[written by KopiOkaya]
The official recommended retail price for the highly anticipated mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, FinePix X-Pro1, has been released in Singapore. It will cost SGD$2,399 (about USD1,950) for the body alone.
Here is a hands-on field test video of the FinePix X-Pro1:
[compiled by KopiOkaya]
The firmware update Ver.1.03 incorporates the following issues:
Download the new firmware HERE.
[compiled by KopiOkaya]
Australian photojournalist Michael Coyne and landscape photographer Christian Fletcher are shooting with the FinePix X-Pro 1 and have published four images taken with the 18mm lens, alongside a video explaining their first impressions. See it HERE
[compiled by KopiOkaya]
Fujifilm is launching a limited release of 10,000 units of the high-end compact digital camera “FUJIFILM X100 BLACK Limited Edition” worldwide. The company has been receiving numerous requests for a black version of X100 since its original launch in March last year.
The package of X100 BLACK Limited Edition contains the camera unit, a genuine leather ever-ready case, a lens hood, an adapter ring and a protective filter. Each package comes with a message card reading a number as proof that it is one of only 10,000 units produced. The model will end its sales when all 10,000 units are sold out.
[compiled by KopiOkaya]
[image: dpreview.com]
The FinePix X-Pro 1 sounds promising…
Read the preview HERE.
[compiled by KopiOkaya]
Fujifilm Corporation is delighted to announce the new lineups of the FinePix digital camera series. The wide range of new FinePix lineups will provide customers even more convenient solution from capturing to sharing, professional to simple point and shoot, and satisfy and amaze all customers around the world with their exciting photography life.
Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR and F750EXR
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Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR
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Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR and HS25EXR
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Fujifilm FinePix S4500, S4400, S4300 and S4200
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Fujifilm FinePix SL300, SL280, SL260 and SL240
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Fujifilm FinePix XP150 and FinePix XP100
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Fujifilm FinePix XP50
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Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR
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Fujifilm FinePix Z110
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Fujifilm FinePix T350 and FinePix T400
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Fujifilm FinePix JX700, JX580, JX550, JX520 and JX500
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Fujifilm FinePix JZ100 and FinePix JZ250
[written by KopiOkaya]
Announcing the winners. 
F.U.N. Ambassador of the Year
* True34Color *
Bro True could have been more active participating in our F.U.N. activities and outings 
, but behind the scene, he is actively promoting Fujifilm products 
. He deserves the title this year.
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F.U.N. Camera of the Year
* Fujifilm FinePix X100 *
What more can I say about this camera… Most of you have already read countless reviews of the X100. Bluffname and I wrote one. What is so fantastic about the X100 came to us as a surprise when we received our Fujifilm 2012 desk calendar. Despite a fixed 35mm focal length lens, the X100 was able to capture a yellow vented Bulbul having a caterpillar meal on a tree, a baby orang utan climbing on a branch, ducks and water lilies in a pond. 
Jokes aside, the X100 does have the cool-factor which many cameras lacks. Shaped and look like a rangefinder camera, it appeals to the most discreet photographers from both the N and C camps. However, most Leica and Voigtlander fans choose to believe that the X100 has yet to be considered a rangefinder. Nonetheless, its images are sharp and noise free even at ISO 6400. Many die-hard Fujifilm users insisted its colors cannot be compared to older FinePix cameras. Still, the X100 is an absolutely fabulous and fun camera to use.
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F.U.N. Lens of the Year
* “The CCD Lens / Mushroom Lens” – Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f2.8G ED *
I first rented this lens on this year’s F.U.N. Vesak Day: “Candle Light Offering & Aspiration” outing. The shots were extraordinary. It gave new perspectives and offered interesting angles to the otherwise conventional views of the temple and its devotees.
Ah Bluff rented the lens recently for his book project. This lens not only project a different view but is extremely versatile too. The 0.28m minimum focus distance means it can be used as a close-up lens for small flowers and insects.
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F.U.N. Camera Equipment Buyer of the Year – Fujifilm Category
F.U.N. Camera Equipment Buyer of the Year – Hampalang Category
F.U.N. Camera Equipment Seller of the Year – Fujifilm Category
F.U.N. Camera Equipment Seller of the Year – Hampalang Category
* Second Wind *
Second Wind is our biggest winner in the B&S categories this year. All for a good reason – to seek the perfect photographic solution for his shooting habits and style.
Where can I start… Second Wind bought the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro from an elderly buyer who was switching to the smaller and lighter Olympus Pen system. With a shutter count of slightly over 800, Second Wind paid a good price for it (judging by 2010 market rate). This year, his S5 Pro was sold to Phengkiong. The camera still had less than a thousand actuation.
Not forgetting the “seller-became-buyer” incident. Last year, Second Wind sold his beloved Fujifilm FinePix S100SF to Yingbin1005. The wind of change blew when Yingbin1005 was planning to upgrade to the X100 and decided to let go the S100FS. Second Wind wanted to buy a lightweight superzoom camera at the same time. After testing the FinePix HS20, he decided to give it a miss. With not much options available, he seized the opportunity and bought back the FinePix S100FS from Yingbin1005. This happened faster than any armed forces physical training instructor (PTI) could shout the “change” command.
Besides buying and selling Fujifilm products, Second Wind bought and let go several cameras and lenses of various brands, including last year’s F.U.N. Lens of the Year – the Nikkor AF-D 80-400 ED VR. His latest toys are the Nikon D5100 and a Nikkor AF-S 16-85 G ED VR lens. There are too many to mention and to keep track, so it is best if he can share his B&S adventure with all of us.
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F.U.N. Camera Equipment “Say-say only but yet to buy” Non-buyer of the Year
* Yingbin1005 *
When it comes to holding back on a purchase or “lun” (忍), nobody can be as much of a “lun-a-tic” as Yingbin1005 (solly arghk, just a joke). Yingbin1005 has been in the “lun” mode since February when Fujifilm Singapore launched the FinePix X100 officially at the IT Show 2011.
Many thoughts had gone through her mind and she had rented the X100 on several occasions, including on National Day. She even missed an offer by Steven Lee of The Camera Hospital to buy an used 2-month old X100 for S$950 back in May.
Until now, Yingbin1005 is still drooling over the X100. No doubt the price of this camera has dropped and two F.U.N.ees (True34colors and Madmacs) had bought theirs, yet she is pushing her willpower to its limit, as well as her endurance to curb the urge to own this fine piece of photographic equipment.
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Most Accomplished F.U.N. Member of the Year
* Yingbin1005 *
The person who can “lun” the most is also the one who accomplished the most.
What more can I say… Yingbin1005 held both the Most Memorable F.U.N. Picture of the Year and the Most Active F.U.N. Member of the Year titles in 2011, she certainly has accomplished a lot already. But this tough aunty continues to set high standards for herself. Her series of abstract flower photographs was exhibited at the 5th Ngee Ann Photography Exhibition this year.
Her photographs of shops along Haji Lane, titled “3 X 3″ won her grand prize in the F.U.N. 3rd Anniversary Photo Challenge. One of the judges, Ah Kopi commented: “Yingbin1005 to be very observant. She knew what she wanted long before she frames her shots. Her pictures portrayal a sense of mystery with simplicity, finesse and grace”.
Having Bluffname as mentor certainly helps Yingbin1005 achieved the “Shifuee” status and advances her photography skills to the next level.
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Most Active F.U.N. Member of the Year
* Yingbin1005 *
Same as last year, who else has the ability to accumulate 3,301 posts (as of 1st Jan 2012) and appointed moderator in less than 2 years? Again, not many forumers can match her enthusiasm and accomplishments.
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Most Published F.U.N. Member of the Year
* Andikong *
Another big winner of 2011, Andikong’s wonderful nature photographs achieved the most published status with 40,000 images in circulation – all of them inside 5,000 printed copies of 2012 Fujifilm desk calender. Good job, Andy!!! 
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Most Creative F.U.N. Member of the Year
* Yingbin1005 *
Errr… Need I say more? Yingbin1005 is one of the biggest winner this year no doubt. However, her creativity can be subjective. Few people know how to appreciate her works. Not having one photo selected for the 2012 Fujifilm desk calendar definitely is a huge disappointment to her, but in the hearts of F.U.N.ees, we recognize the distinctive photographic style Yingbin1005 possesses. A style that is uniquely hers.
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Most Improved F.U.N. Member of the Year
* Phengkiong *
Phengkiong (or PK for short) join F.U.N. group less than a year and yet he has shown one of the greatest improvement we have witnessed so far. Armed with a Nikon D7000 and Fujifilm FinePix WP30, PK was a semi-F.U.N.ee until he bought the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro from Second Wind. Although we hardly see him use his FinePix S5 Pro, we certainly saw a lot of improvement in his photographs. Graduated from PSS (The Photographic Society of Singapore) Basic Photography Course with a distinction, PK has established himself as a worthy photog with big dreams.
Having Excelglsi as his mentor, PK has found a niche in macro photography. His spiders and insects photos are of competition standards thank to his patient learning and determination for improvement.
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Most Influential F.U.N. Member of the Year
* Bluffname *
Same as last year. I have known Bluffname personally for more than 4 years (time really flies…). I knew him from the other forum. He had a question about his FinePix S5 Pro and I was able answer it.
After hanging out with Ah Bluff for some time, I must say he changed the way I view my subjects. You see, I was hardly a telephoto person. The longest lens I had was a 200mm. After shooting with Ah Bluff for more than a year, I traded-in my 200mm for a 400mm. Recently, I sold the 80-400 and went back to 80-200 because I need a faster lens.
Ah Bluff joined F.U.N. in May 2009. Since then, many F.U.N. members had been influenced by his “uptight” style. To name a few – TheChef, Yingbin1005, Sgsoonhoe, Amberture, Excelglsi and Phengkiong.
This year, Ah Bluff pushes himself to “think out of the box” and be different from the rest. He is now adopting a “down loose” approach to his photography, using mainly his own Nikkor 18-70 lens, or rent a Nikkor AF-S 24-70 G ED and Nikkor AF-S 14-24 G ED lenses.
It is virtually unthinkable for Ah Bluff to like a fixed focal length wide-angle lens but he was “poisoned” by the FinePix X100 after using it to shoot pictures for the 2012 Fujifilm desk calendar. This shifu is certainly thinking outside the box in 2011.
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Most Innovative F.U.N. Member of the Year
* Excelglsi *
Same as last year, our Mr. DIY photography accessories are as innovative as Joe Demb’s Flip-It or Joby’s Gorillapod. Among his latest inventions are a lampshade-look alike diffuser for macro photography and a tripod with two extension arms to hold flashes, etc.
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Most Resourceful F.U.N. Member of the Year – Equipment “Lobang” Category
* Excelglsi *
Same as last year, our “lobang king” still has the most lobangs up his sleeves and is able to obtain gems at reasonably low prices. Bitten by the film bug this year, Excelglsi is currently into shooting and processing films. He bought a late 1940s Nikon 1 rangefinder camera in pristine condition recently.
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Most Resourceful F.U.N. Member of the Year – Programming and Event Category
* Sgsoonhoe *
Same as last year, nobody can match Sgsoonhoe’s resourcefulness in sniffing out the latest news and information, programme schedules and event updates for all F.U.N. members. Our Information Resource Almighty Shifu has been rather quiet this year but his information dissemination has never stop or quiet down.
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Most Memorable F.U.N. Pictures of the Year
This year I have a list of 5 pictures instead of just one.
* “Bad and Good” by Bluffname *
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* “Master Steps” by True34colors *
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* “Superman” by Second Wind *
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* “Raising the Bag of Token” by Excelglsi *
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* “11 ” by Sgsoonhoe *
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* Second Wind * (thus earned him the title “Crop King”)
Cropped
Uncropped
[original post written and photos by Madmacs, compiled and edited by KopiOkaya]
Few weeks ago, F.U.N. member Madmacs highlighted the infamous FinePix X100 sticky aperture blades issue on SgShoot photo forum. At the same time, there were several discussions on dpreview forums HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.
This was what happened to Madmacs.
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I bought the x100 and used it on my vacation recently. This was the first time I was using only one camera and one focal length throughout the whole trip.
The x100 performed very well for more than a week until the sticky aperture blades problem hit. I started getting very overexposed photos at f/4 and got worse as I stopped down the aperture. As a result, I was restricted to using only f/2 and f/2.8 for the last leg of the trip. I can see the aperture blades stop down when I half-press the shutter release but it looks like the blades do not stop down when it takes the photo.
I took some test shots when I got home. Here you can see the exposure combinations from f/2 to f/16 and how it gets progressively brighter towards f/16.
[images: Madmacs]
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I have brought the issue to Eng Kiat and Christopher of Fujifilm Service Centre in Singapore. They have not get back to me yet. Will keep everybody updated.
[written and compiled by KopiOkaya]
CONGRATULATIONS…
Yingbin1005 is the winner of Fujifilm F.U.N. 3rd Anniversary Photo Challenge.
Follow by -
First Runner-up: True34colors, and
Second Runner-up: Pengkhiong.
Do contact me for your prize collection.
Finally, I will like thank Andikong for his active participation.
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Here are the winning entries.
WINNER – “3 x 3″ by Yingbin1005
[photos: Yingbin1005]
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FIRST RUNNER-UP – “No.3+3=33″ by True34colors
[photos: True34colors]
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SECOND RUNNER-UP - “Three on Tree” by Pengkhiong
[photo: Pengkhiong]
[compiled by KopiOkaya]
[image: fujifilm.com]
Find out more about the new FinePix X-S1 HERE.
