Fuji Fuji X10 White Dots! LOL

I have been monitoring and watching all the hub bub about the apparent problem.. do you think that some of the earliest production models had this problem and Fuji saw it and corrected the problem immediately on later models on the assembly line and shipped it out the door? I'm a total Rookie here.. but I got mine just a week ago, and I have tried everything at ISO 100 etc.. but no problem.. just a thought.. sometimes automobile and other manufactures have a problem with a product, but correct it and keep on moving.. so bottom line maybe is - if you got one on first produced models, you may have that disease and if you were fortunate and received the most recent revised version you are OK.. I think that could be a possibility.. but what do I know! LOL.. My Serial Number on my X10 is:14A02886.. check yours - and if yours is lower, that may be it.. if it is higher and you have the problem.. well.. ! I still love my X10!
 
Not sure how the serial nos. run mine is 14N00888
I've been virtually unaffected by the problem but I can certainly get blobs if I set out to do so and , with that in mind , I suspect the problem could affect everybody.

On the positive side , I now look for reflections or strong light sources and would not use ISO100 or f2.0 as a first choice in these circumstances.
By stopping down and raising the ISO / DR the effect can SOMETIMES be modified. I do hope that Fuji comes up with some answers meanwhile I'll enjoy what I have ... a great little camera.

On this particular camera I'm wondering if the sensor base ISO is something like ISO400 ... just thinking out loud:)
 
Given the brouhaha, if Fuji could fix this in firmware they would have released a update quickly. I suspect it's not as common or as obvious as the webstorm suggests, but those whose subjects or style of shooting are prone to it will publish their shots more often.
 
No, it doesn't sound like something that only affects specific "batches" of the camera - I think the potential is there in all of 'em. The question is just how many people are going to run into it often enough to be bothered by it. Some, for sure. Others not at all. Most, probably occasionally? I hope a FW fix is possible but those with more technical knowledge than I'll ever have believe its endemic to the hardware. I know mine is capable of it, but if it didn't pop up on its own through a couple of thousand shots in New York over an incredibly bright and sunny extended weekend, I"m willing to bet the full cost of the camera that its not gonna bother me. But there are a few types of shots I might alter or avoid, being aware of it.

-Ray
 
Fuji will release a firmware update:

Fujifilm plans X10 firmware in response to 'white disc' concerns: Digital Photography Review

We'll see how effective it is. If you want a laugh, read some of the comments below the article (but only some). Despite thousands of satisfied users and many amazing shots,and some of these guys act like the camera was catching fire. It's a real problem to be sure, but it hardly renders the camera unusable. I always wonder what photo forums would have looked like back in the film days.
 
The general opinion of the techies that have been posting is that reading between the lines of Fuji's release, the problem is endemic to the hardware and can't be really eliminated with a FW fix without really screwing some other stuff up. The most they expect Fuji to be able to do is perhaps soften the edges of these orbs when they occur. I obviously hope they're wrong, but if they're right, I hope Fuji doesn't screw anything else up and just leave the dots as close to the current situation as possible. Because everything else about this camera is pretty wonderful and I haven't been able to scare up enough white dots to worry about in the least.

-Ray
 
Hi, new member here. Anyway I did a lot of research on the white dot thing because I was looking to purchase a high level compact. As it turned out I will have an X10 tomorrow, I get my Ricoh GRD IV today. Wasn't sure which camera I'd like better so I got both and will let them decide. Anyway, what I read was that the white orb thing comes into play in bright light and at a smaller aperture. If you are wide open supposedly it isn't prone to happen but if you are like an f18 or so.. where you would normally get the effect of a starburst looking at a streetlight or the sun through the trees, you instead end up with that hard edged orb look. I have also seen the orbs on the surface of water, where you might normally see the sparkling starred effect you get small hard edges orbs. This anomaly was of course why I also ordered the Ricoh too because I will be going on vacation soon and wanted a reliable point and shoot camera to complement my DSLR. I am comforted to know that most people can't even force the dots into their images because it would be my luck that I would have a problem with this.. I am so hoping not :)
 
Hi Isoterica, while your assessment regarding aperture is incorrect (actually, pretty much the opposite of what you stated is the case), no customer should need to worry about such things, anyway. As an end user, one can expect the camera to work in all standard situations that other cameras can master. Btw, there certainly is no f18 on a X10, the buck stops with f11, and if it can be avoided, I wouldn't recommend going over f8 due to diffraction.
 
Thanks flysurfer, I'd missed that about the small aperture being the issue.:redface:

Isoterica, try out both cameras and see which you prefer to use. Cameras are very personal.;)
 
The white dot appeared for me on the long exposure night shots at low ISO. I haven't encountered them in daylight situations yet. It didn't bother me at all on the long exposure night shots. At least not yet! I suppose if there's a white dot on a subject's face in the future, that would bother me! Unless it's on someone's face that I don't like. Hehe.
 
I was just repeating what I had read Flysurfer but in no way am I any authority on it whatsoever and as you stated, the information was wrong. This is actually why I ordered the camera, to see for myself. I just got my X10 today. I'll know more about it first hand very soon :)

I will BB. That was my whole intent. I have a one time family vacation in Australia coming up and there will be times I don't want to carry my DSLR.. so I needed a better quality compact that I can count on, learn quickly and record our memories with. One of these should do nicely. I'll test them for a couple weeks and I am sure one will make itself my favorite.
 
Kristen, as a camera freak I strongly recommend you keep both. :) I have the X10 and the GRD III and I find that they complement each other well. The X10 makes a great travel camera as it is small, light, has a decent zoom range and really great full HD video. The GRD III, or IV, as it is based on the same body shape, slips into a pocket or purse and produces excellent images.

I personally prefer the image quality of the GRD, as it is a full 12mp camera and extremely sharp, but if you set the X10 to M-size jpeg, Fine compression, and DR400, the images are very pleasing as well. As you probably know, DR400 gives you a much higher dynamic range level, meaning that highlights are less harsh and blown, shadows will still have visible detail rather than being dark, and overall the images will look more 'natural'.

If you are in the Australian sun, which I am, I'd advise that you leave the EV dial at either 0 or -1/3. I find that the X10 has a tendency to underexpose when shooting in DR400 mode. I've been doing a lot of shooting with the X10 over the last few weeks, and I find that it does very well in indoor and more dimly lit situations, places that a lot of small sensor cameras will produce less than optimal results. I find that the X10 creates images with a very natural colour balance, even in artificial and mixed lighting.

I wander around with the X10 on a neckstrap and the lens extended. This means that if I want to take a picture, the camera will be ready with little fuss. It's not an instant powerup like a DSLR, but the benefit is that you don't have to twist the lens barrel every time you want to turn on the camera. Just half-press the shutter button for a few moments and the camera wakes up, which you will be able to feel. The X10 shutter is way more quiet than a DSLR which makes for good candids, although the response time is probably better with the new GRD IV, due to the dual AF system.

I'm a bit envious. I've heard a lot of good reports about the GRD IV but I've already got loads of cameras!
 
I am a camera freak too Archiver, just not a gainfully employed one. My cameras are mostly antique and collected at estate sales and flea markets, in very good condition of course but they aren't nearly as much as the GRD IV or X10 let alone both. But boy do I wish I could budget it. Maybe if I sell some stuff, not sure. We will be there in summer, January, so yes in the sun unless we hit a period of rain. Sydney area. Thanks for your advice because no, I really don't know anything as my cameras arrived just today. I am new to photography in the manual sense having just got a DSLR about three years ago. Prior to that it was whatever I got my hands on and pretty instant. I am hoping learning a new camera or cameras isn't too much for me to get up to decent speed before we leave. Do you have the mfg case then? Are you comfortable with it? I heard it's got no tripod mount screw and it can just fall out is that true? Oh and if you have a Voightlander Bessa III or any spare Leica's around and don't want them I will be out your way.. since you have loads of cameras LOL!!!
 
Here in the N Hemisphere (53N) the light levels are relatively weak so the white disk problem isn't affecting me as much as it will when I holiday by the sea next March.
Although a great little camera in most respects , I don't want shots from my cruise ruined by sharp white blobs coming off the Ocean.

The fact that Fuji says that those blobs are within their design parameters is a cause for concern.
The fact they obfuscate the problem by comparing with other cameras ( mainly with CCD sensors ) is deliberate.
The fact that they only plan a fix is no guarantee that a fix will appear.

Yesterday my local John Lewis had the X100 in store for £750.
My wife said go on treat yourself ( knowing I'd hankered after one for ages and my X1 is still in Germany ) but all I could think of was blobs and stuck aperture blades.
Fuji are getting a reputation for poor QC.
 
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