Fujifilm X Cameras Focus Inconsistency Issue; Second Follow Up; My Experience With My Lenses

My two previous posts also addressed this subject.  This is another follow-up of additional testing I've done as well as information I've received since the last post.  You can read those two posts here and here.  This issue is happening with my Fujifilm camera and lenses and the purpose of this post is to advise you and allow you to test your own camera and lenses so you may be more informed about your gear.

Briefly, there seems to be an autofocus inconsistency issue with, at least, several models of Fujifilm X cameras.  When autofocusing on a stationary subject repeatedly, the camera's AF Distance Indicator will vary quite a bit.  In other words, if you are autofocusing on a subject 10 ft. from the camera, the AF Distance Indicator should show 10 ft. each time.  It doesn't.  Mine varies from 7 ft. to 11 ft. or so.  This happens at lesser and greater distances as well.  At about 200 ft. my camera would autofocus anywhere between 15ft. and infinity.  Additionally, it is present with all of my Fujifilm lenses and, in my tests, the shorter the focal length tested, the worse the variation.

If you search the Internet you will find this subject discussed.  Additionally, since posting the subject on my blog, I've received several comments, private and public, reinforcing that those Fujifilm camera owners are seeing the same issue with a number of different X cameras.

As of now, I don't know of a satisfactory work around.  On my X-T4 I can reproduce this autofocus inconsistency repeatedly in both AF-S and AF-C configurations.

I think there is one mitigating factor that, I believe, has partially masked this issue from us as well as allow it to fly under the radar.  That is in my tests with autofocus variations I've witnessed, depth of field in many cases, compensates for the error in accurate focus distance.  At first thought that may seem okay, but as we know depth of field only gives you the area of what is called 'acceptable focus.'  Things may look in focus but there is only one plane in your image that is actually in 'sharp focus.'  In front of and behind that one plane of sharp focus, gradually, other subjects slowly become out of sharp focus.  So, to me, depth of field compensating for inaccurate autofocus is not really a solution on which we can count to give us the sharpest subjects. 

Also, I've gone back through my Lightroom Catalog and looked at a couple hundred of my Fujifilm images and found that many are just slightly out of focus.  I always thought this was a 'photographer' problem as I had no reason to believe it could be a gear issue.  My habit had been to make more than one exposure of my subject, repeatedly autofocusing for each shot.  I would then find the sharpest of the group and edit that one (or those).  Again, I assumed it was me causing the slightly out of sharp focus files.

Currently, I am using a Fujifilm X-T4 and have five lenses.  Previously, I had an extensive  Olympus micro4/3 kit as well as Nikon full frame kit.  With the Olympus and Nikon systems I never experienced any autofocus issues.  That said, I sold all of that gear last year and decided to keep just the Fujifilm gear.  Keeping the Fujifilm gear had everything to do with how it felt, the buttons, dials, menus, image qualities (plural) and the excellent quality of the lenses.  Additionally, I was (and still am) making an effort to simplify my life.  Less gear, greater satisfaction, in my way of thinking.  Using my Fujifilm gear gave me the greatest satisfaction of all of my gear.

Here are the lenses I now have and the results of the testing I've done to ascertain if they exhibit the autofocus inconsistency issue:

10-24mm f/4 (first version)  a lot of inconsistency is seen wide open and stopped down at all focal lengths.  The shorter the focal length, the greater the focusing error.  Focusing on a subject exactly 10 ft. form the camera, I saw variations from 5 ft. to infinity.

16-55mm f/2.8 At several focal length shorter than 55mm, the combination exhibited autofocus inconsistency.  At the 10 ft. subject, the distance scale read anywhere between 7 ft. and 11 ft. with both AF-S and AF-C wide open and stopped down to f/5.6.  I don't think it actually ever focused at 10 ft. even once.

23mm f/2 At first I thought this lens was free of the issue as focusing at 2 ft. the focus was consistent with both AF-S and AF-C.  However, at 10 ft., stopped down to f/5.6, the lens focused from 5 ft. to 12 ft. with repeated AF activations using AF-S and when holding down the shutter button using AF-C, the distance indicated jumped around through those same distances.  Using AF-C, the camera never could make up its mind where to focus.

55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 I am seeing the inconsistency issue at all focal lengths and all distances with both AF-S and AF-C.  When I first ran a test on this lens I thought because it is 55-200mm the issue was not present.  It is, but in a minor way.  At 10 ft. the AF-S would vary from about 10 ft. to 10.5 ft., i.e., it varied but only very slightly.  Same with AF-C.  Holding down the shutter button on continuous AF had the distance indicator jump between 10 ft. and 10.5 ft.  It shouldn't move at all once the proper distance is determined.  With the exception of 200mm using my 200ft. distance target, the same inconsistency appeared at about the same level.  At 200 ft. the camera seemed to focus consistently at infinity.  Also, the aperture I used was f/5.6.

100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 I'm seeing the same issues, however seemingly lesser so, with the exception of at 400mm.  If you look at the AF distance scale, the next distance shown below infinity is 30 ft.  I picked a target at about 30 ft.  The AF-S and AF-C distances varied between the 'f' and 't' in ft. and the infinity symbol.  Not much variation, it would seem, but at those long focal lengths and relatively wide apertures, that small distance 'could' make a difference as depth of field is very shallow.

I am a 'back-button' focus user.  I don't use the shutter button to activate autofocus.  I've set up my cameras that way for years.  I typically set my cameras for AF-C which allows me to press and release the back button to instantly find and lock focus, press and hold to continually focus or manually focus without having to change any settings. Very convenient and it has worked very well for me.  Wanting to continue to use 'back-button' autofocus, currently, I have my X-T4 set to manual focus, "Instant AF" using AF-C and displaying the MF Distance Scale in the EVF and LCD so I can check to see if the approximate distance of what the camera focused on coincides with what the distance scale is showing.  If not, I'll then re-activate autofocus until it does before pushing the shutter button to make the exposure.  That said, preliminarily, this setup seems to largely mitigate the inconsistency issue.  I see it but at a lesser scale.

In about three weeks. with three of my lifelong friends, I'll be leaving on coast-to-coast road trip with the portion from Chicago to Los Angeles on Route 66.  More about that in a future post.  Do you think I'm going to take my X-T4 kit and take a chance that many of my (probable) irreplaceable images will turn out less than in sharp focus?  Right now I just don't know but I'm thinking probably not since I'm 70 years old and, most likely, there will not be another opportunity for me to make this same road trip with my three buddies ever again.  I have to be able to trust my camera.  Right now, I can’t.

My intention was to purchase one of the new X-H2 (or X-T5) cameras next month when Fujifilm holds their summit and announces new products.  I've been really looking forward to this event for at least a year.  I've been excited about the next generation camera, sensor and image processor.  Right now, I am putting those plans on hold until this issue is resolved.  To me, it would be unwise to spend money on a new camera if this issue exists in it as well.

As I mentioned in my last post, if you know one of the "Fuji Guys," a Fujifilm representative or someone who knows one of them, try to get this issue before them and subsequently in front of the Fujifilm engineers in Japan so they can correct this flaw which then will restore our confidence in the Fujifilm ecosystem.  Something like this, if not quickly rectified, could have rather severe negative impact on Fujifilm's business.  Let's hope not as I love my Fujifilm gear!

As a recap, if you want to try testing your camera and lenses, here is how to set up your camera so you can judge for yourself.

-Shutter button activation of AF (back-button activation will not enable the AF distance scale)

-Single Point AF

-AF-S and/or AF-C 

 -Focus Priority

-Activate the "AF Distance Indicator" from your menu so it shows at the bottom of your EVF/LCD (Wrench Icon, go to Screen Setting (page 3 of 3), then to "Disp. Custom Setting", press the right button on your 4-way button, go to page 1 of 4, check the "AF Distance Indicator" checkbox

-Stop your lenses down to about f/5.6 to f/8 (it seems more prevalent when stopped down but my lenses exhibited the phenomenon wide open as well

-Pick two targets, one at a closer distance and one at a farther distance.  I used 10 ft. and 200 ft.  Make sure the light is bright and your target has good contrast so those two issues are ruled out as factors

-Place you camera on a tripod

-Repeatedly half-press the shutter to activate AF-S and watch the small distance indicator.  You don't actually have to make exposures.

-Set the camera on AF-C, half-press and hold the shutter button and see if the subject comes into proper focus and the distance indicator locks in one place or it jumps around

Please leave a comment if you do or do not find this issue with your Fujifilm gear.  I'm sure there are many of us who would like to know just how widespread this is.  

If you have not read my first two posts about this issue they can be found here and here.

Bottom line:  I need to trust my camera.  Right now, I can't.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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