Post your x-pro1 FW2.0 impressions

Arjay said:
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I was at Fuji's booth on the Photokina show yesterday, and I asked if somebody were interested in hearing my firmware improvement suggestions. One of the Japanese senior firmware developers actually took almost an hour's time to hear my ideas and my user experiences with the camera's firmware. Obviously, Fuji is genuinely interested to base its firmware development on real user experiences and needs - not just on their own vision of how things should be.

I'm very impressed, and I am confident that this wasn't the last firmware update we'll see for the X-Pro1.
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Arjay,
Can you share the firmware improvements you discussed with the Fuji folks?

-Rasterdogs
 
Benjamin Marks said:
Maybe this is just re-phrasing what has been said before, but I think that software development is the kind of task that does not lend itself well to production deadlines.
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Creating software is just like any other kind of writing in my experience. So, as any publisher will tell you, delivering manuscripts to deadlines is just not something you can count on from authors. Writing is a solitary task but the product can only be judged by how well it 'works' for others. The same applies to software, it would be nice if 'software engineering' was engineering, but it isn't. You can't create it without close attention to detail but that closeness is what makes judging how well something works for everybody else so difficult.
 
semilog said:
Lee, I disagree. I have used RPP 64 very extensively and it is the best stand-alone RAW processor for X-Pro files. But it has significant limitations.

First, RPP64 is -- by design -- enormously processor-intensive, because it uses floating point rather than integer math. This means that it is slow and that in a portable device (a camera) it would suck down the battery before you could say "Oscar Barnack."

Second, RPP64's auto white balance is lousy.

Third, RPP64 still leaves a lot of edge artifacts, particularly sawtoothing, on horizontal and vertical edges. The Fuji JPEG engine avoids this problem.

I'm a huge RPP64 booster but it is far from perfect and its technical approach should absolutely not be the model for Fuji's in-camera JPEG engine.

I am looking forward to seeing what Capture One's RAW engine for the X-trans sensor can do. Fuji is helping Capture One develop it.
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Hi

I didn't really mean to use the RPP de-mosaic software within the camera, just that I do see much more detail - in some shots -e.g. landscapes with lots of distant detail etc. I always use WB 'As Shot', usually choose the K64 film simulation, adjust exposure if required and then export to LR. I agree it can be slow but then so is LR's current offering, though maybe I am lucky - on my MacBook Air RPP is pretty fast.

I agree that RPP does leave some artifacts. In fact it is only using the VNG interpolation mechanism, which the author agrees is not optimal.

It's just a little frustrating to know that the RAWs do contain more detail than one can get via JPEG. Or maybe I need to experiment with my settings.

One day we will get an excellent RAW solution, no doubt.

It's a pity C1 doesn't support it already so I could try it - they have 50% until the end of Sept!

Lee
 
Just noticed this one from dpreview
dpreview said:
When EVF or OVF is used, the indicator lamp will turn off because the lamp comes to just in front of your right eye if you see the finder with your left eye.
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This improvement is not listed on Fujifilm.com. Probably just a minor change compare to other improvement, but it is really great to me. Eventually the lousy tape on my xp1 can be removed.
 
Just as a follow-up, I am currently using the XP-1 to do promotional photos of a nearby organic farm and cheese-making operation. I am using an M9 and the XP1 (with a Nikon D3 as backup). The new XP1 firmware makes the camera much easier to use, particularly being able to take additional pictures while the buffer clears. You still can't use the focus magnification feature while the buffer is clearing, but it is a distinct improvement over the camera's prior performance.

Ben
 
The new firmware seem like a huge improvement, especially the manual focusing of XF lenses and the 3x Focus Assist. I'll have to investigate the rest of the changes.

But I have the both the Fuji and the Oly and just compared the AF for the 35mm XF and the Pan Leica 25 1.4. When focusing back and forth from about 3 feet to 25 feet, the Oly is still about twice as fast. Nothing wrong with that, the Fuji is better than before, but it has a way to match the Oly.

An off topic question - where are people ordering VF diopter correction lenses? I need to try one.
 
gdi said:
The new firmware seem like a huge improvement, especially the manual focusing of XF lenses and the 3x Focus Assist. I'll have to investigate the rest of the changes.

But I have the both the Fuji and the Oly and just compared the AF for the 35mm XF and the Pan Leica 25 1.4. When focusing back and forth from about 3 feet to 25 feet, the Oly is still about twice as fast. Nothing wrong with that, the Fuji is better than before, but it has a way to match the Oly.

An off topic question - where are people ordering VF diopter correction lenses? I need to try one.
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The video was between two objects no more than maybe three feet away. I think your test is more real world.. Thanks for update.

Gary
 
I might also add that my test was inside at night with only desk lamps for lighting. This was much darker than the test in the video - maybe not a worst case scenario, but a pretty tough one and the Fuji was very respectable. The biggest weakness was that the XF still would hunt now and then prior to locking on the closer target.
 
To me, the difference is this... the X-Pro1 used to hesitate when focusing and now it doesn't. It feels right for the camera now...even if not the fastest on the market.
 
jsrockit said:
To me, the difference is this... the X-Pro1 used to hesitate when focusing and now it doesn't. It feels right for the camera now...even if not the fastest on the market.
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So far I am pretty happy with the fw update. Agreed still not on par with the best of the af cameras but it is a lot better than before. Shots in very dark places that would cause af to hunt will af focus lock or give up immediately, not this constant hunting any longer. With the af lock happening more often and quicker then before. My x100 used to be faster on af lock in similar conditions, now the xp1 feels so much faster.

The 3 and 10x mag is very welcome... Now using mf lenses larger than 50mm is much better experience. Add focus peaking and ricoh gxr style approach to using mf lenses and this becomes a universal digital back :D, I can sell off the nex5n with its crappy UI...

Overall, it feels like a faster camera..

Gary
 
The autofocus is definitely vastly improved with 2.0. It's a really easy to focus camera now. And as opposed to SLRs, if the autofocus isn't catching onto the subject, i.e. in a very dark/low contrast situation, just press command wheel and do quick and super precise manual adjustments. For this reason, and the incredible high ISO performance, I think the X-Pro 1 is one of the very best low light cameras available, at any price.
 
Autofocus is now much better! I don't see any improvement with manual focusing however. At first I thought my lens (35mm) didn't get the upgrade, but it did. It takes an eternity to go from infinity to 0,5m. I don't really mind, as I only use manual focusing while doing pseudo macro shots. The 3x magnification is a very nice addition.
 
Went through the same drill with the X100. I see a definite improvement in the AF, I wonder why it couldn't have been like this from the start. None the less, I'm happy that they offered it. S
 
Darthfeeble said:
Went through the same drill with the X100. I see a definite improvement in the AF, I wonder why it couldn't have been like this from the start. None the less, I'm happy that they offered it. S
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I suspected limited SW resources (programmers) working on the critical low level drivers for the hw changes needed given that the x100 and xp1 most likely share only a small set of common hw.

Gary
 
Herjulfr said:
Autofocus is now much better! I don't see any improvement with manual focusing however. At first I thought my lens (35mm) didn't get the upgrade, but it did. It takes an eternity to go from infinity to 0,5m. I don't really mind, as I only use manual focusing while doing pseudo macro shots. The 3x magnification is a very nice addition.
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Something is not right with your lens update.
 
The 3x focusing alone make this update worthwhile. Even at 50 mm (Zeiss planar) I found the 10x to be very hard to use with any speed. The 3x option seems so much faster.
 
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