Fujifilm to repair X-T1 units affected by light leak issue free of charge (UPDATED)
posted Friday, March 14, 2014 at 10:42 AM EDT
UPDATE (3/17/14): Fujifilm USA has issued a separate service advisory, which indicates a different range of serial numbers for affected X-T1 cameras. Fuji USA says the light leak and flare issue occurs on a "limited number of early production X-T1 cameras" with serial numbers below 41A05201 (serial numbers 41A05201 and higher are not affected). Fujifilm is asking anyone concerned about their camera to contact a Fujifilm Repair Center at 1-800-659-3854 (ext. 3461) to get their camera looked at and, if needed, repaired free of charge.
Not long ago Sony's full-frame E-mount flagship cameras, the Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R, were in the news as users were reporting light leaks occuring around the lens mount. Shortly thereafter, reports came in about users of Fujifilm's brand-new X-T1 experiencing similar issues, only this time the light was creeping in through one of the flaps covering the ports on the side of the camera. Now Fujifilm Japan has issued an official service advisory for the issue, while Fujifilm UK and Germany seem to be repairing faulty units for free, with some retailers even exchanging them for a replacement camera.
The Google translated version of Fujifilm Japan's service advisory states that the issue appears only when the flap covering the microphone/remote and HDMI/USB ports is open, so it isn't really a problem for the most case. However, when shooting video or when making long exposures with a remote control or external control monitor attached via HDMI, then light leaks can become apparent in the resulting images. In our own tests, we were able to confirm that there is indeed a light leak issue with the Fujifilm X-T1.
In order to fix the problem, of which Fujifilm Japan says only camera bodies with serial numbers ranging from 41002001 to 41006000 are affected, owners are asked to send their cameras to a Fujifilm repair center, where they will be fixed free of charge. Meanwhile, users from the UK and Germany report that the local Fujifilm dependencies are also fixing the cameras free of charge, while in some cases the retailers having sold the faulty units have offered to replace the cameras entirely.
So if you own an X-T1 body and its serial number is within the range mentioned above, you're best advised to contact your local Fujifilm service center and have the problem fixed – regardless of whether you're currently doing video and/or long exposures with a remote control or not. Chances are that when you approach Fujifilm in a year or two, after your warranty has expired, they won't do the repair for free anymore. But for now, we're happy to see that Fujifilm handled the situation quickly and professionally. Much better than Nikon did with the D600 oil and dust issue ...
(via Fuji Rumors, update: Fujifilm USA via FujiRumors.)