Fujifilm’s New X100S With Digital Split Image Focus

[Keith (M)]

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Another innovation from Fuji - sounds very interesting.

[jaapv]

More SLR than RF, but VERY interesting

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[Stealth3kpl]

There have been some great innovations of late. I like the idea of a dial on top to quickly select a shutter speed. The aperture selecting feature in the form of a ring around the lens is conveniently close to the fingers of the left hand. Another ring around the lens that's simply twisted allowing two images or lines to be brought into coincidence is innovative too. I wonder where these designers are getting their ideas.

I see a future where the sensor is interchangable depending on whether one wants colour or black and white, grainy or otherwise. It could be in the form of a membrane that rolls on a spool into some sort of container to allow its removal without affecting the membrane by light. But I fear these things are mere fantasy.

Pete

[Lightwrangler]

Another innovation from Fuji - sounds very interesting.

 

To me it sounds like a rather stupid electronic mimicry of a brilliant analogue invention. We will see. But Fuji seems to develop a history in copying analogue ideas digitally and then calling it "innovative" or "hybrid" or whatever. At least they seem to best understand their male customers and their reaction to those trigger-words.

 

Mike

[Keith (M)]

But some might argue that Fuji have taken a very sound concept that has proved it's worth over many years and replaced the opto-mechanical method with an opto-electonic version that is (well, should be) more robust in terms of not drifting out of alignment.

 

On the other hand, it may well be viewed as a marketing ploy...

 

Personally, I shall stick with my M's and IIIg.

[Paul J]

Very interesting indeed it will depend on the execution of corse but I'm certainly interested to see it. It has the potential to be another Fuji Gimmick. It's a good innovation, erm, marketing tool for an update that's for sure.

[iedei]

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Fuji needs to stop mucking about with neo-retro stuff and just put out a full-on Rangefinder camera. Until then, i'm still completely uninterested!

[mjh]

More SLR than RF, but VERY interesting

Yes, from reading the available information it looks like something more akin to a split prism focusing aid rather than a rangefinder. Historically the split prism focusing aid inspired the design of the phase-detection AF and Fuji’s digital split-image focusing aid depends on the phase-detection pixels embedded on the Mark II version of the X-Trans sensor. The phase-detection AF calculates a phase difference and the split-image display is just a visualisation of that difference.

[zlatkob]

To me it sounds like a rather stupid electronic mimicry of a brilliant analogue invention. We will see. But Fuji seems to develop a history in copying analogue ideas digitally and then calling it "innovative" or "hybrid" or whatever.

 

In concept, there is nothing stupid about it. Its usefulness depends on the implementation, of course, which could be good or bad. Fuji's X series cameras have gained a lot of interest because they combine elements of digital and analog cameras in very interesting ways. And they do so in a body size that is fairly compact, neither too big nor too small. The problem with these cameras (so far) has been that they have been first generation efforts with some rather obvious faults: poor autofocus and even worse manual focus. Based on the press release, this new Fuji seems to address those two biggest faults in some way. How well remains to be seen. It is very encouraging that they're putting their efforts exactly where most needed in order to make these cameras more functional.

[Lightwrangler]

poor autofocus and even worse manual focus.

 

Manual focus indeed should have been one of their main construction sites, but the news about just another gadget called "digital split image" does not make me confident. What they should have done is something like a zero point for focus and minimize manual focus throw. What need is all this innovation if I have to turn the focus ring a thousand times to get the split-image aligned?

 

But I agree - we will see how it is implemented.

 

Mike

Edited January 7, 2013 by Royal_Corona

[bill]

I'm a very satisfied X10 owner, watching these developments with great interest...

 

I have finally come to the conclusion that honkin' great (D)SLRs are not for me; my D700 is going to eBay in the next few days. I have been eyeing the Fuji range for some time now; Ricoh appear to have lost interest in bringing out a successor to the brilliant but now long in the tooth M Module and Fuji are developing some really nice ideas. Let's see where this goes...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[Tonki-M]

very interesting! lets just hope that it is more practical than the current manual focus of the Fuji X series..

[zlatkob]

Looks like there's a demo of the split image focusing here: 富士 Digital Sprit Image—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看

 

And a video about the camera here (after the advertisement): http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDk4NTYxMTEy.html

Edited January 7, 2013 by zlatkob

[Paul J]

Looks like there's a demo of the split image focusing here: 富士 Digital Sprit Image—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看

 

And a video about the camera here (after the advertisement): (Japanese Text removed - pop)

 

That looks good. I wonder what the latency is like.

 

I particularly liked the title of the video.

 

视频: 富士 Digital Sprit Image

Edited January 7, 2013 by pop
Forum software lost part of the post following some Japanese text;

[zlatkob]

More info coming. First look at DPRevew:

Fujifilm X100S First Look: Digital Photography Review

 

Fuji Guys' hands on preview:

[Lightwrangler]

The responsiveness of the manual focus ring has been improved - it's now sensitive to smaller rotations.

 

Sounds promising.

 

Mike

[Tonki-M]

Check out The Fuji Guy Youtube channel on the X100s. They demonstrated its potential quite clearly. Focusing on things w/o long vertical lines, isnt going to work. focusing on this that has vertical lines, but SMALL also isnt gonna work.

 

it baffles me that he needed to push the zoom-in to enlarge the focus patch to be able to focus...what is the point really.. seems like a gimmick to give people the ersatz-RF experience.

 

[zlatkob]

it baffles me that he needed to push the zoom-in to enlarge the focus patch to be able to focus...what is the point really.. seems like a gimmick to give people the ersatz-RF experience.

 

 

I don't think he needed to push the zoom-in to enlarge the focus patch to be able to focus. I understood that he was enlarging it to make the prism action clearer for the video. Likewise, the focus peaking seemed to work just fine in the full screen view. But he enlarged it to make the peaking clearer for the video and, I suppose, to show that enlarging is an option.

 

It's not really an ersatz-RF experience because it doesn't do what an RF does. But it does offer two non-RF methods of manual focus (split image and focus peaking) for those who want manual focus. Those sound like good options for this type of camera, which is intended primarily as an autofocus camera.

[Ecaton]

Now compared to the X1 - X2, what Fuji did is an evolutionary improvement of an already excellent little camera. They seem to listen to the market. A pitty to see how Leica tries to catch up on the electronic side of the equitation and still does not look competitive when it comes to innovate.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[plasticman]

It's only a matter of time before the M viewfinder works in this electronic way. When that happens, everyone on this forum will be hailing it as a marvel of modern technology.