Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Now that I’m on the X100 waiting list, thanks to some rather unique events (and people) during the past few days here, I’m contemplating what this camera may be capable of and how it will measure up in the environment it'll be thrown into eventually.
When I shoot gallery openings my routine is quite regimented because I know exactly what’s required and I rarely step outside the bounds I’ve set myself for these events. It minimises mistakes, cuts down on post processing and to date the D700 hasn’t really put a foot wrong in this tricky environment. I shoot exclusively with a 35mm ZF Distagon at f2 with ISO set to 3200 and occasionally 6400. I use aperture priority with matrix metering and occasionally use the AE lock if I think the matrix system may not be reading the scene correctly. After battling the M8’s high ISO short comings when I started doing these events the Nikon has been an absolute joy and I have nothing but praise for the camera. By it’s SLR nature though focusing can be a little tricky occasionally in the very low light of a dim gallery.
Looking at the specs of the Fuji it appears to be ideal for exactly what the D700 currently does for me. It has a 35mm f2 lens, seems to be extremely capable at 3200 or 6400 ISO, will obviously have a large bright viewfinder, can be focused manually, has various metering options and is a fraction of the size of the Nikon. When I first read about the camera these stats immediately stood out and I thought … “Wow, what a tool for shooting gallery openings if it’s as good as they say it is!”
I just photographed an opening last week and as they aren’t that frequent I won’t have another for several weeks from now. When the next one does come around I should be in tune with the workings of the X100 and I can pit it directly against the D700’s stellar performance in the challenging gallery environment … I can’t wait and even if it can't quite match the Nikon blow for blow, it'll be one hell of a backup! 🙂
When I shoot gallery openings my routine is quite regimented because I know exactly what’s required and I rarely step outside the bounds I’ve set myself for these events. It minimises mistakes, cuts down on post processing and to date the D700 hasn’t really put a foot wrong in this tricky environment. I shoot exclusively with a 35mm ZF Distagon at f2 with ISO set to 3200 and occasionally 6400. I use aperture priority with matrix metering and occasionally use the AE lock if I think the matrix system may not be reading the scene correctly. After battling the M8’s high ISO short comings when I started doing these events the Nikon has been an absolute joy and I have nothing but praise for the camera. By it’s SLR nature though focusing can be a little tricky occasionally in the very low light of a dim gallery.
Looking at the specs of the Fuji it appears to be ideal for exactly what the D700 currently does for me. It has a 35mm f2 lens, seems to be extremely capable at 3200 or 6400 ISO, will obviously have a large bright viewfinder, can be focused manually, has various metering options and is a fraction of the size of the Nikon. When I first read about the camera these stats immediately stood out and I thought … “Wow, what a tool for shooting gallery openings if it’s as good as they say it is!”
I just photographed an opening last week and as they aren’t that frequent I won’t have another for several weeks from now. When the next one does come around I should be in tune with the workings of the X100 and I can pit it directly against the D700’s stellar performance in the challenging gallery environment … I can’t wait and even if it can't quite match the Nikon blow for blow, it'll be one hell of a backup! 🙂
