34 replies to this topic

[Fredrik]

This post intends to, in a concise manner, list all known critical bugs as well as quirks – and then keep that list updated. The main reason for doing so is to help Fuji identify the community's reaction to the X100, as well as inform current and future X100 owners of the status of the camera's operability, since Fuji is not offering this transparency officially. The list was initially posted at DPReview but was too hard to maintain and keep updated there, hence moving it here.

Please reply to this post if a new bug has been confirmed with clear information on how to reproduce it – or the original forum thread discussing it.

List updated on Jul 31^th, 2012, for X100 firmware version 1.30.
Fixed bugs will remain in this list with green highlighting.


Bugs – critical priority
 

• AFL in MF focus method fails after 1.20 update – Original thread #1 (DPReview) and #2 (Fuji X-Forum) highlighting the issue – fixed in 1.21
   
• Using the focal point in MF-mode with macro on one of the lower two lines or the right row will freeze the x100 after pressing AFL/AEL – fixed in 1.21
   
• When close focusing in macro mode at f/2.0 and f/2.8 the camera will get achieve/show sharp focus just before the focus point box turns to green . When the camera focus box turns green, the camera goes out of focus and the out of focus image(diffused, not sharp) will be recorded – Original thread (Fuji X-Forum) highlighting the issue – fixed in 1.21
   
• In Auto ISO, when you set Max ISO and Min shutter speed, the min shutter speed does not take effect until the camera is turned off, and then back on. – fixed in 1.21
   
• Focus lock is lost when leaving viewfinder. This happens in AF-S or AF-C mode with AE/AF-lock mode set to S (Switch mode). Look in the OVF, half press, then lock focus (with AE-L button). Leave the VF for any reason, go back to VF and the green box reverts to white. If you lock focus in LCD instead, simply going to VF will have the camera loose the lock. In FW 1.13, it doesn't loose focus. – fixed in 1.30
   
• If you lock AF via the AFL/AEL button, it is impossible to define an AE correction factor via the EV correction wheel, even if the AFL/AEL button has been configured to exclusively lock AF – Poll link
   
• DOF preview via EVF doesn't work (AF-S/AF-C). Measure the distance to a target and lock the focus distance (in my case ~ 2m) in OVF mode. Then try to get a DoF preview via the EVF - the function cannot be called up if focus is locked. EVF is not being invoked.
   
• When the film simulation settings are on Astia and Velvia the "Sharpness" setting in the exif file are not listed when the push button toggle displays the picture exif, although sharpness is applied. The sharpness settings are displayed in the exif readout for Provia and B&W film simulations, but not for Velvia and Astia. I was told by Fuji that Astia and Velvia are film simulations, thus sharpness is not applicable. Should not the sharpness either be grayed out from the UI and not affect the image OR should it not simply work as-is but also register amount of sharpness in the exif? Original thread (Fuji X-Forum) highlighting the issue
   
• The aperture blade "dance" related shutter lag in MF mode. If this is needs to happen in the EVF, this should not have to happen when in OVF, thus removing the feature from the OVF should also rid the bug from this list ... Some users have been speculating that this happens in order to show the histogram and can be disabled only by the "Power saving" feature (which disables the histogram), however this doesn't seem accurate as the aperture dance still happens in OVF when power saving is on. In any case, this needs to be explained in the manual and/or release notes of future firmware updates – Original thread #1 (Fuji X-Forum), #2 (Fuji X-Forum) and #3 (Fuji X-Forum) highlighting the issue – Poll link
   
• When in Motion Panorama, there is a visual offset error of the values of the DR menu. If DR is set to "DR100" in Still Image mode, it will say "DR100" in Motion Panorama mode too. However, if entering the DR menu while in Motion Panorama mode, the selected value is "DR200". The value "Auto" is missing and if scrolling up to where it should be placed, the menus act up.

 

Quirks (besides DPReview's list of oddities)

 

 

 

• If you access ISO values via the Fn button, the list of available values does not contain Auto ISO. A simple solution would be to include an on/off toggle at the start or end of the ISO value list – Poll link
   
• Please elaborate in the next release notes on why the white DOF bar on the focus distance scale has changed between 1.13 and 1.20 (potential bug?) – Original forum #1 (Real Photographer Forum) thread highlighting the issue --- related: The DOF scale in Manual mode is highly non-linear. A better visual representation of this would be very usable for zone focusing. #1 (Fuji X-Forum) thread highlighting the issue.
   
• If you configure the AFL/AEL button to lock automatic exposure, then pressing the button will directly initiate an AE measurement and lock the result - no need to half-press the shutter button beforehand. If however the AFL/AEL button is configured to lock automatic focus, then you DO need to half-press the shutter button beforehand to make an AF measurement. NOT half-pressing the shutter button before will still make the AF frame go green, but the button will lock on to the previous AF measurement which might have measured a completely different target. Should not the AFL/AEL button work following the same operating sequence, regardless of whether it is configured to lock AE or AF? – Poll link
   
• Make Auto ISO minimum shutter speed configurable up to 1/500s. The current minimum of 1/125 sec is not fast enough for many situations, especially for street photography – Poll link
   
• The battery indicator is very unreliable. You basically need to carry a spare battery at all times. Thread highlighting the problem: #1 (Fuji X-Forum) and blog post with technical data: #2 (My Fuji X100, blog post)
   
• The Macro mode when set to Fn button should be consistent with how the ND filter works, a toogle on/off. And why not use the left button (macro) as toggle on/off as well – Poll link
   
• (The MF still does not work very well when the camera does not see anything –– This is an issue when you need to prefocus in a dark environment before aiming the camera at the well-lit subject, or simply when having the camera on a tripod when it's dark) –– MF ring responsiveness was improved greatly in 1.20/1.21, although by design it does not perform very well in low-light situations.
   
• In MF mode: Focus confirmation (visible green rectangle/graphic) and resizable and parallax corrected focusing area. These features should be the same as in AF-S mode, no? Currently, the rectangle represents the magnifier frame.
   
• When shooting in DR bracketing mode, all images are recorded at minimum ISO 800. It should be minimum ISO 400 for DR200 and minimum ISO 200 for DR100, which is what you would expect since this is how DR works otherwise.
   
• Controls are locked while images are being written to the card. On another (but similar) note, write speed seems slow for a "SanDisk 45MB/s Extreme Pro" card (takes approx 3 seconds to store RAF+JPG) - or is this the CPU crunching the data from the sensor that takes this long?
   
• In AF mode, the focus distance is reset after camera power-off. In MF mode, it is being remembered. It would be nice to keep the focus point at power-on for AF as well. A "miss the shot" feature...
   
• If the camera is turned on, then quickly turned off and back on - it stays off. A "miss the shot" feature...
   
• Exposure compensation is currently not available in manual shutter and manual aperture mode (M). This has been discussed frequently by users whether this should be enabled or not... Thread highlighting the issue: #1 (Fuji X-Forum).
   
• "Banding" appears in Motion Panorama mode at high shutter speeds. A simple solution could be to enable the ND filter to keep the current aperture and ISO, but it is not possible to enable the ND filter in Motion Panorama mode.
   
• The luminance histogram seems to be based off the LCD/EVF preview image. This makes it highly unreliable especially in M mode.

There are also countless posts regarding quirks in the "Recommended Updates/Improvements" section of this forum. My goal is to identify the ones that applies to most people and add them to this post's list of quirks.


And last but not least, thank you Fuji for taking this in!

[pcg]

This post looks like it was copied directly off something at dpreview, from which many of us have fled to other, saner locations, such as this forum. I for one don't want to be sent to dpreview to read an "original thread." I for one don't want to ever spend another moment there.

I presume you're trying to be constructive with this post. At the least you could have cleaned it up so that it had relevance to Fuji X-Forum, and not the dark side with all its endless whining and hysteria.

[Arjay]

Please be kind to Frederik, pcg. Sure, he authored that list over at dpreview, but he contacted me to see if he could present the list here, as he prefers the way we talk with each other here.

He also spent some time to align his list with our forum's FW polls, so this list isn't a simple copy from that on dpreview. Does everything that comes from there necessarily need to be bad?

We all could contribute to Fuji finally getting the X100 firmware right: Let all of your Fuji contacts know which FW bugs still need fixing.

And please - let's only talk of bugs. Wishes for new firmware features should take the back seat as long as there still are bugs ...

[flysurfer]

Since I vastly prefer this and similar forums over DPR, I'm glad to see this thread in here. This forum offers a better chance to keep things both constructive and easy to (re-)locate.

[pcg]

Good to hear he screened this with you first. Unfortunately, dpreview is thoroughly and irreparably discredited, particularly on anything Fuji related. I don't view DPR as a sister site. Perhaps others do, and if so, I apologize for my too-obvious irritation. When I clicked the first Original thread link and was sent over to DPR, I was admittedly taken aback.

I have no doubt the post is well intended, but I--and others--hang here specifically to avoid that place. I see little constructive in mirroring lists compiled on other forums. Just IMHO.

[Arjay]

I see little constructive in mirroring lists compiled on other forums. Just IMHO.

This won't be a mirror, as it is impossible at DPR to edit posts that have been published earlier on. The list will be kept current in our forum, as subsequent editing of messages is possible here, and Fredrik intends to use this feature. So, please let's cut him some slack.

[pcg]

Sounds good to me.

[Fredrik]

No worries!
I'll gladly add in Fuji-X forum links and make it more clear where each link goes. And like Arjay said, this is intended to replace the DPR thread.

And since I don't house my own QA department I'm going to need help to confirm and dismiss bugs/quirks – in order to keep the first post organized and up to date. Make your voice heard here and direct Fuji representatives to this thread.

[Armored Rah]

Fredrik, great job my friend! The list is looking good.

[ramin]

Fredrik, great job my friend! The list is looking good.

+1

[flysurfer]

Thank you for keeping this thread uptodate.

Fixing quirk 3 only makes sense after fixing bug 5. Also, bug 5 has a much larger scale, as it not only locks exposure compensation, but any exposure change such as aperture and shutter speed changes. Not to mention that these 2 specific bugs and quirks exist on at least a dozen Fuji cameras, including all 4 X series models. So any major changes should be done more globally in all these models in order to ensure consistent behavior. This bug is not about the X100, it's about how Fuji is handling AFL in all of their cameras.

[onreb]

Thank you, here it is better! :-)

Quirk 8, "Focus confirmation in manual focus mode" starts my compulsive obsession about AFL button and focus modes...

If we use MF to decouple focusing action from the shutter button, then not only confirmation is missing, but also resizable and parallax corrected focusing area.
If we use MF as it is intended, the same info would be useful to know where the camera is looking if/when it's going to say you got focus with a green signal.

I don't know what this apparently "patchworked" Fuji FW will allow more easily: adding the missing info to the MF mode (copy-paste AF info...), or giving an option to have the AFL button acting as finely described by Arjay

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Or both of them...

[GDRoth]

Thanks for the effort, Fredrick and Arjay.................this is the place I come for informed X100 information....

[Fredrik]

Fixing quirk 3 only makes sense after fixing bug 5. Also, bug 5 has a much larger scale, as it not only locks exposure compensation, but any exposure change such as aperture and shutter speed changes. Not to mention that these 2 specific bugs and quirks exist on at least a dozen Fuji cameras, including all 4 X series models. So any major changes should be done more globally in all these models in order to ensure consistent behavior. This bug is not about the X100, it's about how Fuji is handling AFL in all of their cameras.

Would you say bug #5 ("If you lock AF via the AFL/AEL button...") is actually a quirk, then?
I'm just asking because I would like to identify what's considered a bug vs a quirk (a quirk may be equally important as a bug, but bugs gets fixed first).

[flysurfer]

Would you say bug #5 ("If you lock AF via the AFL/AEL button...") is actually a quirk, then?
I'm just asking because I would like to identify what's considered a bug vs a quirk (a quirk may be equally important as a bug, but bugs gets fixed first).

Well, IMHO it's both. I think it's a bug to lock exposure settings when you are actually only locking AF and nothing else. It's pretty clear that this bug has historic and conceptual roots, though, as the entire firmware design is based on the assumption that the AEL/AFL button is simply locking AE, period. That used to be the case even in the S100fs.

Fuji simply doesn't see the need or doesn't have the resources to rewrite the firmware (for all their cameras). Hence, even the X-Pro1 exhibits the exact same behavior, so do the X-S1 and the X10, the brand new HS30EXR etc.

So in a way, this odd behavior is less a bug than a "flawed concept" Fuji has been and is still sticking to for years. The flaw was designing firmware around a physical button (is it pressed or not?) instead of different functions (is the function active or not). It's bad design, we were taught to avoid such things in the 80s, when I studied computer science. Then again, my developer friends at Accenture tell me that this is exactly how some outsourced software development projects in India are coded today(!). They shake their heads in disbelief.

If you have a look at the new bugs that were introduced in 1.12 and 1.20, it's pretty obvious that firmware isn't Fuji's particular strength.

[ramin]

Fredrik: Regarding the focus lock in AF-S mode all you need to do is to cover the eye sensor once and it will loose the lock. This does not happen how ever if you put the LCD display off and only use the OVF have you noticed this?

[Fredrik]

Fredrik: Regarding the focus lock in AF-S mode all you need to do is to cover the eye sensor once and it will loose the lock. This does not happen how ever if you put the LCD display off and only use the OVF have you noticed this?

I'm not following you. What do you mean?
When AE/AF-LOCK MODE is set to "S" (on/off switch), the focus lock is lost in the OVF too.

I personally don't use the "S" (on/off switch) feature but the "P" (press and hold) feature, meaning I press and hold to lock, so anytime I let go I loose the lock anyways. For the folks using the AEF/AFL button as a "on/off switch", there's an issue/bug.

[brett maxwell]

Quirk: When in M focusing mode, the autofocus box (for focusing with the AFL/AEL button) is unnecessarily large, nor does it show green to confirm a focus lock. These features should be the same as in AF-S mode.

[flysurfer]

There is no AF box in MF mode.

[brett maxwell]

There is no AF box in MF mode.

there most certainly is.

[flysurfer]

there most certainly is.

No, there isn't, there's only the magnifier frame.

[brett maxwell]

No, there isn't, there's only the magnifier frame.

The box indicates the autofocus area and can be moved while holding the AF button, when you move it, the autofocus moves with it. That's an autofocus box, no matter what you want to call it. It does everything the AF box does in AF-S mode except resize and change color, and there's no reason it shouldn't do those things.

[Fredrik]

Quirk: When in M focusing mode, the autofocus box (for focusing with the AFL/AEL button) is unnecessarily large, nor does it show green to confirm a focus lock. These features should be the same as in AF-S mode.

This was kind of already in bullet #8, but I've added in your comment. Thanks.
I personally find the box (whatever it's supposed to be) rather odd. Why so big, and exactly where's the area determining focus?

[Fredrik]

Bug #9 (about the aperture blade dance in bright light) has been updated with additional info.

I also added some quirks:
9. When shooting in DR bracketing mode, all images are recorded at minimum ISO 800. It should be minimum ISO 400 for DR200 and minimum ISO 200 for DR100, which is what you would expect since this is how DR works otherwise"
10. Controls are locked while images are being written to the card. On another (but similar) note, write speed seems slow for a 45MB/s card (takes approx 3 seconds to store RAF+JPG) - or is this the CPU crunching the data from the sensor that takes this long?
11. In AF mode, the focus distance is reset after camera power-off. In MF mode, it is being remembered. It would be nice to keep the focus point at power-on for AF as well. A "miss the shot" feature...
12. If the camera is turned on, then quickly turned off and back on - it stays off. A "miss the shot" feature...
13. Exposure compensation is currently not available in manual shutter and manual aperture mode (M). This has been discussed frequently by users whether this should be enabled or not... Thread highlighting the issue: #1 (Fuji X-Forum).


I've seen some posts where users request exposure compensation available in manual shutter and aperture mode (M). What do you guys think, is it worth adding to the list of quirks?

[Fredrik]

Can someone help me confirm that this banding issue is no longer present in firmware 1.21?

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[flysurfer]

The box indicates the autofocus area and can be moved while holding the AF button, when you move it, the autofocus moves with it. That's an autofocus box, no matter what you want to call it. It does everything the AF box does in AF-S mode except resize and change color, and there's no reason it shouldn't do those things.

It's the magnifier frame for MF operation. It has nothing to do with AF operation, except for he obvious fact that the AF would focus in the center of the magnifier frame when using thr AFL button. The camera doesn't display AF fields in MF operation, though. All you may get is a confirmation beep. The magnifier frame doesn't fulfill any AF functions, either. It simply shows you the area hat will be magnified once you engage he magnifier. Of course, this area can be moved around, it wouldn't be quite useful otherwise.

[brett maxwell]

It has nothing to do with AF operation, except for he obvious fact that the AF would focus in the center of the magnifier frame when using thr AFL button.

that's a huge "except". many professional and advanced amateur photographers (which is the market for this camera) prefer to remove autofocus from the shutter button. Fuji has really handicapped this ability. they could either make it a menu option in AF-S and AF-C mode, or they could simply make the box in M (whatever you choose to call it) have all the functions it should logically have, such as changeable size, changing color to indicate focus lock, and shifting to show parallax.

[Fredrik]

Fixed in 1.30:

• Bug no 5: Focus lock is lost when leaving viewfinder.

[flysurfer]

Fuji has really handicapped this ability.

I haven't felt handicapped, so far, but then again, I'm neither professional nor advanced and can only speak for myself. That said, it would be nice to have an option to assign AF runs to a separate button in AF-S and AF-C, be it the OK button or a Fn button or the RAW button or whatever.

[sv1cec]

No, there isn't, there's only the magnifier frame.

You've mentioned that before, in other threads.

If the rectangle shown in MF is NOT indicating the autofocus area used by the camera to focus its lens, when we hit the AE-L/AF-L button, can you please tell us what is the autofocus area in MF? Because surely the camera is using an autofocus area. And that AF area coincides with that rectangle, as it has already been said. You move it to another position on your viewfinder and the focusing changes. So for me, that box is indicating the AF area used in MF mode, when you press the AE-L/AF-L button.

Why you keep calling it a zoom area indicator is beyond my comprehension, unless this is an excuse for the fact that it doesn't turn green when focus is obtained and it is not resizable. In firmware 1.30 AF-S got a zoom function too, and thank God Fuji didn't add a zoom area indicator on the display. Why do they use one in MF mode?!?!