FR-reader George is one of many photographers who updated the X-camera in order to get the focus peaking. Now he posted his “interim conclusion” on his website as it is “not fair to make complete judgment without more time using the feature“. He tried this “welcome addition” on his [shoplink 12882]X-PRO1[/shoplink] with [shoplink 14969 ebay]Voigtländer Color Skopar 35mm f2.5[/shoplink]. Read his blog post here.
EVF: “The focus peaking white lines seem to be visually much less obvious than the lines in the [shoplink 12883]X100S[/shoplink] at normal magnification. Highly textured surfaces or contrasty edges give the best results, while obviously peaking lines are hard to see on white/bright edges. Unfortunately that last bit is important as the EVF is quite contrasty. This makes it quite difficult to determine the plane of focus accurately. The X100s is much easier to use in this regard, but so long as there is a single colour I think this will always be a limitation on the Fuji implementation. Zooming in to 3x or 10x magnification and then focusing works really well, there is no doubt as to what is in focus.”
Keep in mind that at the Fuji event in Canada the reps said to vkphoto that more focus peaking colours will come in future… this would make it even more useful. Read again this KAIZEN post here.
best
Patrick (FR: facebook, twitter)
focus peaking: [shoplink 12882]X-PRO1[/shoplink] with [shoplink 14969 ebay]Voigtländer Color Skopar 35mm f2.5[/shoplink]
34 Responses
Couldn’t agree more with his opinion on the XPro-1 focus peaking. I also own the X100s and the implementation on that camera is much easier to work with.
But, maybe further tweaks and colors will help it out in the future.. {fingers crossed}
Instead of “focus peaking”, I call it a “glimmer” (yes, I am a big fan of Fringe). In my XE1’s EVF it looks like unsharp mask with some decent threshold (and I guess that’s exactly what’s going on), and I like it much better than exaggerated colorful “focus peaking” implemented by Sony.
I want to compose a photograph, not launch a drone strike on my subject. I don’t need histograms, levels and distorted red outlines in my frame, all I want is to see my frame clearly, choose a good exposure and focus correctly. Current implementation of distance scale sits inside of the actual frame, so I had to turn it off. Which means that if my lens has no distance scale (like 16-55), I cannot use zone focus “by distance”, I have to lock “somewhere in a ballpark”. And this “glimmer” helps a lot.
My thoughts exactly. I want the view finder composition area clear. I wish Fuji would redesign the EVF display so that the lower strip outside the photo area was used for all information displays, leaving the photo area clear of gumph.
second all that & amen! please!
I agree that it is important to have a clear view when composing. I have even turned off the exposure compensation scale for the EVF and LCD, because it does not disappear when the trigger is half pressed, which is the minimum requirement for anything showing in the picture to my opinion.
I mainly use manual focus lenses on my X-E1 & totally agree about all the stuff in the viewfinder being undesirable. The worst offender is the distance scale, which I would like to turn OFF but I can’t find how to do it. Right now I have to switch between manual and auto to fine-focus & then switch back to clear the distance scale for composing the shot. Obviously not the optimum solution but for my low-tech mind it’s all I have come up with. Been all over the owner’s manual (small gray type is ridiculously hard for retired eyes to see) & found nothing helpful. Sooooooo, how does one turn the distance scale OFF?
Mine works fine. It seems pretty easy to use for me. Better with back screen then EVF but all in all a very good update. Great speed improvement with focus. I shot a few quick snaps tonight outside with a small fire as light and it locked fast and accurate. Awesome!
Mine works fine. It seems pretty easy to use for me. Better with back screen then EVF but all in all a very good update. Great speed improvement with focus. I shot a few quick snaps tonight outside with a small fire as light and it locked fast and accurate. Awesome!
Focus peaking is hard to use in the evf of the x-e1. Even with 10x magnification. On the back lcd its really clear like in the video. Really dont understand what went wrong with the update, because the x100s uses the same resolution evf. Different colors will not help in the current implementation of focus peaking. It makes using manual focus lenses really awkward because you have to use the back screen. Hopefully they will fix this soon!
The focus peaking in the XE-1 viewfinder is a little tough to use, I would have preferred the rangefinder style focus assist from the X100s. This isn’t on topic but has anyone else noticed the clattering / chattering the 35mm and the 18-55mm make after the body upgrade and lens upgrades when focussing? They seem noisier than before.
That 35 is noisier is to be expected – loud motors are runing faster hence the noise.
18-55 is still dead silent for me though.
It’s great that they added focus peaking and I think we should not forget that this is a huge favor to us by Fuji. Since the X100s uses a different processor it may not be possible to deliver the same level of peaking. Lets enjoy what we have and see what they come up with without expecting too much.
I agree. Look a gift horse in the mouth much? I’ve only had the X-Pro1 for a short while and it’s way past it’s launch and they keep improving it.
Would I get that with Nikon? Bug fixes maybe. Added features and improvements, no. (not since maybe the D70!)
I had it from DAY 1. Fuji are not improving it, they are fixing it because its inadequate.
I paid 1700 for a body and 170 for an M adapter to use MF lenses. For that money my expectations are reasonably high that AF will work, and MF too. Now, make what you will of that 😉
I am curious if you tried this camera before buying it? $1700 is no chump change when buying into a new system. If it was less than what you needed, why buy it?
Nope. The spec said it would do what I wanted and I paid 1700 + 670 lens for an AF camera that did not AF very well. I’m good enough to work around the problems, but that does not mean that the problems cease to exist!
And I knew they would update the firmware to fix these problems, if they wanted to survive as a company. Otherwise it would have be returned long long ago.
So, to my mind, the statement holds. Fuji is not improving it, they are fixing it. Take a look at the competition, Fuji is not the leader in these functional areas, not by a long way.
Good Lord Man … If you hate fuji and its products this much over a firmware update maybe you should move to one of these other competitors you claim are leaps and bounds ahead tech-wise. There are thousands upon thousands of buyers of these cameras and unless you are actually in management at Fuji I think it’s fair to conclude you’re only speculating on the company’s future. They’re rolling out more cameras and lenses right now than virtually any other manufacturer so your contention doesn’t hold water anyway. Buy an Olympus or Sony or some other system you can be happy owning if fuji upsets you so.
Weird way to buy a new camera. $2300 site unseen?
I knew the X-Pro1 was a very different and quirked out-camera going into it.
I had a Nikon D3, and a D7000 with plenty of good glass, so I was not lacking anything with my gear. I wanted something lighter for travel, with image quality being paramount. The X-Pro1 does this better than anything else out there in my opinion. I sold the D3 for it and I will never look back.
But – I did the homework. Every new camera release gets hundreds of blog and video reviews these days. It’s not like there is a lack of available info out there. I also made sure to pick one up in a shop and test drive it.
This, combined with Fuji’s dedication to improvement, equals zero buyer’s remorse. That’s worth a lot these days.
I also bought my XPro1 unseen. It’s a big world and believe it or not there are many places where there is no access to this kind of equipment. I agree with Tim and think that the camera was released in a rush for some reason, half baked and half tested. Most of the quirks were so obvious since the beguinning that it’s impossible that Fuji’s engineers weren’t aware of them. It’s size and layout make it unique (image quality not so much until developing issues are fully adressed). Sadly, this happens very often nowadays with first generation products, I am sure the Xpro2 will be a much better camera.
I do agree, but my gripe is that it just seems odd that the focus peaking is not so pronounced in the evf as is the back lcd. Isn’t that supposed to come from the same image processor?
X-E1’s back screen is much lover resolution than EVF: 460,000 dots against 2,360,000. More than 5 times lower.
Which means that when the processor produces a fixed pixel size “halo” for the focus peaking feature, in EVF if will be 5x less visible.
X-Pro1 owners are not complaining because the X-Pro1 EVF have only 1,440,000 dots, approximately 1.7x less than X-E1.
On the other hand X-Pro1 users have better LCD with 920k dots and still it’s clearly better than evf regarding the focus peaking 🙂
Hi all
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on the post. I appreciate it. @trent @david @ rogerio and @robert. You make a good point on the viewfinder. On the custom setting I have everything turned off when working in the studio with the X-Pro1.
@Rob,Jim,Alan interesting that you find the LCD easier to use with this feature. It may be may natural aversion to using the LCD (more likely my visual acuity at my age) but I do find the EVF easier to use.
@Alan believe it or not I have not used AF since the new Firmware was released so I have not noticed any chatter 🙂
@Marcus and Roeder. I totally agree with you here. I think I said it in the post Fuji is to be commended for their approach here. I know there will be some who will comment that these features should have been there from day one. Personally I think that is BS, I am glad I have had the X-pro1 early and then get feature upgrades as they come along.
over all this is a good feature and I plan on spending more time using it. From my background I am comfortable with Rangefinder style focusing. This is different and maybe it just takes time to retrain the brain and the eye.
Thanks again folks
@wideanglecafe It’s not that I prefer the LCD over evf. The peaking highlights are far better visible on the back screen LCD. I have good vision and still have a hard time to see the highlights in the evf. I just tested it on my x100s and x-e1 side by side. In the x100s the peaking highlights are much brighter (I tried max. Brightness setting of evf). When I half press I barely see any change in the preview.
@chris are the highlights the same for you in the x100s and x-e1 evf? As stated I notice a considerable difference.
I noticed the chattering too when autofocusing with the 18 55.
After the autofocus locks, the motor still makes some ggrrrr gnnn… frrr. bzzz… Does it happens to everybody?
A little humming noise = running OIS (even if it’s disabled some motors and parts are moving).
My 18-55 makes three kinds of noise.
1. A relatively silent noise during AF that stops when AF is done.
2. The OIS sounds silently as well. I can hear it only if I put my ear closer to the lens than in normal shooting position. It sounds a bit like running water.
3. Every now and then after having auto focused something makes a high pitched irregular noise that sounds like you describe it. I do not know if it is the AF or OIS that makes the sound, but when I briefly press the trigger again it usually leads to that this noise disappears. It does annoy me a bit, but since the lens is excellent otherwise I want to avoid replacing or getting it repaired (if even possible), in order not to risk to get worse optical performance.
@Marco: I played around a little with my X-E1 & 18-55. After moving the OIS mode from shooting only to continous and back the annoying noise nr 3. is now gone (at least for now). I also rotated the lens very little, just using the play that is there without pushing the lens release button, in case the contact between body and lens was not good. Try this and see if it helps you.
I should also mention that the 18-55 is generally very silent. Even noise nr 3. was pretty low.
I don’t know mine is quite silent especially compared to my 35mm f1.4. The 35mm f1.4 is probably the noisiest lens I have ever owned.
Hi Jim, Sorry my bad when I said prefer I really meant that you find the LCD easier to use for peaking. For whatever reason I find the lines easier to see in the EVF on the Xpro1.
I have both the X100s and the XE-1, and I’m finding the focus peaking on the XE-1 perfectly suitable thus far. Very happy Fuji keeps improving their cameras, especially with features most companies would hold off on in order to move new bodies. I bought my Fujis knowing the well-known limitations and quirks they had. Everything they add via firmware is just delicious bonus cake.
I agree with Roeder. Being disappointed by a very good camera is squarely on those who bought without doing any research or any actual testing. I made a move from a Canon 5D3 and several L series lenses. I did a lot of study, and I’m happy to be rid of my Canon stuff. Such a move obviously won’t work for everyone, but knowing what you’re getting into and where you want to go is tremendously important. I studied my mirrorless options and chose Fuji for various reasons. Not disappointed in the least. Quite the opposite, really.
@Jim
I’d say the implementation is better on the X100s, as I do find it more pronounced, though I find it to be good enough on the XE-1. I haven’t tested it under a ton of conditions, but the last few days I’ve been playing with it, and have been pleased. Certainly helped me with manual focus, so I think it’s a welcome addition. Wouldn’t mind selectable colors, at least in theory. Looking forward to that update as well.
The Peaking is definitely easier to use at X3 or X10 magnification.
I would love for there to be an option in the menu somewhere that when you did turn the focus ring the EVF could zoom to X3 magnification then a half press of the shutter would get you back to full view.. this would make manual focus with peaking so easy..