Fujifilm just released three firmware updates, one for the X-H2s, one for the X-H2, and one for the GFX100 II. Among some video improvements (F-Log2 C, anyone?) and minor bug fixes, the main headline is autofocus improvements. Essentially, Fujifilm fully fixed the AF bug that had been plaguing these cameras for the last handful of months. Fujifilm has said that more firmware updates for other cameras (the X-T5 and X-S20 were specifically mentioned) are coming before the end of the year—my guess is in December.
I’ve never had a problem, personally, with the autofocus on my Fujifilm X-T5 or any other model. Mostly, it seemed to affect people using some specific settings in some specific scenarios. So some photographers were greatly affected, some only sometimes, and others were not at all. Obviously this was a big deal for those greatly affected, so it is excellent news that the fix is now available—yea! For those not affected, I always recommend waiting a little while (at least a few days) before updating the firmware in case there are any issues that come up (this isn’t just for Fujifilm, but any product by any brand).
Some people provided Fujifilm with valuable constructive feedback that I’m sure helped tremendously with this firmware update; however, in my opinion, there were others—haters, constant complainers, and trolls—who (sadly) only gave destructive criticism that has to some extent hurt the brand and community (which I believe was the goal for some). Their voice, unfortunately, seemed quite loud, and some of that can be attributed to trolls using multiple accounts, pretending to be multiple individuals in comment sections, Facebook groups, and forums. A troll says something outrageous, a normal person gives a reasonable response, and then the troll replies multiple times, pretending to be multiple people; those reading it might assume that the troll is “right” just because so many seem to agree with them (but it is only one person)—once you know what to look for, it’s quite easy to spot. This is toxic, and crazy (literally, not just figuratively). I would encourage website owners and administrators to crack down on this behavior; however, I know it’s hard to do because trolls will usually return under a different name. I would hope that these firmware updates would quell the outrage, but I’m sure it won’t, as it was never really about the AF for many of them—the AF woes were merely a means to reach an end (attention, chaos, trouble, hate, etc.).
Now that autofocus has been fixed via firmware, we can finally get back to appreciating just how truly wonderful our cameras are, because they are. It’s such a great time to be a photographer, we are all pretty lucky.
In other news, Amazon has the Fujifilm GFX100S II discounted to $4,599.99 with a $399.01 coupon that you have to click. I think this is a Black Friday deal.
When I was in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a week-and-a-half ago, Bryan Minear let me try his GFX100S II, and I was blown away by it. Such amazing image quality! I think, with the size and weight, perhaps it requires more thoughtful consideration of when and where to use (I tend to like smaller gear, such as my X100VI and X-E4). Also, I didn’t care much for the PASM controls. And even at $4.6K, it’s still well outside of my budget. With that said, this is an extremely affordable and capable medium-format (“more than full frame”) digital camera. If you’ve been thinking about buying one, it might be a good time to do so.