Apologies, if veering off topic a little, but what is the story with Fuji raw files and lightroom. Would one day like one or two of these fuji's but if raw in lightroom is a no-go, would be a dealbreaker for me
The facts are these.
1. LR RC 4.4 is a bonifide game changer. Everything you read about Adobe and XTrans before the release of 4.4 RC is obsolete.
2. In my experience the deficiencies in LR RC 4.4 are no worse, but they are different, from other deficiencies I see with raw from my Nikons, the Lumix G1 or my X100.
3. Evaluating these deficiencies requires extreme pixel peeping and it is unlikely, but not impossible, for the remaining issues to cause distractions in prints. Obviously any rendering problems from any camera's raw are more problematic the more you crop.
4. Many of LR rendering parameter such as sharpening, clarity, defringing and, rarely, WB must be approached differently for XTrans images than they are for Bayer images. I apply some of these changes automatically upon import.
The claim that XTrans raw is technically problematic is obsolete. This doesn't matter because Fuji will suffer for a few more years from misjudging the impact of releasing the XTrans sensor without using DNG. Fuji grossly overestimated the suitability of SilkyPix to their user base. The more people who actually process XTrans images with ACR, the more the out-of-date claims will be ignored.
Aesthetic or subjective dissatisfaction with XTrans raw rendering remains valid. After all, people disagree about which product renders their Bayer images best.
Item 4 above is the only practical disadvantage of the XTrans sensor. Some images do require different parameters than others. By contrast Bayer images seem to require less attention to these rendering parameters. So anyone who claims the XTrans sensor is unacceptable because it demands different processing techniques and can require more time and experience has a valid point. I don't find this difference to be significant, but I accept it could be important to others.
I will also say that overexposure in high contrast situations is not handled as well in XTrans images from the 18 and 14 mm Fujinon lenses compared to the X100. The 35 mm XF lens is similar to the X100 in this regard.
In my view people who claim Adobe is incapable of delivering excellent results from XTrans raw are either deceiving themselves or are incredibly fussy about issues that will rarely, if ever, detract from their works' impact.
