Back in 2015 Andy Mumford, a full time landscape photographer, switched from using a full frame system to the Fuji X system and in this video he talks about what effect it’s had on his photography, both professionally and personally.
The video would be worth to watch also just for the stunning images he shares (including some from around my home in the Dolomites). So go check it out.
I feel he nicely brings to the point what it means to shoot with Fujifilm cameras. And I also agree that if you don’t print enormous images, then 16 or 26 megapixel are more than enough.
I do love to print my images, too, and so far the largest I have hanging at my home is a 90x60cm (35×23 inches) image taken with the 24MP Fujifilm X-E3, which looks absolutely perfect, even when watched in “photographers mode” (meaning not watching from the normal distance as every non-photographer would do, but by going very close to it and basically pixel peeping with the eyes ;))
Also Andy, who rarely prints beyond 1 meter (39 inches) is totally fine with the current resolution Fujifilm cameras offer.
I guess also Viltrox struggles with the worldwide parts shortage and in fact in today’s video, Damian, who is testing the lens right now, confirms that Viltrox had to postpone the release for this lens once again. Viltrox now told him they pushed it back to 2022.
The good news: the review samples are now out, so I guess it can’t be that long of a wait anymore.
Speaking of review samples, Damian is the first to publish his first look on the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 AF XF.
It’s a nice video which includes lots of samples and autofocus demos (for stills and video). So definitely check it out.
Personally I am happy to hear that Damian considers the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 XF the sharpest (and best) Viltrox XF lens so far with excellent autofocus (also face detection) and very usable in the center even at f/1.4 (a bit less usable in the corners wide open). The clicked aperture ring is a bonus for me although I’d have hoped for a bit of lighter lens (it weights 420g).
It’s not free imperfections, like a noticeable vignetting wide open and some distortion and chromatic aberration, but considering that many will mostly use it for landscape photography (and hence stop down anyway) and especially considering the price of $469, to me it looks like a good value for money lens.
Now let me say this.
I generally prefer Fujinon X (or GFX) mount lenses, and not because they are better in terms image quality (if a lens is more affordable, then I can accept to give up a bit of IQ), but if there is one thing that I love about the X/GFX system, then it’s the colors I get from it (with Astia being my favorite all-rounder film simulation).
And in my experience, whenever I use third party lenses on my Fujifilm cameras, the colors simply don’t come out the way I am used to (and love it) from the Fujinon lenses. In fact, this is one of the main reason why my Fujinon XF10-24mm has basically replaced my Samyang 12mm f/2 in my camera bag. Not because the Samyang is bad, not at all (look, I have taken some of my most loved images with it). But sometimes I can be terribly lazy with post processing my images, and I know the XF10-24mm will nail the colors the way I love it more than my Samyang 12mmF2 would, and hence spare me some time in post.
In short: if you love film simulations, like I do, native Fujinon lenses will deliver better results, or let’s say results that more faithfully reproduce the vibe and tone Fujifilm intended to give us with the various film simulations.
Ah, speaking of colors, Damian says that the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 XF colors are on the cooler side.
With all that said, I think Viltrox made a very smart move with this lens, as Fujifilm itself is not offering anything that can closely match the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 in terms of focal length and aperture. The closest competitor at this point is the Samyang 12mm f/2, which is smaller than the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 and also weather sealed (the Viltrox is well built, but not weather resistant). However, the Samyang is also slower and more expensive.
So overall a great addition for the X mount system and a lens that I am hugely interested in if it performs decently also for astrophotography.
For as much as Fujifilm made medium format accessible to the masses, buying into the 100 Megapixel GFX system still requires a significant investment. It’s worth every penny, but it’s not cheap.
So in 2022 I will try to contain my GAS as much as possible and be cautious with my purchases (do I hear you guys laughing?? ;) )
And yet, there is some gear I’d love to buy in 2022. And I mean gear that is either already announced, available or at least on the Fujifilm roadmap for 2022. So this is not about rumored gear.
Fujinon GF 50mm f/3.5
One of the main declared goals by Fujifilm is to make the GFX system smaller. A huge step in this direction was made with the Fujifilm GFX100S, which is already smaller than some full frame mirrorless cameras out there (see the Panasonic S1R) and about as big as the Canon R5. Sure, the GFX lenses are usually bigger, just as Full Frame lenses are usually bigger than APS-C lenses. Well, the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5 serves exactly the purpose to make the system smaller and mounted on my GFX100S, it could give me a very nice combo that I would probably end up carrying with me more often also for casual family stuff. And hey, I need 2 more GFX lenses to reach the average GFX shooters’ lens attachment rate* ;)
Fujifilm X100V
I mean, just look at it. It’s of a beauty matched maybe only by some Leica cameras. The only problem here is that I own the Fujifilm X-E3 with XF27mmF2.8 R WR, so the Fujifilm X100V would become a bit redundant in my lineup. And yet, it would not only be about its beauty. It also has the pull-up ISO dial from the X-Pro line that I totally love. Combined with WCL-100 II and TCL-100 II it would give me a compact and versatile leaf shutter mini-system. And just like the X-E4 it has that “invisible” tilt LCD screen that I could make good use of every now and then.
Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6
You might know how much Iove my XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6, especially when mounted on my X-T4 (you can see the combo here on the Dolomites). But in 2022 I’d love to get a bit more into a photographic territory I haven’t explored much yet, wildlife photography. That’s why a bit more reach could come in handy then the one the 18-135 can offer me. There are some options here: from the XF200mmF2 to the XF100-400 to the XF150-600mm that is on the roadmap. And why not, also the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 could be a nice option. But taking into account prize and size, I think the XF70-300mm f/4-5.6 could be a reasonable choice to start with. And for even more reach I could couple it with the XF 1.4x TC WR Teleconverter.
Bonus
I am very curious to see what Sigma will bring. They teased X mount lenses for 2021, but I guess not even Sigma is immune to parts shortage so probably also they have to delay some product releases. But something like the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM would be very nice to have.
In that article, I promised that I would also write an article about the exact opposite, meaning sharing a list of critiques on Fujifilm that I totally understand and I agree with.
You can find it down below.
And of course, feel free to add your own critiques on Fujifilm in the comments down below.
Fujifilm has been awarded with 34 Good Design Awards for a wide range of products, from software, to X-Ray products to projectors and of course also X/GFX gear.
100-400 vs 150-600 vs 20018-135 vs 18-120 vs 16-80 vs 16-55
What you see here is the most accurate size comparison possible based on technical sketches Fujifilm provided during the Fujifilm X summit that took place earlier today.
Of course this is based on technical sketches, so don’t expect it to be 100% accurate, as things will change from here to the 2022. But so far, for a lens of that range, it does not look bad at all.
Also, if you read FujiRumors regulary, and if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that the Fujinon XF18-135mm lens is one of my favorite lenses. You can see samples I took with the XF18-135 on my instagram here and here and here and even more. Well, at the Fujifilm X summit, which we covered in detail here, Fujifilm announced the Fujinon XF18-120mm.
So based on the technical sketched delivered during the event, I have made an accurate size comparison between the following lenses:
Yes, it is longer than the XF18-135mm, but keep it mind that we don’t know its aperture now, and that Fujifilm said during the Fujifilm X Summit that this will be lenses that are suitable also for video, so I guess they will be designed with minimal focus breathing, silent autofocus, clickless aperutre ring and other features that are needed for video creators.
But if you shoot stills mainly (like me), I guess the XF18-135 or XF16-80 are still the better pick for you.
FR-reader Moritz made me notice on Twitter here, that a couple of weeks ago MacOS Big Sur added uncompressed RAW support for additional Fujifilm cameras.
This means you can now edit RAW files from Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10 and more in all major image editing apps on iPad as well as apps on macOS that use the RAW engine provided by iOS (Apple Core Image RAW), such as Affinity Photo or one of my favorites, RAW Power.
Here is a major roundup about Fujifilm cameras and lenses. Lots to read and see, including a face off between the $6,500 Sony A1 and the $1,700 Fujifilm X-T4.
