The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 was the first interchangeable lens camera in the extremely popular line-up of Fujifilm X series cameras, and has become something of an iconic symbol alongside its non-interchangeable brother, the X100.
Now, nearly four years on from its release, X-Pro1 users and Fujifilm fans are on tenterhooks awaiting the arrival of its rumoured successor, the X-Pro2. Of course, with so much build-up and high expectations surrounding the arrival of this camera (if and when it arrives), Fujifilm is under a great deal of pressure to satisfy the needs and desires of its user base. Will they be able to make everyone happy? Probably not, as is always the case, but there are certainly a handful of common features that most photographers will want to see on the second iteration.
To get a sense for what these features might be, we decided to ask ten X-Pro1 photographers the following question:
Speaking as an X-Pro1 user, what is one update you’d like to see made to the X-Pro2?
Some photographers were less demanding, already satisfied with their X-Pro1, whereas others had many ideas as to how the X-Pro2 could achieve perfection. The one thing they all have in common, however, is their love for and loyalty to the original camera in the X series despite the arrival of newer and more advanced models.
Tony A. Patterson
I shoot the X-Pro1 and have obtained several prime lenses that allow me to capture what I want. Is the auto focus blazing fast? No. Do I miss shots? A few, sure, but for the most part no. I grew up on film and manual cameras and find that manual focusing captures everything I need. Instead of relying on technology to do it for me, I rely upon myself. As a matter of fact, I’ve stopped reading about the latest and greatest anything. Why? I’m doing just fine.
Does that mean I’m not curious about the forthcoming X-Pro2? Absolutely not. I eagerly await, as do many of you. My great fear is that the X-Pro2 will lose some of the magic the X-Pro1 has. I hope they don’t change the size or layout. It works for me. I pray that the Fuji gods inject the X-Pro2 with the same dose of mysticism that the X series is known for.
As for possible changes I’d like to see, there are a few. For starters, I wish Fuji would simply drop the video completely. The X-Pro1 is a shooter’s camera. Period. The video always seemed like an afterthought. My wish would be to see video removed and effort placed elsewhere. Next, I’d like to see the addition of dual SD slots. This would make life so much simpler and would place the X-Pro2 on par with several of the other professional cameras out there. I’d also like to see the addition of a tilt screen. For years I found these to be gimmicky. I felt that no pro would dare use this feature. I was wrong. There are times when shooting street that I wish I had this feature. It would help with being discreet and give me more control over composition. Since we are talking about improvements, how could we leave out the battery life? Those lovely and annoying batteries that give you a warning right before kicking your photographic endeavors to the curb. I could toss in autofocus speed obviously, not to mention the addition of a 24 megapixel sensor. Not to mention how nice it would be to have Wi-Fi capabilities.
All of these would be improvements for certain. Are they required to take better pictures? No. I think that many photographers just need to find a camera platform that inspires them and not look back. For me, that platform was the Fuji X series of cameras. So for now, we can all sit around engaging in the secret Fuji X handshake and wait patiently together for the X-Pro2 to arrive. The show will start soon enough. I’ll grab the popcorn. You grab the drinks.
Matthew Maddock
The X-Pro1 is as close to my ideal camera as you can get and still remains my favourite. From an XPro 2 I would prefer to see as little changed physically as possible, with just a few tweaks on the inside.
I’ve never made use of the OVF so if that was replaced by a more incredible EVF I’d be quite happy. On an interchangeable lens camera the OVF makes less sense than on the X100 Series. That may be something they have been working on, I’m not sure, but if they could make it work properly with a wider range of lenses I think a lot of people would jump at that.
In terms of specification I’d love to see 20-24Mpx providing they could achieve that without loss of DR or high ISO capability. An improved AF system, WiFi, tethering and I’d not wish for anything more. Basically all I want is an X-T1 in the body of an X-Pro1! I know this is off topic slightly, but my desire from Fujifilm would be leaf-shutter lenses for the X-Series, rather than more bodies.
Jack Mayall
As a current X-Pro1 user, I patiently await the arrival of the “X-Pro2”. I would love to see a flip/tilt screen to assist all manner of candid type shots. Whether I’m shooting weddings or out on the streets, they are fast becoming a must have tool for the documentary photographer. Saying that, I’d assume things such as weather sealing and the manual focus EVF on the optical viewfinder that’s found on the X100T would be included.
Thanks in advance, Fuji.
Bryan Minear
I think for me, the biggest update I would like to see is a bump in sensor resolution. I am an X-T1 user now as well, and I can imagine that Fuji is going to pack all of the amazing technological advancements they made with that camera into the X-Pro 2, and then some. Though i do really love the 16MP X Trans II sensor, i think a bump somewhere into the 24 megapixel range would be amazing. I am not one of those people that is jumping on board the “full frame” train. I do own 2 Canon full frame cameras, and the difference I see is negligible. I believe that Fuji have engineered their cameras and lenses to get the very best out of the sensor and lenses. As long as they keep adding to their roadmap incrementally, it will continue to be one of the best and most complete mirrorless systems available.
Bradley Hanson
The short answer is a RAW ISO max of 12800, since I find myself in extremely dark wedding reception venues. The ISO sensitivity, along with the f1.2 and f1.4 primes, would be like seeing in the dark!
The longer request: Based on the X-T1 and firmware updates, we can speculate with some reliability what new features the X-Pro2 might have, including a 24MP sensor, faster AF, face recognition, larger screen, weather sealing, wi-fi, etc. I hope it stays the same size. Ergonomics of the X-Pro1 are PERFECT as is, but if I wouldn’t care if they dropped video completely or offered it in a separate model like X-Pro2V! Since so much is already likely, I’m going to make a controversial request: I miss the panoramic aspect ratio of the Fuji TX-1/Hasselblad XPAN film camera, which is the one film camera that I really miss and wish had a digital equivalent. The camera made panoramic images on 35mm film, with a negative size of 24mm x 65mm. I like having the 16:9 crop, but it’s not quite wide enough for me. I sometimes use the “motion panorama” mode, but it’s tough to get predictable results, creates proximity distortion because you are swinging the camera from side to side, and it only shoots in stitched JPEG mode. I’d like the 2.3:1 panorama crop that gave me RAW files but shows the panorama crop while shooting. (Cropping 2:3 frames to get a panorama is *never* the same as seeing the frame during the composition process.
Optional third request: Now that I’ve been using the X-Pro1 for 3 years, I’ve become pretty quick at adjusting the AF point to my desired location. I find the X-Pro1 to be much faster in this regard than the X100S. If I could only have one new feature for the X-Pro2, it would be a stubby joystick-esque toggle switch in the same location rather than a 4-direction pad with the 5th “ok” button in the center. Way back when I used to shoot Nikon, they had a concave disc that served this same function, and it was extremely easy to quickly navigate among the focus points while shooting. With this function, you can quickly zip to all 49 AF points, rather than multiple pushes of the 4-button pad of the current setup.
Rafael García Márquez
It’s been since June 2012 that an X-Pro1 body is part of my gear. Best decision ever, even when by then it wasn’t the camera it is now thanks to continous improvement by firmware (long live Kaizen!). Looking forward seeing what the XPro 2 new features and updates bring us. If I could ask:
Please, do:
Come in a weather sealed body, so I can really take advantage of the sealed lenses.
Add a bigger EVF/OVF, and faster EVF just like the X-T1. Diopter correction dial would be nice as well.
Make it noticeably faster. Shutter lag and buffer speed can be way better. It’s true X-Pro1 is a camera that demands focus, attention and a slow paced shooting style (wich is good), but still…
Bring the really important AF improvements available since last firmware update in X-T1
High speed sync flash or a speed sync at least around 1/250 or faster would be nice. Change the tripod socket position. Changing battery and/or SD cards is painful. Dual SD slots would be nice.
Add an ISO dial. Love dials in X-Pro1 the way they are, but I could do with an ISO one, specially after experiencing how useful it is with X-Pro1.
Push exposure compensation to +/- 3 instead of +/- 2.
Please don’t:
Make it bigger. Size of X-Pro1 is just perfect. Keep it like that. A slightly bigger grip maybe, but that’s it.
Change button controls positions. It’s quite annoying how in every new model and release of models controls change. Please, my fingers have memory and I don’t want to take camera away from my eye to look for a control for weeks till I get used to it.
If I had to stick to one and only one improvement (tough question) it would be a substantially improved AF system (specially for speed & accuracy). I love my X-Pro1 just the way it is (we’ve gone through a lot together), so I won’t get rid of it. To add a new body to my bag I want the same user experience and ergonomics with improved performance.
V Opoku
I don’t have one update per say but rather a series of improvements that I will like to see made to this camera. I have been using the X-Pro 1 for wedding photography for 2.5 years now and as much as I enjoy using them, there is no denying the fact that it has fallen behind, even compared to the likes of the X-T10 in terms of specs. So I would love to see the X-Pro 1 brought up to speed, and by that I mean a more responsive camera all around.
These are two areas I will like to see addressed in regards to improving responsiveness:
Autofocus : I know Fujifilm has been making strides with their autofocus system on their new bodies but whatever they put in the next X-Pro should be their best AF System yet. Much more faster & accurate than what is currently on the X-T1. After all it is (will be) their flagship camera, think in terms of the future and not the present.
Faster & More Powerful Processor:
From switching on the camera to the taking an image to the writing of that image onto the memory card, all this should happen in a flash. Waking the camera up from sleep should happen in an instant too!
Other things I will like to see improved are as follows:
Allow me to shoot RAW within the expandable ISO range.
Allow an external flash to fire even if the camera is on silent mode.
Oh and whilst we are on the subject of flash :
Please, Fujifilm, invest in a proper native flash system for the X-Series. I am talking TTL support, Fast Recycle Times, Continuous Burst Support (currently the hot-shoe flash fires only in single shot mode), flashguns with I.R AF assist and tilting heads. Faster sync speed, which currently limited at 1/180 on the X-Pro 1.
A built-in diopter, it sucks whenever I lose one of the screw on diopter. And make it adjustable between -3 & +3
I know there is an electronic shutter solution, but a mechanical shutter that goes up to 1/8000 would be welcome.
I have always maintained the belief that X-Pro 1 has the potential to be a fantastic wedding photography camera. But it does have its disadvantages and I would love to see these addressed in the next iteration to make it a better camera.
We have been waiting a long time for the next iteration of this interesting camera, Fingers crossed that it will be worth the wait. Come on Fujifim get it right and send me a copy to test out when it’s ready. 😉
Martin Dietrich
I always loved using the X-Pro 1. I loved it’s handing and the layout of every single button and dial. I think it’s the perfect camera for me. The only thing you always needed to get yourself used to was the autofocus. It was way too slow and all the firmware updates couldn’t make it much better. I’m doing a lot of street photography and therefore I’d love to see a dramatically improved autofocus on the X-Pro-2. I don’t care about Wifi or flipping screens. I also don’t care too much about a full-frame sensor. But a full-frame X-Pro 2 would definitely be a killer feature, that’s for sure.
Mike Pouliot
I love the X-Pro1. It may very well be the best digital camera I’ve ever owned, the X100S is a VERY close second. I know this isn’t the camera for everyone, but it works well for the way I shoot and most importantly, it makes me want to get out and shoot. It’s not the fastest, it doesn’t have the latest features/options and it’s not the best camera for all circumstances, but it has been my main digital body for several years now and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. However, it’s not all rainbows and puppies with the X-Pro1. While it is my go-to camera, there are several things I’d like to see in the next iteration of this camera:
- Weather Sealing: Weather sealing is always a nice thing to have, especially on a digital body, and keeping moisture out of electronics is always a good thing in my book. And seeing that the X-Pro is Fujifilm’s top of the line series of cameras, I think weather sealing is a must.
- Additional Speed: While Fujifilm has drastically improved upon the X-Pro1 since launch with several free updates, the X-Pro1 is a bit of a slowpoke in the speed department. This includes writing to the card, start up time and most importantly autofocus speed. I’d be happy with the X-T1’s autofocus system in the next X-Pro body but I hope Fujifilm has something even better up their collective sleeve.
- Hybrid Viewfinder: A large reason I purchased the X-Pro1 was to use the OVF; I use it most of the time when I’m shooting with the 35mm. It works well but I’d love to see the OVF from the X100T in the next X-Pro body. This really does give the best of both worlds. You can preview exposure and still have a real world view of what you are shooting. This wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me, but it would be another checkmark on the “reasons to upgrade” list.
- Wifi: I don’t need or want too many distracting gizmos or gadgets in my cameras, but Wifi would be a welcome addition to the X-Pro line. Simply being able to pull images off of the camera to share at a moment’s notice is something I’d love to be able to do. Yes, Eye-fi cards can get the job done but they are not ideal.
If I had to choose one item from the list above, it would be #2, the need for speed. As I said, I really enjoy using the X-Pro1. If it did the same things but only faster, I think most X-Pro1 users would make the jump.
Dan Hartwright
The 4 features I would like to see on the X-Pro2, in order of priority are as follows.
– Faster Autofocus. At least as fast as the X-T1, contrast/phase combo perhaps? But it has to be fast.
– Weather sealing on the body. I like to be able to shoot in wet and/or dirty locations, ride around on a motorbike with the camera over my shoulder etc.
– Improved Sensor. Not that I have issues with the current sensor, but if they want to make it ten times as good, or even twice as good, that would be nice!
– Better collaboration with Adobe for RAF file processing. I have had to incorporate Iridient Developer into my workflow to properly process the RAF files out of the X-Pro1 as Lightroom (my preferred tool) handles them so badly.
Do you agree with these ten photographers? What updates or features would you like to see on the X-Pro2? Share your thoughts below!
