P: Improved Fuji X-Trans Support?

[pinkypunk35]

Is Fuji X-Trans support being worked on?I appreciate that the support is better now than it was, but the reality is that Lightroom is still a long way behind other RAW developers, all of which are less well funded and with smaller teams working on the software.Lightroom has been the leader in RAW processing an image cataloging as far back as I can recall; but with the Fuji X-Trans files many people I know are leaving Adobe Lightroom for one of the many other developers, all of which are producing far better results than Adobe Lightroom.Ones I have personally tested are as follows: Iridient DeveloperPhoto NinjaLightZoneCapture OneApertureSilkyPixRaw TherapeeIridient is very good, and this is a piece of software made by a single man.My question is, if he can get it right, why can't Adobe? They have been leaders in innovation for many years but it seems in some areas now they are falling behind - I have never seen so many people leave a major developer for smaller independent ones, but to Fuji users (both enthusiasts and professionals) it's a pretty simple decision when you compare results.So all I'd like to know is if my patience sticking with Lightroom is justified, and whether a solution is being worked on - or will always be worked on. Or is it a case that the users wanting such a change are not enough to support such work.

[dirtyw65653863]

I was not content with waiting. I waited long enough snd eventually got tired Adobe’s half baked “fixes” like the groundbreaking enhanced detail, which was an absolute joke, so I defected to Alien Skin’s Exposure X4. I didn’t care for the interface and controls of C1. I found it very clunky and not very intuitive. Too much clicking in and out of menus to access basic tools. It rendered XTrans files beautifully but falls short on interface and clogged up my workflow. Exposure X4 is almost identical to LR so there is virtually no learning curve and unlike LR, it actually displays RAF files correctly. I only use LR for my infrared work now. If I didn’t do that, I would just be done with Adobe all together. If I were you, I wouldn’t wait any longer. This has been a problem for years and years and they still haven’t figured it out. It iiterally one man (creator of Iridient) has figured it out, surely Adobe with their assloads of money and thousands of people can. But they won’t. So stop waiting. Try all the softwares available and go with one you like. Adobe has made it painfully apparent that they just don’t care about Fuji shooters

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Good news!  Glad a restart helped.

[Cicuryn]

Rikk, I just gave up, killed Lightroom, restarted machine and works like a charm now. 

[Cicuryn]

This is the first one I tried, processing is still running and the option Enhanced Details is greyed-out now for all other .RAF photos.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Thanks for responding. I just ran 3 files back to back. The shortest was 20 seconds the longest was 25 seconds.  Do you see this magnitude of slowness on all files or just this one?

[Cicuryn]

Sorry,  the camera model is Fuji X-T20, I forgot

[Cicuryn]

Running just Lightroom after fresh restart, processing of that single photo still not done, it is gonna be around 30 minutes now 😮

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

I am seeing around 30 seconds on a Fuji test file. What camera's file are you trying?  It sounds like something else is going on with your system.

[pinkypunk35]

A dedicated camera is just a smartphone without computational processing or multiple lenses or connectivity

I'm sorry but that is the most stupid thing I have ever read.

[just eirik]

Maybe there is a Samsung subreddit where you can ask politely if anyone are willing to share any raw files with you. 
Just an idea. 

[COBill]

My apologies, I did not take your comment as a challenge but rather as an observation. Will it work for me? Who knows until I try it. I've been unable to find any raw images to download and evaluate in Lightroom which is a requirement before I purchase. With the tiny sensor, I'm sure raw processing will be required for me for other than snapshots to share. I'm hoping that we'll see a raw sample library from DPreview before long. 

[just eirik]

I did not mean to challenge your choice. And its not a competition. If this is a switch that works for you then I'm happy that you get to take photos the way you want. 🙂

[COBill]

A dedicated camera is just a smartphone without computational processing or multiple lenses or connectivity... The S21 Ultra has 4 built-in prime lenses from 13 to 240mm.  

My son did some comparison low light shooting with his X-T3 and an iPhone 11, handheld the iPhone won hands down. It was no contest. 

The computers in a modern medium to high end smartphone are a decade ahead of anything provided in any camera at any price. 

While you're changing lenses, I'm taking pictures. 

[just eirik]

You're switching from a dedicated camera to phone? Not saying that is wrong or anything, it just sounds odd to me. A camera has so many advantages.

Where did you hear about how profitable their cameras are? I never heard about that.

Also, if enough people complain, I think they WOULD listen. 

If Fuji ever makes a camera with a normal sensor AND 2 card slots, I would be SO happy! Anything from an X-T300 to an X-T5 would do.

[Joshua25136872zeax]

Please i am begging, please fix lightrooms sharpening and artifacts from fujis xtrans sensors. Fuji is exploding in popularity, the x100 series cant even be bought, 4 year old camera bodies are being sold for hundreds over their original msrps. With all that said how is it possible we still cant have capture one level processing on lightroom for xtrans sensors. I know there are tools to convert to dng or use the enhance function but no other camera manufacture needs work arounds.

[COBill]

Except for their instant cameras, Fuji imaging hasn't been profitable in the digital era. Now that digital cameras are only profitable at the professional level, which for Fuji means medium format, they have some tough decisions to make. 

I originally went from a Olympus OM-D E-M1 to a X-T1 and noticed that Oly images were cleaner and the gap widened as the ISO increased. 

So back to Oly until the X-T4 was announced without any IQ improvements (over the X-T3) so bought the X-T3. Made the decision after downloading a range of raw images that I processed in Lightroom. I was quite satisfied with the results I was able to achieve and they were superior to what I could get from my Olympus. 

I was still a little disappointed that DxO couldn't handle the images (as a Lightroom plug in) but have finally realized that Lightroom's implementation of U-Point is superior. Well, more accurately, I prefer it. 

My only concern with Lightroom Classic is how long it is going to continue to exist and be supported. Adobe has too many Lightroom products. We need a clear statement of direction with a timeline. Add  in multiple versions of full Photoshop and even Photoshop Elements; Adobe has a deep hole to dig themselves out of. 

Like Apple, Fuji doesn't listen to its customers so complaints are useless. Fortunately we have forums like this one where we can share useful Lightroom X-trans processing tips. 

BTW I plan to switch from Fuji to the Samsung S21 Ultra (or S22 depending when I can start shooting again). Because Samsung uses standard DNG as its raw format, we haven't had to wait for Lightroom to support the camera. (Well, other than the bug in either the files or Lightroom.) Voting with my wallet. 

[just eirik]

Yeah, honestly I have been thinking this too. I think Fuji is really messing up by insisting on using X-Trans sensors.

But if I say that in a forum like r/fujix or r/fujifilm people get so defensive. Some blame me for pixel peeping (I sell prints, so pixel peeping is important IMO) and some say they don’t see the issues. 

I am willing to bet most people who say they don’t see the issues have never tried a Fujifilm camera with a normal sensor. And maybe not much experience with other cameras with normal sensors.

Also, I bet Fuji knows that X-Trans is not good. Why else would they not make X-Trans sensors for their medium format cameras.

Seriously, think about it. X-Trans is supposed to be amazing, it’s why they use them in their highest end X cameras. If they truly believed that, WHY wouldn’t they make medium format X-Trans sensors?

They know it’s not good. I just wish more Fuji users also knew.

Btw, I HAVE compared X-Trans to normal. I have an X-T2 and an X-T100. The 100 gives me MUCH nicer files. And they are smaller. Smh 

I hope people start contacting Fujifilm about this. Like, go to the website, go to where you can contact them and send an email to their headquarters. Tell them you wish they would stop using X-Trans. I hope people also start doing this on social media. I’ve tried. But I’m just one person, easy to ignore. 

(Sorry, that became a rant...)

[COBill]

As a Fuji X-T3 user I sympathize but the real problem is the silly sensor which is Fuji's fault. Contrary to what some "believe", all image editing software has problems with the sensor except DxO which does not even attempt to support it. 

[just eirik]

Is a real solution still being worked on? Enhance Detail is, as far as I am concerned, is not a real solution because it takes extra clicks and time for every photo. And the new files that are created take up extra space. Then I have to spend extra time deleting those files later. 

So, I just wanna know if a real solution is being worked on?

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Details at 100% still look pretty watercolour awful.

[pinkypunk35]

OMG! They did it, they actually did it! 

[Cicuryn]

That would require an GUI changes like adding button or additional option to the right click menu just for Fuji .RAF files. 
And only for that one-time operation. Imagine you decide to apply that to all of your pictures. You probably go to All photos, filter just Fuji cameras, select all, right click, click something like "Process with new Fuji engine" and that would be pretty much it. And you will have this option inactive and greyed out and sitting there for the rest of the days 😄

[Lewis Craik]

I guess a change like that would have to be part of a new process version, so you would actively have to update old images.

[pinkypunk35]

Innovation down, support down and yet profits up. They have a monopoly right now and that speaks volumes for the way customers are treated. There's room in the market for smaller developers but it's hard with such a force the size of Adobe.

[Rextilleon]

From the sad but true category--when Adobe reported quarterly earnings at the end of August, their profits skyrocketed.  Which probably partially explains their lack of action on Fuji raw files.  In other words, the base of Fuji shooters, and those who use Adobe Lightroom to develop their images is probably not worth the effort.   Anyhow, it appears as if there are several other players trying to take that very small portion of the LR community and thats a good thing!