Saying a Fujinon Cine Lens is a “markup” just tells me you’ve never held one in your hands to feel how large, heavy, and well constructed it is…. It doesn’t even compare to a $4-5k photo lens. You get what you pay for with Cine Lenses
After the introduction of me in 1986, my parents discontinued production. I guess they should have prepared better for future markets. You can still find me, though. Lightly used, slightly scuffed, but works fine.
I'm was manufactured in the era of steel! Incredibly hard to get rid of us but after all these years, some of us just need a full body off restoration to be magnificent again.
Informative and entertaining as always. I was a bit disappointed to not see any mention of the X100 as it preceded the XPro1 and marked the beginning of the X series.
these history podcasts are awesome! I a little surprised toward the end that you didn't mention the X100. That camera made the photo world sit up and take notice. Even today when you shoot with a X100 series camera people stop you and ask if it's film. Great Job! Really appreciate all the work that goes into making a podcast like this.
Just now getting around to watching your history videos. All have been high-quality and incredibly informative. In this one, I found the comparisons between between Kodak and Fuji's business decisions to be fascinating. Thank you very much.
You two are just such a pleasure to have in the room, I'd love a permanent stream of your lives in my flat. Anyway, I wanted to point out why proper PL zooms are so expensive. Two things that still lenses are shit at: focus breathing, and constant focus while zooming. Those lenses can be zoomed on a subject without the focus changing, and maintain the same frame when pulling focus. The former in particular is ridiculously complex and requires way more of the elements to move around than in normal lenses, add in the extra precision and quality control needed as the complexity grows, and the production costs grow too. Tony you're right that there is a bigger markup because of making up R&D with less units, but it's not as big as you said. A high production, still marketed version of that $100k Fuji lens would be ~$20k given normal markups over production costs, defiantly not 3k. I don't think the shit sigma and rokinon is making will take any of the high end market who use Alexas and full body stedicams, if they aren't changing the internals, the zooms in particularly will be terrible for professional videography.
Real cinema lenses like Zeiss CP series, Canon Cinema and Fujinon are much different from Photo lenses. They have standardized barrel diameters (to change follow focus gears quickly), they have no focus breathing ( you can pull focus without change the focal distance at all), you can zoom in or out without change you focus point, they are measured and marked in T-stops, they're always all metal constructed, they're all color match lenses (color transmission) etc. They are very different, hence the price. The video was excellent!!! Thanks again Tony and Chelsea!
Hi Tony and Chelsea, yet again you give us a well thought out, clear detailed account, this time of Fuji's commercial history. It is very interesting how one company stands out from the crowd for nit's consistent long term commercial strategy, the results of which can now be seen. There must be clear un-ambiguous leadership with the successful enlistment of a large number of co-operative managers working throughout the organisation, and it shows!, Recently I had to take my camera, an XT2, to the service centre attached to Fujifilm's UK headquarters in Bedford, England, where a service engineer called Colin was able to listen to my report, examine my camera, do the paperwork, take it in, call me later that day to tell me how much and take payment, and then call me again, three working days later to say that it was all done ready for collection, the speed and efficiency of this service is now almost unheard of in this country, where it seems that the upper management is unable to provide the staff with the resources they need to get the job done, I came away utterly delighted and will not be buying into any other system any time soon!. Cheers, Richard.
Great video! I was shooting with the X-Pro1 until February of this year. It is still my backup camera and I will never sell it. I love this baby. Digital camera with the feeling of shooting film. A real camera. I now switched to the X-Pro2, because I prefer the rangefinder style over the DSLR form factor. And I also have a great usage for the optical viewfinder. As the X-T1, the X-Pro1 received a lot of firmware updates. Everytime, it felt like receiving a brand new camera. I never ever owned a product from a company (any type of product you can imagine) that gave me a better customer experience. Fuji really listens to their customers and they really care about their user base.
Hey everyone. Loads of good comments on a GREAT video. I guess we Fuji 'fanboys and girls' are no different from the Canikon and Pentaxians, but give Tony and Chelsea a break... A full review of Fuji history in just over half an hour is an impossible task. Sure they left out the details of the incredible dynamic range of the S5Pro CCD sensor and the introduction of the amazing (but questionable) X100, but this was an incredible review of Fuji... easily the best and most unbiased I've seen. This is what these guys do, and do well... just tell it as it is. By all means add your comments and opinions, but please remember to say a very well deserved THANK YOU!
I am catching up on this podcast series and really enjoyed this one. I work as a manager at a Walgreens and photograph in my spare time. After watching this particular podcast I will for ever get a chuckle when I process customers Kodak film orders because we send them to a Fujifilm lab in the USA!!!!
Just came across this video (I know, a little late) and it was like watching the story of my business life. Having spent 30 years working for Fuji from the mid 70s to the mid 00s, I enjoyed your representation. Of course not everything could be covered unless we wanted to spend a few hours but you certainly hit the high spots. One point I think was understated was the impact of Kodak's action on accusing Fuji of dumping in the color paper market. For those old enough to remember, Kodak enlisted first Michael Landon and then Bill Cosby to tell America to look at the back of the photo first to make sure it was on Kodak paper. Fuji had taken quite a bit of share from Kodak in color paper and photo chemicals (Fuji Hunt) with the acquisition of Walmart's, Ritz Camera's and Costco's color paper business. When Fuji had to raise their price on color paper to comply with court order it had an unexpected effect on Kodak's relationship with those 3 giant retailers. They were miffed that their color paper price was now going up due to Kodak's action and stayed with Fuji in spite of the higher price. This resulted in Fuji opening their own color paper manufacturing facility in Greenwood, SC, and as a result Fuji, as a US based manufacturer could charge any price they wanted. This loss of the color paper business was IMHO the biggest dart in Kodak's heart.
I had a Fuji F402 in 2003 you can stick in your back pocket. Loads of fun, great for cycling and stunning picture quality for the time. It got stolen and I got the F410. Now thinking of buying again a Fuji, the X-T3.
I worked for Fuji for 9 years from 97 to 2006. Their "super ccd" sensor with its octagonal "honeycomb" photosites was unique and challenging to market. The resulting images had nearly double as many megapixels as the sensor because of the interpolation needed to "turn" the image. Many pros swore by the sensor, but most smelled tricky marketing to claim a higher pixel count. Funny that they STILL go counter to the rest with regards to their sensor tech (I.e. Xtrans Vs bayer)
Thank you for the Photokina meet up with Matt Granger, you both have great channels. I have never really looked at other brands than the next Canon, until this year. I tried the Fujifilm X-T2 and got some test sample from Photokina back home on my SD card, and was very surprised how it looks compared to my great Canon 5D Mark III. If the new Olympus is on this level or better it is Fuji or Olympus. The history on Fuji is very interresting for the future.
Love your history podcasts! I still remember the Kodak-Fuji film wars in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a bit like Depeche Mode vs. The Cure or PC vs. Mac or iPhone vs. Samsung today. I didn't realise they were a decent competitor on the camera market until well after the X series came out. Then in the late 2010s, I got my hands on the S series, they were laughably cheap on the 2nd hand market, and I always on a tight budget. I still have the S2980, and later bought the HS25EXR (much faster lens). Although the sensors eventually turned out to be too small for my needs (I switched to MFT later), I learned a lot about digital photography with them.
Great video on Fuji History - Thanks Tony and Chelsea.. But in case it hasn't been mentioned before (sorry for that) The X-Pro1 has a viewfinder like the Leica yes, ovf but also has an EVF option with a flick of the switch - in other words viewing through the lens (A la SLR) ... Just a small point to mention but I think the main reason why so may photographers bought the X-Pro1 - plus the introduction of the X-Trans sensor with its unique pixel layout almost FujiFilm in style (A bias toward green wouldn't you say?).
I did a ton of research and went with the XT2 because of the beautiful design and their consumer-friendly practices among other reasons. Such a fun camera to use! Great podcast, guys!
Fuji responded quickly with proper 4K video capability with the new XT2. When 4K becomes the standard in the eminent years to come, most cameras today (including the 5D4) would become obsolete in terms of video while the XT2 would probably still be a very capable camera.
It's quick in that they went from "we don't really care about video" to "here's 4K and F-log and 4:2:2 HDMI out". They were late to the party, but arrived with style :)
Three major points worth noting: Fuji transparency film is important, the X100 is really the start of the X philosophy (a pretty and controversial camera), and that Fujifilm's current financial success is largely based on instax products.
I love you two! Keep going! MORE HISTORY VIDS!!! These have been quite interesting (I've seen all of them now). It's great to see Chelsea's lovely face and hear her sweet voice. You two are a great couple! I love Tony's technical knowledge too!
No mention of the 2010 X100. The X100 was massive and in my opinion inspired them to proceed with the 2012 X-Pro1 The X100 reversed a trend of race to the bottom small sensor consumer cameras imo.
Great video Chelsea and Tony. Fuji are my current favourite manufacturer and I am loving my X-Pro2. But I am sitting here right now holding the Fujica ST605 that I inherited from my late father. He bought it new back in 1977 and it has a roll of Acros 100 in it right now. I particularly like its ASA/ISO adjuster dial that you pull up and rotate to set. (Just like an X-Pro2. LMAO). It was very interesting indeed, to learn the Fujifilm history. I look forward to more history stuff.
Being a longtime Fujica owner/user/collector, this video really hit home for me. One minor detail, the photo of the Fujica Six you showed was not the first (1948) version. What you showed was a later model of the Six, called Super Fujica Six, which first came out in 1955. I still shoot with my Fujicas, as well as my Nikon and Fujifilm digitals. Overall, it was a really well done video. I'm also a longtime fan of T&C!
During and after the second world war, pretty much every company contributed to "the war effort", specially camera manufacturers and lens makers, and this was where photography and science really came together. Reading back through some of my old British Journal Of Photography books virtually every camera company in the UK was helping in the war by providing materials and resources, which meant photography equipment was very scarce for a long time, even once the war ended, new equipment was very few and far between, certainly food for thought, and shows the progression we have made now, though we still have silly wars, we have been able to live as we always have and not had to worry about a certain camera or piece of equipment not being available to us. I will say right now, i love fui camera's and fuji glass, i stopped shooting professionally about 6 years or so ago, so i dont need the latest 5d mk9 or whatnot, and i own what is probably considered the lowest of the low in regards to the fuji X line up, but the sheer joy i get from that little silver and black body is considerably more than i ever had with canon dslr's, and coming from a 35mm film background, the fuji camera's just seem so intuitive to me, and even with a small 16mp sensor, the images just blow me away, even the jpegs, just incredibly rich looking images. The x-t2 does seem like a winner, i am so tempted to buy one but for now, i am happy with my little fuji body, and with future lens releases, i think i would rather spend my money on more fuji glass, their upcoming 80mm macro WR lens will be an awesome portrait lens when its released, so excited about that one, even the forthcoming 50mm f2, which should compliment my 35mm f2 perfectly! Good job T&C!
This was interesting. I had no idea about anything about Fujifilm's history until I saw this video. This kind of explains why I was unaware of Fujifilm until the early 2000's. I found it interesting hearing some of the dramatic shifts that Fujifilm took.
I kinda wish you talked about the x100, that was the beginning of the x system, and part of the reason why the x-pro had the great success it had when it started
Just got rid of my EOS 70D to swap to the Fuji xt2 last month including various Sigma Art Lenses and also the 70-200 f2.8 IS mkII. Was a tough decision but man I tell ya, it´s more than worth it!! Fell so in love with the xt2! I really liked Canon before I changed the gear but now I start to dislike Canon more and more, day by day since they really fail to keep up with the changing market! I hope Fuji will have a bright future and therefor Sigma will change their opinion in not making X Mount Art lenses.. :D Really looking forward to your upcoming xt2 videos Tony and Chelsea! Pls don´t let us wait for too long :D Best regards from Berlin, Germany
I love your history videos, they are so full of the inside story. So much so that every time I see one of your videos it makes me want to go out and buy one of their cameras since I completely fall in love with the company being describe.
Joseph Delgadillo this is true. The X-Pro1 and all future X-series cameras are the result of Fuji having so much success with the X100. I myself dropped both a Canon DSLR and Sony NEX camera set after shooting with an X100S. Now I'm shooting almost all Fuji outside of my film work.
Recently started shooting film. Still able to buy Fuji and Kodak film stocks along with a variety of black and white film stocks. It's a great time for photography in my opinion.
Tony & Chelsea I really enjoy the History series, thanks for making them. Would love to see Pentax in the future, or Olympus would be very interesting as well. Thanks!
My first experience with a SLR camera was the Fujica STX-1 with a Fujinon Lens, that was more than 34 year ago. It was a great camera. Three years later used and fell in love with my friend's Canon FTbN-QL, since then always love Canon cameras & products. Bought a Fuji digital PS but never pleased with the product.
That 2MB memory card was nice. Did you notice the cover with screws. That held the battery that was needed for it to keep the data. Digital cameras actually broke in somewhat earlier. In 2003 well over half of compact cameras shipped were digital. For interchangeable lens cameras that was in '04. In '07 CIPA did not even count film cameras anymore.The current fall is not really that bad yet if one views it in a longer perspective. Last year 13 million cameras with interchangeable lenses were shipped. That is three times the number on the peak year during the film era. For fixes lens cameras there is a drop of one third from the peak of the film era. That was interesting. I really had no knowledge on the history of Fujifilm. In the 80s Fujifilm was the most common slide film I used. I liked the way the development was included in the price and the slides were mailed home.
Thank you for these history videos! Can't wait to see your X-T2 review. I love mine and looking forward to see what you think of it. Version 1.00 Firmware and is already this fantastic.
To this day I shoot with fujifilm 35mm film and currently have an X-E1 with my eye on the X-T2. Love these camera history videos you guys should do Leica or Olympus next
Hey fellas, this episode - in particular, has been my favorite to date. Though I hadn't subscribed previously, I did so after seeing this. I also found myself sharing it quite a bit. Kudos to you both. This is a nice take and a great way of differentiating yourselves and vlog from others out there. Big thumbs up, keep up the great work.
I bought a used X100 loved it until it developed the SAB thing next stop was the T a truely awesome camera sadly not flash flood proof then came the F she’s still going strong I love this mighty wee beast I shoot street photography landscapes even indoor sports photography on the F it never lets me down. The X series is incredible 📷📷📷
Hi guys! Love the videos. Can you guys please do a History on Yashica? That was my dad's first slr camera back in the 80s and i learned photography with that camera. :D
Nikon cameras (build in Japan) matched with Fujifilm (Japanese) match made in Heaven! You always got top quality products for the wedding & portrait photographer!
Another great video in this series guys! I love my Nikon gear, but since getting the XT1 I tend to reach for the Fuji these days. They're a great company, producing quality products and really look after their customers. Can't wait for the XT2 to become available in the UK.
Nice work with this video, and the others! I feel like History channel of photography... nice! I always have to, kinda, schedule this history videos, because I know once I start watching I'm glued to the computer until the video finish!
in this video you mention the firmware updates: this is one reason why fuji fans are so "fanatical" in their fandom. While other companies just constantly sell new cameras, fuji has firmware updates (often huge ones) that completely change and upgrade the camera. Several a year or more. Someone who has the fuji xt2 today, has a completely different beast than the one released in 2016 (which was still fantastic) They've even upgraded the xt2 autofocus to be on par with the XH1 autofocus (their newest flagship a few months ago) Now with the xt3 getting glowing early reviews can't wait to see the future of this company. All of the speed and accuracy of the sony cameras, but with fujis beautiful dials and color science.
Here is a bit of further history regarding FujiFilm’s entrance into the digital market and the S1Pro. FujiFilm built this (there first pro DSLR) using the Nikon N60 film SLR. At that time they had purchased the remaining stock of N60 bodies from Nikon. For me personally, It was the first DSLR that was of a professional quality and affordable. Having been a portrait photography studio owner for about fifteen years using medium format film cameras, it was the camera I was waiting for to start capturing digitally. I had been scanning film and using Adobe Photoshop in my workflow for a few years by then. My direct involvement with FujiFilm at the time grew from primarily using FujiFilm products for a few years to conducting seminars promoting both the S1Pro and their Frontier printers. Two other situations also lead to this relationship. I was one of the first portrait photographers in New England to start capturing digitally, now exclusively using the S1Pro. I had also just completed my term serving as the President of the Maine Professional Photographers Association (MPPA) in 2001. At a seminar we held at The Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine to raise funding for the newly established MPPA Scholarship Fund and sponsored by FujiFilm that year, they sold all 25 FujiFilm S1Pros that they brought with them and wrote orders for quite a few more. By this time I had closed my studio to start full time consulting with both studios and portrait labs in mapping their workflow moving from film based capture to digital. Unfortunately for FujiFilm the next version, the S2Pro, was rife with focus issues which caused many to be recalled, repaired and or replaced. By the time the S3Pro was released, both Nikon & Canon had produced professional level DSLRs. To their credit both Nikon & Canon did their due diligence before releasing quality products to the market. For me personally having already acquired a compliment of Nikon lenses which I was using with the S1Pro, it was a smooth and natural move to using Nikon DSLRs which had now surpassed FujiFilm cameras in many ways. Another interesting tidbit regarding the history of those three camera manufacturers as well as Kodak is that while FujiFilm lead the way in quality, in my opinion, using Nikon camera bodies, Kodak produced their first DSLR DCS series cameras based on both Canon & Nikon bodies during the same time period. It was a very interesting time to be involved in photography. The FujiFilm S1Pro is the camera that changed me from using film for 40 years to digital capture overnight. I have never shot with film again since 2001.
Glad to see you guys back. So much great stuff at Photokina, and it looks like you got some cool shots in London (my home city). Can't wait to hear more about it.
Actually I don't know if you know this Chelsea but the term computer "Bug" came from when computers were made from 1,000's of vacuum tubes and an actual moth or bug would fly into the computer a blow a tube, and it took hours of troubleshooting to find which one needed replacement.
I don't think the open discussion format clicks. The history shows work with more facts and exhibits vs ab lib comments. I hope this is helpful. I completely appreciate the research, production and time both of you invest to make these shows. Thank you.
I love hearing the history behind the camera companies. Hopefully one day you'll do a Konica-Minolta and Leica episode. As for Fuji, I'm glad they've managed to survive, and I look forward to how they continue to innovate. I also really hope Fuji never follows Kodak's lead to make a smartphone.
7:28 At the time it was common for women to be in charge of doing all those calculations, the "math girls" (on Nikon's pages :"The thousands and one Nights ", they are mentioned many times) Remember that electronic calculators were not ubiquitous as they are today, in the 30s, 40s, 50s, abacuses and logarithm tables were still used, everything was done by hand (except for the occasional mechanical calculator) I remember reading that Nikon or Leica were the first to introduce mechanical calculators in their workflow, shortly before WWII (that type of machine existed long before of course, but here we are talking about complex operations, a lot of trigonometry; mechanical calculators just solved simple functions). . The film "Hidden Figures" shows the story of Katherine Johnson, who was part of those "math girls" at NASA. It was clearly a task considered "minor" (despite the fact that it's fundamental to the foundations of scientific work) and these women did not have the recognition they deserved. At least ,Katherine Johnson did receive well-deserved recognition during her lifetime.
📷 You can get the Fuji X-T2 on Amazon: help.tc/xt2 📷
The 84 Olympics, Was film processing machines factor in Fuji's showing off to the US ?
Saying a Fujinon Cine Lens is a “markup” just tells me you’ve never held one in your hands to feel how large, heavy, and well constructed it is…. It doesn’t even compare to a $4-5k photo lens. You get what you pay for with Cine Lenses
After the introduction of me in 1986, my parents discontinued production. I guess they should have prepared better for future markets. You can still find me, though. Lightly used, slightly scuffed, but works fine.
Shit dude the start of your comment gave me a sensible chuckle and the end of it gave me the feels
I'm was manufactured in the era of steel! Incredibly hard to get rid of us but after all these years, some of us just need a full body off restoration to be magnificent again.
Informative and entertaining as always. I was a bit disappointed to not see any mention of the X100 as it preceded the XPro1 and marked the beginning of the X series.
Totally agreed
I love what Fuji have been doing recently. The XT2 looks fantastic!
these history podcasts are awesome! I a little surprised toward the end that you didn't mention the X100. That camera made the photo world sit up and take notice. Even today when you shoot with a X100 series camera people stop you and ask if it's film. Great Job! Really appreciate all the work that goes into making a podcast like this.
Just now getting around to watching your history videos. All have been high-quality and incredibly informative. In this one, I found the comparisons between between Kodak and Fuji's business decisions to be fascinating. Thank you very much.
You two are just such a pleasure to have in the room, I'd love a permanent stream of your lives in my flat.
Anyway, I wanted to point out why proper PL zooms are so expensive. Two things that still lenses are shit at: focus breathing, and constant focus while zooming. Those lenses can be zoomed on a subject without the focus changing, and maintain the same frame when pulling focus. The former in particular is ridiculously complex and requires way more of the elements to move around than in normal lenses, add in the extra precision and quality control needed as the complexity grows, and the production costs grow too.
Tony you're right that there is a bigger markup because of making up R&D with less units, but it's not as big as you said. A high production, still marketed version of that $100k Fuji lens would be ~$20k given normal markups over production costs, defiantly not 3k.
I don't think the shit sigma and rokinon is making will take any of the high end market who use Alexas and full body stedicams, if they aren't changing the internals, the zooms in particularly will be terrible for professional videography.
My favorite movie was shot with lens that focus breathes. Not a problem.
Real cinema lenses like Zeiss CP series, Canon Cinema and Fujinon are much different from Photo lenses. They have standardized barrel diameters (to change follow focus gears quickly), they have no focus breathing ( you can pull focus without change the focal distance at all), you can zoom in or out without change you focus point, they are measured and marked in T-stops, they're always all metal constructed, they're all color match lenses (color transmission) etc.
They are very different, hence the price.
The video was excellent!!! Thanks again Tony and Chelsea!
Hi Tony and Chelsea, yet again you give us a well thought out, clear detailed account, this time of Fuji's commercial history. It is very interesting how one company stands out from the crowd for nit's consistent long term commercial strategy, the results of which can now be seen. There must be clear un-ambiguous leadership with the successful enlistment of a large number of co-operative managers working throughout the organisation, and it shows!, Recently I had to take my camera, an XT2, to the service centre attached to Fujifilm's UK headquarters in Bedford, England, where a service engineer called Colin was able to listen to my report, examine my camera, do the paperwork, take it in, call me later that day to tell me how much and take payment, and then call me again, three working days later to say that it was all done ready for collection, the speed and efficiency of this service is now almost unheard of in this country, where it seems that the upper management is unable to provide the staff with the resources they need to get the job done, I came away utterly delighted and will not be buying into any other system any time soon!. Cheers, Richard.
Truly enjoying these historical videos. Totally unique in their depth. Well done.
Great video! I was shooting with the X-Pro1 until February of this year. It is still my backup camera and I will never sell it. I love this baby. Digital camera with the feeling of shooting film. A real camera. I now switched to the X-Pro2, because I prefer the rangefinder style over the DSLR form factor. And I also have a great usage for the optical viewfinder. As the X-T1, the X-Pro1 received a lot of firmware updates. Everytime, it felt like receiving a brand new camera. I never ever owned a product from a company (any type of product you can imagine) that gave me a better customer experience. Fuji really listens to their customers and they really care about their user base.
Hey everyone. Loads of good comments on a GREAT video. I guess we Fuji 'fanboys and girls' are no different from the Canikon and Pentaxians, but give Tony and Chelsea a break... A full review of Fuji history in just over half an hour is an impossible task. Sure they left out the details of the incredible dynamic range of the S5Pro CCD sensor and the introduction of the amazing (but questionable) X100, but this was an incredible review of Fuji... easily the best and most unbiased I've seen. This is what these guys do, and do well... just tell it as it is. By all means add your comments and opinions, but please remember to say a very well deserved THANK YOU!
I am catching up on this podcast series and really enjoyed this one. I work as a manager at a Walgreens and photograph in my spare time. After watching this particular podcast I will for ever get a chuckle when I process customers Kodak film orders because we send them to a Fujifilm lab in the USA!!!!
I love these series of videos! Thanks for doing the research and making the video
Just came across this video (I know, a little late) and it was like watching the story of my business life. Having spent 30 years working for Fuji from the mid 70s to the mid 00s, I enjoyed your representation. Of course not everything could be covered unless we wanted to spend a few hours but you certainly hit the high spots. One point I think was understated was the impact of Kodak's action on accusing Fuji of dumping in the color paper market. For those old enough to remember, Kodak enlisted first Michael Landon and then Bill Cosby to tell America to look at the back of the photo first to make sure it was on Kodak paper. Fuji had taken quite a bit of share from Kodak in color paper and photo chemicals (Fuji Hunt) with the acquisition of Walmart's, Ritz Camera's and Costco's color paper business. When Fuji had to raise their price on color paper to comply with court order it had an unexpected effect on Kodak's relationship with those 3 giant retailers. They were miffed that their color paper price was now going up due to Kodak's action and stayed with Fuji in spite of the higher price. This resulted in Fuji opening their own color paper manufacturing facility in Greenwood, SC, and as a result Fuji, as a US based manufacturer could charge any price they wanted. This loss of the color paper business was IMHO the biggest dart in Kodak's heart.
I had a Fuji F402 in 2003 you can stick in your back pocket. Loads of fun, great for cycling and stunning picture quality for the time. It got stolen and I got the F410. Now thinking of buying again a Fuji, the X-T3.
I worked for Fuji for 9 years from 97 to 2006. Their "super ccd" sensor with its octagonal "honeycomb" photosites was unique and challenging to market. The resulting images had nearly double as many megapixels as the sensor because of the interpolation needed to "turn" the image. Many pros swore by the sensor, but most smelled tricky marketing to claim a higher pixel count.
Funny that they STILL go counter to the rest with regards to their sensor tech (I.e. Xtrans Vs bayer)
Thank you for the Photokina meet up with Matt Granger, you both have great channels. I have never really looked at other brands than the next Canon, until this year. I tried the Fujifilm X-T2 and got some test sample from Photokina back home on my SD card, and was very surprised how it looks compared to my great Canon 5D Mark III. If the new Olympus is on this level or better it is Fuji or Olympus. The history on Fuji is very interresting for the future.
Very interesting show thanks Tony and Chelsea
Sure do enjoy your videos. Educational and excellent history on these camera companies.
Are you gonna do a X-T2 review? Cannot wait to watch it.
Tom Smith c no doubt
Love your history podcasts! I still remember the Kodak-Fuji film wars in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a bit like Depeche Mode vs. The Cure or PC vs. Mac or iPhone vs. Samsung today. I didn't realise they were a decent competitor on the camera market until well after the X series came out. Then in the late 2010s, I got my hands on the S series, they were laughably cheap on the 2nd hand market, and I always on a tight budget. I still have the S2980, and later bought the HS25EXR (much faster lens). Although the sensors eventually turned out to be too small for my needs (I switched to MFT later), I learned a lot about digital photography with them.
Great video on Fuji History - Thanks Tony and Chelsea.. But in case it hasn't been mentioned before (sorry for that) The X-Pro1 has a viewfinder like the Leica yes, ovf but also has an EVF option with a flick of the switch - in other words viewing through the lens (A la SLR) ... Just a small point to mention but I think the main reason why so may photographers bought the X-Pro1 - plus the introduction of the X-Trans sensor with its unique pixel layout almost FujiFilm in style (A bias toward green wouldn't you say?).
2016 to 2018 - Film is making a revival; film photographers are growing in numbers and making a comeback.
I did a ton of research and went with the XT2 because of the beautiful design and their consumer-friendly practices among other reasons. Such a fun camera to use! Great podcast, guys!
Fuji responded quickly with proper 4K video capability with the new XT2. When 4K becomes the standard in the eminent years to come, most cameras today (including the 5D4) would become obsolete in terms of video while the XT2 would probably still be a very capable camera.
You think that was 'quick'? Panasonic would disagree. :)
It's quick in that they went from "we don't really care about video" to "here's 4K and F-log and 4:2:2 HDMI out".
They were late to the party, but arrived with style :)
Three major points worth noting: Fuji transparency film is important, the X100 is really the start of the X philosophy (a pretty and controversial camera), and that Fujifilm's current financial success is largely based on instax products.
I remember using the Sony Mavica which saved images on a 3.5 inch floppy. Many schools bought those cameras because they were so easy to use.
I love you two! Keep going! MORE HISTORY VIDS!!! These have been quite interesting (I've seen all of them now). It's great to see Chelsea's lovely face and hear her sweet voice. You two are a great couple! I love Tony's technical knowledge too!
Fantastic video...it is easy to see you did your homework prepping for it. Thanks!
What a terrific podcast. I loved this. Please do some more like this. Truly educational. Thank you.
I'm really enjoying this series. Thanks for making them available. Keep up the great work guys.
No mention of the 2010 X100. The X100 was massive and in my opinion inspired them to proceed with the 2012 X-Pro1 The X100 reversed a trend of race to the bottom small sensor consumer cameras imo.
Totally agreed
Great video Chelsea and Tony. Fuji are my current favourite manufacturer and I am loving my X-Pro2. But I am sitting here right now holding the Fujica ST605 that I inherited from my late father. He bought it new back in 1977 and it has a roll of Acros 100 in it right now. I particularly like its ASA/ISO adjuster dial that you pull up and rotate to set. (Just like an X-Pro2. LMAO). It was very interesting indeed, to learn the Fujifilm history. I look forward to more history stuff.
Thanks for these historicals - very informative!
Cool stuff! I really enjoy your programs!
This series is so interesting. Once again the two of you have inspired me to go and shoot.
Thanks for this video. Applying for a job in the company and this was nice to watch.
Being a longtime Fujica owner/user/collector, this video really hit home for me. One minor detail, the photo of the Fujica Six you showed was not the first (1948) version. What you showed was a later model of the Six, called Super Fujica Six, which first came out in 1955. I still shoot with my Fujicas, as well as my Nikon and Fujifilm digitals.
Overall, it was a really well done video. I'm also a longtime fan of T&C!
I just learned that this comes in audio podcast form. Please make this available as a video podcast. Great show!
So enjoyed Fuji History! Thanks!
During and after the second world war, pretty much every company contributed to "the war effort", specially camera manufacturers and lens makers, and this was where photography and science really came together. Reading back through some of my old British Journal Of Photography books virtually every camera company in the UK was helping in the war by providing materials and resources, which meant photography equipment was very scarce for a long time, even once the war ended, new equipment was very few and far between, certainly food for thought, and shows the progression we have made now, though we still have silly wars, we have been able to live as we always have and not had to worry about a certain camera or piece of equipment not being available to us.
I will say right now, i love fui camera's and fuji glass, i stopped shooting professionally about 6 years or so ago, so i dont need the latest 5d mk9 or whatnot, and i own what is probably considered the lowest of the low in regards to the fuji X line up, but the sheer joy i get from that little silver and black body is considerably more than i ever had with canon dslr's, and coming from a 35mm film background, the fuji camera's just seem so intuitive to me, and even with a small 16mp sensor, the images just blow me away, even the jpegs, just incredibly rich looking images.
The x-t2 does seem like a winner, i am so tempted to buy one but for now, i am happy with my little fuji body, and with future lens releases, i think i would rather spend my money on more fuji glass, their upcoming 80mm macro WR lens will be an awesome portrait lens when its released, so excited about that one, even the forthcoming 50mm f2, which should compliment my 35mm f2 perfectly!
Good job T&C!
Really gotta go back and watch these history videos, it's awesome
Such an interesting history. Thank you for researching this for us. I am finding the podcasts fascinating and look forward to them.
Hi Tony you have lost your orange tinge. New camera?
Great video. When should we expect your X-T2 review? Soon I hope.
Nice history lesson. Thank you Chelsea and Tony!
These history videos are amazing,please continue.
This was interesting. I had no idea about anything about Fujifilm's history until I saw this video. This kind of explains why I was unaware of Fujifilm until the early 2000's. I found it interesting hearing some of the dramatic shifts that Fujifilm took.
I kinda wish you talked about the x100, that was the beginning of the x system, and part of the reason why the x-pro had the great success it had when it started
Just got rid of my EOS 70D to swap to the Fuji xt2 last month including various Sigma Art Lenses and also the 70-200 f2.8 IS mkII. Was a tough decision but man I tell ya, it´s more than worth it!! Fell so in love with the xt2! I really liked Canon before I changed the gear but now I start to dislike Canon more and more, day by day since they really fail to keep up with the changing market! I hope Fuji will have a bright future and therefor Sigma will change their opinion in not making X Mount Art lenses.. :D Really looking forward to your upcoming xt2 videos Tony and Chelsea! Pls don´t let us wait for too long :D Best regards from Berlin, Germany
I love your history videos, they are so full of the inside story. So much so that every time I see one of your videos it makes me want to go out and buy one of their cameras since I completely fall in love with the company being describe.
No love for the X100? It was the first really good Fuji camera and made people take notice. They brought out the XPro because it sold so well.
Joseph Delgadillo this is true. The X-Pro1 and all future X-series cameras are the result of Fuji having so much success with the X100. I myself dropped both a Canon DSLR and Sony NEX camera set after shooting with an X100S. Now I'm shooting almost all Fuji outside of my film work.
Totally agreed
Recently started shooting film. Still able to buy Fuji and Kodak film stocks along with a variety of black and white film stocks. It's a great time for photography in my opinion.
Got into these guys for their compactness and dynamic range then happily found it was easy to to adapt my vintage lenses to their X series.
Love your work!! So informative and fun!!! Keep it coming!!!
Really enjoyed the Fugi podcast. Really interesting.
Tony & Chelsea I really enjoy the History series, thanks for making them. Would love to see Pentax in the future, or Olympus would be very interesting as well. Thanks!
Thanks for these histories they are a great way to learn how we got where we are at with camera's!
My first experience with a SLR camera was the Fujica STX-1 with a Fujinon Lens, that was more than 34 year ago. It was a great camera. Three years later used and fell in love with my friend's Canon FTbN-QL, since then always love Canon cameras & products. Bought a Fuji digital PS but never pleased with the product.
That 2MB memory card was nice. Did you notice the cover with screws. That held the battery that was needed for it to keep the data. Digital cameras actually broke in somewhat earlier. In 2003 well over half of compact cameras shipped were digital. For interchangeable lens cameras that was in '04. In '07 CIPA did not even count film cameras anymore.The current fall is not really that bad yet if one views it in a longer perspective. Last year 13 million cameras with interchangeable lenses were shipped. That is three times the number on the peak year during the film era. For fixes lens cameras there is a drop of one third from the peak of the film era. That was interesting. I really had no knowledge on the history of Fujifilm. In the 80s Fujifilm was the most common slide film I used. I liked the way the development was included in the price and the slides were mailed home.
Nice history session guys! Keep it up.
Thanks guys. I'm a big Fuji fan and have been waiting for this one. looking forward to the xt-2 review.
My first true SLR was then Fujica ST605N purchased in 1978. Oh the memories :).
Thanks for all your amazing job guys!
Love these types of history lessons! Keep them coming.
Your history lesson videos like this are one of my favorites to watch on youtube :)
Thank you for these history videos! Can't wait to see your X-T2 review. I love mine and looking forward to see what you think of it. Version 1.00 Firmware and is already this fantastic.
To this day I shoot with fujifilm 35mm film and currently have an X-E1 with my eye on the X-T2. Love these camera history videos you guys should do Leica or Olympus next
Hey fellas, this episode - in particular, has been my favorite to date. Though I hadn't subscribed previously, I did so after seeing this. I also found myself sharing it quite a bit. Kudos to you both. This is a nice take and a great way of differentiating yourselves and vlog from others out there. Big thumbs up, keep up the great work.
Fujinon large format lenses should have been sold in jewelry stores. Wonderful quality. ISO 400 film was a huge deal when introduced. Geez, I'm old.
I figured the X100 was the turning point fur their modern cameras.
Yes I totally agree. The x100 is really the turning point and the start of the x series. Most of the early adopter will also agree with this.
Totally agreed
Yes. The X100 was my "starter drug" on the way to my "X-GAS"... ;-))
I agree. X100 really got a lot of people's attention.
I bought a used X100 loved it until it developed the SAB thing next stop was the T a truely awesome camera sadly not flash flood proof then came the F she’s still going strong I love this mighty wee beast I shoot street photography landscapes even indoor sports photography on the F it never lets me down. The X series is incredible 📷📷📷
Fuji listen to their customers. As long as they keeps this attitude, I'm happy to support their products.
Hi guys! Love the videos. Can you guys please do a History on Yashica? That was my dad's first slr camera back in the 80s and i learned photography with that camera. :D
Love these. Thanks for all the hard work you put into these!
Nikon cameras (build in Japan) matched with Fujifilm (Japanese) match made in Heaven! You always got top quality products for the wedding & portrait photographer!
Loved it. Great information and lovely voices.
Really enjoyed this Fuji history lesson. Thanks
Another great video in this series guys! I love my Nikon gear, but since getting the XT1 I tend to reach for the Fuji these days. They're a great company, producing quality products and really look after their customers. Can't wait for the XT2 to become available in the UK.
Nice work with this video, and the others! I feel like History channel of photography... nice! I always have to, kinda, schedule this history videos, because I know once I start watching I'm glued to the computer until the video finish!
in this video you mention the firmware updates: this is one reason why fuji fans are so "fanatical" in their fandom. While other companies just constantly sell new cameras, fuji has firmware updates (often huge ones) that completely change and upgrade the camera. Several a year or more. Someone who has the fuji xt2 today, has a completely different beast than the one released in 2016 (which was still fantastic) They've even upgraded the xt2 autofocus to be on par with the XH1 autofocus (their newest flagship a few months ago)
Now with the xt3 getting glowing early reviews can't wait to see the future of this company. All of the speed and accuracy of the sony cameras, but with fujis beautiful dials and color science.
Very cool guys! My favorite one yet!
Fuji GX 680 Professional,was more like medium format view camera.The lens board can be shifted or tilted.
Love these history shows, thanks.
Loved your podcast guys big time congrats
Does the Fuji xt2 have the same great battery life as the Nikon D5500
Got to this years too late, but I love your history episodes. I'm a nerd. Sue me. (please do more)
Here is a bit of further history regarding FujiFilm’s entrance into the digital market and the S1Pro. FujiFilm built this (there first pro DSLR) using the Nikon N60 film SLR. At that time they had purchased the remaining stock of N60 bodies from Nikon. For me personally, It was the first DSLR that was of a professional quality and affordable. Having been a portrait photography studio owner for about fifteen years using medium format film cameras, it was the camera I was waiting for to start capturing digitally. I had been scanning film and using Adobe Photoshop in my workflow for a few years by then.
My direct involvement with FujiFilm at the time grew from primarily using FujiFilm products for a few years to conducting seminars promoting both the S1Pro and their Frontier printers. Two other situations also lead to this relationship. I was one of the first portrait photographers in New England to start capturing digitally, now exclusively using the S1Pro. I had also just completed my term serving as the President of the Maine Professional Photographers Association (MPPA) in 2001. At a seminar we held at The Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine to raise funding for the newly established MPPA Scholarship Fund and sponsored by FujiFilm that year, they sold all 25 FujiFilm S1Pros that they brought with them and wrote orders for quite a few more. By this time I had closed my studio to start full time consulting with both studios and portrait labs in mapping their workflow moving from film based capture to digital.
Unfortunately for FujiFilm the next version, the S2Pro, was rife with focus issues which caused many to be recalled, repaired and or replaced. By the time the S3Pro was released, both Nikon & Canon had produced professional level DSLRs. To their credit both Nikon & Canon did their due diligence before releasing quality products to the market. For me personally having already acquired a compliment of Nikon lenses which I was using with the S1Pro, it was a smooth and natural move to using Nikon DSLRs which had now surpassed FujiFilm cameras in many ways.
Another interesting tidbit regarding the history of those three camera manufacturers as well as Kodak is that while FujiFilm lead the way in quality, in my opinion, using Nikon camera bodies, Kodak produced their first DSLR DCS series cameras based on both Canon & Nikon bodies during the same time period. It was a very interesting time to be involved in photography. The FujiFilm S1Pro is the camera that changed me from using film for 40 years to digital capture overnight. I have never shot with film again since 2001.
Glad to see you guys back. So much great stuff at Photokina, and it looks like you got some cool shots in London (my home city). Can't wait to hear more about it.
Actually I don't know if you know this Chelsea but the term computer "Bug" came from when computers were made from 1,000's of vacuum tubes and an actual moth or bug would fly into the computer a blow a tube, and it took hours of troubleshooting to find which one needed replacement.
I don't think the open discussion format clicks. The history shows work with more facts and exhibits vs ab lib comments. I hope this is helpful. I completely appreciate the research, production and time both of you invest to make these shows. Thank you.
I really like your content. Certainly one of the best or may be the best.
Many thanks, it was interesting. I love my fuji x-e2...
When can we expect a review of the X-T2?
Great podcast as always :D as a borderline Fuji fanboi, this was especially enjoyable, but I love these series of history podcasts :D
Great episode. I am seriously considering the FUJI XT-4 as my first camera purchase since my Sony NEX-5N. :)
More more more history chats with Chelsea and Tony
I miss the Fuji Velvia 50 Fujichrome film. I remember shooting it at ASA 40 and getting great landscape photos. Ah, good times! :)
I love hearing the history behind the camera companies. Hopefully one day you'll do a Konica-Minolta and Leica episode. As for Fuji, I'm glad they've managed to survive, and I look forward to how they continue to innovate. I also really hope Fuji never follows Kodak's lead to make a smartphone.
7:28 At the time it was common for women to be in charge of doing all those calculations, the "math girls" (on Nikon's pages :"The thousands and one Nights ", they are mentioned many times) Remember that electronic calculators were not ubiquitous as they are today, in the 30s, 40s, 50s, abacuses and logarithm tables were still used, everything was done by hand (except for the occasional mechanical calculator) I remember reading that Nikon or Leica were the first to introduce mechanical calculators in their workflow, shortly before WWII (that type of machine existed long before of course, but here we are talking about complex operations, a lot of trigonometry; mechanical calculators just solved simple functions).
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The film "Hidden Figures" shows the story of Katherine Johnson, who was part of those "math girls" at NASA. It was clearly a task considered "minor" (despite the fact that it's fundamental to the foundations of scientific work) and these women did not have the recognition they deserved. At least ,Katherine Johnson did receive well-deserved recognition during her lifetime.