Fuji Inconsistent Aperture

Actually BB it was a thread on another forum called "Is this f/16?". The OP had a pic of what his X100 was closing down to at f/16 and didn't think it looked small enough. That prompted me to again check mine out. In the past I had checked that the aperture was stopping down at each position, just to keep an eye out for sticky blades but honestly I never considered how big the opening should be. The first half press at f/16 looked fine but I did a few more and lo and behold there was the bigger opening. I tried it a bunch more just to be sure, going to f/11 and f/8 as well. At each stop the same thing happened as shown in the pics. Maybe 1 in 8 or 10 tries. Awaiting a reply from Fuji Canada.
 
Kevin,
First off.... Test the camera with a very consistent scene. The exposure must be the same for all images in the sequence...so,
Shoot the scene at every fstop. Do not look at the aperture.
Then do random fstops skipping one or two like...
F4....f11....f5.6...f2.8...f8 etc.
Then look at the files in LR and they should all be properly exposed.
That's the first step.... Post your findings...
I'll be around...don
 
Thanks for your help Don. I did as you outlined. If I use the first pic as a baseline (f16) the next three stops down were consistently 2+ stops over exposed. F/4 was same as f/16. F2.8 and 2 were 1+ stops underexposed when compared to the original f/16. When I jumped around in aperture, the results were similar, with two notable exceptions. F/16 was about 2 stops over exposed compared to the original and f/11 was about a stop underexposed when compared to the original f/11. EXIF data was identical for each set of apertures.
 
Thanks Don. Now that we have established my camera is faulty, could you explain what would have been happening if the exposures were the same? Both for my own interest and perhaps to others reading this? Thanks again for your time.

Regards
Keven
 
Kevin, the camera may have said f11 but really was at f11.3 for example. This would allow correct exposure but not the correct f number. So the aperture could in face be correct the the software didn't change the number.

What I suggested to you for testing was actually a process of elimination.
 
What I just noticed is in Preview (Mac Program) when I check EXIF data there are two entries pertaining to aperture/F stop. The first entry is "aperture value" the second (last in my list) is Fnumber

The first is from the F/2 picture:

Aperture Value: 2
Brightness Value: 3.8
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Date Time Digitized: 2011:10:20 11:13:46
Date Time Original: 2011:10:20 11:13:46
Exif Version: 2.3
Exposure Bias Value: 0
Exposure Mode: Auto exposure
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Exposure Time: 1 / 200
File Source:
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
FNumber: 2
-both values are the same

Next a pic for F/11

Aperture Value: 6.919
Brightness Value: 3.72
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Date Time Digitized: 2011:10:20 11:12:40
Date Time Original: 2011:10:20 11:12:40
Exif Version: 2.3
Exposure Bias Value: 0
Exposure Mode: Auto exposure
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Exposure Time: 1 / 50
File Source:
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
FNumber: 11
-values different

picture for f/8

Aperture Value: 6
Brightness Value: 3.92
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Date Time Digitized: 2011:10:20 11:13:12
Date Time Original: 2011:10:20 11:13:12
Exif Version: 2.3
Exposure Bias Value: 0
Exposure Mode: Auto exposure
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Exposure Time: 5 / 294
File Source:
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
FNumber: 8
-values different

Finally F/4

Aperture Value: 4
Brightness Value: 3.72
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Date Time Digitized: 2011:10:20 11:14:00
Date Time Original: 2011:10:20 11:14:00
Exif Version: 2.3
Exposure Bias Value: 0
Exposure Mode: Auto exposure
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Exposure Time: 5 / 294
File Source:
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
FNumber: 4
-same numbers

The pics with matching values are exposed much better than the mismatched values. Knowing nothing about the "aperture value" I am assuming that this is the number that it actually stopped down to. Maybe Don has a better idea of what I am looking at.
 
Just received my camera back from Fuji Canada. Sent it to them on Monday. Pretty quick service. They replaced the lens and everything is now working perfectly. It's like a new camera! I think the aperture issue crept up on me without me noticing until it was flagrant. Alls well that ends well.
 
Having had my X100 recently repaired for the sticky aperture problem I can confirm that it can creep up on you. I finally realised when I tried some F16 shots on a sunny day and got gross over exposure and when I tested each aperture the exposure improved as I got closer to f2. As I mostly use auto the camera wasn't selecting the higher f numbers often and I didn't always get overexposure. So I would suggest that everyone runs the tests periodically. I found Fuji UK very efficient and it was easy to arrange the repair on line.
 
Kevin,
First off.... Test the camera with a very consistent scene. The exposure must be the same for all images in the sequence...so,
Shoot the scene at every fstop. Do not look at the aperture.
Then do random fstops skipping one or two like...
F4....f11....f5.6...f2.8...f8 etc.
Then look at the files in LR and they should all be properly exposed.
That's the first step.... Post your findings...
I'll be around...don

I haven't noticed anything amiss but will follow Don's advice as outlined above.

Just wondering when you two received your cameras initially?
 
I bought my camera in July, serial number starts with 12A.
...and how many shutters do you think you did Kev before she started to slow down?

I admit I'm looking at my lil' Fuji a bit differently since hearing about this inherent affliction...like she has a latent disease that I'm just waiting to surface. I want us to be back to how we were in the beginning...:(
 
...and how many shutters do you think you did Kev before she started to slow down?

I admit I'm looking at my lil' Fuji a bit differently since hearing about this inherent affliction...like she has a latent disease that I'm just waiting to surface. I want us to be back to how we were in the beginning...:(

I finally noticed the problem a week and a half ago (after about 1850 pics). Like greyelm, I often just leave the cam in P mode and so never really noticed it creeping up. The occasional blown exposure I blamed on me. What really tipped me off was an afternoon walk in the sun, when I was in A mode and zone focused with f/16 (my samoyed wouldn't stay still lol). I don't review every pic, only checking the first one or two to make sure I am on. Of course the walk ended and I loaded the pics into LR and there it was a bunch of over exposed pics mixed in with the good ones. I then started looking at the openings as I half pressed the shutter, noticing from time to time a noticeable difference in sizes at the same aperture.

Many thanks to Don for his help in diagnosing this. His method enabled me to determine for sure that I had a problem.I think everyone should do the same from time to time, I know I will!
 
Thanks Kev. I suspected it might just creep up on you. I experimented a little on my morning stroll yesterday, changing apertures and spying the blade openings as I half-pressed the shutter. There seemed to be some subtle differences but nothing dire...yet. Scarily though when I got back to LR it was horrific. Not so much any exposure issues but the barrage of awful photos trained up my nose.....at least the X100 nailed the focus. Unfortunately! But damn that near silent shutter! Suffice it to say that I'll be out buying a better set of clippers at lunch break today :blush:

Back to the blades. It's reassuring to hear that Fuji are honouring the repairs of these units. I only hope that, much like the Digilux 2 sensor issue that Leica still warrants to this day, that Fuji will get all the X100s out there mended. However, has Fuji determined the root of the problem and isolated it to batches or addressed the design fault with the reissued lenses? I just fear Fuji installing new units that simply give the X100 another few months/1000 shutters and then we're back in the shop again. Hmmm....
 
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