The 3 Biggest Fujifilm X Summit Disappointments

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First let me say it clearly: the stuff that Fujifilm launched yesterday at the X Summit is actually quite remarkable.

Full Coverage

The Good

I agree with Johnnie from CineD, when he says that the X-S20 is the best camera you can get at this price. Fujifilm did pack lots of stuff in it, and even some stuff we don’t find on higher end Fujifilm cameras.

For example, the X-S20 can shoot 6K/30p 3:2 open gate (X-T5 and X-H2 can not). It has a headphone jack (my X-T5 has not). It has fully automatic subject detection mode (not even the high end X-H2S has that). It can be used as a webcam without the need of the Fujifilm X Webcam software and more.

There is lots to love about the X-S20.

And there is lots to love also about the Fujinon XF8mmF3.5, a wonderful little lens capable of resolving all the 40MP of the X-Trans V HR sensor.

Also the XApp is a nice fresh start for Fujifilm, it comes with some lovely new features like activity and timeline, which are kind of a diary of your photographic activity and I think this App is a great new start and I hope in that it will extended with new features in future (RAW transfer anyone)?

But all this goodness could not help me to get rid of that feeling of disappointment. And here are 3 reasons why.

The 3 Disappointments

1) No new X Mount Roadmap

With the XF8mmF3.5 now out, there is literally no more lens on the roadmap. Nothing. Seriously Fujifilm? You don’t give us anything to look forward to? And don’t you realize how important lens roadmaps are to keep people into the system?

Because, let’s assume (not rumor!!!) you are working on a new telephoto prime lens. There are lots of people who want exactly that. But if there is nothing on the roadmap, people will be thinking you are not planing anything and at some point be tired to wait and move to another system.

But if you’d put that on the roadmap, they will be happy to wait and avoid the hazzle of switching system, because they know the lens is coming, they just have to wait a bit for it.

Lens roadmaps are EXTREMELY important, and you are totally ignoring it. That’s unacceptable.

NOTE: if anybody knows anything about Fuji’s future lenses, please share with FujiRumors (via PM, fujirumor@gmail.com or anonymous rumor box). Let’s do at least a “rumored” lens roadmap, since Fujifilm is so reluctant to give us an official one.

2) GFX sadness

Think at this: all we got in 2022 from Fujifilm in regards to GFX gear, was the Fujinon GF20-35mmF4. And now we are half the way through 2023, and we still got nothing, despite Fujifilm having 3 lenses on the current GF lens roadmap scheduled for 2023.

Fujifilm, you really could have announced at least one of those 3 GF lenses yesterday (with the GF55mmF1.7 being the lens I am personally looking forward the most.Or make a development announcement for the Fujifilm GFX100 replacement we have rumored.

But nothing. That systems seems to be frozen. All we can do is to wait even longer. And I hope that wait will be worth it.

3) Did You Forget What Many of Us Love and Shoot Fujifilm for?

Dear Fujifilm team. I don’t know if your marketing division is aware of it, but one of the main reasons why many of us love Fujifilm, is because of the glorious colors and hence your film simulations.

We just love the vibe they give to our images. Go vintage with Classic Chrome or Nostalgic Negative, the perfect balance between poppy colors and balanced skin tones of Astia, the image-saving Velvia when a grey day is robbing nature of its wonderful colors and Velvia restores some of that beauty and not to talk about ProNeg Standard, which even in the trickiest light conditions gave me wonderful tones when I photographed the wedding of my best friend… and so forth…

I tell you this, because in the past, when you introduced a new platform, you also introduced new film simulations with it. That’s something we always looked forward too.

But we are now on the 5th generation platform since over a year now, and we still did not get any new film simulation.

Please Fujifilm, it’s high time for a new one!

Final Word

So, that’s it as far as my disappointment goes.

Again, they are not related to anything launched during the X Summit, which is quite frankly amazing for the reasons I said above.

But if you are not interested in the X-S20 or XF8mmF3.5, then there was really not much to be excited about for yesterday, except for the new App.

So, that’s it. Let us know in the comments what you missed yesterday, or what you loved of yesterday.

Take care
Patrick

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