Fujifilm X-Pro2 Severe Image Quality Bug: Grid Artifacts
Get Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Fujifilm XF lens at B&H Photo.
The oddball Fujifilm X-Trans sensor has undesirable behaviors, such as extremely unattractive fractal-like artifacts.
However, there is a less common but far worse issue with the Fujifilm X-Pro2, an issue unlike any I have ever seen with Nikon or Canon or Sony sensors, albeit a rare one in my field shooting: the X-Pro2 can generate images with extensive grid artifacts over large areas of the frame, causing severe damage to image quality.
The issue occurs with in-camera JPEGs from raw or when processing raw RAF files in ACR as shown in this example with both in-camera JPEG and from raw conversions in ACR. Images shown at up to full 24MP resolution.
Fujifilm X-Pro2 Image Quality: Grid Artifacts
Includes RawDigger analysis.
See April 6 update.
Willem K writes:
I am almost 90% sure that the above problem is a reflection from the sensor surface due to a large light-source inside or just outside the field of view ( not too different from the Sigma DP1 )
It might require a very specific set of circumstances and might be partly lens dependent ( rear element shape and distance might have an influence )
I do not believe a firmware update can solve a problem which I think is hardware related. On the other hand the problem seems to be very rare and might have no real practical implications for the day to day use of the camera.
DIGLLOYD: this makes a lot of sense (so far) in theory but I have reproduced it with both the XF 23mm f/1.4 and XF 35m f/2, suggesting a general problem (three different lenses show a problem).
Sigma sensors have some flare issues also, as referenced above.