EVF color accuracy

[deva]

Hi Peeps,

 

Today is my first day with my new X-Pro2. The color of the EVF is not right. It is blue compared to the OVF and when I take a photo, the appearance of the photo is different between the LCD and the EVF with the EVF being bluer. 

 

Is this a known problem? Do I have a faulty model? Any suggestions?

[deva]

I tried the X-Pro2 with the 16 1.4 and 18-135

 

Then I just tried both with my X-T1. The X-T1 is 'right'.  It matches (with expected variation for film simulation etc) what my eye sees both in the EVF and the LCD. And the EVF and LCD seem the same.

 

The X-Pro2 is too blue both with the LCD and EVF with the EVF being more off than the LCD. 

 

Both cameras are set to default auto WB and tested outside on a sunny day and with standard film simulation.

[Aswald]

I would say the EVF is "whiter" than the LCD.

 

I've just checked, both the X-Pro2 and X-Pro1 are like that.

 

Funny thing is, it never bothered me and I didn't notice it until you mentioned it.

[wilsontx]

Maybe it varies from sample to sample.  With my X-Pro1, the image that appears in the EVF matches what shows up on the rear LCD and is a good indicator of how the jpeg will appear.  As for my X-Pro2, the image in the EVF is definitely off.  The EVF is signifcantly "bluer".   

Edited April 2, 2016 by wilsontx

[deva]

On my X-Pro2 the EVF Brightness control was set to Auto by default. That produces some unpredictable results. Sometimes it was much darker than the LCD on image previews.

 

Setting EVF Brightness to Manual and a value of 0 makes it more consistently close to the LCD in terms of brightness.

 

The above however, does not affect the blue cast to the EVF which is pronounced. The LCD is fine, but the EVF is off enough that I consider it buggy or effectively broken as a representation of the color of the captured image (jpg)... plus it is just not pleasing to look at. It's rather disappointing.

 

I'm guessing there is some amount of variation from camera to camera. If the store demo I had tried was as off as the one I purchased, I feel confident I would have noticed. 

[deva]

I took my camera back to the store today to compare to their demo model. The demo model has the same/similar blue cast to the EVF as mine does. I remember now, I didn't actually know how to switch between OVF and EVF when I handled the demo at the store. Switching between them back and forth is the obvious way to see the discrepancy. Once I noticed it, I cannot 'un-notice' it. 

 

I didn't return the camera (yet) as I have 30 days to do so. I'm gonna call Fuji, then decide. 

 

Unless Fuji does some sort of firmware correction, I will not be keeping the X-Pro2 long term. The blue cast bothers me too much. The question for myself is, can I tolerate it until the X-T2 comes out (or return it and get another X-T1)? The joystick is fantastic, the build quality is better than my X-T1, it has 2 card slots, the Acros film simulation and faster AF with more AF points. All those things are compelling improvements so I feel motivation to tolerate it. 

[Aswald]

Does sound like the X-T2 is your machine. Hope it doesn't have the same issues.

[deva]

Does sound like the X-T2 is your machine. Hope it doesn't have the same issues.

 

 

That may be... but for now, there is no X-T2 and I just purchased a high end camera and I'd like an EVF that isn't wonky

[Aswald]

Will have to wait and hear what Fujifilm has to say. Not too sure if firmware can "calibrate" the evf. By right it should.

[vince]

I have an X100S and X-Pro2. I observed the blue cast you described in the EVF on both cameras. I haven't used an X-T1 before, so the blue cast seemed normal to me. I did not know the EVF on the X-T1 was color accurate! This slightly bothers me now. On the X-Pro2, it is especially noticeable when you toggle between OVF and EVF. Furthermore, if you're using OVF and add the little EVF focus preview box (ERF dual display), you get a side-by-side comparison of how much bluer the colors in the focus preview box are.

 

 

Please keep us informed when Fujifilm gets back to you.

[chudlyfudly]

I have an X-T1 and X-Pro 2 and have also noticed the blue tint on the EVF. Although it's not great, to be totally honest when I was in the middle of a session my mind switched off to it. I find it more jarring though if I chimp at all and notice the LCD looking slightly warmer (presumably as a result of me getting used to the blue tint in the EVF).

[deva]

I have an X100S and X-Pro2. I observed the blue cast you described in the EVF on both cameras. I haven't used an X-T1 before, so the blue cast seemed normal to me. I did not know the EVF on the X-T1 was color accurate! This slightly bothers me now. On the X-Pro2, it is especially noticeable when you toggle between OVF and EVF. Furthermore, if you're using OVF and add the little EVF focus preview box (ERF dual display), you get a side-by-side comparison of how much bluer the colors in the focus preview box are.

 

 

Please keep us informed when Fujifilm gets back to you.

 

 

 

The EVF in the X-T1 is not exactly color accurate in the perfection sense. For example, in shadows it is a bit too green so in the shadow area purple is not right and green can be a bit too saturated. That said, on my X-T1, the overall tonality is accurate. I can judge the overall WB by the EVF and what I see in the EVF matches overall tonality to the LCD and the resulting image on my laptop screen. 

 

The X-Pro2 EVF is not dependable for judging WB because it has this overall bluish cast. BTW, the X-Pro2 and X-T1 LCD's are pretty close when both cameras are set to auto WB. I have not compared on my laptop the same image shot with both cameras (same lens) using auto WB to see if they have some variation there in how they calculate WB.

 

 

So I talked to Fuji today. They confirm that all X-Pro2's have the bluish cast in the EVF so there seems to be no point to swap cameras. At this time Fuji is calling this 'normal' behavior and there is no plan to address it in firmware (assuming that is possible). They have been receiving a fair number of phone calls about it. I told them I consider this an unacceptable flaw in a pro camera and not normal. If my X-T1 can be more accurate, than so can this one.

 

I imagine if they receive enough calls, they will do something about it. So I encourage anyone who would like to see it improved to call Fuji and say so.

 

I still have a bit over 3 weeks to decide to keep the camera or not.

Edited April 6, 2016 by deva

[Kydan]

I just received my X-Pro 2 yesterday, and when I brought the camera into work, a co-worker immediately noticed the blueish/cool tint of the EVF.   Of course, now that's all I see, so I'm fairly disappointed.   The points above are valid, its hard to judge white balance and judge the impact of the various film simulations, beyond the fact the EVF image just looks poor now to me.   I planned to try the OVF a fair amount, but imagine I'd switch to the EVF to validate how the actually shot will come out.    The difference in color is pretty jarring then.

 

I've never noticed this issue with my X-T10, which I think has a much more accurate EVF.

 

Unfortunate, as I was considering selling my Nikon D810 and lenses to make a full switch to Fuji.   Now I need to wait for the X-T2.   I realize, in theory, that 16MP is usually more then enough, but after coming from the Nikon, I really wanted to upgrade to a 24MP sensor.   The X-T10 and couple lenses I had have really impressed me, but now I'm fairly disappointed with the X-Pro2.

[deva]

I just received my X-Pro 2 yesterday, and when I brought the camera into work, a co-worker immediately noticed the blueish/cool tint of the EVF.   Of course, now that's all I see, so I'm fairly disappointed.   The points above are valid, its hard to judge white balance and judge the impact of the various film simulations, beyond the fact the EVF image just looks poor now to me.   I planned to try the OVF a fair amount, but imagine I'd switch to the EVF to validate how the actually shot will come out.    The difference in color is pretty jarring then.

 

I've never noticed this issue with my X-T10, which I think has a much more accurate EVF.

 

Unfortunate, as I was considering selling my Nikon D810 and lenses to make a full switch to Fuji.   Now I need to wait for the X-T2.   I realize, in theory, that 16MP is usually more then enough, but after coming from the Nikon, I really wanted to upgrade to a 24MP sensor.   The X-T10 and couple lenses I had have really impressed me, but now I'm fairly disappointed with the X-Pro2.

 

 

agreed... Switching between OVF and EVF is jarring. The difference is big and dominates the result. WB cannot be judged by the EVF. Are people mostly using the OVF? 

 

I read 3-4 glowing reviews of the X-Pro2 and not one of the ones I read mentioned the strong bluish cast to the EVF. I don't see how it is possible to review a high end camera and not notice and talk about this. I'm surprised this is not being talked about more by users as well. 

 

Please contact Fuji and say something. More people contacting them means greater chance of them addressing it.

[Aswald]

The EVF on the xpro2 is superior to the xpro1 and is significantly whiter than the xt1 with the xt1 being the "warmest" of the 3 and the largest and most comfortable to view.

 

Apart from checking focus, brightness and composition I never relied on the evf for wb. I'd check the lcd and on my monitors eventually. For landscape, I'd look straight at the lcd on live view. It never bothered me.

 

I nicked this off blueswanmedia. He was comparing the evf size. The color balance shown is close to what I'm seeing on all my cameras too.

 

 

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[Kydan]

Since the cooler EVF is apparently a problem on the X-Pro1 too, Fuji is likely to not adjust it on the X-Pro2.   I'm not sure why there couldn't be a configurable option, but maybe the quality of the screen isn't as good based on how the OVF/EVF functionality works.   

 

I think if I'd focus more on the LCD for landscapes, and other work, I'd lean towards the X-T2, based on having (presumably) a tilting LCD.    The X-Pro2 really seems geared to users using the EVF/OVF combination, which is why I'm surprised the EVF is so inaccurate.    Checking white balance aside, the EVF really ruins the impact of choosing different film modes and seeing their effect during composing/shooting.    I enjoy the pleasing 'color's the Fuji produces, which is one of the more fun points of using the Fuji, that is taken away in the X-Pro2, for me at least.

 

X-T1 EVF looks pretty amazing.

[deva]

The EVF on the xpro2 is superior to the xpro1 and is significantly whiter than the xt1 with the xt1 being the "warmest" of the 3 and the largest and most comfortable to view.

 

Apart from checking focus, brightness and composition I never relied on the evf for wb. I'd check the lcd and on my monitors eventually. For landscape, I'd look straight at the lcd on live view. It never bothered me.

 

I nicked this off blueswanmedia. He was comparing the evf size. The color balance shown is close to what I'm seeing on all my cameras too.

 

 

I probably depend on the EVF more than you cause my eyes don't focus as close as they used to. I value the diopter adjustment of the EVF. With the LCD I have to hold the camera a foot and a half away to focus and then it is hard to see the details. 

 

It is not that the X-T1 EVF is warmest, it is that the X-Pro(1 and 2) is way off and not just in a linear way. In those images you posted (thanks), look how wildly different the table looks. I am confident to say that the X-T1 version above probably looks quite close to the actual table color and not that bizarre whitish table top of the X-Pro's. Without seeing the X-T1 EVF, you could not even guess the general color of that table top in the X-Pro2 EVF image. 

Edited April 7, 2016 by deva

[khollister]

I suppose if you were shooting jpg's and expecting to use them SOOC, this might be a problem, but for those of us that shoot raw it doesn't seem all that disastrous. Other than weird indoor lighting, I have come to trust the Fuji AWB and largely ignore the WB in the EVF since it will likely be fine, and if it isn't its not like I was going to fix it in camera anyway.

 

I agree that it would be nice if the EVF better matched the LCD (and I don't understand why Fuji can't/won't put individual LCD & EVF WB adjustments in the firmware - Olympus does it), but I don't feel it is the end of the world that some others apparently do. The X-Pro1 was like this too, and I don't recall reading similar comments about that camera.

 

just sayin' ...

[rlewis]

I never noticed the blue cast until reading this post.  I guess I see a little bluish tint but maybe I was accepting it because I shoot Jpeg with Classic Chrome film sim most all of the time and it is a little on the cool side for color.  

 

BTW, the Auto WB on the XP2 is probably the best of any digital camera I've owned.  It seems to be extremely accurate even in shade or on cloudy days.  My other two Fujis are always on the cool side and I have to usually manually adjust.  That may be another reason I haven't noticed the problem.  The images just seem to come out right.

[Aswald]

I probably depend on the EVF more than you cause my eyes don't focus as close as they used to. I value the diopter adjustment of the EVF. With the LCD I have to hold the camera a foot and a half away to focus and then it is hard to see the details. 

 

It is not that the X-T1 EVF is warmest, it is that the X-Pro(1 and 2) is way off and not just in a linear way. In those images you posted (thanks), look how wildly different the table looks. I am confident to say that the X-T1 version above probably looks quite close to the actual table color and not that bizarre whitish table top of the X-Pro's. Without seeing the X-T1 EVF, you could not even guess the general color of that table top in the X-Pro2 EVF image. 

 

Yes, I do agree that the X-T1 evf is very good. It's like a relief looking through it.

 

Sounds like you need reading glasses. It's very inconvenient for photography.

 

I'm not sure if Fujifilm stated anywhere that their evf is color certified. Unless the manufacturer is willing to "color correct" this tint, we may have to live with it.

[Aswald]

Since the cooler EVF is apparently a problem on the X-Pro1 too, Fuji is likely to not adjust it on the X-Pro2.   I'm not sure why there couldn't be a configurable option, but maybe the quality of the screen isn't as good based on how the OVF/EVF functionality works.   

 

I think if I'd focus more on the LCD for landscapes, and other work, I'd lean towards the X-T2, based on having (presumably) a tilting LCD.    The X-Pro2 really seems geared to users using the EVF/OVF combination, which is why I'm surprised the EVF is so inaccurate.    Checking white balance aside, the EVF really ruins the impact of choosing different film modes and seeing their effect during composing/shooting.    I enjoy the pleasing 'color's the Fuji produces, which is one of the more fun points of using the Fuji, that is taken away in the X-Pro2, for me at least.

 

X-T1 EVF looks pretty amazing.

Yes, the xt1 evf is probably the best of the lot. Very comfortable to view. It's possible due to the space accorded to it by the "prism" hump on top of the body. The rangefinder style xpros just don't have enough space for a larger evf.

[Aswald]

I suppose if you were shooting jpg's and expecting to use them SOOC, this might be a problem, but for those of us that shoot raw it doesn't seem all that disastrous. Other than weird indoor lighting, I have come to trust the Fuji AWB and largely ignore the WB in the EVF since it will likely be fine, and if it isn't its not like I was going to fix it in camera anyway.

 

I agree that it would be nice if the EVF better matched the LCD (and I don't understand why Fuji can't/won't put individual LCD & EVF WB adjustments in the firmware - Olympus does it), but I don't feel it is the end of the world that some others apparently do. The X-Pro1 was like this too, and I don't recall reading similar comments about that camera.

 

just sayin' ...

 

I'm probably behind too as I never notice anything until I read this post. I'm still deciding if it's a problem at all....

[Aswald]

I never noticed the blue cast until reading this post.  I guess I see a little bluish tint but maybe I was accepting it because I shoot Jpeg with Classic Chrome film sim most all of the time and it is a little on the cool side for color.  

 

BTW, the Auto WB on the XP2 is probably the best of any digital camera I've owned.  It seems to be extremely accurate even in shade or on cloudy days.  My other two Fujis are always on the cool side and I have to usually manually adjust.  That may be another reason I haven't noticed the problem.  The images just seem to come out right.

 

The awb on the xpro2 is fantastic. Sometimes it takes my 5D3 to the awb cleaners. I find that it's ability to translate awkward and uncorrectable color cast really very, very accurate.

[Kydan]

I don't think anyone is arguing that the X-Pro2 doesn't take great photos. Myself, and maybe others, are just disappointed the EVF is pretty poor, worse then any other digital carama I've used. I really enjoy the proces of taking photos with Fujis, from the X-E1 I have to the X-T10. The X-Pro 2, for me, should have been the ultimate experience with the OVF/EVF combination. I just find it a disappointing aesthetic experience. I'd to just use the OVF, but I can't always. If the X-Pro2 was a $600 entry camera, then great, but I'm leaning towards just waiting on the X-T2 now.

 

Would, at some point, at least understand why the EVF is poor. Everything else with the camera is very high quality and thought out.

[Aswald]

I shoot with xpro1, xt1, xpro2, omd em1, sony a7ii, lx100....... I don't find the xpro2 evf poor at all. Different, yes.

 

In any case, I believe the evf for the XT2 will be built on the evf of the XT1. It should be great.