My Fuji X-T5 pictures are awful - help!!

[Joachim Gerstl]

Have you tried not listening to YouTubers and resetting the camera to factory defaults and put everything on auto and just take pictures?

A camera shouldn’t be this complicated. This is the classic bait and switch if Fuji cameras.

They advertise manual controls and easy analogue experience. But their menu systems and endless choices and buttons and settings make the experience everything but a simple analogue experience.

More Fuji gimmicks.

When I had Fuji the best thing to do is to completely ignore the menu and settings.

The only thing you need to set are the button shortcuts and the AF. Once you have that dialed in get out of that menu and shoot raw.

The problem with Fuji cameras is they try to be everything for everyone. So you end up with an overly complicated experience for no reason whatsoever. Most of those settings you will never need.

I think you are confusing manual controls and dials with picture style settings. One has nothing to do with the other. Fuji offers you to shoot RAW. No pictures settings needed altogether.

You can also set every dial to A and shoot in full auto or just move the dial if you want to set speed, aperture or ISO manually of all of those and you are in full auto.

To say that this is overly complicated is a strange comment. If the camera doesn't work for you it's fine but Fuji cameras are the opposite of complicated.

 

[Truman Prevatt]

My advice is to reset the camera and only add a feature if needed. I expect such features as DR priority, Auto DR, etc. are doing things you don't need or want. Same with Clarity. Step back to a basic vanilla setting and only add DR features if absolutely necessary.

The camera is doing exactly what you are telling it to do. You need to that the camera is doing what you want.

 

[sgoody1]

Hi,

As others already pointed out: reset all settings and use the camera in its out of factory settings.

Second: remove the filter if you have one and shoot without it. The ISO value is strange for a daytime shot. Since the lens and camera have OIS a longer shutter speed of 1/60 would also help to reduce the ISO if it is really that dark at the end of the day.

I have a HOYA 72mm UV (0) filter on it, which is really there to protect the lens. I would be nervous not too have anything there, in case I scratched the optics, but could buy something different if you feel the filter on there is distorting the results.

And I think I must try a reset and start again. I think there are a few settings definitely worth changing, but if I start - I will try and just do the ones I think are essential.

 

[sgoody1]

May I ask which software program you are using to process the images? If it is Lightroom, drop it now like a hot potato! LR is great for all of the camera brands including the Fujifilm GFX series that use a Bayer sensor, but X-Trans is awful in LR. Until I switched to Capture One, I was ready to sell my Fujifilm gear. The watercolour look was horrific, nothing looked sharp. When I switched to Capture One it was a 180° turnaround. My standard sharpening for Fujifilm is 140-180 per cent at 0.8 pixels and noise reduction at 0 Unless shooting above 1600 iso. Been a pro photog for over 35 years and will vouch for my claims.

Right now the only thing I am doing is downloading the pictures onto PHOTOS on my iMac.

I am not doing any post processing, but did have to play with a lot of pictures from my last holiday, as they were all way too pink.

I have mentioned this before, but my iMac is 2011, and on its last legs. I know I need a new one, but I think an iMac update is imminent with the new M3 chip, so I am just trying to hold out until then (although touch and go if my computer, or patience - will hold out).

My current iMac is fine for emails, browsing, excel and word - but it is not coping with more than that - so I haven't downloaded an imaging processing package. But when I am ready I will go with Capture One.

For now - I would just be happy if my Fuji jpeg pictures were at least as good as those from my iPhone, and I really expected them to be.

 

[sgoody1]

Hi,

I have recently taken ownership of an XT5.

I followed recommendations by a Youtuber (Pal2tech) on changing basic settings to get the best out of the camera. Nothing major - I dont think anything that would change the complete look of an image.

But most of my photos are coming out looking a bit greyed out and kind of hazy, and a bit "pink".

My feeling is that maybe I should do a hard reset and start again, but before I do that, does anyone recognise what the issue might be and help me just adjust that, rather than have to reset all the settings?

I have had a few issues with settings changing accidentally on this camera:

• I have noticed that it can be relatively easy to nudge the menu, and accidentally a setting can be changed without meaning to.
• And often, for instance I find the Drive Dial is knocked to HDR, and I only notice when each picture takes ages to "Process".
• And the on/off switch does sometimes seem to turn to on, and then a number of pictures get taken even though the lens cover is on! Is there a setting to stop that?

Anyway, below a few images that hopefully highlight the image quality issue.

FYI the lens is the 16-80 kit lens.

And I did have a problem picking the correct "white balance "setting - I have it on Auto. D rage priority is Strong. Film Sim is Provia STD.

Could the camera just be faulty?

Thanks for any help.

May I ask which software program you are using to process the images? If it is Lightroom, drop it now like a hot potato! LR is great for all of the camera brands including the Fujifilm GFX series that use a Bayer sensor, but X-Trans is awful in LR. Until I switched to Capture One, I was ready to sell my Fujifilm gear. The watercolour look was horrific, nothing looked sharp. When I switched to Capture One it was a 180° turnaround. My standard sharpening for Fujifilm is 140-180 per cent at 0.8 pixels and noise reduction at 0 Unless shooting above 1600 iso. Been a pro photog for over 35 years and will vouch for my claims.

Sorry but. Lightroom has 0 to do with these images.

I am not using Lightroom - or any processing software. This is the jpeg image as downloaded straight off the camera onto Photos on my iMac.

 

[sgoody1]

Anyway, below a few images that hopefully highlight the image quality issue.

FYI the lens is the 16-80 kit lens.

And I did have a problem picking the correct "white balance "setting - I have it on Auto. D rage priority is Strong. Film Sim is Provia STD.

Could the camera just be faulty?

Thanks for any help.

As many have pointed out, it is the settings. And using Auto mode is not really fail-safe. Learning how to use speed, aperture and manual mode is a must for camera of this calibre, IMO.

I tried to correct them, and it is salvageable. Results would be even better if you have the raw files.

A few quick swipe:







Besides learning how to operate the camera for best results, you'll also need to learn software to better process the images. And the rabbit hole goes deep with colour calibration, printer calibration, video standards and formats, video editing, etc etc.

Have fun with this hobby! :-D

Thanks - the pictures do look better after you have made adjustments.

And I get that I will be able to take good photos and make them better. But I do expect the initial pictures to be more than respectable right out the box. I am sure there are settings I have changed that has caused the issue.

 

[sgoody1]

Hi,

I have recently taken ownership of an XT5.

I followed recommendations by a Youtuber (Pal2tech) on changing basic settings to get the best out of the camera. Nothing major - I dont think anything that would change the complete look of an image.

Why would you listen to some random guy before just trying your camera in standard settings? Why would you change settings if you think they aren’t going to change anything? It’s just guess, but this is where you’ve gone wrong. You’ve mentioned elsewhere that it should look better than an iPhone. Well, not if you do not know what you are doing. That’s why the iPhone is popular. It’s almost fool proof.

But most of my photos are coming out looking a bit greyed out and kind of hazy, and a bit "pink".

My feeling is that maybe I should do a hard reset and start again, but before I do that, does anyone recognise what the issue might be and help me just adjust that, rather than have to reset all the settings?

I have had a few issues with settings changing accidentally on this camera:

• I have noticed that it can be relatively easy to nudge the menu, and accidentally a setting can be changed without meaning to.
• And often, for instance I find the Drive Dial is knocked to HDR, and I only notice when each picture takes ages to "Process".
• And the on/off switch does sometimes seem to turn to on, and then a number of pictures get taken even though the lens cover is on! Is there a setting to stop that?

Anyway, below a few images that hopefully highlight the image quality issue.

FYI the lens is the 16-80 kit lens.

And I did have a problem picking the correct "white balance "setting - I have it on Auto. D rage priority is Strong. Film Sim is Provia STD.

Could the camera just be faulty?

Thanks for any help.

The guy is not exactly random (https://www.youtube.com/@pal2tech ) - he seems to have a great following, and his suggestions made sense at the time. ie when I opened the box, switched on the camera, and was a bit overwhelmed!

When switching on my camera - the menu is just humungous. Actually I do think Fuji should have more help on hand for consumers who have stepped in on the XT5 from another system, with some introductory help video or something. The instruction booklet isn't straightforward.

I have however booked myself in on a FUJI beginners course for X cameras - which I hope will help. And its not like I haven't had camera experience, having started using an SLKT over 40 ago, and been using a DSLR for at least the last 15 or more.

 

[John Gellings]

For now - I would just be happy if my Fuji jpeg pictures were at least as good as those from my iPhone, and I really expected them to be.

Then reset it and use it in auto mode. Pay attention to focus due to the bigger sensor. It is not the cameras fault.

--
https://www.johngellings.com
Instagram = @johngellings0

 

[sgoody1]

I can't see that anyone has asked about the conditions of the day. What were they like? What time of day was it? It looks pretty overcast and a bit misty, which will obviously effect things like contrast and colour.

It might be lighting conditions were a bit off, but the pictures were taken at different times, and different locations. Here is one of the car that I took with the iPhone for comparison.

 

[sgoody1]

Have you tried not listening to YouTubers and resetting the camera to factory defaults and put everything on auto and just take pictures?

A camera shouldn’t be this complicated. This is the classic bait and switch if Fuji cameras.

They advertise manual controls and easy analogue experience. But their menu systems and endless choices and buttons and settings make the experience everything but a simple analogue experience.

More Fuji gimmicks.

When I had Fuji the best thing to do is to completely ignore the menu and settings.

The only thing you need to set are the button shortcuts and the AF. Once you have that dialed in get out of that menu and shoot raw.

The problem with Fuji cameras is they try to be everything for everyone. So you end up with an overly complicated experience for no reason whatsoever. Most of those settings you will never need.

I think you are confusing manual controls and dials with picture style settings. One has nothing to do with the other. Fuji offers you to shoot RAW. No pictures settings needed altogether.

You can also set every dial to A and shoot in full auto or just move the dial if you want to set speed, aperture or ISO manually of all of those and you are in full auto.

To say that this is overly complicated is a strange comment. If the camera doesn't work for you it's fine but Fuji cameras are the opposite of complicated.

Agree. I feel I should be able to have all the manual controls set to A, and then experiment with speed or aperture. But by changing any one of those, a bit, I should not end up with the types of poor results I have had with almost every photo.

The problem stems from the sub-menus being quite tricky, and - what - maybe 14 pages of level 1 menus, with further sub menus behind that - many of which I am sure are only appropriate for the most advanced photographers. Maybe there should be menus of basic adjustments, and advanced settings instead?

 

[yayatosorus]

The guy is not exactly random (https://www.youtube.com/@pal2tech ) - he seems to have a great following, and his suggestions made sense at the time. ie

He's fine, but it was shown in the past that some of his advice was inaccurate. Youtubers can have both great and terrible advice. Take their suggestions with a grain of salt at first. Once you'll be more comfortable with the system you'll easily spot the awesome tips.

when I opened the box, switched on the camera, and was a bit overwhelmed!

When switching on my camera - the menu is just humungous.

In general, a good procedure when discovering a new system is taking it slowly and a few steps at a time. You cannot master the whole set of features instantly. Obviously if you try to do that right out of the gate you will be overwhelmed.

Stick to standard settings and try to first get a hang for basic operation and take it from there.

Actually I do think Fuji should have more help on hand for consumers who have stepped in on the XT5 from another system, with some introductory help video or something.

They do:



For more setting specific tutorials check this playlist made by Fujifilm USA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9BGjThBnzo8P7qICZzx7HqKa6D1R_MVM

The instruction booklet isn't straightforward.

Fuji has a dedicated online manual that should help you with most of your initial needs: https://fujifilm-dsc.com/en/manual/x-t5/

I personally find it pretty straightforward.

I have however booked myself in on a FUJI beginners course for X cameras - which I hope will help. And its not like I haven't had camera experience, having started using an SLKT over 40 ago, and been using a DSLR for at least the last 15 or more.

If you need any more help, don't hesitate to ask!

 

[John Gellings]

Hi,

I have recently taken ownership of an XT5.

I followed recommendations by a Youtuber (Pal2tech) on changing basic settings to get the best out of the camera. Nothing major - I dont think anything that would change the complete look of an image.

Why would you listen to some random guy before just trying your camera in standard settings? Why would you change settings if you think they aren’t going to change anything? It’s just guess, but this is where you’ve gone wrong. You’ve mentioned elsewhere that it should look better than an iPhone. Well, not if you do not know what you are doing. That’s why the iPhone is popular. It’s almost fool proof.

But most of my photos are coming out looking a bit greyed out and kind of hazy, and a bit "pink".

My feeling is that maybe I should do a hard reset and start again, but before I do that, does anyone recognise what the issue might be and help me just adjust that, rather than have to reset all the settings?

I have had a few issues with settings changing accidentally on this camera:

• I have noticed that it can be relatively easy to nudge the menu, and accidentally a setting can be changed without meaning to.
• And often, for instance I find the Drive Dial is knocked to HDR, and I only notice when each picture takes ages to "Process".
• And the on/off switch does sometimes seem to turn to on, and then a number of pictures get taken even though the lens cover is on! Is there a setting to stop that?

Anyway, below a few images that hopefully highlight the image quality issue.

FYI the lens is the 16-80 kit lens.

And I did have a problem picking the correct "white balance "setting - I have it on Auto. D rage priority is Strong. Film Sim is Provia STD.

Could the camera just be faulty?

Thanks for any help.

The guy is not exactly random (https://www.youtube.com/@pal2tech ) - he seems to have a great following,

What are his credentials and who is following him? Many YT personalities are self appointed experts with beginner followers. That is the point.

and his suggestions made sense at the time. ie when I opened the box, switched on the camera, and was a bit overwhelmed!

I can understand that, but maybe starting without changing any settings is what most people who are just starting do.

When switching on my camera - the menu is just humungous.

Yeah, I understand that. However, there was nothing stopping you from formatting the card and just taking photos with everything as is.

Actually I do think Fuji should have more help on hand for consumers who have stepped in on the XT5 from another system, with some introductory help video or something. The instruction booklet isn't straightforward.

Well, I guess Fuji supposes you are ready for the camera in some form or another. I mean, you have to learn about shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc before using a camera. Not many camera companies teach people this. All of the other stuff is extra that you tweak once you know why and what you need.

I have however booked myself in on a FUJI beginners course for X cameras - which I hope will help.

Cool, I am sure it will. However, just make sure whoever is teaching the course knows what they are talking about.

And its not like I haven't had camera experience, having started using an SLKT over 40 ago, and been using a DSLR for at least the last 15 or more.

Huh, ok. Very weird that you were overwhelmed by the Fuji. Why didn't you just start using it in its standard jpeg mode?

--

John Gellings

Street Photography made by John Gellings in Santiago, Chile and New York City.

www.johngellings.com

Instagram = @johngellings0

 

[yayatosorus]

Agree. I feel I should be able to have all the manual controls set to A, and then experiment with speed or aperture. But by changing any one of those, a bit, I should not end up with the types of poor results I have had with almost every photo.

If you set up the right contrast curve and white balance for the scene you're shooting you shouldn't have any problem, as long as you expose properly.

The convenience of the iPhone is that it does all that for you, and does that pretty damn well most of the time. If you expected the X-T5 to perform as good or better in full-auto, then I'm sorry to say it won't. You'll need to be more hands on to get the most out of your camera. When you do it will blow any smartphone out of the water.

The problem stems from the sub-menus being quite tricky, and - what - maybe 14 pages of level 1 menus, with further sub menus behind that - many of which I am sure are only appropriate for the most advanced photographers.

For the type of snapshots you are doing, there is no need to delve into the menus.

Maybe there should be menus of basic adjustments, and advanced settings instead?

Those exist. There are three ways to conveniently access settings.

1. You can configure your preferred settings to one of the Function buttons.

2. You can assign other basic adjustments to the Q menu, generally those that you use less frequently, but still need to easily access. You can configure it to hold 4 to 16 different settings.

3. Alternatively, any menu setting that cannot be assigned to the Q menu can be assigned to the MyMenu page. Once configured, MyMenu shows up first when you open the menu and serves as a repertoire of select settings you often find the need to change.

 

[McNoodle]

sgoody1:

Implement the recommendations you're received here, go out and take some photos. Evaluate the results. Rinse and repeat. You will learn much more quickly by doing, and seeing the results of the changes you make as you go.

 

[athensGA]

May I ask which software program you are using to process the images? If it is Lightroom, drop it now like a hot potato! LR is great for all of the camera brands including the Fujifilm GFX series that use a Bayer sensor, but X-Trans is awful in LR. Until I switched to Capture One, I was ready to sell my Fujifilm gear. The watercolour look was horrific, nothing looked sharp. When I switched to Capture One it was a 180° turnaround. My standard sharpening for Fujifilm is 140-180 per cent at 0.8 pixels and noise reduction at 0 Unless shooting above 1600 iso. Been a pro photog for over 35 years and will vouch for my claims.

Right now the only thing I am doing is downloading the pictures onto PHOTOS on my iMac.

I am not doing any post processing, but did have to play with a lot of pictures from my last holiday, as they were all way too pink.

I have mentioned this before, but my iMac is 2011, and on its last legs. I know I need a new one, but I think an iMac update is imminent with the new M3 chip, so I am just trying to hold out until then (although touch and go if my computer, or patience - will hold out).

My current iMac is fine for emails, browsing, excel and word - but it is not coping with more than that - so I haven't downloaded an imaging processing package. But when I am ready I will go with Capture One.

For now - I would just be happy if my Fuji jpeg pictures were at least as good as those from my iPhone, and I really expected them to be.

As an aside on computer support of photography. I understand your desire to be able to rely alone on fuji jpeg output. Folks have given you some great advice in this regard. Jpegs can be really wonky sooc fuji or not.

To really get what one wants out of an image RAW development is the way to go, imho. People will argue x-trans vs bayer for half the day and C1 vs LR the other half. I'm personally satisfied with LR and I wring everything I can out of files (i do a lot of night street photography at high iso and low ss).

I had a several year old macbook air that wheezed its way through LR. I recently got a new air with the M2 and it snap snap snaps through lightroom. As far as 'gear' goes this has revolutionized my experience. The current imac has the M1 and if you get the ram (i have 24gb) that would be fine. You can probably find one discounted refurbished on the apple store online. The mac mini has an M2 option.

Mainly hang in there and keep shooting and experimenting. You have invested in a world class camera, if you put in the time y'all should be able to create some wonderful photography together.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/83702654@N07/

 

[JNR]

My advice is to reset the camera and only add a feature if needed. I expect such features as DR priority, Auto DR, etc. are doing things you don't need or want. Same with Clarity. Step back to a basic vanilla setting and only add DR features if absolutely necessary.

The camera is doing exactly what you are telling it to do. You need to that the camera is doing what you want.

Good advice. The only way to understand what each feature setting does is to see for yourself shooting each one at a time compared to default setting.

On the other hand, there are instances when the X-T5 is off regarding the multi-zone metering, especially on the underexposure side in high contrast settings, but also occasionally overexposing the full scene if the subject is dark. The inconsistency is much more common than the X-T2/20 metering. Seems like it could be fixed with firmware updates.

 

[Erik9999]

I agree there is something very wrong with the images, and you are getting some very good advice from everyone, almost to the point where is becoming overwhelming.

Lets break this down. What can cause the problem:

1. The lens or lens connection
2. The camera
3. The camera settings
4. The processing software

There are also 2 ways to track down the problem:

1. Reset everything and start from scratch, trying to avoid some steps/components if possible and use very basic settings. But then you may never know what caused the problem.

2. Change every setting/component one at a time until the problem is found. If the change makes no difference then reset to the original setting. This can take a lot of time.

This is what I would do:

Take the lens off and replace it. Remove any filters. (you could take a few images to see if problems are caused by the lens/filter).
Put camera into Auto mode and make everything standard settings (this should remove problems with incorrect settings hopefully). Some say Auto modes are unrealiable, which can be true but surley they should do a better job than what you got? If not then why have auto modes at all. There maybe one or two poor results, but most should be okay.

Take some photos under different conditions. Save them as both JPG and RAW. I would first only use the JPG images (whch is what you are doing), to avoid any issues with processing software . Unlike some here I have never had any real problems with JPG they often look better than unprocessed RAW images. Sure there may be a few small issues caused by the compression but they generally are fine.

If the images look okay then the problem is with the camera settings. If not then it could be:

1. a problem with the lens. Try a different lens.
2. a problem with the camera

Hope this helps.

 

[DarnGoodPhotos]

Thank you.

I think the D Range thing may be the issue.

But all the pictures have this pink / red tinge?

D range now set to auto.

And I think if that hasn't helped, I am going to reset the camera, and start again.

Thanks again for your advice,

The pink could be white balance shift towards red a blue

My suggestion is to take a photo, reset the camera, and take the same photo again to see the difference.

Also, Rico Pfisinger’s XT5 book just came out… buy a copy.


--
www.darngoodphotos.com

 

[britcam]

May I ask which software program you are using to process the images? If it is Lightroom, drop it now like a hot potato! LR is great for all of the camera brands including the Fujifilm GFX series that use a Bayer sensor, but X-Trans is awful in LR. Until I switched to Capture One, I was ready to sell my Fujifilm gear. The watercolour look was horrific, nothing looked sharp. When I switched to Capture One it was a 180° turnaround. My standard sharpening for Fujifilm is 140-180 per cent at 0.8 pixels and noise reduction at 0 Unless shooting above 1600 iso. Been a pro photog for over 35 years and will vouch for my claims.

Right now the only thing I am doing is downloading the pictures onto PHOTOS on my iMac.

I am not doing any post processing, but did have to play with a lot of pictures from my last holiday, as they were all way too pink.

I have mentioned this before, but my iMac is 2011, and on its last legs. I know I need a new one, but I think an iMac update is imminent with the new M3 chip, so I am just trying to hold out until then (although touch and go if my computer, or patience - will hold out).

My current iMac is fine for emails, browsing, excel and word - but it is not coping with more than that - so I haven't downloaded an imaging processing package. But when I am ready I will go with Capture One.

For now - I would just be happy if my Fuji jpeg pictures were at least as good as those from my iPhone, and I really expected them to be.

I know that quite a number here suggest you use RAW and process from there, either in say LR or Capture One, but really there is no need for that while you are concentrating simply on getting good results from a new camera ... There is absolutely nothing wrong with using JPGs and the film simulations.

You've previously shot with film SLR & DSLR, as I have from way back in the 60's, and I would be tempted to firstly do a full reset, then use a JPG setting, whichever size you prefer. On the AF/MF page make sure PRE-AF is OFF, and I would switch off Touch Screen mode (Page 3?) to avoid accidental nose swipes !

Set HIGH ISO to -4, and sharpness to +1. Clarity to zero.

Personally, being old school, I use single AF, with a single point, and adjust the focus box size according to the lens I am using and the subject ..

I use MULTI metering, and that works for me on my XT2 and XS10 - I find it entirely predictable, although I hear that the XT5 might behave a little differently.

The QUICK menu is worth spending time on, as that will give you easy access to settings you will commonly want to use, and it is entirely customisable. In DISP CUSTOM SETTING you can select the options that you want visible eg Histogram, Aperture / S Speed, White Balance. If its cloudy when you're out there, use the CLOUDY WB setting ...

With my either of my bodies set up in this way, I can happily click away knowing that the JPGs will turn out pretty well, without the need for much editing, apart from cropping and adding contrast or saturation ..

Here are some snaps I've taken in the past few days in JPG mode, using the 90mm & the 16-80

--
Regards and best of luck,
Rich S




My energetic pup !




Winter sun on my house ...








A nearby house in the afternoon sun ...

 

[Truman Prevatt]

My advice is to reset the camera and only add a feature if needed. I expect such features as DR priority, Auto DR, etc. are doing things you don't need or want. Same with Clarity. Step back to a basic vanilla setting and only add DR features if absolutely necessary.

The camera is doing exactly what you are telling it to do. You need to that the camera is doing what you want.

Good advice. The only way to understand what each feature setting does is to see for yourself shooting each one at a time compared to default setting.

On the other hand, there are instances when the X-T5 is off regarding the multi-zone metering, especially on the underexposure side in high contrast settings, but also occasionally overexposing the full scene if the subject is dark. The inconsistency is much more common than the X-T2/20 metering. Seems like it could be fixed with firmware updates.

Kathy, my wife, hasn't mentioned that with the XH2. The issue I have with the matrix metering in any camera is the engineers set the weights without really sharing what it means to the photographer. It almost seems like it is a "trust me you photographers are smart enough to know what you need."

Often times it is better to use center weighted than use the histograms or "Blinkies" to set the EC rather than trust the camera to make the decision. I don't know if the Fuji engineers call in a Voodoo Queen to help with with their matrix metering settings - but they seem to not really want to share it.

I always take matrix metering in any camera with a big grain of salt. It works most of the time in scene with fairly "normal" lighting. But not all scenes have "normal" lighting.