After one year with Fuji X-T50

I was in spending spree during the last couple years or so. First, I got Fuji XF70-300mm F4-5.6 from Australian Amazon, as it was not available in any local shop at that time. The first attempt to take close-up shots with Fuji X-E1 and XF70-300mm were disappointing. The camera just would not focus at a close distance. It turned out the issue was in the old firmware. Update to the latest firmware version addressed the focus issue, but it also changed some functionality of the camera. XF70-300mm became my default lens on the camera, especially for bushwalking, replacing XF55-200mm F3.5-4.8.  I love close-up capability at 300mm, plus 300mm provides extra reach, very handy in situations when approaching an object is either not possible or not desirable.  

 

Australian Tiger. The dragonfly is sitting over a lake.  

Tiger snake is among top ten venomous snakes in Australia. I was glad to have 300mm lens.  

 

 

 

 

 

Just like  XF55-200mm, I mainly use XD70-300mm at the long end. At some point I concluded that X-E1 might be a limiting factor for auto-focus speed: Fuji dropped support for this model, and the latest firmware update was released years ago. For hikes I wanted a smallish camera, either X-S20 or X-T50. I was a bit skeptical about 40M pixels sensor in X-T50, but opted for it as a kit with the new 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 lens. The new kit lens has good close-up capability, plus it starts at 16mm. 

The focus speed of XF70-300mm was improved in the new camera. Ironically, I barely use  16-50mm F2.8-4.8, and usually opt for XF70-300mm. 

I noticed the viewfinder in X-T50 is significantly better compared to one in X-E1. Low light performance was significantly better in X-T50, to a degree that now I am hesitant to take X-E1 as a second camera on a walk. I took it a beach one day and really struggled with autofocus, as now I am spoiled by X-T50. I tried subject recognition modes. In"bird" mode the camera focuses on a bird barely visible in branches. Combination of 300mm and "bird" recognition made some bird photography possible for me, but this is another story. X-T50 supports geotagging via a phone with installed XApp and Bluetooth. Geotagging does not require mobile phone or data connection, only geotagging option in phone and Bluetooth for connection with camera. Sometimes position is not updated, but I cannot figure out if it is related to the camera or the cheap smartphone I use. 

 X-T50 body is covered in buttons and dials. As the body is rather small, I accidentally touch some buttons and dials and unintentionally change settings. To prevent this, I disabled the front dial. I have impression that the energy consumption is a tad high, and the camera produce a warning for old NP-W126 battery after every wake-up. Fuji X-T50 uses an updated version of the battery, NP-W126S. Now I take two spare batteries on whole day walks.  

Fuji X-T50 in Australia

New Fuji X-T50 camera and some kits are available in Australia. On Amazon body only cost more than XC14-45mm kit at two shops. New model plus, I suspect, limited supply. Ted's Cameras apparently has X-T50 in stock. CameraPro, a local camera shop, apparently still does not have the new model in shop. 

New XF16-50mm lens is available as kit with Fuji X-T5. 

Stock availability is still an issue for some Fuji products. For example, Amazon Australia does not have XF70-300mm lens, again. It is available as an international order, at 35% premium. It can be preodered in Ted's at a premium price.

Fuji X-T50, XF 16-50mm lens and the world we live in

Fuji announced a new X-T50 camera, a major update for X-T30II, as well as a new standard zoom lens, XF 16-50mm. The new camera can be pre-ordered at cost that is similar to the X-T5 price  (currently advertised in several shops at discount). Ted's Cameras offers X-T50 for AU$2500 and X-T5 for AU$2545. Fuji X-S20 is available at AU$2k. While X-T5 is listed at discounted price, some major local camera shops do not have it in stock. A local Camera House shop had no Fuji cameras at display, when I visited it a month or two ago. Apparently, Fuji is in high demand in Down Under, but I don't understand why Fuji cannot ship more cameras and lenses. 

X-T50 is packed with new features, like 40 MP sensor and in body stabilisation. It is powered by NP-W126S battery, the same as in X-Ex and X-Tx0 cameras.  

The new XF 16-50mm lens can focus at very short distance at the tele zoom end, a great feature for me. Close-up capability of the current standard zoom, XF 18-55, is not very impressive, and it was one of the reason, why I do not use it very often. Resolution of the new lens is better. After all, it is promoted as a standard zoom lens for cameras equipped with 40 MP sensor. It is wider, again, a great improvement for me. The price is high, if sold separately: AU$1182 at Ted's, special order, of cause. Even in kits it is expensive, for example, over AU$700 when sold with X-T5 (Ted's), but only AU$500 when sold with X-T50 in CameraPro. 

Spring Mountain Conservation Estate

 

Common waxflower, or waxvine, Hoya australis. Near the Balancing Rock.

Accidentally I discovered a hidden jewel in local bush: the Balancing Rock, Dragon Spine and Spring Mountain in the Spring Mountain Conservation Estate, Springfield, SE Queensland. The track goes on top of ridge, with nice rocky outcrops all along the way. It is bush, or eucalypt forest. The area has very little obvious signs of human activities, but occasionally you can spot a pole from an old fence or piece of rusty iron. 

The last several years were very wet, and the bush is green. I went on walk after three days of rains, including 122mm (4.8″) in one day. I don't know if rains played a role, but I found many Common waxflower vines with flowers. All pictures were taken with Fuji X-E1 & FX 10-24mm lens. 6th April 2024. 

The Balancing Rock. It made of couple boulders located on top of each other. 

Near the Balancing Rock. There are many small grass trees in the area, but I have not seen any grass tree with big trunk. 

Near the Balancing Rock. Wide lens definitely helped with this shot, because I was close to small abyss.

Taking pictures on a casual walk

 

Baby Red-belled Black snake, Pseudechis porphyriacus. Taken on a walk near Discovery Lake at Springfield Lakes, SE Queensland. 30 March 2024. Fuji X10. 

The snake was small, but I came across an adult snake several months ago. Red belled snakes are poisonous but apparently not deadly, at least, not for adults. I prefer a camera with longer zoom for situation like this one. Usually I walk in early evening, when the light is not great, so I am dreaming about a bright 28-200mm lens a la Minolta A2 with 1" type sensor. Canon G7X has bright 24-100mm lens, and it seems it is in very high demand. Sony RX100 VII is equipped with 24-200mm lens, which is amazing considering that the camera is very compact and very light, only 302g with a card and battery. However, the lens it is rather dark at long end, f2.8-4.5, plus it expensive. Panasonic TZ220 has dark lens, f3.3-6.4.

I like adjustable monitors (rear screens) on modern cameras. Tiltable monitors are very useful for near ground shots. Fuji X10 has a fixed screen.

New reality

 

Lesser Wanderer. Fuji X-E1 with 55-200mm lens, crop. Spring mountain conservation estate, 2 March 2024.

After several bushwalks I came to a conclusion that I want a little bit more focal length and better close-up capability compared to 55-200mm  lens. The obvious candidate is Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f4-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens. XF 100-400mm might have a better lens but it is too heavy for pleasant hikes, while 70-300mm lens weight is similar to 55-200mm lens. Every XF 70-300mm review talks about "near macro" performance. I reached for a credit card, but it turned out the lens is rather rare beast. I called couple local shops, and both don't have it in stock. Amazon Australia has "temporary out of stock" notice. In one place I was told the next delivery is expected in April, but the shop has many preorders. 

This is not a new lens. It was released years ago. It is listed as the second best selling Fujifilm lens for 2022 on the Shatter Muse site, but now it is 20204. Maybe the demand is still very high, or Australia is now a forgotten island. I was surprised that some other products, for example, Canon G7X, are also apparently out of stock, and shops ask for a deposit.

Back to Blogger

Balancing Rock in White Rock - Spring Mountain conservation estate, Ipswich. 3 December, 2023. Fuji X10
 

I was very busy for several years, with very little time spent on photos. I do not follow camera news anymore. Some images are missing in this blog: I was not keen to pay flickr subscription while not doing photography, and with the new flickr policy I was over the quota. In late 2023 photo hobby was revived as picture taking, with minimal post processing.

I still use Fuji X-E1 and X10 with the original sensor. On/off switch on X-E1 required some WD40 treatment after prolonged no-use period, but otherwise the camera is fully functional including the original battery. X10 is also mostly functional, except for one wheel: it does not change settings anymore. The second wheel around four buttons works just fine.

Fuji X-E1 is usually has XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 Lens attached, which is great for distant objects. I am keen to try XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR, as it is wider and longer and somewhat better with close up shots compared to XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS. Alternatively, I can take X10 with me.

Overhanging rock in in White Rock - Spring Mountain conservation estate, Ipswich. 10 December, 2023. Fuji X-E1 with 55-200m lens. Minor crop.

New lenses and accessories from Fuji

New Fujinon XF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens is listed in local camera shops, such as CameraPro or Digital Camera Warehouse at ~$2500 (AUD). DCW also has 11mm and 16mm Macro extension tubes for Fuji X mount (link to Fujifilm mount adapters page). Both are priced at $125.  Fujinon XF 1.4x WR teleconverter is also available.

The new Fuji superzoom lens is similar in size to full frame Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, but it is 200 grams lighter.

No Fuji X-E1/2 in CameraPro

It seems CameraPro does not have Fuji X-E1 or X-E2 cameras anymore. Ted's also does not have these models. In the same time people expect announcement of Fuji X-Pro2 with 24 MP sensor.

Seasonal price drop for Fuji products

Currently Fujifilm offers a generous cashbacks on lenses and mirorless cameras in Australia., $200 for many lenses and $100 for some cameras. In addition, CameraPro shop is moving into a new location in Brisbane, and many ex-demo lenses are available at discount price.  Ex-demo XF18-135mm for $650 is a very tempting offer. A brand new XF27mm pancake is priced at $199.  

Abbey Medieval festival - 2015

Abbey Medieval festival

Kids loved it. The weather was good, a bit cold and windy in the morning but sunny for the rest of the day.

Autofocus on Fuji X-T10 and X-T1

'First impression' reviews of Fuji X-T10 describe improvements / changes in continuous  autofocus. I've also read that Fuji X-T1 autofocus will be upgraded through the firmware update at time of X-T10 release (next month).

Price of Fuji X-10 in Australia

Here in Brisbane some camera shops, such as Camera-Pro or Digital Camera Warehouse, already listed Fuji X-T10 for pre-order. The announcement of X-T10 can increase sales of other Fuji mirrorless cameras such as X-T1 and X-E2.  Current prices for kits with XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 R LM OIS lens:
X-E2: $1,049
X-T10: $1,399
X-T1: $1,629
Fujifilm X-T1 with weather sealed XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS lens: $1,799. This is a very attractive price considering falling Australian dollars. Prices for X-T1 kits were reduced for couple hundreds dollars with announcement of X-T10. Good for you, Fuji.

Body only:
X-E2: $649
X-T10: $949
X-T1: $1,439

Fujifilm X-T10 + XC 16-50mm II OIS lens can be pre-ordered for $1,188.

For extra $200 people can get X-T1 with XF18-55mm right now. Fuji X-E2 with the same lens will save you $350, and the camera is available in shops. The difference between introductory price for Fuji X-T10 kit and current best X-T1 price is small, and X-T1 is weather-sealed. It has a better viewfinder and more “knobs and dials” (a bit more attractive layout but this is subjective).

Springbrook national park

View from the Canyon lookout

Twin falls section of the Springbrook national park is one of the best options to see Australian rainforest in Brisbane / Gold Coast area. The track is just about 5 km, and it has a small cave, several impressive overhangs, big waterfalls, a small pool near Twin falls, and several lookouts with spectacular views over Springbrook plateau. There are two entry points for this track, Tallanbana picnic area and parking area near cafe at Canyon lookout. Circular track starts in dry vegetation / bush at the top of the Springbrook plateau and descends into rainforest. Big shiny black lizards, land mullets, are common around Canyon lookout. Blue crayfish can be seen in creeks during a wet season.

Twin falls circuit

New lens from Fuji

Some specs and images of Fujinon XF 90mm F2 have appeared on the web. It is expected that the lens will be announced at the start of the next week alongside with a new mirrorless camera, Fuji X-T10. Early rumors suggested that X-T10 has a build-in flash but I cannot see it on the camera images published on several web sites.

New addition to Fuji mirrorless cameras

According to Mirrorless Rumors, new Fuji X-T10 will be announced in the middle of May. Specs are interesting. Gen-II 16 MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor, probably the same as in X-T1. EVF is 2.36 million dots. magnification 0.62 times compared  with X-T1 magnification 0.77x. Electronic shutter with 1/32000 seconds exposure.
3.0 inches 920K-dot tilting LCD monitor versus  1,040K-dot on X-T1.
P / S / A / M exposure modes - that's interesting.
Built-in flash.
Interval timer and time-lapse option (very handy).
Five dial (!)
Exposure compensation +/- 3EV

It will be sold as a kit with XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS II lens.





With this kit lens it should not cost much.

Bushwalking in Lamington: Caves track

View from Kweebani Cave. Fuji X-E1 & XF10-24mm

Fairly easy Caves circuit at Binna Burra, Lamington national park. The track starts at Binna Burra information centre and goes to Binna Burra lodge. Two caves, essentially just big overhangs, are located somewhere in the middle of this walk.

From Binna Burra lodge I took Possum track, turned left to the bitumen road that goes down to the information center. After walking about 100 meters on the road I spotted a sign for a track towards the information centre. 

Bushwalking in Springbrook NP

Fuji X-E1 & XF10-24mm

Twin Falls track,  Spingbrook national park. South-East Queensland got some rains recently. Creeks were full and the track was dirty.

Side view of the Twin Falls

Fuji XF10-24mm review from Photozone

Photozone posted a review of Fujinon XF10-24mm lens, with Highly Recommended rating.

Fuji X-E1 for $349 AUD

Kogan has Fuji X-E1 for $349 only. This onlilne shop sells mainly grey goods / parallel import. I know people who bought goods from Kogan photographic gear and other stuff such as mobile phones. The prices at Kogan are generally significantly lower than in the mainstream Australian shops and comparable to the best offers from smaller shops such as CameraPro (at least for cameras I am interested in).  It  used to sell eReaders with support of FB2 format but not anymore.