Shooting RAW on the Fuji X10
One of the things 'real' photographers (as opposed to fake plastic ones?) look for in a compact camera is the ability to shoot in RAW.
All top-end compact cameras now have this ability, and the Fuji X10 is no exception. However, as anyone who has owned a few different cameras from a few different systems will tell you - RAW is not created equal. In fact, no two RAW codes are the same. So, the RAW image from a Nikon D90 is different from the RAW image in a Nikon D80, which is different from the RAW code in a Nikon D200, which is different from.... you get the idea. This is why software like Lightroom and Aperture get frequent updates - to include all the new RAW coding for all the new cameras. This often means a 'lag' period before the new RAW code is reverse engineered and sent out to everyone, so early adopters of new cameras beware - you may not be able to process that RAW file in your preferred software for a few weeks (months) while the software engineers figure it out.
But the good news is that they generally do figure it out, and RAW support for all this snazzy new technology eventually filters down in the form of updates.
Occasionally - very occasionally, there are exceptions to this rule. And alas, the Fuji X10 RAW files appear to be that exception. It seems with their funky EXR sensor technology, Fuji have thrown the software engineers a curve ball that they can't quite get their heads around.
A traditional CMOS sensor in a digital camera is made up of photosites (pixels) running horizontal and vertical in rows. With their EXR sensor technology, Fuji has rotated their pixels on a 45 degree angle, as well as configuring them through the camera differently depending on whether the camera is processing for HDR, Resolution or Low Noise. Don't ask me how - it's far too technological for me. And unfortunately, it seems to be far too technological for the poor software engineers who are trying to reverse engineer all the RAW coding for their software programmes.
So you can shoot RAW with the Fuji X10 - but can you process it?
For the first few shots I took on the X10, I shot them in RAW + Jpeg. I never shoot this way (almost always shooting in RAW), but I had heard the RAW issues with the camera, so shot the jpeg as well to cover my bases. And boy, am I glad that I did.
My RAW software converter of choice is Aperture 3. What can I say, I'm an Apple Mac guy. Posts on the interweb from over a year ago suggested that Aperture didn't handle RAW X10 files at all. But surely that had changed in the last year?
Apparently not. Hence the 'Unsupported Image Format' warning. Of course the jpegs look fine - great in fact. But no RAW support for the Fuji X10 at all. And it's been out for well over a year! Ouch. Well, there goes my Aperture 3 software out the window.
But fear not, for I also have 'Capture One, Express 6' RAW conversion software - and I read on their website that it does have X10 RAW support, so all is not lost.
Express 6 did, indeed process the RAW files - but for some strange reason it also grossly overexposed them as a starting point, whereas the Jpegs (again) were perfect, and the RAW files were definitely not over exposed in-camera!? So workable, maybe - but still not ideal.
My final solution - SilkyPix, the RAW converter that Fuji ships for free in every X10 box. Surely that will correctly interpret the Fuji's RAW files?
Success at last! Perfectly exposed and correctly displayed RAW files - of course. But there is a 'gotcha', and the 'for free' part of the previous paragraph should give it away. Because quite frankly SilkyPix (or whatever Fuji calls it), is a complete turkey to use as an everyday workflow solution. It's painfully slow, painfully limiting (after Aperture), and pretty un-user friendly. Darn!
So it looks like their really is no RAW software solution for me yet - and perhaps there never will be? So what to do? Well, I've left one big player out of the equation - Adobe's Lightroom. I don't own it, so I can't vouch for it - but I have heard that the latest version will convert X10 RAW files (but I heard that about Express 6 too). If I want to shoot RAW with the X10, Lightroom may be my only option. I'll have to download the trial copy off of Adobe's website and check it out for myself. But to be honest, I'm loathed to have to spend a few hundred dollars on another RAW converter, especially a diehard Aperture user like myself. But I may have no option in the end.
The silver lining to this cloud? Fuji's Jpeg engine is astoundingly good, and if you are careful not to over-expose the highlights (I am), then the jpegs straight out of the camera may be all you ever need. They are quicker to process, you fit more on a card, they download faster, can be viewed in any software, and look fantastic almost as-is. With jpegs that good, who needs RAW?
For the time being I've switched the camera to Jpeg only (Fine/Medium). Maybe Lightroom will change that? Only time will tell.
All top-end compact cameras now have this ability, and the Fuji X10 is no exception. However, as anyone who has owned a few different cameras from a few different systems will tell you - RAW is not created equal. In fact, no two RAW codes are the same. So, the RAW image from a Nikon D90 is different from the RAW image in a Nikon D80, which is different from the RAW code in a Nikon D200, which is different from.... you get the idea. This is why software like Lightroom and Aperture get frequent updates - to include all the new RAW coding for all the new cameras. This often means a 'lag' period before the new RAW code is reverse engineered and sent out to everyone, so early adopters of new cameras beware - you may not be able to process that RAW file in your preferred software for a few weeks (months) while the software engineers figure it out.
But the good news is that they generally do figure it out, and RAW support for all this snazzy new technology eventually filters down in the form of updates.
Occasionally - very occasionally, there are exceptions to this rule. And alas, the Fuji X10 RAW files appear to be that exception. It seems with their funky EXR sensor technology, Fuji have thrown the software engineers a curve ball that they can't quite get their heads around.
 |
| EXR Sensor (apologies to Fujifilm) |
So you can shoot RAW with the Fuji X10 - but can you process it?
For the first few shots I took on the X10, I shot them in RAW + Jpeg. I never shoot this way (almost always shooting in RAW), but I had heard the RAW issues with the camera, so shot the jpeg as well to cover my bases. And boy, am I glad that I did.
My RAW software converter of choice is Aperture 3. What can I say, I'm an Apple Mac guy. Posts on the interweb from over a year ago suggested that Aperture didn't handle RAW X10 files at all. But surely that had changed in the last year?
 |
| Is it just me, or is something not quite right with the Aperture 3 screenshot? |
But fear not, for I also have 'Capture One, Express 6' RAW conversion software - and I read on their website that it does have X10 RAW support, so all is not lost.
 |
| It's RAW support, but not as we know it, Jim. |
My final solution - SilkyPix, the RAW converter that Fuji ships for free in every X10 box. Surely that will correctly interpret the Fuji's RAW files?
 |
| SilkyPix - the 'out of the box' solution when you are desperate and need something to work with |
So it looks like their really is no RAW software solution for me yet - and perhaps there never will be? So what to do? Well, I've left one big player out of the equation - Adobe's Lightroom. I don't own it, so I can't vouch for it - but I have heard that the latest version will convert X10 RAW files (but I heard that about Express 6 too). If I want to shoot RAW with the X10, Lightroom may be my only option. I'll have to download the trial copy off of Adobe's website and check it out for myself. But to be honest, I'm loathed to have to spend a few hundred dollars on another RAW converter, especially a diehard Aperture user like myself. But I may have no option in the end.
The silver lining to this cloud? Fuji's Jpeg engine is astoundingly good, and if you are careful not to over-expose the highlights (I am), then the jpegs straight out of the camera may be all you ever need. They are quicker to process, you fit more on a card, they download faster, can be viewed in any software, and look fantastic almost as-is. With jpegs that good, who needs RAW?
For the time being I've switched the camera to Jpeg only (Fine/Medium). Maybe Lightroom will change that? Only time will tell.
Hello, I use Lightroom 5 and I can confirm that the X10's RAF files show the same problems they also have on the other converters. The RAF images lack (a lot!) of sharpness, especially when compared to the respective JPEG. I am very disappointed, because I bought the X10 to shoot RAW images and work them in post-production, but than I find out this camera is, de facto, unusable for this purpose!
ReplyDeleteI just received my x10 used, and it didn't come with a manual. I've searched briefly, hte manual online, and don't see an answer to my q. Please, can you tell me how to choose raw in the menu? I only see many jpeg options.
ReplyDeleteHit your Menu/OK button, push the nine o'clock spot on the control ring, push the six o'clock spot, and that will drop you into the Settings menu. Push the three o'clock spot, then move up or down in that menu till you get to Raw. Push the three o'clock spot and choose Raw, Raw + JPEG, or Off, depending. And as someone who also found the Fuji manual to be just OK, I recommend an e-book by Alexander White titled "Photographer's Guide to the Fujifilm X10." I got it via Kindle; it might be available for other platforms as well. Very good, very informative, pretty much answers everything you want to know about this camera.
DeleteI'm sorry, I don't remember anymore because I finally sold my x10. The assistence just denied the problem even after I provided objective tests. So I sold the camera and got an Olympus.
ReplyDelete