Fuji x100 DOF scale is even more out than it used to be...?

[Jim Kuo]

Conversation extracted from this original thread http://www.realphotographersforum.com/digital-processing/4521-x100-new-firmware-released-today.html

With 1.20, the hyperfocal distance scale seems to have become more conservative.

According to the white bar on the AF distance indicator, I was able to get everything from 2m to infinity to be in focus at F/16 under older firmware. The white bar has now shrunken to 3m to infinity.

This wasn't talking about actual AF behaviour change, just pointing out the change made to the utility tool. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Hamish Gill]

It's does meter all the time

Dow the DOF indicated here match yours?

 

[Jim Kuo]

Doh about the metering!

Your DOF is the same as mine. I am 99% sure that in earlier firmwares, the white bar covers from 2m to infinity at F16...

 

[Hamish Gill]

It did... I too remember this quite specifically ...

 

[Hamish Gill]

It's counter intuitive to what you would expect ...
The original indication was conservative for a 23mm lens, this is even more so

This is what simple DOF reads

 

[Jim Kuo]

Thanks for sharing this, what you've shown there confirmed what I have been wondering (X100 indicator very wrong) and I wasn't thinking nonsense.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Need to get a report into Fuji chaps - clearly looks like a SNAFU on their part

 

[Hamish Gill]

A bit of tinkering with simple DOF tells me that they have based their DOF markings on a much smaller circle of confusion
The nikon d300 that I used as referance is 0.020mm

Fuji x100 is perhaps more like 0.006

Further investigation into this leaves me a little more confused
There is aparently a standard; the circle of confusion measurement is based on a 8x10 print ...
So the smaller te sensor the smaller the required circle of confusion because more enlargement is needed
Cambridge in colour says the standard COC is 0.01"
Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

This site says its between 0.025 and 0.035mm
Circles of Confusion for Digital Cameras

Looking at my conversion tool app Cambridge in colour must be out by a decimal point

So referring back to DOF master i found a Fuji camera with a circle of confusion of 0.006mm
The f80exr
I then look at DPR and I can see the f80 has a 1/2" sensor
FujiFilm FinePix F80EXR (FinePix F85EXR): Digital Photography Review

So ... Fuji have based thier DOF markings on on a standard coc of a 1/2" sensor???

The irony I all this is that I have just ended up in what could be best described as a circle of confusion...

 

[Jim Kuo]

So ... Fuji have based thier DOF markings on a 1/2" sensor???

So our X100 had a smaller sensor than what it actually has in Fuji engineers' point of view?

 

[Hamish Gill]

So our X100 had a smaller sensor than what it actually has in Fuji engineers' point of view?

Welcome to my circle of confusion

 

[Jim Kuo]

Nice pun .

 

[Jim Kuo]

Will keep you guys posted if I do hear back from Fuji.

 

[Paul Lange]

To me it looks like they have just done the equivalent of stopping down further in order to give a perceived increase in sharpness. Probably some idiot (self appointed guru) complained about the DOF on one of those other forums and caused mass panic.

 

[Jim Kuo]

Thanks Paul, I went out yesterday specifically to test if the "correct" DOF (according to DOF calculator, not the X100's white bar) is in fact sufficiently sharp for X100. All of these were taken at F11, and focus distance set to around 2.5 meters. So all the pictures should be sharp from 1.43m to infinity.

Took this one specifically for the purpose of DOF "testing". The grass in the foreground looks sufficiently sharp to me, so is the tree in the background. This one is straight from camera to LR, no pp applied.

The rest only had cropping, and some colour conversion applied, but no software sharpening.

You can check out the larger size pics here.

https://picasaweb.google.com/112890114633189959467/HeverToLeigh#

I think the standard calculation with CoC of 0.020mm is fine.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Did my ramblings make any sense Paul? You are better at that technical stuff than me!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I wonder of Fuji changed a basic parameter in their AF set-up, and this was also being used to calculate the DOF for the display bar?

People are saying AF is better, but also that the AF assist in MF is now cr@p!

 

[Jim Kuo]

It seems to me they simply changed (made a mistake) the value assigned to CoC constant in the X100 firmware code.

 

[Hamish Gill]

I wonder of Fuji changed a basic parameter in their AF set-up, and this was also being used to calculate the DOF for the display bar?

People are saying AF is better, but also that the AF assist in MF is now cr@p!

I thought that was just me ...
I hate stuff like this ... its not documented properly so i have no idea whether or not these things are actually happening or are just user error reinforced by hearsay! this basically sums up one of my big issues with camera related technical forums, so much stuff gets chatted and no real answers are ever reached and the opinion of the loudest shouter is accepted ... it really pickles me!

 

[Jim Kuo]

What AF assist in MF are you talking about?

 

[Hamish Gill]

in mf press the afl ael button and it activates af