The question, “why don’t the photos on my (insert model) camera show up in X RAW Studio?” has popped up far too frequently but wrong answers have been popping up even more. The X-T20’s firmware was updated recently, bestowing upon it compatibility with X RAW Studio, leading to a surge in people downloading the firmware but not downloading the updated user manual linked directly below it. So now they seek people to give them the answer to their boggle in exchange for minimal effort expended, their keyboards lacking a button to activate any “search feature.” The most popular response has been, “you must transfer the RAW files from your camera to a folder on your computer first.”
Wrong.
If you cannot read the user manual, I haven’t the faintest clue as to how you’ll manage to read this, so I made a quick video. At least you’re not gullible enough to fall for the “you must transfer the RAW files first” BS.
So, let’s begin by seeing if your camera is even compatible with X RAW Studio. Only the following models currently apply with the firmware versions listed:
- GFX 50S (FW v2.0.0 Fujifilm News Release)
- X-Pro2 (v4.0.0)
- X-T2 (v3.0.0)
- X100F (v2.0.0)
- X-H1
- X-T20 (FW v2.0.0 Fujifilm News Release)
If you don’t own one of these models, you can leave now. If you have one of the predecessors to the listed models, i.e. X-T10 or X-Pro1, you camera will never be supported by X RAW Studio as the built-in processor is not powerful enough.
With the new firmware that enabled this feature came a new entry in the setup menu that gives users more direct control of the USB port and SD card slots. By default, the USB port is set to “USB card reader.” To do what you’re asking for, which is to allow X RAW Studio to read and write directly to your SD cards from your PC, you must change this setting to “USB RAW Conv./Backup Restore”
What you came for is right here: Power on your camera and press the Menu button. Navigate to: SET UP > CONNECTION SETTING > PC CONNECTION MODE and select “USB RAW CONV./BACKUP RESTORE”
Once this is selected, the next time you connect your camera to your PC via USB and open X RAW Studio, you’ll be able to view your RAW files directly. No having to copy your images from camera to PC. The primary benefit to using X RAW Studio is no need to transfer files back and forth, allowing owners to process their RAW images using the power of the X Processor Pro, all in-camera, resulting in full resolution photos ready for sharing, being automatically transferred after your adjustments have been applied.
Now, for the people who always have to ask, “but why?” I’m sure some of you are screaming either, “why wasn’t it set this way by default when I updated the firmware,” or “why can’t it just work in the default setting?!” Had they set it as the new default, anyone attempting to transfer photos over USB would be stymied as the SD card slots would no longer act as card readers until the menu setting is changed back. For the latter, this is due to how USB drivers work. At default, your PC sees it as an SD card reader, specifically a mass storage device like a hard drive. Switching it changes the applicable USB driver, telling your computer it’s now a networked computing peripheral, or a separate computer on an ad-hoc network, in essence. (The other selections relate to tethering, which uses a TWAIN driver so your PC can identify it as a connected imaging source, not unlike connecting a scanner.)
Now, the way I see it, you’ve just saved a little time and effort by doing none of the work. If you are a respectable person with even the faintest sense of honor, integrity and moral standing, would you not compensate any person who solved a problem for you, especially one where the balance of effort skews heavily in their favor, by buying them a beer or drink of their choice?
Instead of a drink, you can send me a dollar to show your appreciation for my effort in helping you avoid effort. PayPal me here at PayPal.me/notoakie
Fujifilm always publishes a comprehensive update to their user manuals whenever a new firmware version is released and posts them online in .pdf format for download. It’s the link just below the one to download firmware updates, and is labeled “Manuals.” If there’s a new function, capability or change in procedure included in a firmware update, the new version of the manual will show you how it works.
In case you were previously unaware, Fujifilm subscribes to the uniquely Japanese idea of constant product improvement above all else, a business model referred to as “kaizen.” This isn’t limited to bug fixes; it includes any way that improves the user experience if technologically possible. If they can add a feature from a brand new camera to an older version, they will do it, ensuring your camera stays fresh. It keeps owners from having to shell out big bucks to purchase what’s often just an iterative update another brand will advertise as “all new and improved.” Does it impact sales of new models? In the short term, yes, as it lengthens purchase cycles and can even cannibalize sales of a new product line by an older one. However, the trust it forges between customer and manufacturer, creating owners that evangelize their product and establishing a long term customer relationship provides higher returns in the long term. This customer faith results in increased accessory purchases, repeat buyers and positive word of mouth that surpass the effectiveness of short term price drops and mass marketing.
*FYI: I tend to use “PC” interchangeably with “computer” because that’s what PC stands for: Personal Computer. I use a Mac, which is a type of PC, so I haven’t “left out” Macs. I simply don’t subscribe to the idea that “PC” automatically means “Microsoft Windows.” Whenever you read “PC,” imagine I typed out “Mac” just for you.
JetCity Ninja 
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