Fujifilm Fiscal Year FY2017/3 3rd Quarter Financial Results Report… and the Unstoppable Rise of Instax

Fujifilm just published here the results for the fiscal year 2017 (3rd quarter – until December 31, 2016)

“In  the  Imaging  Solutions  segment,  consolidated  revenue  amounted  to  ¥256.4  billion  (down  5.9%  from  the  same  period  of  the  previous  fiscal  year),  due  to  the  negative  impact  of  yen  appreciation  (¥31.0  billion)  and  other factors.  Consolidated  operating  income  amounted  to  ¥28.1  billion  (up  5.9%  from  the  same  period  of  the  previous  fiscal  year),  due  to  the  recovery  of  profitability  in  each business,  though  the  negative  impacts  on  sales  from  yen appreciation were seen.

[…] The sales of instant photo systems such as the instax series and instax films, were strong especially in the United States and Europe.

In the electronic imaging field, the sales increased due to the sales of such flagship models of the mirrorless digital camera as FUJIFILM X-Pro2 and FUJIFILM X-T2 , and interchangeable lenses increased steadily.

So once again, it’s Fujifilm high-end cameras (X-T2 more than X-Pro2), but especially the Fuji Top Selling Instax Universe, to improve Fujifilm’s profitability in the imaging divison.

GFX + 2 Lenses Fit Billingham Hadley Small :: 56mm Disassembly :: Olympus E-M1 II Vs. Fuji X-T2 :: X-Trans Promise & Problem (miXed zone)

WORKSHOP

  • Fujifilm “X” Photographers Travel & Nature Summits at fujifilmxphotosummits with 3 ½ days of presentations, talks etc. by 4 Fuji “X” Photographers + technical and corporate from the FUJIFILM headquarters in New York. For the workshops check out fujixphotoworkshops
  • Go To New Zealand (or Guernsey) to Learn How To Master Your Fujifilm Camera at Rico’s Ultimate X-Secrets Workshops 2017. More here.

Cover Stories

GFX + GF 32-64 + GF 63 + X70 fit Billingham Hadly Small – via Ivan Joshua Loh at GFX Facebook Group

  • Fujifilm XF56mmF1.2 Disassembly at Andrew’s Flickr
  • Olympus OM-D E-M1 II vs. Fujifilm X-T2 – The complete comparison at mirrorlesscomparison
  • X-Trans: The Promise and the Problem at medium (NOTE: I share this article, because it is creating quite a buzz. Experienced X-shooters will know to take it with a grain of salt. The waxy skin tones problem, for example, is no issue at all in RAW and significantly reduced with X-TransIII. Moreover, Iridient has proven to be superior with the demoisaicing than Darktable (used in this review). X-TransIII now also gives better results overall, due to the reduced distance between the repeating RGB patterns, reducing certain types of artifacts and improving the results with Adobe. Also, unlike stated in the review, Fujifilm NEVER said that X-Trans “eliminates” moiree, they say it “reduces” it.)

Fujifilm GFX
USA BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS EU: AmazonDE, AmazonUK, WexUK, ParkCamerasUK, PCHstore AUS: CameraPro

Fujifilm 100F
USA BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS EU: AmazonDE, AmazonUK, WexUK, ParkCamerasUK, PCHstore AUS: CameraPro

Fujifilm X-T20
USA BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS EU: AmazonDE, AmazonUK, WexUK, ParkCamerasUK, PCHstore AUS: CameraPro

Fujifilm X-T2

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Fujifilm To Launch Professional Fujifilm GFX and X Cameras Service in Europe March 1 (Other Countries Soon, Too?) – PRESS RELEASE

Join 5,000 GFX Fans and official X-photographers at the Fujifilm GFX Facebook Group

Fujifilm GFX and X series cameras PRO Service

So, once again, the rumor was correct… Fujifilm will indeed launch a professional service, and below is the full press release.

But note that the press release is for EU only (big markets like Germany and UK first). However, the last sentence of the press-release seems to indicate that other countries will follow:

“Fujifilm is aware that professional photographers may also work outside Europe and will be in close touch with repair centres in other major territories to ensure qualifying photographers are afforded a similar high level of service.”

Fujifilm GFX: USA BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS EU: AmazonDE, AmazonUK, WexUK, ParkCamerasUK, PCHstore AUS: CameraPro

Fujifilm Press Release

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And then I Thought: “Stop Waiting for the X-E3, and get the X-T2/Zero (X-T20)” … Did Fujifilm Hit the Sweet Spot with the X-T20?

The more I read about the recent epic Fujifilm announcement day (live blogging here), the more I start to think, that, in the shadow of the mighty Medium Format GFX and the sexy X100F, I completely underestimated the power of the little and inconspicuous Fujifilm X-T2/zero… or X-T20.

Yes… X-T2/Zero. Because it is really almost like if someone would have shrinked the X-T2 into a smaller and much more affordable body, just as Palle Schultz showed in his humorous and entertaining X-T20 video here. And this is why Palle calls it the X-T2/zero.

It has the nice 24MP X-TransIII sensor, the X-Processor, the tilting touch screen, up to 325 focus points, it shoots 4K video (!!)… and has even the AF-C Custom settings of the X-T2….that’s a lot of stuff for a camera that costs about half the price of the X-T2 and X-Pro2.

And suddenly a tought came in mind: “Stop waiting for the X-E3 and get that X-T20“.

Now, the only thing that prevents from making the switch to X-Trans III is my infinite love for the design of the X-E line. My resistance is strong… but is also slowly crumbling…

The Fujifilm X-T20 might just have hit the sweet spot in the X-line and be the best value for money today in the X-world.

Fujifilm X-T20: USA BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS EU: AmazonDE, AmazonUK, WexUK, ParkCamerasUK, PCHstore AUS: CameraPro

FUJIFILM Announces GFX, X100F, X-T20, XF50/2 :: First Looks, Pre-orders ** LIVE BLOGGING **

↓ Pre-order Options ↓

Fujifilm GFX: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS
Fujinon GF63mmF2.8: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS
Fujinon GF32-64mmF4: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS
Fujinon GF120mmF4 Macro: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS
Fujifilm GFX EVF-TL1 Tilt Adapter: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS
Fujifilm H Mount Adapter G for GFX: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS

Fujifilm X-T20: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS
Fujifilm X100F: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS
Fujifilm XF50mmF2 WR: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS

↓ PRESS RELEASE / FIRST LOOKS ↓
(LIVE BLOGGING – Refresh This Page for the Latest Updates)

Fujifilm GFX + GF Lenses:

First Looks / Reviews

Fujifilm X-T20:

First Looks

Fujifilm X100F:

First Looks

Fujifilm XF50mmF2 WR:

First Looks

VIDEOS

Massive Video Upload at FUJIFILM GLOBAL here

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LEAKED :: Fujifilm XF50mmF2 WR Press Images :: UPDATE – MESSAGE TO ANONYMOUS SOURCE

These are the official press images of the XF50mmF2 WR that will be announced along with the Fujifilm GFX, X100F and X-T20 on January 19. Looks like the one I photographed this fall at photokina (where you can see it also side by side with the 35mmF2) with the same 46mm filter thread.

UPDATE: Message to Anonymous Source with nick name: Thanks for letting me know about the ISO value setting change via command dial (which will probably come to the X-Pro2, too), and also the image you sent me. If you want, you can specify what I can share or not on FujiRumors. If you don’t specify, I’ll assume that I have permission to share on FujiRumors. And if you want to talk directly to me, you can contact me (also via fake email) at fujirumor@gmail.com. Thanks again for sharing :)

Click Read More

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Fujifilm X-T20 First Specs :: No Joystick, but Touch Screen! – POLL

Fuji X-T20 Mock Up
Fuji X-T20 Mock Up

Fuji X-T20

For most part, the Fuji X-T20 will be for the X-T2 what the current X-T10 is for the X-T1: a downspece’d and cheaper version of the flagship. So expect the new 24MP sensor and X-Processor Pro, but not a super-high continuous AF burst mode, no weather sealing, 1 SD card slot and probably no 4K, since the camera will also be smaller than the X-T2, and hence heat dissipation will be a problem.

But the probably biggest difference will be the following: the Fujifilm X-T20 will not have a joystick. Instead, it will feature a pinch to zoom capable touch screen.

We are going to have a super-hot January 19 Announcement… so don’t miss to allow push notifications by clicking on the bell on the bottom right of your browser, and follow us on Facebook, RSS-feed and Twitter.

Fujifilm X-T2 (save up to $230): BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / Focuscamera
Fujifilm X-Pro2 (save $250): BHphoto / AmazonUS / FocusCamera / Adorama / Pictureline

  • X-T2 + Booster Grip: save $230
  • X-T2 + 18-55 + Booster Grip: save $230
  • X-T2 body/kit Combination Lens Promo: Save $100
  • X-Pro2 + 23mmFW black/silver: save $250

Add any lens to one of the deals above, and you will get further $100 discount.

POLL

What do you prefer, a touch screen or a joystick?

View Results

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cheers

The Big Fujifilm GFX Recap :: Everything We Know is Here… RGB Color Histogram, Base ISO 100, AF-Points + Much More!

Here is a big GFX Overview, based on information Fujifilm shared at the Photokina 2016 and later, and also based on Rumors you could find here on FujiRumors. I’ll mark with “R” the rumors and with “F” the facts, although keep in mind that even the facts revealed earlier by Fujifilm could have changed in the meantime.

Everything you can read below has already been published on FR starting from September 2016, but I thought a Recap could be useful, since I keep getting emails with questions, that have already been answered in the past, but given the huge amount of information are easy to miss.

I strongly recommend you to allow push notifications and follow us on Facebook, RSS-feed and Twitter in order not to miss anything.

FUJIFILM GFX CAMERA

  1. Fujifilm GFX 50S – F
  2. Announcement Janaury 19 – R
  3. Release February 23 – R
  4. Body Price €6999/$6499 – R
  5. G-Mount – F
  6. Mirrorless – F
  7. Weather Sealed body/lenses – F
  8. X-Processor Pro (used in X-T2/X-Pro2) – F
  9. No Low-Pass Filter – F
  10. Contrast Detection AF only with 117 AF points – F
  11. RGB color histograms in the live view – F
  12. 51.4MP 44 x 33mm Medium Format Bayer Sensor (No X-Trans, because not needed with this huge 50MP sensor) – F
  13. Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (default), 3:2, 1:1, 4:5, 6:7 and 6:17 – F
  14. MF Sensor made by Sony but customized by Fujifilm. The challenge is how to get the light hit the sensor evenly – in the center and also at the corners. In order to achieve that, Fujifilm customized the microlenses in front of the sensor and optimized the silicon process. – F
  15. MF sensor is 1.7 (70%) times bigger than Full Frame. Crop factor 0.79x. – F
  16. Weight about 800g – F
  17. 12 pins on the lens mount (useful when it comes to adapting third-party lenses) – F
  18. Flange Distance of only 26.7 to shorten the back focus distance as much as possible. This prevents vignetting to achieve edge-to-edge sharpness of the world’s highest level – source Fujifilm Press release via dpreview. – F
  19. ISO: base-ISO 100 :: Max ISO 51200 – F
  20. minimum back focus 16.7mm – F
  21. Focal Plane shutter max 1/4000 – F
  22. Flash Sync Speed 1/125 – F
  23. EF-X500 with HSS Supported – F
  24. Bigger Battery compared to X-T2/X-Pro2 – F
  25. Electronic shutter – F
  26. Full-HD with 30 fps – F
  27. Dual SD Cards UHS-II – F
  28. EVF: 3.69 megadots with a magnification of 0.85x (X-T1/2: 0.77x) with frame rate of around 60 fps – F
  29. EVF: Detachable and fully tiltable if used with an adapter – F
  30. EVF has a hot shoe on the top – F
  31. All Film Simulations of X-T2/X-Pro2 available (including ACROS) – F
  32. Adapter for Leaf Shutter Lenses in the works – F
  33. Tethering support at launch – F
  34. Joystick – F
  35. E-ink LCD display on the top of the camera (always visible, even if camera is switched off) – F
  36. WiFi – F
  37. dynamic range settings of DR800% and maybe even DR1600%. – Source fujixsecrets
  38. USB 3 data transfer and charging – F
  39. HDMI – F
  40. Mic, headphone and remote control outputs – F
  41. Tilt LCD like X-T2 (3 way tilting) – F
  42. Touch LCD screen – F
  43.  diopter adjustment – F
  44. 11 Fn buttons – Source fujixsecrets
  45. shooting intervals of 700 ms – F
  46. quick start up time – F
  47. Fujifilm Will Launch Professional Support Service Along with the GFX Camera – R

FUJIFILM GF LENSES

  1. GF63mmF2.8 R WR (50mm equiv.) available at launch. Price €1,599/$1,499 – R
  2. GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR (25-51mm equiv.) available at launch. Price $2,299 – R
  3. GF120mmF4 Macro R LM OIS WR (95mm equiv.). Magnification of 1:0.5. available at launch. $2,599  – R minimum focus distance 45cm – max. magnification of 0.5x, 1:2 Macro – F
  4. GF110mmF2 R LM WR (87mm equiv.) available mid 2017 – F
  5. GF23mmF4 R LM WR (18mm equiv.) available mid 2017 – F
  6. GF45mmF2.8 R WR (35mm equiv.) available late 2017 – F
  7. Dedicated C positions on the aperture ring (The C position can be locked to avoid accidental changes) – F
  8. The lenses are ready for sensors with a resolution of 100MP – F
  9. Only the GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR zoom lens has inner focussing – F
  10. The prime lenses are optically corrected for distortion – F

Fujifilm GFX Facebook Group ** Join 4,400 GFX Fans

stay tuned…
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“The Panasonic GH5 is A Workhorse… But Fuji’s X-T2 is Far More Attractive and Fun to Use!” (Reviewed.com)

Reviewed.com tested the brand new Panasonic GH5 (BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama). It’s a hell of a camera, but here is what they think compared to the Fujifilm X-T2 and X-Pro2:

“$2K pricing […] For that kind of money, you’re easily looking at a full-frame Sony A7, an awesome Fujifilm X-Pro2 perhaps, or maybe even a really great full-frame DSLR like the Nikon D750.

Function over form means it’s not amazingly designed
There’s no doubt that this is a workman-like camera. If you were hoping for something cooler-looking, then you’re going to want to look elsewhere. For instance, Olympus offers its jewel-like PEN-F for a lot less, and for my money, the Fujifilm X-T2 is far more attractive and fun to use. Since most cameras are really great these days, style is something to consider.

If you don’t love the way your camera handles or looks when you’re shooting with it, then what’s the point?”

Review at cameras.reviewed

This is one of the recurring themes, when people test and use Fujiiflm X-gear… these X-cameras are simply a joy to use and they look great. So feel free to tell us in the comments, how important are for you look and handling when you purchase a new camera.

Graphite Silver Fujifilm X-T2: USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama /

Graphite Fujifilm X-Pro2 + XF23mmF2: USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama