x100 firmware update debuting at PMA Sydney

[Richard G]

I upgraded with a Mac. The .dat file of ~32MB is the thing to download, not the useless 95kb file where it gives the option of the Mac or Windows. It copies fine to the SD card. I now regret not reviewing my various settings first. But it is a good refresher to go through the menus and review the choices. And I kept copies of great posts here by various users about their preferred settings.

 

[Keith]

OK ... I take back what I said in haste! 😱

I just did the update and the noticable improvement in manual focusing ability of the camera will allow me to use it without grinding my teeth! It's still somewhat pondorous but hey ... I'm very happy!

Congrats to Fuji for paying attention to their customers. They can almost be forgiven for dropping 1600 Neopan ... well, almost! 😀


I really, really like this camera ... I've decided to give them a nine out of ten. 🙂

 

[Richard G]

Can someone explain to me what item 1 of the upgrade list means? Rocked. I preessed the button and something like a lock showed up. Pressed again for 3 secs and what I had turned on was turned off. Could it be (I just realize this moment) they mean Locked? Were they in the lobby or on the roof when they wrote this?

Now I've worked this out I see its great advantage. I have accidentally turned on burst mode carrying the camera and by locking still image that cannot happen. This is more important than being able to lock Macro on, which I also will want.

 

[DavidX]

The little extra box on the OVF in AF with this update had an added benefit for me.

I was thinking - now why can't the MF area box be nice and small like the AF box is? And I see how it can't, because until you know the distance you can't know the parallax...

Bingo! (lightbulb goes on)

When using the the MF box think:
top left portion of the box for focussing on far away things
bottom right portion of the box for focussiing on close things.

= Significant improvement!

For me this gets over the macro thing; as we know, using MF and AF/AE lock you have solved the macro mode problem; you can go as close as you like.

 

[M4streetshooter]

Keith, glad your finding peace with the camera. Dropping 1600.... Nah no forgiveness!

I reall like locking, rocking... the control wheel. A few times I was working fast and the camera was doing video. I couldn't figure out what was going in.
My thumb hit the top of the wheel, drive mode...
Well, that's a good fix... Now if I can sew my thumb back on all will be right in the world...

 

[jcm0]

Don (M4streetshooter), thank you very much for your answer !

I have try your recipie in real life. But, try to focus on a uniform surface in low light, you will see the distance indicator moving, but for sure, not at the right position, and in lot of cases, when in MF + low light, doing several AF measurement gives in general differents distances... :-(

 

[M4streetshooter]

This is true. This is also true for just about any camera.
I find the camera responds well even in low light, if you find a decent focus spot.
It doesn't hunt as much in MF as in AF.

 

[willie_901]

The probability of automatically computing the correct focus distance decreases as the contrast of the focus region decreases. Even phase-detection autofocus systems rely on contrast differences to compute focus.

In extreme cases this is even true for skilled person using an excellent optical rangefinder camera.

I believe the Fuji X100 defaults to a preset focus distance when autofocus fails. This is why the focus scale indiator changes.

 

[M4streetshooter]

Well, regardless...it's a great camera with an offbeat sense of humor.

 

[jcm0]

(...)
I find the camera responds well even in low light, if you find a decent focus spot. It doesn't hunt as much in MF as in AF.

This is an interesting point Don. I'll have a closer look to MF.

How strange it is with that camera that different modes gives differents results. For example I have also seen that with AUTO ISO, the ISO choice made by the camera is different with EVF/OVF or AF/MF/AF-C ...

 

[M4streetshooter]

True again... I use mostly A mode with auto ISO. It's the first time I've ever trusted a camera for Auto ISO. The files are brilliant. Even if I insist on say, 1/250 f11, the camera will adjust ISO to give proper results.
The other modes I have no use for... I have heard stories of the camera doing different things in different modes.
If my camera starts playing tricks on me, well...it won't be a pretty site I tell ya....

Here's another thing I discovered....I remove the battery sometimes for a few minutes, then the camera gets smarter when it comes back on...I guess it's like a computer, sometimes they need to reset....
don