Some people are reporting a problem with their new X-Pro 2s. It manifests itself in a loss of settings. There is a lot of speculation about the cause, ranging from battery issue to firmware bug but at time of writing there are insufficient reliable and consistent data points to be sure what is going on.
Symptoms are:
- A loss of configuration settings
- Time and date, and custom settings appear unaffected
- Most reports refer to a single instance straight out of the box but some report 2 or 3 instances
I’ve seen such behaviour before, particularly with Ricoh GXR bodies. My theory is that what we are seeing here is a variation of the same problem (but see below). Cameras contain a small capacitor that charges up from the main battery and provides just enough power for the camera to “remember” configuration settings when the main battery is removed. It takes time to charge that capacitor. This looks like a failure to charge quickly enough. We are all doing the same thing at the moment – unboxing the camera, slamming the (or a) battery in, and pressing buttons like a demented gamer on Red Bull, setting the config before heading out to shoot with our new shiny thing.
The odd thing about all this is that not all settings are forgotten. I can think of three potential reasons for this – two capacitors (unlikely), certain data stored in a different (non-volatile) memory (possible) and a firmware fault, or bug (possible). All we know at the moment are the symptoms not the cause. I don’t doubt that Fuji already has people looking at this but I cannot help but wonder why it was not picked up by the beta testers. I can only speculate that the cameras in the beta programme were either powered up before they left the factory, or that it is indeed a firmware wibble (technical term…) introduced at the last minute into the production run.
If it is a slow-charging capacitor it will sort itself and time will tell; if a firmware bug, a release will sort it so either way I am not unduly concerned.
Has it happened to me? Yes. I put in a spare battery first of all, because I was too impatient to wait for the one in the box to charge. I spent about an hour tweaking config, took about a dozen shots then removed the battery and left it on charge overnight, and the camera without power. The next morning, my settings had gone except, as seems consistent, the time, date and custom settings. Last night (night 2), I left in a fully charged battery and this morning everything was fine.
What to do:
- In the words of the inimitable Douglas Adams, DON’T PANIC!
- FULLY CHARGE YOUR BATTERY before use
- Leave it in the camera, with at least some charge in it, for at least 24 hours
- When you recharge for the first time, swop in another fully charged battery, or minimise the time that the camera is without power
I’m not guaranteeing this will prevent the problem, but they are sensible precautions to take.
Above all, I think you should report the problem to your local Fuji customer service. There will be a link on the Fuji website. At this time the more datum points that can be provided to Fuji the better, and the more they will have to go on to assist in root cause analysis. Be factual, and clear, and provide as much information as you can.
In summary, it’s frustrating, but it is not the end of the world; ignore the Chicken Littles who are rushing about claiming that the sky is falling and console yourself with the knowledge that Fuji is a communicative, responsive company committed to customer service and will acknowledge and resolve this as quickly as possible. In other words, cheer up, at least it’s not a Sony or Leica…
Why can’t Fuji store the config data in non-volatile memory like photos are stored? Our photos don’t disappear when the card is removed from the camera, so it is possible.
Hi Richard,
I agree it’s possible, but not common with cameras. Many have a small battery or capacitor inside (non- user servicable of course) that stores the settings when the main battery is removed. One week on now, and no official word from Fuji although we know they are well aware and are working on a fix. It seems to not be as simple as a power issue per se and different symptoms have been reported in the meantime which lead me to believe that a firmware fix will be forthcoming shortly.
Many have asked why the beta testers did not pick this up; I am certain it’s a combination of circumstances; a small number of beta testers were using an even smaller number of cameras, which likely would have been factory reset before being re-issued. Now we have a much larger number out in the wild AND being fired up for the first time and this issue is rearing it’s ugly head.
I know it’s frustrating, but hang in there – help is on the way.