We’re less than an hour away from showtime and as always, the comments section of the livestream page doesn’t disappoint.
“Digital Super Fujica Six. You heard it here first,” says OliJoe.
I mean, I’m not going to lie – if that was announced, I would be all over it. (It’s this camera, in case you’re curious.)
I forgot to note that this X Summit has a design focus, whatever that means. According to Fujifilm this means:
This time the theme of the X Summit is “Design”, with an emphasis on “Product Design”, “Production Engineering Design” and “Quality Design”.
Here we go. Much clearer.
Well, at least one user is into the design-oriented theme.
“In your future design considerations, can you provide an on-camera system to protect the sensor from dust during lens changes and redesign the user interface, making it more modern, like Hasselblad did?” asks Commers_it.
That’s fair. I prefer the protective shutter on cameras like the Canon EOS R5, which lowers so you can change lenses without compromising your sensor.
And I’ve always said that Hasselblad (followed by Leica) has the best menus in the industry. Anything beyond that visual design would be a win in my book.
“Fix the AF-C for photos too”
“Fix eye AF in X-T5 please”
“Fix the autofocus, please.”
“Premiere autofocus fix”
“Hello Fujifilm, when can we expect firmware from you to fix autofocus issues in still photography on the X-H2s???!!! It is completely impossible to work with what is now in fw 7.0! FIX IT !”
Yep, it’s no surprise that customers are raving about that AF fix.
Yeaaaaaaaa WE ARE LIVE!
Hey, it’s Yuji Igarashi! He is very excited to unveil three new products:
• XF 500 f/5.6
• XF 16-55mm version II
• Fujifilm X-M5
Wow, no messing around with breadcrumbs and teasers here… let’s get started right away!
Now we meet designer Kazuhisa Horiki san – the man who has “designed more film cameras than anyone in the world”, including the Fuji Tiara
Apparently Clay Studios is named after the fact that designers like Horikiri use clay to create ever-evolving designs. Everything from the manhole covers to the coffee cups and signage is custom designed.
Importantly, however, there are some unchanging foundations of design principles – hence the timeless ‘unchanged goodness’ of the X Series.
Okay, down to the brass nails…
A quick recap of the reason for the birth of the XM series (but not the reason why Fujifilm gave up on it for so many years), followed by the unveiling of the new Fujifilm X-M5.
The smallest X-series camera you can buy!
(Should I read something about it being depicted as a woman’s camera?)
Yukari Aida shows us that it weighs only 355 grams and measures precisely 66.6 x 111.9mm.
It has symmetrically designed dials on the top, including a special film simulation button, with Reala Ace.
It also has a Vlog mode on the mode dial, introduced on the X-S20, and a fully articulating screen with 3.5mm microphone jack
VLog mode has a new UI (which is a bit cluttered in my opinion), including a 9:16 vertical video option.
Now we go to creators Kyler Steele and Chisom Okoye for some shillings.
Using the X-M5 is apparently “as easy as baking a pound cake.”
Well, there’s a sentence I didn’t have on my bingo card.
Hmm, using the X-M5 has been likened to “taking a screenshot” of your daily life.
26.1 MP sensor “Advanced algorithm and subject detection” 6.2K 30p open port 4K 60 Full HD 240p 3 microphones with Mic Direction setting (for three-dimensional sound and noise cancellation)
You can also reduce the bit rate to 8 Mbps or 25 Mbps for fast transfers on mobile devices.
No built-in stabilization, but there is digital stabilization for video.
Aha, NOW they’re mentioning the 11 year hiatus of the XM series! Better late than never, eh.
Okay, Takashi Soga is here at the Taiwa lens factory to talk about the new Red Badge lenses.
(That’s like Canon’s L series with red rings, if you didn’t know)
Let’s all welcome the 44th X-series lens, “the pinnacle” of the range, the new XF 500mm f/5.6 super-telephoto prime lens.
Blows away the range of the XF 200mm f/2; the new lens is a full-frame equivalent of 762mm f/5.6 – quite impressive!
It also weighs only 1,335 grams.
It delivers “the highest resolution in the XF lens range”, with 21 elements in 14 groups, and features a linear AF speed of 0.33 sec. Optical stabilization provides 5.5 stops of compensation.
Okay, superlatives aside, this lens will be a game-changer for wildlife photographers using X-series cameras – and that fast AF speed will be great on cameras like the X-H2/S
Comparisons are made with the GF 500mm f/5.6 lens, which was a similar game-changer for wildlife photography with GFX series cameras.
Fujifilm is not only serious about filling gaps in its lineup, but also expanding the scope of what its cameras are capable of.
Yowzers, some of these lens elements are so thin that the touch of a finger deforms them and changes shape! That’s some serious technical precision.
(A bit bold to claim a ‘stable production system’ that can meet mass demand, considering how bad Fujifilm has been at fulfilling orders for many of its products.)
Now we’re ready for the new XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II – replacing the original model, launched in 2015.
This is the same lens used to film today’s X Summit! What a connection.
The new model is 37% lighter, weighs only 410 grams, and is significantly smaller at 95 mm long (vs. 110 mm with the original)
16 elements in 11 groups Minimum focusing distance of 0.3 m Linear motor for fast AF Weather resistance
And for the first time, an aperture click switch to release the aperture ring. YES! DO THIS FOR EVERY LENS FROM NOW ON!
“Almost no focus breathing” either
Another mention of stable production – apparently thanks to the Fujifilm factory in the Philippines. Let’s hope so 🤞
Now back to Igarashi to wrap things up… and ONE MORE THING!
Fujifilm is currently developing new cameras… but they’re hidden under covers, and we’ll have to wait for exciting news next year. BOO, what a heel.
There’s also no mention of the promised firmware to fix autofocus issues, which is disappointing.
Still, the X-M5 looks very cool. Features like stabilization are few and far between, but Fujifilm is at least trying to offer interchangeable lens cameras and compact bodies – because there’s clearly a demand for them, considering how crazy the world has become about fixed-lens compact cameras.
The new
And I’m all for an update to the XF 16-55mm trinity lens – which looks like a very worthy and welcome update to the original lens, especially with the clickable aperture ring. But honestly, that should become the industry standard from now on!
Thank you for joining me. For now we sign off… see you at the next Summit!
