X100 - New firmware released today

[Chris Dodkin]

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

 

[Jim Kuo]

Do you guys take any action to prolong the battery life considering the metering happens constantly?

 

[Jim Kuo]

Feedback sent to Fujifilm HQ.

Does X100 perform metering all the time when it's switched on? I noticed this when i point my X100 at various locations in a scene, changing from a lighter area to a darker one, I can see the LCD slowly adjust itself to the lighting condition change, while the camera is making some mechanical noises.

All of these, are happening without me half press the shutter button. Could you explain why is X100 designed this way? Isn't it wasteful of battery life? In my opinion, metering should only start to operate when I half-press the shutter button.

It would be great if you could look into this and consider this in the next firmware.

In addition, I noticed that in firmware 1.20, the depth of field indicator (white bar) is even more conservative than older firmware. Please find more elaboration in this forum discussion.

http://www.realphotographersforum.c.../4521-x100-new-firmware-released-today-2.html

Thanks for your work in making X100 a wonderful digital camera to use.

All these, while strange and annoying, do not make X100 a less fun camera to use .

 

[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 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]

Do you guys take any action to prolong the battery life considering the metering happens constantly?

There are power saving options
Otherwise, I have a second battery and try to resist the urge to chimp as much

 

[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 .

 

[Hamish Gill]

Thank you
Let's continue this aspect of the convo here
http://www.realphotographersforum.c...i-x100-dof-scale-even-more-out-than-used.html
If you want to follow up you email to Fuji with a link that would be fine ...

 

[Hamish Gill]

In answer to the metering question
The noise you can hear is the aperture blades closing and opening, this is normal as far as I know ...
It's what makes the display on the back adjust ... Im guessing, but it makes sense to me??

 

[Jim Kuo]

In answer to the metering question
The noise you can hear is the aperture blades closing and opening, this is normal as far as I know ...
It's what makes the display on the back adjust ... Im guessing, but it makes sense to me??

Yes, I wasn't particularly worried about the noise. It was simply a clear indicator to me that the camera is doing stuff (when it shouldn't), and consuming battery life.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Im with you ... Im just not sure that it is doing somthing it shouldn't or in fact that it is anything new ... ???

 

[Jim Kuo]

Im with you ... Im just not sure that it is doing somthing it shouldn't or in fact that it is anything new ... ???

hmm.. true. I am not entirely certain this is the behaviour of the older firmware. Perhaps someone who hasn't upgraded to 1.20 can help us out here by doing some tests for us.

 

[Jim Kuo]

I just downgraded the firmware to 1.13, the differences I noticed.

In 1.13,

1. Manual focus ring is a lot less sensitive than 1.20.
2. The white bar is longer.
3. It is also metering constantly.

Anything I should try before I put it back to 1.20?

 

[Hamish Gill]

Ooo I hadn't noticed that ... Manual focus is MUCH more responsive in v1.2!
Why are these things not listed in the changes?
I can't think of anything else Jim

 

[Hamish Gill]

Ooo I hadn't noticed that ... Manual focus is MUCH more responsive in v1.2!
Why are these things not listed in the changes?
I can't think of anything else Jim

 

[Jim Kuo]

In 1.20, manual focus is useable, if not a tad bit too sensitive for my liking .

I've restored it to 1.20 now. It's now an operationally complete camera, with a few liveable quirks ;-).

 

[Chris Dodkin]

RE power saving - I tend to switch the rear display off when carrying the camera around, and this saves battery life

I leave the OVF as my primary viewing method for composition, and switch to EVF or rear screen as necessary.

Wil follow the new DOF thread - nice work reporting to Fuji Jim

 

[Hamish Gill]

Chris would you link the thread on that Fuji forum you are a member of see if anyone knows anything about the DOF there ... I'll do the same on the one I am a member of ...

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Done!