A lucky boyfriend, an ardent film photographer, and a Fuji X100

[N.delaRua]

What do these three things have in common? Well they describe me, and some of the thoughts I have had lately.

First some brief backstory. I love film, and my film cameras... thats never going to change. However, my financial situation did which can make film photography a expensive hobby quickly, and I quickly was depressed by the rolls of film just sitting on my desk waiting patiently to be developed as save $20 a roll to get decent development and most importantly scans. To be honest I was trying to save for a digital camera at the same time...

Enter awesome girlfriend. After hearing me wax poetic forever about this little camera called the Fuji X100, and how it would solve all of life's problems; she took note. One day, I was given an extremely nice gift in the form of a Fuji X100.

Here is a picture of said awesome girlfriend taken with the X100 exploiting the lens's beautiful ability to flare:
Amanda and Huck by nmdelaru, on Flickr

So what is the point of this post? Well I thought some might be interested or could relate to my experience regarding the following things: A Fuji X100 is not a digital Leica (like I thought it would be), digital files are EXTREMELY sharp (sometimes maybe too sharp) APS-C sensors have a lot less depth of field then the internet leads you to believe, digital is not as easy as I thought it would be.

First things first. The X100 is not a Leica. It can be shot in a similar fashion. You can scale focus, stop down, and you have a fast street camera. But its not as easy to do because there is no depth of field scale on the lens (I am not sure if the DOF scale is that accurate either), and the viewfinder is more cluttered with more data. Also, I don't feel the camera is nearly as good as getting out of the way like a M6. Any all manual camera just literally gets out of the way of the shooter, but there are a lot settings to accidentally have set that later come back to bite you. Regardless, scale focus, wireless off camera flash (flash commander mode), and a leaf shutter is pretty awesome:
Jazz Up and Close by nmdelaru, on Flickr

This camera is so so sharp. What this means is that you cannot be sloppy. You really have to think of higher shutter speeds. Ultra sharpness means if you don't have your technique down for the shot, you will be left wanting in post. Its tougher than I thought. However, if you nail the focus, and are shooting in good light, wow... You can count the little hairs on peoples face at 100% which for me is almost a bad thing. I can't tell if I have just been looking at crappy scans of my film images for a long time or this camera is so freaking sharp. I have to admit I am surprised... Here is a screen capture of a macro shot at 100% in Lightroom after being compressed by Flickr which is probably the worst way to illustrate my point but FTW:
Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 8.24.57 PM by nmdelaru, on Flickr

APS-C sensors have a lot less depth of field than I thought. Combine this with the X100's ability to shoot macro and you can blur out backgrounds, but you can also miss shots because of this. I am learning this the hard way... I think what this means is that in bright light, you are better off shooting in AF-S, and point the autofocus patch at something with a lot of contrast:
RDR Dancer by nmdelaru, on Flickr

With respect to digital being "harder" than I thought it was... I felt like working with my FM2 and M6 TTL and my three films of choice, I really knew what I was doing. With digital you have SO many options. I find it overwhelming... I've taken WAY too many picture. Like 95% of them I would have never shot with film because it would have cost to much. I hate it, but its like I can't stop. I know I have more disk space so I shoot more crap. I think what is getting me to stop just pushing the shutter button without care is watching my hard disk shrink whilst being filled up with garbage... I don't know how to get around this, but for some reason I have this belief that because its digital, I can always save it in post.

Amazingly you can save a lot in post if you shoot RAW. Here is an example:
DSCF2147-2 by nmdelaru, on Flickr

VS.

DSCF2147 by nmdelaru, on Flickr

I still can't decide if I am impressed by "high" ISO, but then I look at shots on Ilford 3200, and I think I am crazy.

Ilford 3200:
The Tix by nmdelaru, on Flickr

Fuji X100 ISO 2500:
DSCF2118 by nmdelaru, on Flickr

Its ping pong ball size grain vs. smoothed out detail. I don't know, I guess you have to pick your poison.

So what is this all about? First, the Fuji X100 is pretty awesome. However, it is a way harder camera to shoot with than I thought. Some of that is probably due to the fact I have never shot at 35 mm in my life (not sure I like the FOV), some of that is due to its "quirks," and some of that is due to the sheer amount of discipline you need to maximize its performance (this was the most surprising part). Finally, I need someone to tell me a way of regain that selective eye and not shoot 1000 pictures. Maybe this post is my way of trying to solve that, but of everything that is what I am struggling the most with...

I will leave you with a Mardi Gras shot as today is Mardi Gras in NOLA. Scale focused, and RAW processed.
Mardi Gras 2015 Uptown by nmdelaru, on Flickr

 

[sebastel]

thanks for giving me that fluffy warm feeling of "life can be good".

cheers,
sebastian

ah, and some impressive pictures, too!

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

What, or where, is "NOLA"?

 

[De_Corday]

^^ New Orleans, Louisiana. A very special place.

 

[dfatty]

that was a good read, thanks.

 

[Joe Vitessa]

You sound a lot like me after I picked up a Fuji X-T1. I loved the ability to switch between ISOs and the high ISO performance was great. But also like you, my pictures just looked "digital." Too sharp, too much effort to get film-like B/W images. And I took way too many pictures with fewer keepers. Sold the Fuji X-T1. Back to film. Maybe the price had something to do with it. I didn't have a girlfriend buy me the camera and $1,600 for the kit is a helluva lot of film. I realized I had more fun, got results I preferred, and spent less money using a beat up Nikon F. Live and learn.

 

[rscheffler]

I don't know... maybe don't worry so much about all the useless shots, for now? It's a new camera and a new experience. It's only logical you're going to use it a lot, and possibly fumble around somewhat. At least you're aware of the potential problem. Once you figure things out, you'll probably find your groove with it, as well as greater discipline. On the positive side, you can be instinctual with what you shoot, without having to hold back due to concerns about film supply on hand, as well as processing costs down the road.

Of course digital is not free, either. There's the cost of storage and proper backup strategies, as well as the time commitment to cull/edit/process a larger number of images.

I'd suggest you get familiar with a good app that allows you to quickly go through images and make selects, put the outtakes in a separate folder, then transfer the selects to your raw converter of choice. That will cut down on the number of files you have to wade through.

Have fun in NOLA! Looks nice and warm down there.

BTW, I was recently in SL,UT. I didn't make that up either, they were selling T-shirts. The LDS (Mormons) must love that...! (Salt Lake City, Utah)

 

[seakayaker1]

You are a lucky man, a beautiful girlfriend who apparently loves you, listens to you and helped you fulfill one of your requests to help you along in life!

Enjoy the Fuji X100 camera, take the time to learn how it will work best in your hands, and you have a beautiful backup for the film camera.

 

[fireblade]

It's a wonderful camera of which my son "stole" from me.
As for the sharp digital files...that's when i purchased a few B&W film plug-ins for my images. cheers, great images btw.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

^^ New Orleans, Louisiana. A very special place.

Thank you.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Lucky man; pretty girl -- no, not pretty, beautiful; good pictures.

All you need now is a darkroom...

Cheers,

R.

 

[froyd]

I think you'll outgrow the shooting 1000 pictures phase. As Rschefflers advised, you are getting to know your camera and having fun with "no cost" experimentation. Go for it and get it out of your system. You clearly ahev a good eye, and you'll soon get back to what you like to shoot and keep.

My only digi is a P&S, and I went to a similar phase after acquiring it. I still shoot more frames of the same subject with it than I do with film cameras, but it's two-three takes, not 100's.

 

[zuiko85]

No doubt about it, digital can have some great advantages in learing what works and what doesn't quickly and inexpensively. At this stage I often use my DSLR as a 'test tool' for shots before I record them on film. Makes a great meter too. My E-410 was less than the price of some high end hand held meters and takes color pictures too.

 

[willie_901]

The Fujifilm DOF scale finder displays are conservative on all the X-serie bodies. The useful DOF is a bit longer (but of course useful is subjective).

You may know it is possible to uncluttered the VF using menu selections. Unfortunately this is more complicated than it needs to be. And worse, one can not save and recall different VF settings for different types of scenes.

The X100 is not good in terms of getting out of the way compared to RFs and older SLRs. Using automated ISO and, or DR (for JPEG shooters) often leads to unintended consequences. You have to remember to invoke the built-in ND filter. As you mentioned, it can be set up for simple minimalistic operation. However the focusing system (especially in the X100) is not flexible. With practice one can use the AF manually and focus and recompose with confidence.

There is a non-trivial learning curve. It took me a couple of weeks to bond with my X100. I almost gave up. I'm glad I didn't.

With one exception, I shoot digital as I shot film. I don't take a lot of frames just because it's easy. Just pretend you have a film camera! The exception is: I often automatically bracket exposures. I usually use +1/3, 0, - 1/3 stops. Then I compare the raw files in post-production and use the most appropriate exposure. I delete the others. However there is an advantage to shooting more frames than you did with film.

"The problem with digital now is young photographers erase their mistakes. That’s a huge error."

Karen Mullarke
Photo editor for Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated

I don't think her qualification of "young" is relevant. It helps most of us to experiment and study the results from a series.

 

[N.delaRua]

I think I have forgotten how many "bad" rolls of film I have shot... I think I have forgotten how long it took me to get to the point where I was comfortable with exposure and my camera system which freed me to focus on composition.

I think if someone was wise enough or brave enough to just make a digital FM2 or M6 with an ISO dial and the option to only shoot raw, I could pick it up and be comfortable right away. I think the +O- meter or the >O< meter readout is as informative as anyone would need especially if you have an exposure comp. dial.

I think I also though that digital was "easy," but its not. I though the leaf shutter would save "camera shake" but the camera is very light so its a double edge sword.

The X100 reminds me more of a Contax G series camera.

The other thing I forgot to mention that I think makes the X100 really special is the ease of in camera RAW conversion. Its pretty awesome, and its setup in a really intuitive way like "Push/Pull Processing" etc.

I am going to keep posting my "learning" experience with this camera mostly because I think its fun. The camera can also do amazing macro... Even though many people have complained about the camera not being sharp at f/2.0, you can use it very creatively or stop down and get super sharp images. I'll post some examples soon.

And Roger, one day when I own my first house with a garage, there will be a a little room in the garage with an enlarger and development tanks. There is NOTHING like a true black and white wet print on good warm Ilford paper, and I don't care what anyone says.

P.S. The latitude in RAW files is astonishing. From what I read on the internet about people raging about limited dynamic range in digital... its is comical to me know.

 

[MikeWebb]

I have come to this wonderful post late and I apologise for that but if it helps I too have an X100 and I used to shoot film when I was young and poor so that every frame was counted. That attitude has stayed with me and the X100 draws it out of me more than my previous DSLR did. I think about each shot and whereas with the DSLR I would take 2 or 3 frames of each shot with the X100 I have the confidence to look and shoot just once.
It’s a lovely camera and I don’t find it gets in the way at all when using the OVF – in fact it was a case of a friend let me hold his and I bought one the next day. I was home again with the Leica M3 of my youth. Oddly the X-Pro feels less Leica like.
I have thought of shooting film again but the cost just puts me off. I have the money now I am (way) older but it just doesn’t seem good value for money for me. It clearly is for you guys but not for me. I’d rather spend that money travelling.
Anyway you shouldn’t shoot a thousand shots ‘just because you can’ you should keep true to the thoughtful measured film approach then you’ll not need to wade through dross to reach the gems. I spent a month in Italy and shot about 450 frames I think and I went out every day.
I'm sorry I have rambled on too long!
Mike

 

[bhop73]

I had an X100, now I have an X100T and it's the only digital camera that I've actually enjoyed using. I still shoot film, but my X100t isn't going anywhere.

As a side note, have you considered getting a film scanner and developing/scanning your film yourself? It's much cheaper in the long run..

 

[Lawrence Sheperd]

I find that I use my X-100 much more than my X-E1 for the simple reason that I can set up and use the X-100 in such a way that it is (apart from focusing) indistinguishable from the fixed-lens rangefinders I learned on in my youth. Granted the X-E1 can be set in the same way, but the OVF in the X-100 is the clincher. I've turned off all viewfinder info except speed, aperture and focus scale, turned off review, and have the ISO set at a fixed value. Voila! About as basic and intuitive a camera as one could hope for - with the added ability to bring back all the bells and whistles as need/wanted.

Other cameras may come and go, but the "classic" will be staying. Thanks for sharing your story and photos!