Fujinon GF55mmF1.7 ePz Review: “A Superb Lens and Absolute Pleasure to Use”

ePhotoZine has published its technical review of the Fujinon GF55mmF1.7.

What a great lens to handle, and what fantastic results! Fujifilm have given us here a superb standard lens that will hold its head high amongst the very best. Handling is great as well, perhaps not something that we would pop into a pocket for a casual stroll, but definitely something that would be worth carrying to fulfill the quality requirements for landscapes with incredible detail or flawless architectural shots, even with the night lights of the city glaring at us from every angle.

So, be it weddings, advertising, landscape, architecture, heritage, portraits of any other subject that a standard lens could cover, the Fujifilm Fujinon 55mm f/1.7 R WR will deliver the goods and is an absolute pleasure to use. An Editor’s Choice award is duly given.

Pros

  • Superb sharpness and detail
  • Low CA
  • Virtually no distortion (rectilinear)
  • Constant f/1.7 open aperture value
  • Weather resistant
  • Excellent handling
  • Gorgeous bokeh
  • Modest vignetting

Cons

  • Focusing could be closer
  • Bulky
  • Fair but high cost

You can read the full review at ePhotozine here.

Latest GFX Gear

Fujifilm Announces X100VI Release in Japan for March 28 but Warns of High Demand with Potential Delivery Delays

Fujifilm has officially announced the release date for the Fujifilm X100VI in Japan: March 28.

At the same time they issued a warning that the demand has “exceeded our expectations” and therefore it “might take some time for the product to be delivered“.

To me that’s just another good news if they decide to open preorders in Japan already this month. This might mean they have evaluated that even though a bit of patience might be required, they expect to be able to ship it in a reasonable time.

As we have reported yesterday, looking at the feedback we have from several stores, I’d say most of them expect all pre-orders placed until today to be shipped out within three months.

Press Release

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

Fujifilm X100VI (vs X100V and Co) Dynamic Range Test Debunks Myth that Higher Megapixels Mean Lower Dynamic Range

There was one “negative” I’ve heard about the Fujifilm X100VI in several “thoughts” videos and blog posts about it: more megapixel means it will have worst dynamic range and high ISO noise performance over the X100V.

Sadly that’s a myth that is difficult to erase from the photography community, even if hardcore data shows that this is not the case. This is evident (again) in the data available to us today.

According to sensor measurement data of Bill Claff at Photons to Photos, the dynamic range performance of the Fujifilm X100VI is pretty much identical to the one of the X100V, even though it has 40MP as opposed to the 26MP of the X100V.

And if you’re concerned about high ISO noise, opt for the X100VI rather than the X100V. The higher megapixel count results in smaller color noise blocks compared to the X100V. This not only enhances the sharpness of your images but also allows for more effective noise reduction in post-processing, as discussed in detail here.

The real question is: why does the Fujifilm X-H2 have even better dynamic range than the X100VI at base ISO, despite using the same sensor, and why there are slight differences between various 40MP sensor cameras.

You can access the data and make your own comparisons at Photons to Photos.

Camera Model

Maximum PDR

Low Light ISO

Low Light EV
Fujifilm X100VI 10.44 3287 10.04
Fujifilm X100V 10.44 3728 10.22
Fujifilm X-H2 10.75 2854 9.83
Fujifilm X-T5 10.43 2230 9.48

Iridient X-Transformer and Iridient Developer add Fujifilm X100VI Support

Iridient Developer 4.2.1 and X-Transformer 3.2 updates are now available  with support for the new Fujifilm X100VI.

X-Transformer 3.2 also includes some improvements to the HDR RAF splitting functionality and performance improvements (up to 25% faster) for high core count Apple silicon systems, especially M2/M3.

  • X-Transformer 3.2 for Windows and macOS can be downloaded here – full release notes here
  • Iridient Developer 4.2.1 for macOS is available here – full release notes here

In Stock Check (LOL)

Fujifilm X100VI Shipping Schedule: Next Batch is Coming, Regular 2-Week Shipments in First 2 Months and Future Delivery Plans

Fujifilm X100VI Shipping

Now, this could be just another article about how big the pre-orders for the Fujfilm X100VI are.

But it’s not!

What we will try to do instead is to deliver some answers.

Answers based on:

  • what a source, who was right in the past, told us (next shipment)
  • what a store got told by Fujifilm regarding how shipments are managed in the next 2 months and beyond
  • what BHphoto is now telling to FR-readers who ordered the X100VI
  • what stores are officially displaying as expected “in stock” day

This is the closest I could get so far in terms of X100VI shipping plans. But I will investigate further and if I get more pieces to add to the puzzle, I will let you know.

The Rumor

I have received information by a source, who was right in the past, that the next batch of Fujifilm X100VI cameras should come to Europe at the end of next week.

I presume (not based on rumors) that the shipment is on its way from the factory to various destinations worldwide. Consequently, Fujifilm won’t exclusively dispatch all units to Europe; instead, a portion of the X100VI units will also be distributed to North America and other countries around the world.

Shipments Every Two Weeks?

The German Fuji-Store (screenshot above), says they expect regular batches to be shipped out every 2 weeks.

I have contacted the German Fuji Store and they told me this:

  • Fujifilm told them there will be shipments coming in every 2 weeks in the first 4 to 8 weeks after release (hence starting February 28 until latest end of April)
  • after that the shipments will not be as regular, but come in shorter distances (less than 2 weeks). However, there will be less X100VI units at a time
  • they expect all pre-orders (a massive amount) to be shipped between 3 to 5 months

Adorama Optimism

Adorama expects to have the Fujifilm X100VI in stock by the 1st of June (so 3 months from now, which fits with the time indication given by the German Fuji store)

That would actually be great news, because it would mean that at the current pace, all pre-orders are expected to ship by the end of May, which also makes hope that those of you who ordered the X100VI on day 1 will get it shipped much earlier than that.

BHphoto Info

And BHphoto?

Well, yesterday I’ve received an email from a FR-reader, who contacted BHphoto customer support, and they told him that “very soon” they’ll get another batch. However, even if he ordered at 1:07, he won’t make it into that batch, but his sample will be shipped in April.

However, this information might be already outdated, because today BHphoto is giving a different information:

In fact, I got the info (with screenshot) from a fellow FR-reader, who ordered the X100VI “about 15 minutes” after announcement, that BHphoto wrote him:

Based on the latest information that we have received, we expect to ship your order before the end of March.

Another fellow member of our huge X100 group, who ordered it at 1:04 has been told that he will get his “before the end of March“, as he shared here.

UPDATE: a FR-reader who ordered at 10:31PM has been told he won’t make it into the batches shipping in March.

The Big Questions

As I told you already here, the current real state of the pre-orders is really difficult to measure, because many have placed multiple pre-orders at many stores, but will only keep the one X100VI that ships out faster to them. So, with every batch shipped out, I expect also the waiting list to shrink significantly faster than the number of samples shipped would suggest due to the influx of cancelations.

Another thing to look at: it does not matter how many pre-orders were placed at a certain store. Bigger stores with more pre-orders will also get more samples from Fujifilm, smaller stores will get less samples.

Example: my local store in Trento (video tidbit of Trento here) had seven X100VI available on release day (February 28). I went to the store on Feb.28 in the afternoon and they had already sold them all out in the morning. They told me it could take “days, weeks or months” to get more units. So big or small, it will require patience everywhere.

What we really need to find out is when the next batches come in (which we tried to find out today) and how large they will be (which is what I am working on).

You have Shown Wisdom

Anyway, most of FujiRumors readers wisely ordered within the first day of announcement, so I am cautiously optimistic that their wait for the X100VI won’t be that long.

via fuji-strore