A fork in the road - X100 vs XE (not yet sure of model)

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CharlesDAMorgan

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Age keeps creeping up on me, its sinuous hands slowly attenuating my eyes, grip, load capacity and a few other things I can't remember. A recent trip to the wonderful Fighter Command Battle of Britain control bunker a few miles away summed up my problems. In low light (using 1600 film I was shooting at 1/30 and f1.8 at best) nailing focus was so random that my results were poor (this is on a Nikon FM2n).

I also forgot a second roll of film, so was forced to use a Nikon EM I had in the car for testing, and it of course had a defective meter (I also dropped it and damaged the rewind crank, so I can forget about returning it - on the other hand it was £19 delivered).

Carting gear around in a bag is a bore, both hands have carpel tunnel and are very weak, so I have decided, small is good.

So, of the choices of an XE or an X100, which of those would you suggest, and which model. I love the glass, the looks and build, but haver between a simple and small fixed lens of the X100 or the ability to mount more glass of the XE.

Irreducible minima - autofocus has to be spot on, ISO capabilities of excellent photos of about 6400 max (I spend a lot of time in dark places like churches and museums).

Thoughts much appreciated!
 
CharlesDAMorgan said:
Age keeps creeping up on me, its sinuous hands slowly attenuating my eyes, grip, load capacity and a few other things I can't remember. A recent trip to the wonderful Fighter Command Battle of Britain control bunker a few miles away summed up my problems. In low light (using 1600 film I was shooting at 1/30 and f1.8 at best) nailing focus was so random that my results were poor (this is on a Nikon FM2n).

I also forgot a second roll of film, so was forced to use a Nikon EM I had in the car for testing, and it of course had a defective meter (I also dropped it and damaged the rewind crank, so I can forget about returning it - on the other hand it was £19 delivered).

Carting gear around in a bag is a bore, both hands have carpel tunnel and are very weak, so I have decided, small is good.

So, of the choices of an XE or an X100, which of those would you suggest, and which model. I love the glass, the looks and build, but haver between a simple and small fixed lens of the X100 or the ability to mount more glass of the XE.

Irreducible minima - autofocus has to be spot on, ISO capabilities of excellent photos of about 6400 max (I spend a lot of time in dark places like churches and museums).

Thoughts much appreciated!
Click to expand...


This won't help much, but I have both an x100 (original) and an x-E1.

I've had the x100 for eight years, and the x-E1 for four or five years, and I haver between them all the time. 😕 Each will, alternately, spend several weeks in regular use, and then several weeks in a cupboard, seeing no use at all. If I can't pick a 'winner' after all this time, then I guess I've just got to accept the fact!

There you are - I said this wouldn't help! 😀
 
tbhv55 said:
This won't help much, but I have both an x100 (original) and an x-E1.

I've had the x100 for eight years, and the x-E1 for four or five years, and I haver between them all the time. 😕 Each will, alternately, spend several weeks in regular use, and then several weeks in a cupboard, seeing no use at all. If I can't pick a 'winner' after all this time, then I guess I've just got to accept the fact!

There you are - I said this wouldn't help! 😀
Click to expand...

It helps a lot! I have the same issue with all my other cameras, a month of total use then try another etc repeat, rinse and re-do.

The fact is you use them! 😀
 
Yes, you've accurately identified the syndrome! 😉

I go from digital to film (and back), 35mm to MF (and back), SLR to rangefinder (and back), wide angle to normal to telephoto (and back), prime to zoom (and back), and so on. Some might say there's enough material for a psychiatrists' convention, there! 😀
 
CharlesDAMorgan said:
which lenses do you most use for the XE1?
Click to expand...


I use the 18-55mm (excellent all-rounder). I also use (via adapters, of course) several FSU rangefinder lenses (Jupiters and Industars), and a couple of m42 lenses (Pentax 35mm and a 135mm Helios).

Which do I use the most? No absolutely clear winner, but I'd say that the 18-55mm gets slightly more use than the others, simply because it is an "all-rounder".
 
Thanks - I have so many lenses I can adapt, but for the native system glass I'll probably end up with just one prime (X100 route) or two (XE).

Right, must get up and off to Wex in East London who have a lot to look at and are open today. I tried John Lewis's big store at High Wycombe yesterday as the website advertises all the current Fuji models. In the store they had but one XT3, and that had a flat battery...
 
I have an X-T2, X-Pro2, X100F with conversion lenses, and X-E2s, to compare, so:

X-Pro2 unless you need insane flash-sync speeds. All the lens flexibilty of the XE with an OVF and manual controls to rival the X100, plus weather resistance and the ability to shrug off the odd accidental drop. It's not much heavier than the other two, and with the right lens you can carry it around in any weather and leave your camera bag at home.

The X-E2s is a fine camera in its own right but the lack of an external ISO dial and rear command dial is a bit of a pain; the X100F is utterly addictive but limited in choice of focal lengths, plus you can't add fast SLR glass with a focal-length-reducing adapter for that extra bit of help in low-light conditions. The X-T2 is basically an X-Pro2 for SLR-lovers, and adds a battery grip for all-day shooting, but that plastic light baffle round the sensor is susceptible to damage if you're unlucky with a fast lens and bright sunlight; however the EVF is perfect for manual-focus lenses if that's your kink, and it tends to be cheaper than the X-Pro2.

Only real gripe I have about the X-Pro2 is that there's no Metro Case grip for it.
 
Thanks ruby.monkey. I'll have a good look at everything, although weather sealing and the ability to take speed boosting adapters has no real appeal - I'd rather get speed in dark spaces from higher ISO than depth of field limiting wide lens apertures.
 
I would say the biggest difference lies in that viewfinder. If you really like an optical viewfinder (Leica M style) with projected framelines, the x100x is incredible (Make sure you disable all the optional overlayed info).
If you don't mind just using an EVF the x-e3 has the bonus of interchangeable lenses. Worth noting though that if 35mm is your focal length of choice, the x100 probably has the best 35mm equivalent lens in the system once you take into account size and operation.

The x-proX is the best of both worlds, but the body is the biggest of the line (though ergonomically the best IMO). It is fairly light though. Current rumors are saying x-pro3 will be announced later this year.
 
Have no experience with the XE's but have owned both the original X100 and now the X100F. If you can live with just the 35 FOV, then the X100F can't be beat. I normally use Leica's and bought the Fuji as a backup for a trip around the world later this year. Well, it is so good I may leave the MP240 at home.

I traveled a few years ago to Machu Pichu using just the X100 and did not find having one lens a limitation. Additionally, a later trip to Guatemala with the X100 and M2 found me using both equally (50 on the M2). The aux lenses (28 and 50 equivalent focal lengths) work great and I found mine used at B&H for $250 each.

I usually keep everything on the X100F set to auto and use the optical finder. Hope this helps.
 
X100 might be the only camera I need. I have the original, or an early replacement of my original, so that's eight years for me too. I never find trouble getting any of the settings I want, after months not using it often. When I travelled with the Monochrom I had the X100 for colour. Not changing lenses is one of the great advantages of the X100. The viewfinder and external ISO dial and the possibility of quick manual focus are just amazing. Those Fuji engineers are brilliant and the X100F looks to be even better. The original is so good I have no reason to upgrade.
 
I've used some variation of most of the Fuji models. My main camera is the XPro2 due to the hybrid viewfinder and overall handling. I also love the X100S for the size and, yes, the hybrid viewfinder. I never got along that well with the XE2S I owned because the EVF was kind of squinty and hard to see in bright sunlight. For a better quality EVF, the XT models are superior to the XE's.

But that's just my priorities and preferences and they may mean nothing to you. From what you've written, it appears you really want to use interchangeable lenses but you like the size and layout of the X100. You might be happier with the newer XE3. It's smaller than the previous models and probably has an improved viewfinder as well--everything gets improved with newer models. And you can use the excellent Fujinon lenses. For interchangeable lenses and an optical viewfinder plus the electronic viewfinder, the only game in town is the XPro.

As for the X100 conversion lenses, I've owned both the 50mm equiv. and the 28m equiv. but sold them after a couple of years due to not using them. They were decent optics (but not as good as "real" 50mm and 28mm equivalent lenses) but they changed the form factor of the X100 too much for me to enjoy the handling. But, once again, that's based on my preferences only.
 
ruby.monkey said:
The next thread will start, "So I just bought a GFX 50R..." 😉
Click to expand...

GFX100R looked better!

Thanks to all for your help, it was really useful and I read all the updates as I travelled.

So, so nice to go to a real camera store with lots of stuff on display and a good collection of used cameras. All the current Fujifilm range was there, together with two helpful Fuji branded staff (those flesh burns must have hurt!). The XPro2 was beautiful, but too big, I wasn't greatly fond of the EVF of the XE3 (there was a noticeable refresh flicker which would almost certainly give me a migraine) and the X100F was beautiful. But I didn't want to buy something brand new for the sake of it and settled for a mint X-100T at half the new price. I'm very glad for the sake of my wallet Wex is the other side of London and a good hour on public transport from me!

The X-100T is a lovely thing, I will have to read the manual to work out the menu and settings, but it is a perfect size and the lens is delicious. Fujicron indeed.

My F2AS was pretty much redundant on the journey home, which is a shame because it weighs a ton. I don't know what it is about baristas though, but the one in the coffee shop I nipped in to after Wex turned out to own a Nikon F.

I don't know why I bought some more Lomography 800 there, I think this camera will do more than nicely for colour! (classic chrome film emulation - nothing added or subtracted).

brick-lane-1-of-1.jpg
 
I don't think I'll be giving up black and white film just yet, but it does a pretty convincing job with monochrome too. However, colour film is definitely for the chop. Only 25 rolls to get through!

brick-lane3-1-of-1.jpg
 
Congratulations. I was pleased to see Sam Abell (Nat Geo) on the video linked here tell his audience at B&H that he shoots P mode. So I make no apology for shooting colour jpegs too in the X100. The software is very clever and it’s hard to blow the highlights.
 
That would explain my delight at no blown highlights, it's the major part of why I mostly shoot film.

Another photographer who I had thought to be purist said most pros (himself included) use P all the time.

Time to start enjoying and less talking.
 
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