X100 Firmware Update Ver.1.01 (link)

[maks_a]

http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/software/firmware/x/finepix_x100/fupd.html

The firmware up date ver.1.01 incorporates the improvement against inadequate operation shown in the following.
If the images are shot with ISO Bracketing mode when "QUICK START MODE"(*1) is set to "ON" and turn off the camera,the camera cannot be turned on again even with ordinary operation.
*1 Menu of "QUICK START MODE" is set to "OFF" as factory-default value.

 

[Keith]

There's a firmware update available and I'm still possibly a month away from actually getting a camera ... and not the only one!

Earthquake or no earthquake (trying not to be insensitive here) this is a little bit of a debacle IMO! 🙁

 

[viv]

this is a little bit of a debacle IMO! 🙁

Actually, it's not. It's just a delivery delay due to natural events. Calm down, it's just a camera.

 

[Keith]

Actually, it's not. It's just a delivery delay due to natural events. Calm down, it's just a camera.

You're right of course ... it's been a long day! 😱

😀

 

[jsrockit]

Actually, it's not. It's just a delivery delay due to natural events. Calm down, it's just a camera.

You cannot pin this all on the Tsunami / Earthquake when they have delivered cameras to the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, etc. Fuji sent out a press release that stated that they were minimally effected by the distaster. Of course, it IS a piece of what is causing the delay, but it is not the entire reason or they would not have delivered outside of Japan at all.

 

[Keith]

You cannot pin this all on the Tsunami / Earthquake when they have delivered cameras to the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, etc. Fuji sent out a press release that stated that they were minimally effected by the distaster. Of course, it IS a piece of what is causing the delay, but it is not the entire reason or they would not have delivered outside of Japan at all.

No company the size of Fujifilm would release a new product without some idea of how large the demand may be. Aside from the short interuption to production from the disaster in Japan there has to have been some other problem IMO.

 

[Niels]

I think the Fuji statement only mentioned the damages on the specific plant where the X100 is produced, as being minimal. That does not include "just in time" deliveries from other surces, like fex Sony.

Kind Regards

 

[Nikon Bob]

Yea, that "just in time" delivery sure falls apart quickly from any major interruption anywhere in the delivery chain. With that system there is very little inventory held anywhere in it. It looks good accounting wise but you can't sell what you have not got.

Bob

 

[smillie]

No company the size of Fujifilm would release a new product without some idea of how large the demand may be. Aside from the short interuption to production from the disaster in Japan there has to have been some other problem IMO.

I think it depends what you mean by "problem," there's a number of things that can proceed in a less than ideal manner, but that aren't catastrophic or unusual in any way.

Personally, I see two things at play:

1. hedging bets on demand. Predicting demand for a new product is hard, and if it were me predicting the X100 demand, I'd be very, very tempted to hedge that bet in a big way.

2. Slow ramp on production. I think this is pretty clear, given that pre-production samples were all that was available until literally the first retail shipment, and the presence of crashing bugs in the shipped product.

Add to that the weird rippling supply-chain disruptions of the earthquake, and I'd say things are basically business-as-usual.

 

[jsrockit]

1. hedging bets on demand. Predicting demand for a new product is hard, and if it were me predicting the X100 demand, I'd be very, very tempted to hedge that bet in a big way.

But shouldn't Fuji have known the amount of pre-orders out there?

 

[Paul T.]

Does it strike anyone else that complaining about the delay in a consumer product, then speculating an earthquake may or may not be the cause, is a little... crass?

It's possible they underestimated demand. It's more than likely that a major earthquake has had some impact on their supply chain. But even if it's only the former, can we not possibly stand a delay or a month or so before the delivery of the latest consumer product? Is it really such a terrible thing?

 

[ponyman]

Does it strike anyone else that complaining about the delay in a consumer product, then speculating an earthquake may or may not be the cause, is a little... crass?

It's possible they underestimated demand. It's more than likely that a major earthquake has had some impact on their supply chain. But even if it's only the former, can we not possibly stand a delay or a month or so before the delivery of the latest consumer product? Is it really such a terrible thing?

I must agree. Although bombing defenceless Arabs is much more news-worthy, it must be remembered that they have very serious problems over in Japan which are going to be ongoing for many months. I think that perhaps we may need to show a little more consideration at times.

 

[bwcolor]

A little bird told me that the next update will be 1.0100001. A very minor update.

OMG... I had to add this. I didn't realize that Fujifilm was also bombing defenceless Arabs. These conversations are sure full of over-the-top statements.

 

[Catto]

Hey, two things I've found about the firmware update, one good one bad. First, it wipes all your camera settings and restores them to the factory defaults, shutter sound effects and all.

Second, and I didn't see this documented anywhere, you can now reduce the size of your focus point and use that in the OVF as well as the EVF - and, even after going to sleep, it remembers what size you've set it at. [Edit: oops, no, my bad - that's still only in the EVF, but at least now it remembers it!]

Okay, other thing is just that you don't actually have to get out your USB cable, you can copy the firmware onto your card via a card reader, put it back in the camera and just do it that way instead. But the camera behaves weirdly afterwards with the card that has the firmware on it - took ages to start up (I gave up waiting) so it's better to pull the card and delete that file on your card reader again once you're done, I found.

Big improvement, to me...anyone found any other undocumented updates?
R

 

[smillie]

But shouldn't Fuji have known the amount of pre-orders out there?

Systems engineering always has the same answer: "Yes, but No." Assume for simplicity that every pre-order came in at the start of the pre-order period. Was that enough time to ramp up production to meet that demand? Possibly not - scaling production can have a lot of lead time, new staff, new space, suppliers have to respond in time, unexpected problems as procedures get shaken out. Plus, all of that space and time isn't generally free; it's a trade-off with other costs, typically established and functional processes on other products.

Pre-orders started around the beginning of March, and the first shipments were in Canada around three weeks later (I got mine on the 31st, after it was routed to the distributor in Toronto, then to Vancouver). Basically, it's complicated: if they underestimated the demand, they didn't have a lot of time to adjust, even before the earthquake.

As another hypothesis ('cause we're just guessing here), pre-orders aren't always the best gauge of continual demand. If you expect the pre-orders to be a spike in demand, you might not scale all the way up in the first place.

 

[maks_a]

I live in St. Petersburg (Russia). I have no reason to speak badly about the company Fuji. When I read the online message about a new camera x100, I realized this is what I need! I waited for the start of sales and saw information about pre-orders on the site finepix-x100.com, I had immediately filled out an order form. I received order confirmation 2 weeks later (sale should begin on March 25). A week before the start of sales I was contacted by a manager, who asked me about method of payment and delivery options (sales were in Moscow only!). I got my x100 and original leather case as a gift on 28 March (it was really not bad!). So, to me this camera cost 994 EUR / 1445 USD (incl. delivery). Another nice thing in favor of Fuji - quick firmware update. Not quite substantial changes, but still improved of autofocus and one bug fixed.
Carry on, Fuji!

 

[jsrockit]

Does it strike anyone else that complaining about the delay in a consumer product, then speculating an earthquake may or may not be the cause, is a little... crass?

Has the world shut down over the disaster? It was and is horrible, but life does go on and Japan will recover. Would it benefit Fuji if everyone just forgot about the X100 instead and bought a Nikon or Canon? Buying products from Japan will help Japan.

I would agree with you if Fuji hadn't sent out a press release saying that they were minimally effected by the disaster. If they had a major impact, then I would not say a peep.