Good discounts on some Fuji stuff in Brisbane

For those with an acute form of the gear acquisition syndrome: CameraPro shop in Brisbane has good discounts on some Fuji cameras and lenses, eg XF55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS is available for ~$630 (AUD). The shop also offer some deals on camera/lens combos.

Digital Camera Warehouse has Fuji X-M1 with two zooms (including XC16-50mm and XC50-230mm) for $979. I don't know if they have this kit in store because XC50-230mm is not listed separately on their site.

Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm: autofocus speed

DPReview posted the first look (preview) on Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS lens based on pre-production camera. It seems that the autofocus speed is very good. Quote: "... it feels really, genuinely quick (perhaps the first time we'd use that description for an X system camera)". The new lens does not have linear motors (LM), but apparently it does not resulted in slow autofocus. Maybe the moving part is smaller and lighter. Anyway, the camera looks very interesting. 

Fuji X-M1 is announced

Fuji X-M1, Fujinon XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS and XF27mm F2.8 lenses are announced. The details including sample images are available on Fujifilm site. If the new products are not showing up, reload the page.

The camera specs say "X-Trans CMOS", not "X-Trans CMOS II" as on Fuji X100S. If true, the new camera did not use the latest hybrid autofocus available in Fuji X100S. Several sample images are available for XC16-50mm.

Fuji X-M1 is available for pre-order in places like B&H for ~$700 (body only) and ~$800 with the new zoom. The 27mm pancake lens can be preordered for ~$450. In the same shop Fuji X-E1 body is selling for ~$800, and X-E1 with excellent XF18-55mm OIS is priced at ~$1200.

Unexpected and very positive news: Fuji X-E1 and X-Pro1 will get a focus peaking through the firmware update at the end of July. This might be handy for FX60mm Macro lens…

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Very interesting comment on Fuji X-M1 and new lenses from Thom Hogan on his Sans Mirror site. His comments reflect view of a professional, a person who need to back up the top body with the cheaper model. Well, I bet many people use just one camera, so while consistency in UI is important, it might not be an issue. After all, Fuji X-E1 body is just $100 higher than X-M1.

Specs of Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm lens

The specs of Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS lens appeared on the web (link to Photo Rumors).  The camera and XF21mm F2.8 pancake are expected to be available at the end of July. The XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS lens is a bit smaller than XF18-55mm (diameter x length, 62.6mm x 65.2mm compared to 65mm x 70.4mm) and lighter (195g vs 310g). The new zoom is expected only in September.

The X-M1 gets a 3" high-res LCD screen, bigger than on Fuji X-E1.  It is a tad lighter than X-E1, 330g agains 350g. Fuji XM1 dimensions: 116.9 x 66.5 x 39.0mm, and Fuji X-E1: 129 x 74.9 x 38.3mm.  Focus peaking is available. Sensor: X-Trans APS-C CMOS active. Hopefully, it is the same sensor as in Fuji X100S.

Two days before Fuji X-M1 announcement

Additional details are coming about new entry-level mirrorless camera from Fuji, X-M1, as well as Sony RX100MkII / RX200. According to the rumors, Fuji X-M1 will be available with new XC16-50mm OIS lens, XF27mm pancake or body only. The price is a bit of speculation at the moment, but I would expect something about $600 for the body and ~$750-800 for the zoom kit. Well,  rumored $600 for the zoom kit might be somewhat unrealistic considering considering current price of other models in the same category, such as Samsung NX300 (~$850 kit), Olympus E-PL5 (~$720), Sony NEX-5R (~$750).

Control of new zoom lens, XC16-55mm F3.5-5.6 might be appealing to people used to point-and-shoot cameras. It took me some time to get used to the XF18-55mm and Fuji X-E1 because I used dials for aperture adjustment on both compact and DSLRs for more than 10 years. So far Fuji made excellent lenses for its X system. While the specs of the new XC zoom are fairly standard, it might be an interesting option if the quality is good. The new on-sensor hybrid autofocus system will help with the autofocus speed, and excellent sensor characteristics allow to use high iso. Frankly, if the lens is sharp and contrast and if the autofocus is broadly comparable to XF18-55, I would prefer 16-50mm. I generally need more DoF, not less, and I also prefer to have a slightly wide length. 

Here we go: Fuji X-M1!

Some images of rumored Fuji X-M1 appeared on the web, as well as a new zoom lens, XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS. It is still a rumor, and I cannot figure out if those are renderings or photographs. The camera has X-M1 engraved on the front panel and it has a nice tiltable screen.

The traditional Fuji exposure compensation dial is replaced with a non-marked dial. The camera also got a second non-convetional dial at the rear. The screen looks big, so the camera has very few buttons clustered on the right side. It got the red button! There is no "Launch!" word written nearby, so it is probably a dedicated movie button. Obviously, Q button is there. A pop-up flash is present, as well as "Wi-Fi" word on the top. This is year 2013, so wi-fi is must to have feature in any camera.

New zoom, XC16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS. If true, it is not XF, it is XC. C probably means Consumer or something similar. The lens has two rings, for zoom and probably manual focus. Aperture apparently will be controlled through the body / dials. Finally, the rear plastic dial on Fuji X-E1 might get some work to do. It is also possible that the ring is programmable for either aperture control or manual focus. This will be really handy for people who despise manual focus :) The lens has an optical image stabilisation / OIS and takes 58mm filters. Fujinon XF18-55mm takes the same size. The new zoom looks a bit shorter than the XF18-55mm, but not very small. It starts at 16mm, and 16mm should give the same angle as 24mm-25mm on full-frame cameras. This might be very handy. No LM labelling (linear motor). The linear motors contribute to a fast autofocus.

The new 27mm pancake is small, with just one ring. Hopefully, it is a programmable ring. 

Fuji announcement next week.

A big announcement is expected from Fujifilm next week, so the specs of a new entry-level mirrorless camera will be leaked soon. According to Mirrorless Rumors, the new camera will not be equipped with with X-Trans sensor. Will it be a traditional Bayer sensor or something else? But it would be a nice test of people needs. The first CSC Fuji model, X-Pro1, came with the unique hybrid viewfinder, but Fuji X-E1 with electronic viewfinder is arguably more popular model. I do not have numbers to back up this claim, but X-E1 consistently has a higher rank among best selling CSC cameras on Amazon. Obviously, viewfinder is not the only thing different between two models, but it is significant thing. EVF is more compact and probably cheaper and more flexible in term of assembly, so X-E1 is smaller, lighter and cheaper. The ability to choose is very important. People who value a good optical viewfinder and prime lenses can buy X-Pro1, while X-E1 is aimed on a wider range of people. Fuji X-A1 / X-M1 / X-x1 equipped with non-X-Trans sensor might be a shocking revelation to the company. After all, Fuji X100 had a conventional sensor, and it was a hugely popular camera. After all, how many people bought X-Pro1 or X-E1 because of the X-Trans sensor? Considering a limited support of X-Trans RAW files at early stages of the system, it seems that many people have bought these cameras despite of the sensor. Imagine "X-E2" with a standard Bayer sensor and weak anti-aliasing filter. Or without filter. Something similar to sensors used in Nikon A or Ricoh GR. Would it be popular? I am very curious to see a X mount camera without X-Trans sensor...

In addition, ambiguous rumors point on a new small zoom lens for the forthcoming entry-level model, more compact than the current XF18-55mm. It might be a marginally wider (16mm), sort of a darker version of Sony 16-50mm F2.8. Samsung 20-50mm is a very compact, and it is very popular with small NX cameras such as NX300 or NX1000. Obviously, it is not very wide lens.

More rumors on entry-level mirrorless camera from Fuji

I guess this rumor is all around the web now, but I got it on Mirrorless Rumors. Fuji is expected to release 2 (two) entry-level CSCs / mirrorless cameras, and one might be announced later this month. The rumored names for these models are still a guess, so people can bet on X-A1 or X-M1. I will call it X-x1 :) No build-in viewfinder but non-fixed (tilted?) rear screen. Not big surprise here :) One model might be equipped with X-Trans sensor, the other apparently not. Would it be a Bayer sensor or something else? Fuji engineers do like non-standard sensors, and they definitely know thing or two about sensors. While it is possible that the company would add a standard Bayer mask, I would not exclude something more exotic here  :) Fuji X100 has a standard Bayer sensor, and it was a huge success. Fuji Sx DSLR cameras equipped with non-standard sensors had/have many devoted adepts. It is good to remember that Fuji X100 is the only X-branded camera with a standard Bayer mask… Obviously, it will get all the latest autofocus tech used on Fuji X100S.

I am curious to see what lens will be sold together with X-x1. One of the obvious candidates is the new (unannounced) XF27mm F2.8 pancake. Or Fuji may have something up their sleeve… Some compact zoom… It is just a dreaming, don't take it seriously :-)  

Also, lucky Fuji fans in the US might get rebates on Fujinon lenses. Frankly, here in Down Under, the price difference between kit and separate body and lens purchase is just insane. I do not mind to pay a premium for a new product, but current Fuji pricing policy looks like a rip-off to me. Thankfully, I am not in a rush to buy XF55-200mm, so I plan to snap it later on eBay. BTW, the lens (XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS) is expected to be in Oz around mid-June at about $800, so an instant rebate might be very handy.

Another rumor on entry-level mirrorless X camera from Fuji

Another rumor post on entry-level mirrorless camera from Fuji. Not much new there. The same price range as rumored earlier, ~$550 for the body + lens kit. What lens? It is a lens. Can be a new XF27mm F2.8 pancake (41mm eqv). It probably will be a good combo for street shooters. As expected, the camera will be smaller and with less controls than Fuji X-E1. The UI of X-E1 is good but some buttons are "dumb" in certain modes. So, with some optimisation the UI of the "X-M1" might be comparable with other X cameras.

Am I interested in a pancake lens? Not much at the moment. I am after the XF55-200mm zoom or/and the wide angle zoom. However, for other people the fairly wide prime lens in combination with small camera might be very attractive. Street shooters may like it.

Entry-level mirrorless camera from Fuji, again

It seems that an entry-level mirrorless camera from Fujifilm is real, and it might be announced soon (before summer in Northern hemisphere). The rumors about the "X-M1" circulate around the for quite a while.It is expected that the camera will be in class of Olympus E-PL5 or Sony NEX-5, somewhat above the entry level. Note that the cameras in this segment generally do not have fixed screens :) Expect to see tiltable screen...

The current X cameras are very popular. It is reasonable for the company to add product in extremely popular segment of the mirrorless market to compete with cameras such as Olympus E-PL5 or Sony NEX-5. However, Fuji does not have a cheap compact zoom lens for a mid-range market. The available XF18-55mm F2.8-4 lens adds a lot in price, size and weight to the kit, so it wouldn't be cheap, compact or light. In Australia the price of the Olympus E-PL5 single lens kit is essentially identical to price of Fujinon XF18-55mm lens. The same true for Sony NEX-5R. Obviously, Fuji can heavily discount the kit and price it at around $900. Or it might combine it with the new XF55-200mm lens. While it sound odd, it would make an attractive package for me: I am interested in the zoom lens and don't mind to have a spare body. Obviously, I can buy just the lens, but in Australia Fuji has a strange(?) price policy: the X-E1 zoom kit costs ~$150 more than the body, while the lens itself is priced at $730. In other words, buying the kit ($1250) saves over $550, or close to 80% of the lens price. While I am interested in the zoom lens, the current price policy is a very strong demotivator for buying the lens. I'd rather wait or grab it on eBay.

BTW, here is a link to the official samples from XF55-200mm F55-200 F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS lens

Entry level mirrorless camera from Fuji

According to Mirrorless rumors, Fujifilm will announce X-M1 mirrorless camera in next couple months. The name X-M1 was appeared on the web during announcement of X-E1 (~ five month ago). Considering that cheap tiny models without viewfinder and limited external controls are among the most popular mirrorless cameras, it is reasonable to expect for Fujifilm to add product in this segment. So, X-M1 probably will be similar to E-PLx / E-PMx style cameras, and presumably would not cost an arm and leg. Little brother (or sister?) of X10/X20, XF1, is a very appealing camera for some people.

Fujifilm has 55-200mm lens in their roadmap scheduled for release around this time, so it might coincide with the release of the new camera. It would make sense to release the camera with the latest autofocus system (the latest X-Trans sensor first appeared in X100S). Olympus did this with its PEN E-PL5, and created very attractive and affordable camera. If Fuji will keep its traditional button layout and replace fixed rear screen with tiltable / articulated version - that would be a good camera.

The same source predicts update for both X-Pro1 and X-E1 later this year. Obviously, Fuji want to add a fast hybrid autofocus on their mirrorless cameras, so it is not surprising.