Fringer EX-FX (Pro) II Smart Autofocus Adapter Firmware 1.90 Released

Fringer has released firmware 1.80 for the Fringer EF-FX Pro II and Fringer EF-FX II smart autofocus adapters.

Fringer EX-FX (Pro) II – Version 1.90

  1. Added following lenses to the tested and optimized lens list:
    – EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM
    – EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM + 1.4X
    – EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM + 2X
    – EF 70-210/3.5-4.5 USM
  2. Fixed PDAF issues for some lens of the following models: Lens didn’t get recognized by the adapter due to different lens firmware version.
    – Sigma 24-105/4 ART
  3. Fixed a compatibility issue with X-T3 firmware 4.0: under certain circumstances, contrast AF may fail. This issue may also affect other cameras like X-T4 and X-S10.
  4. Fixed camera freeze issue on cameras equipped with X-Trans IV CMOS. When
    – In bright environment,
    – Adapting telephoto, ultra-fast or macro lenses,
    – Aperture is NOT wide open,
    – Subject is far away from current focus point and is so blur that phase detection doesn’t work,

Auto focus may fail. Sometimes, especially when using AF-ON button or touch screen to AF, it may freeze the camera. Even the power switch doesn’t work. This problem has been fixed. Affected cameras include X-T3 (firmware 2.0 or later), X-T30, X-T4, X-Pro3, X-S10.

As the bug fixes are important, upgrading is highly suggested.

Please visit the Fringer website here to download the new firmware and its release notes. Follow the instructions in the release notes to upgrade your adapter.

Digital Camera Market Share 2019: Canon is King, Fujifilm Stable 4th, Nikon is Falling, Olympus is Out

You might remember, how back in 2019 we reported Techno System Research data (a major marketing research company located in Japan) regarding the global mirrorless camera market share. We saw that Fujifilm was on an impressive 3rd position, very close to Canon. Check it out here.

Now Techno System Research has published the data regarding the digital camera market share (hence DSLR and Mirrorless combined). The data takes into account the 14.8 million cameras sold last year (2019).

As to expect, the ranking changes quite a bit compared to the mirrorless only data.

  • Canon: 45,4% (+2.4%)
  • Sony: 20.2% (+0.9%)
  • Nikon: 18.6% (-1.6%)
  • Fujifilm: 4.7% (-0.4%)
  • Panasonic: 4.7% (0.0%)

Nikon lost its Nr.2 position and sees the biggest market share loss of the top 5 companies. Olympus is out of the ranking, replaced on the 5th position by Panasonic. Sony dominates mirrorless, but DSLR sales are still high and keep Canon first.

And Fujifilm?

Well, Fujifilm stayed rather stable on the 4th position, with a 0.4% market share decrease. Not sure if we should rejoice, because they found their safe niche, or worry that they didn’t gain market share.

Also interesting to note: the digital camera market saw a year-to-year decrease of about 20% in 2019 and also in 2018.

  • read here – Nikkei: “Japanese Camera Industry Strangles Itself. 88% Decline in 10 Years. On the Brink of Extinction, Unless…”
  • read here – Olympus Drops its Camera Business: Farewell to My First Mirrorless Love, and Could Oly-Shooters Find a New Love in Fujifilm (Like Me)?

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via Nikkei via digicame-info via digitalcameraworld

Fringer EX-FX (Pro) II Smart Autofocus Adapter Firmware 1.80 Released

Fringer has released firmware 1.80 for the Fringer EF-FX Pro II and Fringer EF-FX II smart autofocus adapters.

Main improvements include:​

Version 1.80

  1. Fixed IBIS issues on X-H1 and X-T4:
    – ZEISS Milvus 85mm f/1.4 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 15mm f/2.8 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm f/2 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 28mm f/2 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZE
    – Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE
  2. Fixed PDAF issues for some lens of the following models: Lens didn’t get recognized by the adapter due to different lens firmware version.
    – SIGMA 500/4 DG OS HSM SPORTS
    – SIGMA 500/4 DG OS HSM SPORTS + 1.4X
    – SIGMA 500/4 DG OS HSM SPORTS + 2X
  3. Fixed the issue that PDAF support of Sigma 30/1.4 ART was accidentally disabled in version 1.70
  4. Added following lenses to the tested and optimized lens list:
    – EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM
    – EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM + 1.4X

You may download new firmware and its release notes from the Fringer website. Read the release notes or user manual to understand how to upgrade.

via Fringer

The Camera Industry Crisis: Who Will Fall and Who Will Survive? My Opinion, Your Vote!

Recently we published an article, where Nikkei experts predicted a dark future for the camera industry. It’s an interesting one, that goes beyond the statement “smartphones are to blame for that“. Make sure to read if first here.

This is kind of a follow up article to that.

Here are a few considerations, and then feel free to say your opinion in the comments and to vote the survey down below.

Let’s start!

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Nikkei: “Japanese Camera Industry Strangles Itself. 88% Decline in 10 Years. On the Brink of Extinction, Unless…”

Triggered by recent failure of the Olympus imaging division (which FujiRumors dedicated an own – and very personal – article here), Nikkei deputy editor Masamichi Hoshi has published a rather dark overview over the current camera market situation and an even darker forecast.

The article starts by taking into account two rather obvious reasons, why the camera industry struggles, and that surely Japanese camera makers are not responsible for:

  • the rise of smartphones
  • COVID-19 (which lead to only 2.63 million shipments during the first four months of this year, down 44% from the same period last year)

The numbers of the decline are dramatic:

  • 2010: a total of 121 million digital cameras shipped
  • 2019: a total of 15 million digital cameras shipped
  • … this means there was an almost 88% decrease in 10 years only!
  • 2020: a total of 2.63 million digital cameras shipped in the first 4 months

A special mention in regards of struggling companies goes to Nikon, which has photography as a core business (unlike Fujifilm), but also all other brands are having hard times.

Nikon’s imaging unit, which has focused on digital cameras, finished the fiscal year that ended in March with an operating loss of 17.1 billion yen ($158.7 million), down from a profit of 22 billion yen the previous year. In November, the unit drafted a rebuilding plan focused on the “pro-hobby class,” which consumes 3 million interchangeable lenses per year. It aims to cut 50 billion yen from its fiscal 2019 operating costs by the end of fiscal 2022. The cuts will come from a reorganization of production plants, a narrowing of products and a personnel reduction.

The digital camera operations of companies like Ricoh and Panasonic also continue to struggle. The operating profit at Canon’s imaging system units fell by 48.2 billion yen in the year through December, a 62% drop the previous year.

But beyond smartphones and COVID-19, there is a third reason highlighted by Masamichi Hoshi, which is the one we want to focus on here today: excessive competition.

Here is what Masamichi Hoshi writes on Nikkei:

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **