FujiFilm X-T2 Firmware v4.0 update released

As the Fujifilm Kaizen (continuous improvement) process continues cameras like the X-T2 become worth far more than the initial investment, which is something I have not seen from any other manufacturer.

Granted the flicker reduction update is very much needed, but to suddenly get F-Log to SD Card, 1080/120p slow-mo & enhanced speed of the  Phase Detect Auto-Focus is like a complete upgrade of camera!

 

  • Addition of “Focus Bracketing”

    The update will enable the photographer to shoot focus distance bracketing up to 999 frames. When the photographer starts shooting, the focal location is shifted with each activation of the shutter by the step of focus shift set from 1 to 10.

 

  • Compatible with the newly developed cinema lens FUJINON MKX18-55mmT2.9 lens and FUJINON MKX50-135mmT2.9 lens

    The upgrade will add compatibility for the newly developed FUJINON MKX18-55mmT2.9 lens and FUJINON MKX50-135mmT2.9 lens
    1) Aperture information can be displayed on the monitor. The upgrade allows users to select T-stop or F-stop.
    2) The upgrade allows users to check the focus distance with the distance indicator shown on the monitor.
    3) Automatically corrects the distortion and the color/brightness shading.
    4) Camera automatically calculate the White Balance based on the lens position and deliver the color expressions with Film Simulation modes.

 

  • Enlarged and customizable indicators or information

    The upgrade allows users to enlarge indicators and information in the viewfinder and/or LCD monitor. This upgrade will also enable users to customize the location of where the information is shown on the display.

 

  • Addition of F-log SD card recording

    The upgrade allows users to record F-log movie data into their SD card.

 

  • Addition of 1080/120P high-speed video mode

    The upgrade allows users to shoot 1080/120P high-speed video (1/2, 1/4 and 1/5 speed slow motion), ideal for recording spectacular slow-motion footage.

 

  • Enhanced Phase Detection AF

    Latest updates to the AF algorithm provide the following performance enhancements :
    1) The low-light limit for phase detection autofocus has been improved by approximately 1.5 stops from 0.5EV to -1.0EV, raising the precision and speed of autofocus in low-light environments.
    2) The range at minimum aperture has been expanded from F8 to F11. For example, even when using the XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR with the tele converter XF2X TC WR, phase detection autofocus can now be used.
    3) Major improvements have been made to the AF-C performance while operating the zoom, which provides major benefits when shooting sports and other scenarios in which the subjects moves unpredictably.
    4) Finely-detailed surface textures of wild birds and wild animals can now be captured at high speed and with high precision as a result of improvement in phase detection autofocus.

 

  • Addition of “Flicker Reduction”

    For enhancing the quality of indoor sports photography, the upgrade allows users to reduce flicker in pictures and the display when shooting under fluorescent lighting and other similar light sources.

 

  • Addition of “Select Folder” and “Create Folder”

    Enables the user to choose the folder in which subsequent pictures will be stored. And also enable to enter a five-character folder name to create a new folder in which to store subsequent pictures.

 

  • New functions are added to store and read of camera settings by FUJIFILM X Acquire

    Once connecting a camera to a computer via USB cable, the “FUJIFILM X Acquire” allows users to backup/restore camera settings to/from a file. With “FUJIFILM X Acquire” (ver.1.7 or newer), CUSTOM REGISTRATION/EDIT settings are also stored and read.

Download from:
http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/software/firmware/x/xt2/index.html

 

People often ask why I carry a real camera everywhere I go.

I tend to carry one of my Samsung NX camera’s everywhere I go. It could be the smaller compact NX500 often with my favourite 45mm lens which is reasonably small too, or the larger and all out awesome NX1 usually with the 16-50mm S lens.

Mobile phone cameras are good, very good. The camera in my Moto X Style is a 21MP Sony IMX230 F2.0 module and is pretty damn impressive, but small sensors & very compact optics are still lagging behind the quality of a lot of cameras.

This evening I went shopping on the way home from work and on my way back to the car I saw the last couple of minutes of the sunset, 2 minutes after I took this it was practically dark.

Moments like this are why I carry a real camera as I know my Moto X’s camera just does not have the dynamic range to capture the detail of the colour.

JPEG vs RAW file format is another huge reason but that is a topic for another post.

 

I suddenly don’t fancy a drink of water! 

I always have a bottle of tap water close by, one on my bed side table, one on my desk at Esben & one on the man cave end of the sofa.

My office bottle had been on my end desk, which is in direct sunlight. Over the last couple of weeks it seems to have got a little funky!

Boiling water did not sort it, so I think a dishwasher session for water bottles it is.

New geeky toys and projects :-)

Recently I have taken the plunge and head first into Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Linux, programming, RFID and various display technologies.

In my immediate group of geeky / techie friends I find I am quite  alone ( bar one or two) in this obsession to find a way of putting all of this to good use.

Think I need to find a local Hack Space / Raspberry Jam or even start one!

Speaker down! . . . . . . . Tears were nearly shed,

Went into the office tonight to do some out of hours maintenance on a customers server. Thought it would be too quiet so I dug out my VideoLogic Sirocco speakers out of storage.

My obsession started with this set of speakers must have started in 1998, when I went to what used to be called Computer Trade Show (CTS) at the NEC. I got in there and heard a sound a good distance away but it sounded incredibly clear with no distortion at all. This is back when PC audio was a long way off what it is today. They were the opposite side of the hall and were just incredible, the problem, they were £600.

My lovely wife brought me a set off eBay from Italy around 5 years ago now, and I am so happy with them. They were just boxed up to go between offices.

I got them out and the left speaker was producing no top end, 15 minutes and a coffee later I was so mardy I took the tweeter out. Just to find it had become disconnected. Which is very odd as it was such a tight connection to get back on.

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My turtle is a sex pest

I have two turtles, I went for the obvious names of course . . . . . Splishy & Splashy.

Hold that thought they were called Victor & Millie, then Victor turned out to be a girl & Millie a boy. That all got too confusing, they then got re-named. Splishy (male) & Splashy (female).

Splishy is the smaller, Splashy is about an inch larger.

Splishy has a love dance, he swims about until he is positioned infront of Splashy, then flaps his clawed flittered feet on Splashys head repeatedly in some kind of mating ritual. Right up to the point where Splashy bitch-slaps him right in the face.

I personally think he is heading for a Darwin award.