Ok, given the rumor I’ve posted last week here, that said that the X-E2 won’t get Classic Chrome via firmware udpate, I now already hear you say: “This makes no sense, Patrick! Why should the X-E1 get Classic Chrome, and the X-E2 not?” And your doubts are absolutely understandable, but…
… but what would you have thought if, back in June, I’d have said: “You know what guys? Fuji will soon bring out a firmware update that adds direct Instax SHARE Smartphone Printer SP-1 support to the entry level cameras X-A1, XQ1 and X-M1… but not to the X-E2”? Well, you probably would have said, “this makes no sense, Patrick! Why should the cheap Fujifilm cameras get this feature via firmware update, and the superior X-E2 not?” But that’s what happened. The entry level cameras have received this feature via firmware udpate, and the much better X-E2 (still) not. Makes no sense, but that’s it!
I’ve made this little introduction just to let you know that, with Fujifilm, everything is possible, even that the X-E1 gets Classic Chrome, and the X-E2 not.
And here is the rumor: a new source had a talk with a Fuji Rep at the Photoplus in NY. The source, who owns an Fujifilm X-E1, asked if his X-E1 will get Classic Chrome, and the Fujifilm Rep answered that the X-E1 will indeed get the CC Film Simulation via firmware update by the end of this year.
Now, in the past, the Fujifilm X-E1 and Fujifilm X-PRO1 were updated contemporaneously with the same features, so, if the rumor is correct (and the Fuji Rep was well informed and didn’t confuse X-T1 with X-E1), I’m pretty confident that also the X-PRO1 will get Classic Chrome.
That said, please consider that the X-E2 firmware rumor with no Classic Chrome and also the rumor shared with you today, they both come from NEW SOURCES, so please don’t take them as a fact, but as what it is: a rumor… or, as Ernest Hamlin Abbott said: “Rumors are not news; but they sometimes foreshadow news.” So take it with a grain of salt for now.
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79 Responses
I know it’s just a rumor…. OMG… The X-Pro1 will get Classic Chrome? Awesome!!!
the X-PRO1 is just a speculation of mine. The X-E1 rumor is the one I got from the source.
Only CC? What else? I want 1/32000 and spot metering with focus point, nothing more!
he he he, and I want a 24MP X-trans sensor in my X-E2 through firmware upgrade 😀
Can I upgrade my wife via firmware up….. oh. wait, wrong forum 🙂
Nice news. So I’ll get the Classic Chrome film simulation for my X-Pro1. It really isn’t vital for me and I was hoping for some real improvements concerning AF speed, more realistic battery life indicator, Exposure Compensation working in different types of Programs, more visible Focus Peaking contrast highlights. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Can you turn me into a good photographer via firmware upgrade?! Thank you, Fuji!!
Firmware upgrades are not necessarily to turn us into better photographers, but to make our life easier. You know : “a better job with a better tool”, nothing more. By the way, I also use Fuji films (Zenit camera + 3 fixed M42 mount lenses) – love this way to create photographs.
Missed the joke?
Maybe, I’m sorry! But it was one of the strongest jokes. ( English – not my native language, but I’m trying hard… :)) )
I agree with the focus peaking highlights, not sure why they haven’t.
Haha, I agree on the battery indicator. When mine goes from full to 23 its usually 20 pictures left to be taken and it shuts down (X-M1)
The battery indicator, at least on my X-E2, is ridiculous. You basically never know when you’re going to run out of power. I hope they will fix it with the next firmware update. An indicator in percentage would be great
Hope Fuji can continuously significantly improve video quality or have the courage to drop it. This is the 900kg Gorilla in the room for Fuji.
That’s a big gorilla! Usually they weight between 135 and 180 kilos..
If fuji can make friends with the Gorilla (as in master video) they will be the biggest Gorilla in the industry. If they don’t want to deal with the gorilla they should just not invite him in.
You got me confused. How would bailing out be better??? Please elaborate at lenght because this seems very weird to me.
No it isn’t. I haven’t heard any enthusiast/prosumer/blah blah seriously complain about the lack of video features on any of the Fuji cameras. Sure, they’ll mention it in passing but they won’t base their decision on whether or not to buy an X Camera on how it handles video.
It’s the AF system that Fuji seriously needs to work on. It’s the one thing that I’ve seen turn away people who are looking at buying into the X system. Sure it’s leaps and bounds above from when the X100 and Xpro1 came out but there is still a loooong way to go when compared to the likes of other mirrorless Oly and Pana.
True, but it would be so nice to have full manual control over video and be able to change the aperture while shooting (with Fuji’s own lenses).
I have no hard feelings on Fuji for this; I have the camera I like and knew going in that it had and didn’t have certain features.
If another camera gets something desirable, then fine, no skin off of my nose…they don’t owe me anything.
I’m grateful for what they DO port back to previous models.
Plenty of common sense from someone who sees the half-full glass. How refreshing!
Let’s hope Fuji has some AF-speed for us XE-1 users aswell!
A new FW upgrade to the X-Pro1 makes me wonder if it’s still possible to have electronic shutter and better focus peaking (maybe even the new RF simulator) with this older models.
I hope they will address the “ultimate kaizen firmware poll” list. 🙂
Any rumor of an X100 firmware update ?
Fuji does make it really hard not to be a fanboy.
Who cares about CC? Every time Patrick releases a poll of who shoot JPG, RAF, or both, almost 85% of every results read RAF only, with 15% shared between RAF+JPG or JPG only from every poll!
This means most people are lying on polls saying they only shoot RAF or people just want to complain about not getting every feature they want desu from Fuji!
Many most Fuji shooters on here scare to admit they use JPG afterall.
Which is it?
I shoot raw + JPEG after years of Nikon where I was raw only, swearing I’d never touch jpeg with a barge pole. To be honest, now that I have a Fuji, more often than I care to admit I find myself using the jpeg (depending on the use of the image: e.g. for print I still start from the raw).
So if Classic Chrome comes to my x-e1 I’ll welcome it.
I _want_ to shoot Jpegs only. When I first bought an X-E1, it used to be a revelation to shoot perfect in-camera Jpegs after more than a decade of RAW… but then came X-E2 and X-T1 with their “waxy skintones”, so I had to revert back to shooting RAW. If Fuji makes it possible to turn luminance noise reduction (and skin smoothing!) completely off, I’ll be glad to go all-Jpeg once again.
I usually shoot JPEG only. I reserve RAW for projects where I expect to do a lot of post.
JPEG, BABY!
I shoot raw + JPEG, and except for things that are really worth working on, I’ll just use the JPEG. Honestly, I don’t really understand why anyone would should ONLY raw or ONLY JPEG – why limit yourself?
No news about an X100S update?
Hope that pans out with the XPro1 getting the update as well!
Since I have got my new X30 I enjoy the new CC mode. Looking forward to get this too on my X-E1!
Unrelated to this news, do you consider the X30 as a good complement to the x-e1 ? I am really contemplating this combination !
Until I got the X30, I used to have an X20 together with my X-E1. If I need a smaller camera f.i. on a bicycle trip and no high ISO, I take the X30. For best available light shots nothing beats the X-E1 and 14/35mm lens. O.k….maybe the X-E2 or X-T1 could be better 😉
Merci
thanks fopr this. I was just waiting for the huge price drop many were announcing due to the fact that the x30 does not have a 1″ sensor …. but this drop does not materialize … so I’ll bite the bullet 🙂
The upcoming breeze of advanced MLIC-cameras @ the growing competition must cause quite a bit of concern within Fuji. All the first wave Fuji-enthusiasts I know (quite a few to be honest) have abandoned these X-series, even went back to DSLR or Leica. If Fuji can still surpass a the frustrating quirks baked into this first wave X-Pro1 / X-E1 range they would deliver an incredible service (but I’m afraid for mostly a second hand buyers crowd now). I must be dreaming: get that still marvelous looking X-Pro1 to do exactly what I want it to do and blow away any other RF or MLIC concept including having a decent RAW-support, I thought it would require investing in an X-Pro2.
Sounds like great news but I won’t hold my breath. Fuji’s been ignoring the X-E1 for a long time now, so I’m more inclined to think it was human error somewhere on the info chain than that it’s actually true.
Maybe it just so happens that adding a new film mode is particularly easy for them to backport to a previous firmware platform (in the past they’ve indicated that backporting new features to the 1st generation cameras is too hard because it’s so different from the new versions). In that case all we’ll likely get is classic chrome and support for the new lenses (the one thing they continue to do firmware updates for).
I’d love to be wrong, but I doubt we’ll get any substantive new features for X-E1/X-PRO1.
although classic chrome might be a big deal to others, for me it’s the electronic shutter (1/3200 sec) that i really need. i bet a lot of x users would benefit from shooting fast apertures in broad daylight.
+1 though don’t sell your ND filters yet! I strongly doubt that they even could port that feature to cameras with the old processor (much slower), let alone would want to considering the complexity.
I’m much more hopeful (still not much) that we might get the low-intensity UI tweaks from the latest cameras, like Auto-ISO in manual, spot metering on focus square or configurable Q menu.
well, x-ee-one sounds a lot like x-tee-one =b
+1 absolutely. Also possible he showed the rep his X-E1 and it was mistaken for an X-E2 (or the rep didn’t really have a good handle on X-E1/X-E2, since they’d probably have a solid handle on the latest cameras).
I would imagine that there is limited write space in cameras for updating. It is hard to imagine that the original designers of the camera hardware said lets put in lots of expensive space for great gobs of new features to be written for free in the future. I think remaining room balanced against what feature Fuji thinks is important would be a good explanation for why some models get some features and others not. And there are hardware limitations as well. Just amazing what Fuji has done already.
Since when a solid state NVM became “Expensive space”?
Yeah I think you’re right overall but not about “space” being the issue. The main issue is processing power it seems, since all cameras with the newer processor are faster at everything and don’t have the bottlenecks (especially writing to card) that make the X-E1 a dog to use for any kind of fast action.
Second to that is the challenge of migrating a change from their latest-and-greatest OS back to the now ancient-by-comparison OS on the first generation of cameras. Based on interviews with the engineers it sounds like they have progressed so quickly that making a feature from the X30 work on the X-E1 is like making a modern game work on Windows 95 ;P
My XE-1 takes great photos, period. When I need to shoot fast action I use a different camera. Big deal.
“My XE-1 takes great photos, period.”
Mine too, except it’s usually more like “My X-E1 takes great photos… one sec… hmm… okay I almost have focus… okay give me that smile one more time… PERIOD”
😛 Not saying you’re wrong, or that I wasn’t warned before buying it, just that as actual users know the X-E1 is a compromise camera, and it’s quality is not simple (“period”), it has a huge caveat about overall performance.
I guess this is a pretty good image
I do not care about CC, there are far more important sides that X-E1 users need – especially AF improvement and electronic shutter to not be limited with shoting in strong light and fast lenses. Fujifilm tries to prove that “Kaizen” is a big and unique thing but it is not, just because it does not solve camera issues and its weekest sides. In terms of AF performance X-E1 is far behind competitors like Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Nikon, and even Sigma. So, this is overated “WOW”.
Simon you are right that the X-E1 is terrible at AF compared to pretty much everyone but Leica (ba-doom-cha!) but at this point I think you need to give up on that ever changing.
After the X-E1 came out (I think around release of the X-E2) it got a firmware update that massively improved AF so that it’s at least consistently slow rather than both inconsistent and barely-functional. It also got focus peaking (to vastly improve utility of manual focus) and minimum shutter for auto-ISO (making it actually useful).
Those updates were a huge deal, and made the camera worth owning, so IMHO the X-E1 already got the Kaizen treatment. It also implies strongly that the X-E1 is already “maxed out” in terms of it’s AF potential.
The better AF in the newer cameras is largely due to the phase-detect AF points that are baked into the sensor itself and at least theoretically give the camera DSLR-like speed at focusing (in addition to the high precision of the contrast detect system in all Fuji cameras and non-DSLR compacts). They can’t Kaizen PDAF points onto the X-E1 sensor, so the only way to get those improvements is a new camera.
The rest of the AF improvements are probably deep in the updated OS that’s in the X-T1 and newer (e.g. object tracking during continuous shooting). Those updates are surely dependent on the second-generation processor, so the X-E1 won’t get them either (though I wish the X-E2 would).
Anyway as a fellow X-E1 user I feel your pain. It’s frustrating and at times embarrassing how long the camera hunts for focus. That said, hopefully you knew what you were getting when you bought the camera (I did). Try to enjoy the camera for the reasons you bought it anyway (IQ, ergonomics, lenses) 🙂
Fuji’s focus peaking is far from precise, I get more out of focus images using it than focusing without it. If you want to see how great and helpful is focus peaking with manual lenses than you should try Sony mirrowless. Regarding AF, funny thing is that X-A1 has better AF than X-E1. I would prefer Fuji to release better performing cameras than bringing “improvements” in FW that should already be implemented in factory product. Kaizen is more about marketing, but many people are taken in it.
So your focus peaking issue as two possible easy fix
1- if it does not work /for you/ – don’t use it. With my poor eyesight I find it really useful and use it a lot. Your mileage may vary.
2- if this is the feature you need most and someone else did a much better job then sell your Fuji gear and buy a Sony
I had a Sony NEX camera and found the focus peaking just as unreliable. In both cameras it worked magically in some cases and failed completely (no highlights visible) in all the same situations where traditional AF struggled. I also found the DMF (direct manual focus) system in the NEX to be a lot less intuitive than Fuji’s command-dial-based focus-zoom system (which you must use to make focus peaking functional, in case you weren’t). Of course Fuji’s manual-focus ergonomics aren’t perfect (we need to be able to move the focus point while zoomed in), but they are certainly competitive and if you bought the X-E1 when it came out having focus peaking at all is a miracle.
FWIW the X-A1 is a newer camera than the X-E1, with the second-generation processor like in the X-E2, so it makes sense that it has better features (esp. face detection).
Fully right. I don’t know where Fuji gets all those kudos for its fantastic hardware in the press and on blogs. The X-Pro1 was merely a prototype when it was released, the X-E1 was only a little bit better. Yes they improved it for a bit (kaizen was pure damage control) but it’s still nothing to get very excited about. A lot of the good properties are still spoiled by the quirky operation, shutter lag, flash problems and poor RAW-conversions.
So, you don’t have a Fuji camera, right? That’s why you don’t understand. The kudos are for the fantastic image quality and colors, as well as the old fashioned controls that are a joy to use.
This is interesting… this fantastic IQ and colours Fujifilm spoiled in next generation cameras – X-E2/X-100s/X-T1 – with smearing, waxy-pastic high iso, bad magneta cast and red clipping, also with narrower DR but Fuji says IQ was improved. This is also a side of this “praised” Kaizen. It’s all marketing, truly “pure damage control”.
Fuji’s jpg IQ is good but to be honest, quite
a few other brands produce at least artifact-free RAWs with more detail, dynamic range and no color errors. Most people just don’t spend enough time
& care to their workflow, including the accurate development of their pictures. I even claim most have never seen the true performance – colors,
detail and overall picture quality of their camera because they are NOT using the right conversion tools, or at least not in a right sense. With Fuji there still isn’t even a perfect, major-brand workflow tool available…nothing overcomes the problems introduced by this off-road sensor CFA. The ‘old fashioned controls’ are just ‘fly by wire’ and here comes Fuji’s FW-problem. These cameras are in fact computers operating on
sensors and actuators, new gen stuff packed in old school-looking bodies. Assembled to compact manufacturing standards (even the firmware is a revamp of this). The old school is just a fashion gimmick that will pass like any other fashion gimmick. Fuji missed for me the curb by NOT aiming to be the best high end niche player and REALLY applying the old-school, more
mechanical knowledge of the TX/GX eras, using FF-sensors instead – a Japanese Leica as we expected with
the X-Pro1, but hunting after some bored (mostly APS/C) DSLR-users looking for a new sensational lightweight toy. See what happens business-wise: no numbers to get excited about, hardly a real blueprint for new technology and most of all how the X-series decline in value in the grey and second hands market. You can
own almost any Fuji camera or lens at a bargain when it’s only a few months old. The market weighs the true intrinsic value…not?
With so many cons – why on earth did you even consider a Fuji let alone buy one in the first place ? None of what you describe was a secret – reviews were clear about these issues. When I part from my hard-earned cash I do so with my eyes opened knowing what I am getting don’t you ? That’s beyond me
As a first wave adopter, I have been a fanboy just like anyone else over here, again believing Fuji had released an M9-killer (I was surely not the only one… quite a few photographers/friends I know followed the same track). I was believing that Fuji could easily resolve all issues in new FW updates. Well they did… but not to a level that this became an easy, reliable and flexible camera. On top of it, the outcome of RAW conversions makes me uneasy. Sometimes good, sometimes disappointing. I also came in touch with Fuji’s after sales service after a few hardware issues, extremely poor response, really, a non existing org. My believe in Fuji really fainted and I sometimes indeed regret the investment I made in all this Fuji gear and I’m very convinced that Fuji has already lost a lot of my colleagues forever – those first wave investors – due to quite all the shooting and conversion misery they had to go through. The X-Pro1 is still far from being a M9…M240 or any of the better FF DSLRs in the market. The only positives I see in it are its ‘fly against the wall’ and lightweight competences, but be honest, the market is full of alternatives that can do precisely the same @ equal or even better quality and a lot less quirks.
Yes, I even have own two Fujis. Fantastic image? Fantastic quirks & hick ups, still poor AF & RAW handling. Making event-shooting and everything where flashing is required to a complete nightmare, after a few distaster trials I’m still using DSLRs, can’t afford this kind of game. Fuji is small player with also the progress of this type of company. Never something first time right and waiting until they may use the next Sony sensor – again a few years old. This is the problem: The X-E2 – or likely even the X-T1 was the first mature X-series, not having too much irritating issues and whistles and bells to get the job done in a decent way… the rest of the owners will likely never buy Fuji again. Look at what Leica, Sony, Olympus,… is capable to do, they have a path forward and if Fuji doesn’t progress more, the X-series story will face very dark clouds.
I strongly disagree
1- look at what other manufacturers (Nikon, can’t tell for others) provides by means of firmware updates … zilch!)
2- Supposedly when you bought your x-e1 you did so with your eyes wide open knowing it’s numerous strength and few weaknesses (of which one is AF in low light) which were abundantly documented. So it is not a surprise. 3- Fuji never committed to fix what you describe as issues – they already improved many things – to the point were I believe that the hardware is close to it’s operating limits
So yes, all in all Fuji deserves a big Wow for improving existing bodies
Moan moan moan. They have already significantly improved the AF since the introduction of the X-E1. There is only so much they can do with the hardware they put together. It is unreasonable to expect a camera to be updated well beyond it’s discontinuation. If AF is too slow, move on an purchase something else. I can tell you the X-E2 is much better in almost all ways, and that too has been improved since it was released. The point is that Fuji improve their cameras after the initial release (sometimes significantly), it doesn’t mean that they’re going to support it forever more – that would be commercial suicide. A little logic, please!
Hopefully my old trusty X100 gets Classic Chrome 🙂
Did you say rusty?! :-O
If we’re lucky — yes. But I’m not holdning my breath.. Hopefully there is also possibility of exposure compensation in M mode. I’d really like that.
Haha no – trusty (dependable). Yes I would be pretty surprised to, there was a rumor on here a while back saying it would. Seriously though if fuji just released a raw converter with all their beautiful presets built in – they would never need to worry about updating firmware in old cameras regarding jpeg output
Provide us with a bare-bones raw converter, which includes all of the film simulations, or give us the ability to convert the files in-camera to 16-bit TIFF. Otherwise, this firmware update is pointless to many.
I can’t believe Fuji keeps neglecting this issue. Perhaps they will have disappointed us all for too long by the time they resolve this issue. If they don’t provide this with the X-Pro 2, I will accept my losses and move on…
I could be naive, but I feel we already have a host of closed and open source options to deal with Fuji’s raws. I do not really see the “disapointment going on for too long” showing it’s ugly head. But may be I am the only one.
Absolutely agree! Seem to get rather good results with free, and I’m not seeing any of my colleagues having any trouble with the commercial closed options either…
Don’t you think its a bit ridiculous that they have to compare the raw conversion to the in camera jpeg and normally the jpeg is better? Don’t get me wrong I love how my fuji takes brilliant jpegs. But the raw files should be even better than the jpegs (which is what they would be if fuji released their raw converter)
Trouble is – Fuji’s in-camera converter probably cannot be ported to Windows or Mac that easily as it has been written with the intimate knowledge of the hardware and in the specific language of the processor used in the X series. There is no telling that it can fit at ease in any of the existing pipelines. And this also shows that Fuji’s engineers have done a pretty good job too. So yes raw should be better if the software devs had not based most of their software around the Bayer architecture. And also it took several iterations for (for example) LR to get to the point where they are now. This area of computing evolves rapidly with new algorithm being tested all the time. So there is still hope 🙂
If you are satisfied with those options, that is fine for you. However, from my testing, converting the files using the in-camera converter (with minor adjustments in Capture One and/or Photoshop) produces better results than the external converters; and the colours are better.
Thus, there is no optimal option available for X-Trans files yet. So, I feel that Fuji should provide their own bare-bones raw converter or the option to convert the files to 16-bit TIFF in-camera. I personally will not be spending anymore money on Fuji gear until they do so, as I am not satisfied.
And the xpro1 still doesn’t have color focus peaking…..
Since the X-Pro1 doesn’t have a direct replacement yet I’ll take the CC addition and any other incremental updates. While I really enjoy the X-T1, the X-Pro1 is still my go to body when I want to slow down.
Of course! I’ll take everything that is available! And I have quite a list! 🙂
I guess the rumor was completely wrong. X-E2 is getting the classic chrome, and X-E1 not 🙁
This makes me a very sad panda…
How hard is it to introduce Classic Chrome into the firmware?!!?!?
Is it a space thing? Please, overwrite the Sepia filter if you must, but the CC update should be the simplest possible thing they could add to increase the lifespan of the early X-series cameras.