Fujifilm X-T3, XF 18-55 R OIS
25 July 2024, Montréal, Canada
Big fish
Fujifilm X-T3, XF 18-55 R OIS
25 July 2024, Montréal, Canada
Tag: Fujifilm
Fujifilm X-T3, XF 18-55 R OIS
25 July 2024, Montréal, Canada
Instax Square Link
I just bought a Fujifilm Instax Square Link. It is a device that print Instax Square picture. Send from your smartphone a picture, obtain a hard copy on Instax Square instant film. If you have an Instax Mini Link, this is the same for Instax Square.
What’s in the box?
The box contains the printer, a light manual and a USB-C to A cable for charging.
The printer is battery powered (hence the cable). There is no film. I got a pack of white border and a pack of black borders.
The printer is like a big bar of soap. It is still slightly larger than my Instax Mini 90 Neo camera, but that’s to factor in the difference in size of the film pack.
I has two buttons, large one having a LED to show the status, a large door at the back for the film cartridge and a small trap door hiding the USB charging port and a reset hole. The latter is for cases where the troubleshooting involve turning it off and on. There is no display, like for the number of frames left.
The initial setup consist of charging the printer using the provided USB cable (or any USB-C cable for that matter) and a charger (not included); and loading the instax square cartridge. That step is exactly the same as loading you favourite Instax camera.
To turn the printer on, press the big button for a solid second, it will light up white. The colour will change to flashing purple when printing
Print job
To use it you need a compatible smart phone (Android or iOS), install the Instax app and connect to the printer with Bluetooth. Within the app you can select images to print, and it’s fairly easy. There are other features within the app but beside the collage or frame print, I really don’t get it.
From my phone I printed a picture I posted a while ago on Instagram, works great. I also printed a picture I took recently directly with my phone. As long that the image is on your phone, you can print it.
Once you printed a picture, you can press the smaller button to reprint it, until the printer turns off. Otherwise you can use the application history to re-print later on. In some circumstance it doesn’t recollect the picture printed on the iOS app. This seems to happen if you use “share” to the Instax Link Square instead of selecting the picture from the application.
Fujifilm manual state that the print takes 90 seconds to develop, but in my tests after 2 minutes it wasn’t developed.
In the end you obtain a colourful print.
The output ressemble a lot to the scan.
Instax Camera
One of the feature in the app is the “Instax Camera”. It is basically the camera app to take the picture before printing it. It put the live view inside a small Instax frame. It allow adding the date time superimposed, printed as a 9 segments led display, another bout of nostalgia that the demographics of that device have no recollection of.
Cost
The printer cost CAD$180 (I got mine on sale at CAD$160). On regular price, it’s priced between the SQ1, the cheapest Instax Square and the SQ40 the more comprehensive model. It’s not gonna break the bank.
The 2x 10-pack of film with white borders was CAD$28, and the single 10-pack of black border was CAD$17. That make a cost per print to CAD$1.40 for the white border and CAD$1.70 for the black border. There are other colours a bit more fancy if you like. You can buy the white border film in bigger pack which bring down the price per unit. A 100 pack bring the cost down to CAD1.20 a print. Also while I can find Instax Mini at my local pharmacy, Instax Square is less common. This is to be considered if you need resupplies in a hurry.
Specs
The image size is a 62mm square (2.4in). The image printed is 800×800 pixels, which boils to 318 dpi. That’s a resolution similar to any print you got from a minilab. According to the manufacturer you can print around 100 pictures (that’s 10 packs) with a single recharge.
Verdict
Pros:
– Simple to use.
– Device reasonably priced.
– Battery powered.
– Output quality.
Cons:
– Requires a phone app, very limited interoperability.
– Unlike older models can’t be used from a Fuji-X camera.
– What will die first? The printing mechanism or its battery that can’t be replaced.
After thoughts
I enjoy using my Instax Mini but I’m often left off guard with the quality, and it seem all related to the optics on the camera and the exposure, with a limited dynamic range. It’s possibly part of the challenge. The printer demonstrate that the film rendition is good and that an hybrid like the Instax Mini Evo would probably offer similar results. Sadly the hybrid Instax Square SQ10 and SQ20 cameras that were in the earlier Instax Square lineup are no more so the search for a better image quality will probably need to be sought out of the other camare makers like Lomography, MINT or NONS.
Previously: NONS instant cameras
News: Fujifilm X-M5
After a week of rumors, Monday 14 October 2024 set as the date by Fujifilm for the X-Summit, and an announcement about some firmware updates, we now know about the Fujifilm X-M5.
The X-M5 is the smallest Fujifilm X body. Without viewfinder, but a tilt screen, it is geared towards “creators” — think of it as a video camera. It presents as the inexpensive video body in the Fujifilm X lineup, a market cornered mostly by Sony, Panasonic and Canon. The Panasonic S9 is a prime example albeit at a much higher price point.
The X-M5 doesn’t have IBIS (In Body Image Stabilizer), however it has electronic stabilization for video, a system which dampen the camera motion shake at the price of a 1.33 crop. With 26.1 megapixels, it uses the older X-Trans 4 image sensor, albeit with the 5th generation X-processor. It uses the NP-W126S batteries (that’s the smaller ones as found on the X-Pro and earlier X-T), has a mic and headphone jacks, and HDMI Micro.
On the controls, I’m just skeptical of the film simulation dial. Why a dedicated dial for this? I just hope it can be reconfigured to something more useful.
The camera comes either body only or with a kit lens XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ, the most compact zoom lens in the line. The OIS helps with the lack of IBIS. And two colours: silver or black, the latter being for April 2025.
The MSRP for the X-M5 is to be €899 / £799 body only. Add 100 in either currency for the XC 15-45 zoom in kit. Canadian price is CAD1079 body only, and CAD1199 with the 15-45.
Other announcements today included the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II zoom lens, an update to the previous model, and the XF 500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR telephoto lens.
Link: Manufacturers Were Unprepared for the Point And Shoot Camera Revival
Petapixel, back in August: Manufacturers Were Unprepared for the Point And Shoot Camera Revival
As a result, 2019 saw the last major point-and-shoot releases from Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic. While Sony’s latest photography-first point-and-shoot, the RX100 VII, also released in 2019, newer pocket-sized models like the ZV-1 II and ZV-1F have shifted towards focusing on vlogging and content creation.
I have been complaining about the lack of availability of both the Fujifilm X100VI that is literally unobtainium and something to replace my defective G7X MkII (Canon is out of stock everywhere and whoever answers the Canon forums gaslight readers by telling them to check their retailers, while they can’t even replace camera they refuse to repair).
I really don’t enjoy smart phone as camera. In the beginning it was the quality, then at one point it ended being good enough, and I enjoyed it for a bit. But I’m over this. Don’t get me wrong the best camera is the one I have with me, and likely I have a phone, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy using it or that it inspires me. Also now with “computational photography” they add plenty of software to make them look better, sometime just turning the photo to goop like I have seen on some cheap Android smartphones.
We’ll see what the future brings.
Link: The magic of Fuji Frontier SP-3000
Sebastian Schlüter wrote in 2018 about The magic of Fuji Frontier SP-3000.
Fuji Frontier is the product line moniker for minilab solutions from Fujifilm. In the early 2000 their minilab Fuji Frontier was the reference for film processing and printing, and one of its main attribute is that the printing phase was done digitally. Instead of optically enlarging the image, you put the source film transparency into the scanner, and it will print the images on photographic paper (RA-4 process). And the SP-3000 scanner, the latest model that was part of that minilab system, is still thought after as it produces high quality images out of the box. This was part of the magic (that can’t be distinguished from technology). Just to add how this was revolutionary, it allowed producing mini contact sheets, and it allowed printing slide film without intermediate negative or without inversible (positive) photographic paper. As a business, you could charge 5-10$ extra to store the scans used to print on a CD. Your 1 hour photolab likely used one of these, or its competitor like Noritsu, Agfa or Kodak.
One of the key point of the Frontier is that is does its work fast and automatically. Scanning is always a lengthy process and hard to tune to get good results. The Frontier integrates all of that. Other alternatives are Noritsu who offers a higher resolution, and Kodak Pakon, that requires 20+ years old Microsoft Windows XP to drive it, but is much smaller. Acquisition costs for a Frontier SP-3000 starts at CAD6,000 on the used market and the device takes a huge amount space, so does the Noritsu, and have the same requirement for maintaining the same operating system.
The film to digital workflow is either expensive, slow or poor quality. DSLR scanning provides a good DIY alternative that is reasonably priced if you already have the camera and a proper setup rival dedicated film scanner on many aspects.
Previously: How film commercial processing and scanning is done
The Fujifilm X100VI delays
Apparently it’s still hard to get a Fujifilm X100VI.
In an April 2024 interview, Fujifilm admits that they make 15,000 units a month, which is twice as much as for the previous model, and that they are looking at increasing it. Also the rumor has that they have a 500,000 order backlog. That number is unconfirmed, but with some light math, we can guesstimate it would take over 33 month to fulfill!
This backlog has people that really want one, people that ordered from multiple retailer as to jump the queue, people that are still undecided, and scalpers.
It seems that today the only way to get one is:
- Place an order and wait an unknown amount of time (tbf I haven’t inquired one of my local retailer yet).
- Buy it from an Amazon or eBay blessed scalper for twice the price (they are part of the problem, so no way).
- Buy used from a disappointed user, but then it’s likely still more than buying new.
- Be an influencer.
At that point I have to forego the trying it out phase, and have to place an order if I want one. With a little luck the X100VII will be announced and either it will be cheaper or I will have to move up to the next level.
Meanwhile, it’s not like I don’t have any camera to shoot. My X-Pro1 still works (I got it repaired a few years ago) and the X-T3 as well. Not forgetting that the Olympus E-P1 still works, unlike the G7X MkII that can’t be replaced, and the 5DMkII is still in order. Lately, I also have been using an original Ricoh GR Digital 2 (the small sensor from 2007). And I have a stash of film in the freezer with both 35mm and medium format. Maybe I don’t need a new camera after all…
Previously: Fujifilm once struggled to sell cameras…, Fujifilm upgrades
Using manual lenses on a Fujifilm X
Using manual (adapted) lenses is great on a Fujifilm X. I have a set of Canon FD Macro lenses that are terrific.
At first you might have issues as the shutter doesn’t fire when such lens is on the camera. The camera thinks you don’t have a lens and therefor prevents you from firing the shutter. You need to enable “Shoot without lens”. It’s in the manual but not explicitely explain, and it’s inconsistent depending on the camera model. As I have both a X-Pro1 and an X-T3, this confused me as I couldn’t find it on the X-T3.
Fotodiox, who sells mount adapters, has you covered in their help guide. But really Fujifilm, couldn’t you at least be consistent? It’s not even “later models changed it”. X-Pro2 does it differently from the X-Pro1 and X-Pro3.
Here are some instructions:
Allow shooting without lens
On the Fujifilm X-Pro1:
1. Press the button. Go to the 3rd page of the :
2. Select :
3. Make sure it is :
On the Fujifilm X-T3:
1. Press the button. Go to the menu:
2. Select :
3. On the second page, select to be :
Setting the focal length
Optionally, you should set the lens focal length. This helps the camera deciding shutter speed and others, and also this get added to the Exif meta data.
On the Fujifilm X-Pro1:
1. Go to the same page 3 and select :
2. Select a lens:
3. If you need to change the focal length select :
4. Set the focal length:
On the Fujifilm X-T3:
1. Go to the menu:
2. Go to the second page select :
3. Select one of the 6 focal lengths:
4. If you need to change it, select and set the focal length:
You should now be set. Remember if you use a different lens to set the focal length. You don’t need to reset the to for use in other cases.
Link: Fujifilm TX-1 long term review
Gale Lee wrote a Fujifilm TX-1 long term review for Casual Photophile.
The Fujifilm TX-1 (also known as the Hasselblad XPan) is a camera defined by a single design directive: take true panoramic images using 35mm film without wasting a millimeter of material, and everything about it— from its design to its physical engineering— flows from that goal.
and
The Fujifilm TX-1 (also known as the Hasselblad XPan) is a camera defined by a single design directive: take true panoramic images using 35mm film without wasting a millimeter of material, and everything about it— from its design to its physical engineering— flows from that goal.
Last year, I linked about the Hasselblad X-Pan which is the rebadged version of the Fujifilm, and talked about rangefinders. The Fujifilm TX-1 remains on top of my list of camera to try, this is why each time somebody write about it I wished I had one.
And what Gale tells us is that this camera is a tool a tool that may work for you, but maybe not. What make the TX-1 is the 1:2.70 aspect ratio and the fact that this is camera that you can shoot hand held, like street photography, but not only. It can be challenging to use but, once you are able to control, the results are… wow.
Back in the early 2000s I considered getting one, but its price, and the fact that the 24x65mm frame would be difficult (read expensive) to scan, I sort of chickened out. I’m pretty sure it’s more expensive now than it was back then.
This made me think on what kind of specs would I need to have similar quality panoramic format camera, but digital. Cropping is easy but in that aspect ratio the loss of pixels is significant. And then there is framing, I don’t know which camera allow setting a custom aspect ratio; back when I used an Olympus E-P1, I shot a lot in 16:9 aspect ratio. This scale down on the 12 megapixel.
Link: Fujifilm once struggled to sell cameras…
Reuters: Fujifilm once struggled to sell cameras. Now, it can’t keep up with demand
After it sold out last year, the company increased production in China to double the launch volume for the VI that debuted in March,
The X100 VI is still not available anywhere as I’m pondering a Fujifilm upgrade. They claim to have manufactured even more.
But the long waitlists and steep prices may drive customers to competitors, such as Canon’s G7X
Pardon? Can someone tell me where the G7X MkIII is available? I can’t find it anywhere from B&H to my local camera stores. And don’t mention the scalpers on Amazon.
Anyway good on Fujifilm with their success. I love my X series not everybody like Sony.
News: Fujifilm Set to Restart Color Film Production in China
PetaPixel inform that Fujifilm Set to Restart Color Film Production in China:
Fujifilm reportedly held a color film launch event in China where it announced it would restart the production of its C200 and C400 color negative film through production partner Yes!Star.
C200 and C400 are the successor of the Superia line of films: consumer grade (but high quality) colour negative film. With film prices rising, and choice reducing, it seems like good news.
More supplies is better. With Ricoh releasing a new film camera, it seems that film is not dead.