Chris W Posted May 27 Share #41 Posted May 27 Advertisement (gone after registration) Fuji have been erroneously linking their cameras to LeicaM for years. It's publicity only, not ergonomics, design or workflow. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 27 Posted May 27 Hi Chris W, Take a look here Fuji XHF-1 Half Frame. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
frame-it Posted May 27 Author Share #42 Posted May 27 3 hours ago, Einst_Stein said: Wrong! All S cameras used Nikon F mount. The last two Ss (S5, IS?) were announced in 2006, 2007. The first Fujifilm X mount camera was Xpro1, announced in 2012? way after X100. It is the first true M clone (by the look) that has interchangeable lens, but not M mount. good to know! thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzajl Posted May 27 Share #43 Posted May 27 53 minutes ago, Chris W said: Fuji have been erroneously linking their cameras to LeicaM for years. It's publicity only, not ergonomics, design or workflow. That feels a little harsh. I don't recall seeing anything directly from Fuji linking their cameras to Leica, though many lazy comparisons have been made my a lot of other folks because some X models look like rangefinders. Fuji had been making genuine rangefinder cameras since the 1940s and in typical Fuji style, have gone far wider with the design scope than anyone else. And as expected, with various degrees of hits and misses. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 27 Share #44 Posted May 27 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Dazzajl said: That feels a little harsh. I don't recall seeing anything directly from Fuji linking their cameras to Leica They routinely describe their cameras as 'rangefinder style' in promotional material. It's like saying any car is 'Ferrari Style'. If it doesn't use the rangefinder focussing method, it isn't a rangefinder (style or not). If they offered one I might buy it. Edited May 27 by Chris W 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frame-it Posted May 27 Author Share #45 Posted May 27 (edited) 2 hours ago, Chris W said: They routinely describe their cameras as 'rangefinder style' in promotional material. It's like saying any car is 'Ferrari Style'. If it doesn't use the rangefinder focussing method, it isn't a rangefinder (style or not). All they mean is the viewfinder's on the left, not in the center, sony and fuji both say that for certain models...feel free to bash sony too. Edited May 27 by frame-it 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simone_DF Posted May 27 Share #46 Posted May 27 11 hours ago, Einst_Stein said: You are wrong. Fuji’s large sensor digital camera were called S something. Only after X100 turned to X, after a Leica X1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujica_X-mount Copy paste from Wikipedia: "The Fujica X-mount was a lens mount created by Fujifilm in the late 1970s and early 1980s for the new Fujica SLR lineup" 11 hours ago, Einst_Stein said: The rising of X100 was credited to it cloned Leica M’s outlook. More like Leica M than X1. Don't be absurd. Nobody copied Leica. The X1 was released in 2010, the X100 in 2011. It takes 2 to 4 years for product development between various stages including design, market research, prototype, testing, large scale production and delivery. This is why Leica's release cycle is 4 years, and it took Panasonic 5 years to release a S1 successor. Look at the recent GFX 100RF, a blogger involved in the initial scoping of the camera said the initial idea came about in 2020, it was actually released 5 years later. This is not counting that Fujifilm is a humongous corporation that outsells everything on the market. To put it into perspective, Fuji has sold more Instax cameras than all digital cameras sold by Canon and Sony combined together. So no, they did not copy an unsuccessful camera from a super niche German company that was discontinued after 3 iterations. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 27 Share #47 Posted May 27 Advertisement (gone after registration) 1 hour ago, frame-it said: All they mean is the viewfinder's on the left, not in the center, sony and fuji both say that for certain models...feel free to bash sony too. Sure, I haven't seen Sony advertise 'rangefinder' for their cameras, maybe they have. With Fuji it's an addiction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzajl Posted May 27 Share #48 Posted May 27 1 minute ago, Chris W said: Sure, I haven't seen Sony advertise 'rangefinder' for their cameras, maybe they have. With Fuji it's an addiction. You know that if you except that all M versions are an evolution of the initial design etc, that Fuji have made more rangefinders than Leica and that rangefinders as a concept predate Leica by about 200 years. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 27 Share #49 Posted May 27 I think the last rangefinder they made was a medium format film camera decades ago. I really don't know why this is a debate. Almost every new camera they launch they describe as 'rangefinder style'. It ties in with their retro, hipster fanbase. As I said, if they ACTUALLY released a rangefinder, like Epson, Pixxi and Leica, I'd probably buy one. I used to enjoy my X100T, but it really has nothing to do with rangefinder shooting. Quite rightly it's more closely compared to the Q (alsonon-rangefinder). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzajl Posted May 27 Share #50 Posted May 27 30 minutes ago, Chris W said: As I said, if they ACTUALLY released a rangefinder, like Epson, Pixxi and Leica, I'd probably buy one. That would be very welcome indeed. Not looking very likely is it, I don't see them making a manual focus digital camera now. Though maybe if the hamsters rise up and demand one.....? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 29 Share #51 Posted May 29 Weirdly, this new YouTube video really nails it. As I have said, why haven't Fuji released an ACTUAL digital rangefinder instead of repeating their 'rangefinder style' marketing hype: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simone_DF Posted May 29 Share #52 Posted May 29 5 hours ago, Chris W said: Weirdly, this new YouTube video really nails it. As I have said, why haven't Fuji released an ACTUAL digital rangefinder instead of repeating their 'rangefinder style' marketing hype: Because rangefinders are a really niche market (most people want autofocus, not fiddling back and forth with the lens), while Fuji, being a megacorporation, is aiming at mass appeal. Nothing wrong with that, and it leaves Leica and Pixii a market where they can thrive. Fyi Rangefinder-style has been the de-facto description of any camera with the evf/ovf on the side and without a top bump or prism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_retro-style_digital_cameras https://www.dpreview.com/products/search/cameras#criterias=SpecsCoreParams¶mSpecsCoreParamsBodyType=RangefinderStyleMirrorless https://www.thephoblographer.com/2022/03/24/the-best-rangefinder-cameras-youll-love-and-rangefinder-style/ https://www.mpb.com/en-eu/content/kit-guides/top-digital-cameras-for-film-like-photography So, from a marketing perspective, I do understand why Fuji is using the term in its marketing strategy, and also why it works for them 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 30 Share #53 Posted May 30 17 hours ago, Simone_DF said: Because rangefinders are a really niche market You don't think a half frame digital with a lot of compromises in ergonomics and picture quality is a 'niche market'? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted May 30 Share #54 Posted May 30 (edited) I think most people buying one of these cameras will know anything about rangefinders, they'll assume this is just one of the ways cameras are designed and made. Neither will they appreciate just how stupid it is. Edited May 30 by 250swb Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simone_DF Posted May 30 Share #55 Posted May 30 4 hours ago, Chris W said: You don't think a half frame digital with a lot of compromises in ergonomics and picture quality is a 'niche market'? No, because as I said in a previous post, it caters exactly to an intended audience that is looking for a specific “look”, not technical perfection, at a price point where it can compete with the demand for used p&s. If I have to spend 400€ for a Canon Elph from 2010, I’d rather spend a bit more and get one of these Fujis that will give me peace of mind for durability, repairs, warranty, battery life, etc. Fuji in 2019 alone sold 10 millions of Instax cameras. Do you think any of these 10 millions customers cares about image quality? Maybe you and I, but we are not the target demographic for these cameras (I actually have one myself) You also forget that producing a p&s is way cheaper than a real rangefinder, plus the r&d required for a new set of lenses. A rangefinder produced by Fuji would not cost less than 2500€ body only. As for ergonomics, that’s a subjective matter. The camera is supposed to be an edc that fits in your pocket, not a gargantuan SL2 with Summilux SL. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 30 Share #56 Posted May 30 2 hours ago, Simone_DF said: Fuji in 2019 alone sold 10 millions of Instax cameras. Do you think any of these 10 millions customers cares about image quality? Maybe you and I, but we are not the target demographic for these cameras (I actually have one myself) It's a $600 camera don't forget. The Instax (I've had one too...and the printer) is about instant results. This is just a digital camera with handicaps. Pretty much all the reviewers agree with me by the way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzajl Posted May 30 Share #57 Posted May 30 1 hour ago, Chris W said: Pretty much all the reviewers agree with me by the way. Nothing much to disagree with in many of your comments on this camera. I do think that by the end of this year, the unit sales will surpass all of Leica’s output for the last decade. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good, just popular. It’s probable we’ll see only a small percentage of those in Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simone_DF Posted May 30 Share #58 Posted May 30 Turns out the camera is already selling well. Even though it’s only a preorder, it ranks 29th on Amazon US. The first Panasonic camera we see in the list is the m4/3 G7 at #47, and the first L Mount camera is the S5IIX at #64. https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Mirrorless-Cameras/zgbs/electronics/3109924011 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frame-it Posted May 31 Author Share #59 Posted May 31 https://fujixweekly.com/2025/05/22/the-fujifilm-x-half-target-market-why-most-get-this-wrong-and-why-it-matters/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 31 Share #60 Posted May 31 It is a bit of a fan site. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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