Fuji Viewfinder Depth of Field Scale in Manual Focus Mode using the 14 or 23 mm lenses

MWF

New Member
Hello Rico

First off, thanks very much for all of your work in the "Fuji community" to provide information about new products and descriptions of the (sometimes odd) ways in which aspects of the Fuji X cameras work. I recently finished your book "Mastering the X-E1 and X-Pro1" which I found very helpful. I have a question and a request: I often use my 35mm fuji lens in manual focus mode and I find the Depth of Field Scale which is available in the viewfinder (or on the rear screen) very helpful - especially the red bar which shows the critical focus point. I take the actual white depth of field indicator and being very conservative (as in good focus extends beyond the distance indicated in white) but, all-in-all I find the scale very useful. However, as I'm sure you are already aware, when I switch my 14 mm lens into Manual Focus mode the Depth of Field scale in the viewfinder (and rear screen) is no longer available! I don't own the 23 mm lens but I understand this is also the case with that lens.

I understand that both of these lens have an 'on the lens barrel' depth of field scale, which is all very well - but I find the in viewfinder scale much better for my style because: it is very precise and accurate in showing the critical focus point, particularly at close distances, i.e. I can see if my focus point is set at 2m or 2.25m very easily; and also it is available in the viewfinder so I don't have to lower the camera from my eye to view the scale. Whereas the on barrel depth of field scale is not nearly so easy to take an exact reading - and you have to lower the camera from your eye to look at it.

So, my question is: is there any technical reason why Fuji can't activate the in viewfinder depth of field scale whilst these lenses are in Manual Focus mode? And if not, my request is: can you please use your influence with Fuji to have them activate this as an option for users - surely a firmware update. I don't mind that the two scales don't provide exactly equal results and are based on different circle of confusion values - that's ok by me, they have different uses - but I really find the in viewfinder scale so useful and maybe others do too.

Thanks
MWF
 
It's politics. The electronic scale uses a different (less conservative) circle of confusion than the engraved scale. The DOF scale on the lens won't give you pixel sharp results at 100% magnification.

The missing electronic scales are major reasons why I don't like the 23mm and 14mm lenses very much. Plus, there's no Instant AF in concert with MF. Plus, I can't change the orientation of the manual focus ring. It's always counterclockwise towards infinity.

I am much happier with the 10-24mm zoom, where I can easily set a pixel sharp hyperfocal distance using the electronic scale.
 
Thanks for your reply. Any chance you think Fuji might change its policy re this and activate the DOF scale and one touch AF in Manual focus mode for these lenses?
 
I don't know. It's the same with the manual ISO dial on the X-T1. Fuji keeps giving in to populist demands while sacrificing actual functionality.

It would help if more users would complain about this loss of functionality directly to their local Fuji office.
 
I don't know. It's the same with the manual ISO dial on the X-T1. Fuji keeps giving in to populist demands while sacrificing actual functionality.

It would help if more users would complain about this loss of functionality directly to their local Fuji office.

Rico, this brings up a good point (and maybe one you've discussed elsewhere?). Can you elaborate on what you suggest as the best way to get our feedback to Fuji?

I work in tech support for a living and I know part of our job is relaying feature requests to product management, but I don't know if there's a more direct route or better way to get visibility for Fuji.
 
The regional offices are responsible for collecting feedback, compiling it and getting it to Tokyo.

Thanks for the reply Rico. So just for sake of example, being in the US I would use the FujifilmUSA contact page:

Fujifilm [United States]

Do you know if it helps/matters if I pick General Information vs. Technical Support/Assistance for the type of contact?
 
Thanks Rico. I've drafted a letter to my local office (Australia, as it happens). I guess you never know unless you ask . . .
 
Storing different A-ISO configs in custom shooting profiles is gone, making the X-T1 the slowest of all X cameras to reconfigure.

I see what you mean. I already noticed from watching Ralf Spoerer's excellent preview of the X-T1 that the ISO setting has also been dropped from the Q-menu. Alas, there's no way to have the profiles cover settings that are set through physical controls.

I personally don't particularly need to include ISO settings in my custom profiles, but could probably grow fond of that ISO dial. Let's hope that the upcoming firmware updates narrow the gap between the X-E2 and the X-T1 so that the choice between the two basically boils down to ergonomics and those who are irked by either side of this trade-off have a choice in the matter.
 
Tradeoffs with everything. I'd be fine with a more under the hood approach to ISO so we could store different combinations of Auto-ISO settings, although I've found it pretty workable as is. I need auto ISO with fairly specific parameters for street shooting, but for more static shooting, I'm fine just turning the ISO dial off of "A" and setting it manually.

But PLEASE don't mess with the function of the manual focus rings. Sure, add the distance scale to the EVF/LCD if you'd like, but keep making lenses with that focus ring - I love the damn things. I'd pay a lot for a higher quality 16 or 18mm with a faster aperture and a clutch MF ring. Different strokes I guess - I like the 14 and 23 in part specifically because of those rings, but I'd get far more use out of one on an 18mm...

-Ray
 
Storing different A-ISO configs in custom shooting profiles is gone, making the X-T1 the slowest of all X cameras to reconfigure.

It would be possible to store different Auto-ISO configs in custom shooting profiles if the ISO dial would have custom settings stops C1, C2, C3 similar to the custom settings on the PASM dials of the DSLR cameras.

Alternately, the could be only one stop called C (Custom) on the ISO dial that would pick up whatever settings are stored in the Custom menu, or override those settings if the ISO dial is set to some other explicit value.

Either way, the ISO dial does not impose a loss of the custom ISO settings... Fuji could have choses to incorporate them in the existing design.
 
Back
Top