Winner of the title "Premium Compact System Camera of the Year" at the Amateur Photographer Awards and the device that garnered the most votes for "Reader Product of the Year," the Fuji X-T1, is no doubt an excellent camera.
However, one of the camera's biggest issues is the so-called focus tracking on mobile subjects. With the latest firmware update, the X-T1 now has a revamped autofocus system, complete with new modes that are specifically designed to deal with moving objects. Some of the enhancements include an improved AF accuracy, lower light compatibility of phase detection and the addition of the eye detection feature, which is good for capturing images in portrait format.
Currently, the camera has a 49-point autofocus system. However, the firmware update brings new modes such as "Wide/Tracking" and "Zone," which utilize AF points of 77 on a wider area coverage. With these new modes, Fuji believes that the X-T1's ability to capture subjects that are in mobile state will improve.
The camera's Zone mode allows users to indicate a particular 3 by 3 or 5 by 5 focusing zone within the frame. The camera then continues to track a subject that is placed at the center of this zone type. According to Fuji, the camera has built-in phase detection pixels, which will help in producing snappy zones.
The firmware update also brings enhancement to the X-T1's ability to focus precisely through the Single-point AF, where the focus area is divided into smaller sections. Likewise, the camera's built-in phase detections pixels now have a 0.5EV detection range, an improvement over the previous 2.5EV.
Users will also get more natural and smooth AF action every time they record a video as the Fuji X-T1 features an optimized algorithm for AF when using the camera in Movie mode.
Another feature that receives a boost is the face-detection AF. This includes increased accuracy when working with shallow depth of field and large apertures and when trying to achieve sharp focus on the subject's eyes through the new Eye Detection AF mode. This mode also allows users to further and more easily exploit the focus of their portrait images with added precision of bokeh effects.
There's also an enhancement on the camera's Macro mode operation. The v4.0 firmware update now allows the user to switch camera modes automatically as opposed to manually pressing the X-T1's Macro button for capturing close-up subjects under normal AF speed. With this feature, users can re-assign the Macro button to whatever type of function they prefer.
The Fuji X-T1 v4.0 firmware update will be available by the end of June 2015. Users can get the update from Fuji's official website.
