
Because this is the only way they can maintain their hope and confidence in times of war and other crises.
Given the importance of this image, little it matters that the EXIF data shows it has been taken with the Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR.
Here on FujiRumors we just want to congratulate with fellow X shooter Eduardo Soteras for his important recognition and for making the best possible use of our beloved Fujifilm gear: encapsulating meaningful moments and important messages into a single powerful image.
You can read more about this image and Eduardo Soteras at the dedicated UNICEF page here.
Thanks to Daniel Stocker (instagram) for letting me know about it.
And in case you are being brainwashed by some YouTubers that you can only get real Pro work done with Full Frame gear, check out the articles below.
Not enough? Well, then know that photographers using Fujifilm cameras also…
I’ve looked at the results of your future X camera wish and future GFX camera wish.
Here they are… and what they tell us.
X series
GFX gear
Conclusion for X series
There is a tendency to prefer more megapixel over more speed. And as a Fujifilm X-T5 owner myself, I can understand why: the X-T5 is plenty of fast enough for most of us thanks to the brand new processor. Plus, the 40MP sensor gives us the best dynamic range on any X series camera.
But most importantly, the list is dominated by rangefinder cameras.
So, after a year full of DSLR styled cameras (X-T5, X-H2 and X-H2s), people are hungry to see something happening on the rangefinder front… and I am totally with you guys!
Conclusion for GFX series
Stacked sensor makes the top of the list. Which means that contrary to the X series, for the GFX series people desire more speed rather than more resolution.
Here are the top 10 articles for November.
You Voted:
Must Know
For Fun
The Latest Gear
Fujifilm X-T5 Stock Check
Fujinon XF30mmF2.8 Macro Stock Check
→ USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama
→ Worldwide: AmazonCA / Amazon of Your Country
→ UK: AmazonUK / WexUK / ParkCameraUK
→ EU: AmazonDE / AmazonIT / AmazonFR / AmazonES / CalumetDE / FotoErhardt / Fotokoch / PCHstore
X-T5 Other Countries
Astrhori contacted me and would like me to share the news with you, that they are going to release the Astrhori 105mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Macro lens for Fujifilm GFX (and other mounts).
Astrohori lenses are available at Amazon here.
Fujifilm has already announced two tilt-shift lenses for 2023, the Fujinon GF110mmF5.6 Tilt Shift Macro and the Fujinon GF30mmF5.6 Tilt Shift. We have shared hands on images of the Fujinon tilt-shift lenses here.
In the lastest Fujicast episode, Kevin and Neale have, among the others, a talk with Fujifilm UK manager Andreas Georghiades and they also go to the Fujifilm headquarter in Japan and talk to product planers.
Needless to say, the talk mostly gravitates around the Fujifilm X-T5. Down below is a summary as well as the podcast to listen.
