Yes or No....

[keytarjunkie]

Okay, need quick advice.

I have a 5D classic with Nikkor 50/1.4 right now. It's nice. I like full frame. I primarily use Mamiya 7, Pentax 6x7, 4x5, and Olympus Stylus Epic. Digital is nice for low light and instant results, but I never find myself bringing it anywhere with me. It just sits around. I don't like the inaccurate screen or meter. IQ is nice, but half of it is just the size of the sensor. The camera is 7 years old (old for digital at least!). It's heavy. I don't know. I prefer rangefinder-style viewing to SLR.

I could trade my beat-up 5D, 50/1.4 and adaptor, for a like-new X100. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Has anyone sold off their DSLR and used the X100 as their primary digital camera? Having used a Contax G2 in the past (and actually enjoyed it, except for the narrow viewfinder) I don't think I will have any problems with the autofocus.

 

[kshapero]

Get a Leica M3 with a 'cron and you will never look back.

 

[keytarjunkie]

I've had a M2 as well, my problem is that I can't justify an expensive 35mm camera because I primarily use the Mamiya 7 and stuff. I would rather buy another 6x7 lens or two or three than buy another Leica, believe me, I love them, but right now I am very content with the Olympus Stylus Epic as my only 35mm camera and I just want a smaller digital camera that will give me nice results.

Plus a M3 with a 'cron is a lot more than a X100 these days!! So expensive...

 

[Vics]

Get a Leica M3 with a 'cron and you will never look back.

I second that emotion!

 

[celluloidprop]

I sold my original 5D and moved to a D700 because I was hacked off about it being a dust-sieve and I wasn't comfortable cleaning the sensor. But when I look back at my 5D images, there's something about them that stands out relative to even the D700 - it has more noise at a given ISO, but there's a presence or a kind of sharpness that was unique to the original 5D.

The X100 has some of that, actually - maybe no AA-filter or just an incredibly weak one, and the 23/2 is just as good as my 35L was.

I use SLRs just like my X100 - center-point focus and recompose. If you're comfortable with the 35mm focal length, I think you're getting a pretty even trade in terms of image quality, in a smaller package.

 

[kshapero]

I've had a M2 as well, my problem is that I can't justify an expensive 35mm camera because I primarily use the Mamiya 7 and stuff. I would rather buy another 6x7 lens or two or three than buy another Leica, believe me, I love them, but right now I am very content with the Olympus Stylus Epic as my only 35mm camera and I just want a smaller digital camera that will give me nice results.

Plus a M3 with a 'cron is a lot more than a X100 these days!! So expensive...

Second mortgage your house like I keep doing.😎

 

[tbarker13]

Sounds like a good idea to me. I used one briefly. Great results. I sold mine because I just don't shoot with the 35mm focal length all that much these days.

 

[back alley]

do it!

if you carry the x100 with you then you would be ahead of the game.

 

[gavinlg]

Yeah it's a worthy replacement for the 5d if you don't like the weight of the latter. It won't give you the same sort of portrait separation as a 5d & 50mm lens though - you have to remember it's sort of like using a 35mm f2.8 on the 5d.

 

[keytarjunkie]

Second mortgage your house like I keep doing.😎

as a student, I don't think this is possible 😛

Yeah it's a worthy replacement for the 5d if you don't like the weight of the latter. It won't give you the same sort of portrait separation as a 5d & 50mm lens though - you have to remember it's sort of like using a 35mm f2.8 on the 5d.

I actually did this with a Nikkor 35/2.8 I have as well on the 5D. Except for the dimness of the viewfinder hurting my ability to focus with it, I really enjoyed the focal length.

I was 90% there, now I'm like 97% there! Pretty sure I'm gonna do it. I have film cameras and other DSLRs available to me for other focal length, 55mm and 105mm on the Pentax 6x7 plus 80mm on the Mamiya.

 

[gavinlg]

Sounds like you'll be fine. The x100 is a pretty awesome camera. Wide open with the nd filter engaged you get this really lovely flare - like a veiling milkiness when you've got the sun backlighting a subject, but then from f2.8 upwards it goes razor sharp.

I bought mine for exactly the same reason you're looking at one, and to be honest I haven't used my 5d much (if at all?) since I got the x100. I can take the x100 everywhere I go (girlfriend always mocks me for bringing it grocery shopping) and I barely even notice it on my shoulder. Yesterday I picked up my 5d with a 50mm, and it literally felt like a brick on a rope around my shoulder. You forget how heavy DSLRs actually are after a while!

 

[meso]

I'd say go for it, I had a similar setup, 5D "classic" with 24/50/70-200mm lenses and sold it all for a M6 ttl and 35/50mm lenses and havent looked back,
I now bring my camera with me more often than I did the dslr rig.

 

[keytarjunkie]

...and the 23/2 is just as good as my 35L was.

Yeah this is kind of my reasoning here. I can barely afford a $900ish digital camera, much less a $1000+ lens for it on top of that. Plus it will be smaller.

Sounds like you'll be fine. The x100 is a pretty awesome camera. Wide open with the nd filter engaged you get this really lovely flare - like a veiling milkiness when you've got the sun backlighting a subject, but then from f2.8 upwards it goes razor sharp.

I bought mine for exactly the same reason you're looking at one, and to be honest I haven't used my 5d much (if at all?) since I got the x100. I can take the x100 everywhere I go (girlfriend always mocks me for bringing it grocery shopping) and I barely even notice it on my shoulder. Yesterday I picked up my 5d with a 50mm, and it literally felt like a brick on a rope around my shoulder. You forget how heavy DSLRs actually are after a while!

Good. I love all of your shots, especially admired the stuff you were getting with the 5D and 35/2.

 

[Dylan Hope]

See if you can rent an X100 from a camera store for a few days and see if it fits your style of shooting. It might not be possible though, since most stores that allow renting usually focus more on MF and SLR gear. But if it is possible, it's probably the best course of action. If not, then use it in the store for a while, get a feel for it - it won't be the same as real world use, but it'll help you figure out if the camera feels right in your hands and in use.

That said, could it maybe be possible that the new Fuji camera might cause retailers to sell the X100 for cheaper to move the older, 'less desirable' stock when it's released?

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I originally switched to RF from SLR because of weight and viewfinder issues - similar story.
My only question regarding the X100 would be regarding the lack of zoom and having only one focal length, but I think thats pretty much what you've got now, so I'd go for it!

 

[keytarjunkie]

I originally switched to RF from SLR because of weight and viewfinder issues - similar story.
My only question regarding the X100 would be regarding the lack of zoom and having only one focal length, but I think thats pretty much what you've got now, so I'd go for it!

Yeah, I'm used to it and I prefer it. Thanks guys, I'm pretty sure I'm trading my 5D for a X100 via craigslist tomorrow.

 

[thirtyfivefifty]

I say go for it! You don't seem invested in the EOS system anyway. I see the X100 as a good fit with you.

 

[Jobin33]

Do it! I want one...

 

[uhoh7]

I don't want to be the buzz killer...if you don't take it, you should do something I guess, but nobody takes their 5D without a plan anyway.

the x100 is no rangefinder, famous for not great manual focus, 35 is not ideal for aps-c, but it can take great pics, no doubt about that, and it looks cool.

you might want to do some serious research, as impressions of the x100 can differ violently.

but maybe it's a good deal economically, if the x100 is easy to sell (check me here), then it would be really fun to try it.

 

[Peter S]

Would not do it unless you are really bothered by the weight. Used to own a 5D and I think the sensor had something special (I sold it and now am 100% rangefinder). Tried a Fuji X100 in a store and I liked it, but as a compact, I would never consider it a replacement of a 5D. On Flickr I usually am not impressed with the shots I see from the X100, but still am impressed by the quality of the files of the 5D. Just my 2cts. I think you already own a fantastic camera.