Fuji X20 has arrived -- initial thoughts

[Luke]

Using the X20 | Fuji Rumors

In this post, he even shows the changing of the size and shape of the AF confirmation box.

 

[depscribe]

Since you won't listen to anybody, and seem intent on being a controversialists, set your focus to center and learn from your unfocused mistakes. If you do a lot of close framing and use the center only, you will be off frequently. That's why Fuji put the additional box in the X100; people who did not understand parallax complained the camera was not focusing correctly.

Thanks, but that's my point -- it can't be set to center. And I am among the X100 users who turned on the parallax box from its default, which was off, looked at it, yawned, and turned it back off. Your mileage may vary, and i do not begrudge you that. The one thing that never has changed with the X100, though, is the presence of a bright frame showing the focus area at infinity. It cannot be defeated. That is because it is an important tool, which is why it is stunning that it was left out of the X20.

 

[depscribe]

Using the X20 | Fuji Rumors

In this post, he even shows the changing of the size and shape of the AF confirmation box.

Yes. Its existence has never been in doubt. The issue is the amount of cheering or booing it should inspire.

 

[Luke]

I think showing a center point at infinity and then having someone taking a photo of a person 3 feet away that is inside that box and out of focus because of parallax error is perhaps what they are trying to avoid.

 

[flysurfer]

Yes. Its existence has never been in doubt.

Yeah, right. Like in:

Additionally, the focus area in the X20 tends to move up and down and change shape for reasons unrelated to parallax. Which is an abomination imho.

 

[depscribe]

Yeah, right. Like in:

The existence of the bouncing box has never been in doubt. Nor has the fact that you explained it as you did both here and on the other site.

I think showing a center point at infinity and then having someone taking a photo of a person 3 feet away that is inside that box and out of focus because of parallax error is perhaps what they are trying to avoid.

If Fuji's market is such persons, I'd be the last to deny that setting to them. It could be the default, even, and you'd not hear a peep from me. But the existence of the focus box at the infinity position is clearly of sufficient value that Fuji made it undefeatable in the X100. So it ought to be at least an option on the X20.

As to the parallax issue: The lens-finder offset is about two inches. If the lens and finder are properly designed, which is to say pointed in the same direction, then the maximum parallax error, regardless of distance or focal length, is about two inches. Yet the bouncing box appears, at a distance of eight feet, where it would if the offset were a foot or more. It is too heavy-handed in its movement and very imprecise as to its area -- when sometimes it's twice its normal height and other times twice its normal width, then the user can't be said to have chosen the focus area at all, can he?

 

[Luke]

But the existence of the focus box at the infinity position is clearly of sufficient value that Fuji made it undefeatable in the X100. So it ought to be at least an option on the X20.

Actually, the box can be turned off on the X100. I just did it. In AF mode, you select multi instead of area. Is it possible that you have multi point AF mode on? I don't have an X20 so I'm not sure if they work the same way or not. That would certainly be a reason for the focus point to not always be in the center where you think it should be.

 

[depscribe]

Well, yes, one may turn it off if it would be on no conceivable use, as would be the case if one were not spot focusing. And no, I surely do not have multi-point turned on. Surely do not. But thanks for thinking of it.

I think this issue will be far more apparent after more people get and use X20s. And I really hope Fuji fixes it (by allowing the current bouncing box to be turned off in favor of or at minimum added to a central focus-at-infinity box) and the other issue, allowing more flexible use of the LCD without employing the eyeball detecting thing, in firmware, because then it would be more usable by a lot.

 

[Luke]

perhaps they can add the center point box (I won't use the word focus because that won't necessarily be the focus point) later with firmware. But I certainly wouldn't want them to remove the focus confirmation box that shows the shooter what is in focus with a half shutter release press.