In a recent interview with Adorama, Fujifilm USA Vice-President Victor Ha let slip that Fujifilm cameras should see a pretty tasty firmware update this month with incoming fixes planned for an AF bug, as well as the Reala Ace film simulation finally making its way to more fifth-generation X-series cameras.
First announced at Fujifilm's X-Summit in February for the launch of the X100VI, Reala Ace should be coming to all fifth-gen X-Series cameras that don't already have the simulation, including the X-T5, X-H2, H-H2s, and X-S20.
Reala Ace was launched alongside the Fujifilm GFX 100 II back in September 2023 and has featured on subsequent launches including the X100VI, GFX 100S II, and X-T50. And users of older cameras have been clamoring to see the availability expanded to more of the Fuji lineup. Fujifilm already teased this back at the X100VI launch in Japan for a summer release, so the launch is right on schedule.
Reala Ace is a slightly different alternative to Fujifilm Provia, which has long been the standard film simulation on X-Series cameras. Reala Ace is described by Fujifilm as "incredibly true-to-life color reproduction and a hard tonality, this versatile Film Simulation adds a slight analog edge. Its natural rendering is well-suited for capturing all subjects and environments."
Despite recent comments from Fujifilm China suggesting we might not see these updates until August, it is possible Fujifilm pushed forward the firmware update to stem the tide of online criticism of a prominent AF performance bug.
The AF bug was likely introduced in the latest firmware (3.01 on the X-T5) and seems only to affect certain Fujifilm cameras including the X-T5, X-H2, and X-H2S. But if you use one of these cameras, you might not even notice the bug, as it is a specific fault based on a combination of settings.
As evidenced by several YouTubers, the issue crops up when using continuous AF and automatic face/eye recognition. These users have found that instead of focusing on the face of the subject, the camera is in fact focusing on the nearest object in the frame.
Victor Ha also says that this bug should be fixed in the upcoming firmware update. It is great to see Fujifilm acknowledge the issue and be very proactive in making things right.
For more on all things Fuji, check out our guide to the best Fujifilm camera and best Fujifilm lenses.
