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X-T1 FW 4.0 BETA: I have it and share my findings soon ;)


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Warwick you're going to get slobber on the lens if you're not careful! :P Great shot!

 

Another change I love: Shutter Type and Face Detection buttons now cycle values directly!

 

Before if you assigned these to a function button pushing it would bring up a menu, you'd have to go up/down to choose a value, then push shutter to confirm. Now when you push the function button it immediately changes the value! Way faster and something many people have asked for, Thanks Fuji!

 

That said it's really hard to see what is happening because there's no visual indicator of the change. You have to have Shutter Type set up in DISP. CUSTOM SETTINGS to see when the shutter type changes and the only way to see when FD changes is to have Photometry ticked in DISP. CUSTOM SETTINGS (because photometry shows an eye icon when FD is enabled). 

 

Hopefully Fuji adds an overlay/animation/floating menu when you use these buttons, since right now it's hard to even know if it's working (I thought my button was broken). 

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Does it improve the 18mm - 55m f2.8-4 focus and  does it improve the 55mm - 200mm 3.5-4.8 focus to?

 

Thanks in advance ;) 

As far as FW4 is aimed to overall improvement of autofocus work, all lenses will focus faster and precise. But some people can see or feel the difference, some not. 

Also EV of focusing became 0.5 instead of 2.5 in previous FWs and that means that now it is easier to aim in low light conditions.

Let's wait and see if Fuji also release a FW update to lenses.

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re: Shutter type function button cycles values directly:

 

Not the case with FW4.

 

Can you confirm that it is the case with the X-T10?

 

My sense was that X-T10 and X-T1 fw 4.0 were basically the same system, I guess there are some important differences if this change isn't part of the X-T1 firmware. IMHO it's great and should apply to all the cameras with Shutter Type and Face Detection buttons.

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Just finished doing some quick tests with various lenses (10-24, 14, 23, 27, 35, Zeiss 50, 55-200 and 56) and I'm  :) . However, I did come across a lighting situation where the camera struggled to focus with the 56mm. Below is an image of a djembe drum (situated 4' from where I snapped the shot) that gave the 56mm fits. But on the next image of the paint cans (about 14' away) the AF snapped into focus almost instantaneously. Seems like surface brightness is effecting phase detection.
 
 
 

 

Cheers!

Rolly

 

I don't think it has anything to do with th FW, it may be the 56.  I wound up returning mine as I couldn't stand the hunting back and forth.  

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I had two XE1 which each would freeze.  Flysurfer acts like he is surprised about it.   Even Dpreview, the largest photography site in the world, acknowledge in their reviews of first Fuji X cameras that they freeze and software crashed in them.   But they loved the cameras anyway.     

My X-E1 NEVER, ever froze up on me.  I used it from February 2013, to March 2014 (when my X-T1 arrived).  And I put more than 50,000 images through the X-E1...

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Here are the ranges for the various shutter modes in the T setting:

 

ES - 1" to 1/32000

MS - 30" to 1/4000

ES+MS - 30" to 1/32000

 

AE bracketing still +/- 1 EV  :angry: . Someone at Fuji must hate HDR...

 

Cheers!

Rolly

They are not the only ones who hate HDR ;)

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Try restraining yourself from "spray and pray" shooting  B)

 

Right. Well, considering that I can't tell the bride, "Sorry, I would have gotten the shot of you and your dad coming down the aisle, but the damn camera just wouldn't focus, because I was using a Fuji X camera with sub-par continuous focus" I think that I can justify complaining about it a little. Particularly because this was NEVER an issue for me with my Canon autofocus. That being said, I've learned a few things about continuous focusing with the XT1 on this forum and I am happy to say that I was clearly not using the camera properly in the first place. 

 

I no longer consider the XT1 to be "sub-par continuous focus" (even before FW 4). But I will say that there is a definite learning curve to using it compared to how DSLR continuous focus works. I would say that some forum members are much more helpful than others at figuring this out. 

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Right. Well, considering that I can't tell the bride, "Sorry, I would have gotten the shot of you and your dad coming down the aisle, but the damn camera just wouldn't focus, because I was using a Fuji X camera with sub-par continuous focus" I think that I can justify complaining about it a little. Particularly because this was NEVER an issue for me with my Canon autofocus. That being said, I've learned a few things about continuous focusing with the XT1 on this forum and I am happy to say that I was clearly not using the camera properly in the first place. 

 

I no longer consider the XT1 to be "sub-par continuous focus" (even before FW 4). But I will say that there is a definite learning curve to using it compared to how DSLR continuous focus works. I would say that some forum members are much more helpful than others at figuring this out. 

 

Processionals are so boringly predictable that you don't need an AF at all. Just pre-visualize the shot, then prefocus and wait for the subject(s) to reach the X mark. Then rinse and repeat for the next spot and/or subject. Recessionals are a bit less predictable, as people tend to interact with each other… but you already got your "quasi formal" perspective during processional, so ditch that long lens, get wide, go close and personal. Even Canikon users can benefit from this strategy.

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FYI

In CL you can use all new AF features, so wide tracking with contrast detection all over the frame and zone AF wit 3x3 - 5x3 - 5x5 box

In CH you can use only the part of the sensor covered by PDAF. So no wide tracking all over the frame and no 5x5 box

 

Thank you Patrick for trying to clarify all these exceptions! It's infuriating and inscrutable as a normal user just trying to make them work. I picked up my camera to confirm what you said here and had to change many settings before I actually got to the point where AF-C+CH was working so that I could test the PDAF points aspect. 

 

I was happy to see that, once you are in an AF-C+CH ready mode the AF point/zone UI is automatically converted to only show you the points/zones that are available, this is great! Glad they got it to "just work" in this aspect.

 

Luckily FD seems to self-disable whenever you are in CH mode which makes sense and integrates perfectly because FD is always a "maybe" feature, so if it ever isn't working I won't be shocked. Kind of wish the same would happen with the ES setting (forced off, yellow in Q menu), though I can see how that's not as obvious of a benefit as it is with FD.

 

What's needed now is a symbol/modifier next to the CH symbol ("H"+camera with many frames stacked below) or the "AF-C" symbol that indicates when they aren't going to work because of another setting (ES). I know there is an overlay message shown when switching to CL/CH saying that focus will be locked, but it's easy enough to miss and having a permanent warning would make it easier for people to figure out the whole algorithm that determines whether you can use full AF-C+CH right now.

 

P.S. Just writing all that I had to change what I said many times while trying things out on the camera. Hopefully it gets easier!

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Processionals are so boringly predictable that you don't need an AF at all. Just pre-visualize the shot, then prefocus and wait for the subject(s) to reach the X mark. Then rinse and repeat for the next spot and/or subject. Recessionals are a bit less predictable, as people tend to interact with each other… but you already got your "quasi formal" perspective during processional, so ditch that long lens, get wide, go close and personal. Even Canikon users can benefit from this strategy.

I don't necessarily agree with this predictability, because I have a particular preference on trying to capture the emotions, gesture and expression of the bride and her father as they come down. Sometimes a bride will make an expression as she sees a friend, sometimes the father will look lovingly at his little girl as they walk. These moments and expressions won't be adequately captured I'm just pre-focused at some particular point. I'm not sure how you capture your weddings, but most of my clients BUY those "boringly predictable" shots, so my goal is to make sure I've got a good one and not just the one that lands in my pre-determined focus area.
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I don't necessarily agree with this predictability, because I have a particular preference on trying to capture the emotions, gesture and expression of the bride and her father as they come down. Sometimes a bride will make an expression as she sees a friend, sometimes the father will look lovingly at his little girl as they walk. These moments and expressions won't be adequately captured I'm just pre-focused at some particular point. I'm not sure how you capture your weddings, but most of my clients BUY those "boringly predictable" shots, so my goal is to make sure I've got a good one and not just the one that lands in my pre-determined focus area.

 

There are some moments in the processional that are destined to be lost, unless you work with the second shooter. As for interaction with the father, in 99% of the cases it happens as they approach the finish line; just align yourself for the shot (preferably with mom in the frame) and be ready to switch to the "wide" body.

 

I typically work big ceremonies with a few wirelessly triggered cameras (for example – one above the isle, one behind the altar).

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I declare my eternal loyalty to my beloved FW 4.0 aka and misnamed "4.0 beta" and swear never download the final 4.0, as a proof of sincere acknowledgment to the first french guy to upload it for all brave fuji users not frightened by threats could try and enjoy it as sex without protection, as if never will be tomorrow.   :D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :P

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It's interesting to see the little differences from what is in the X-T10 (like the look of the Point/Zone/Wide AF menu, which is much nicer on X-T10). I thought they'd be essentially the same firmware, but it looks like they've already forked significantly. 

 

Bummer, since it makes it more likely the X-T10 gets abandoned from the upgrade cycle earlier. Would much prefer if their updates were forced to be basically in sync.

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