Dante, that wouldn't be enough of a reason for me to return it only after having it 5 minutes.
i b*tched about it before I had it and then I bought it on the premis that if I dont like it I can shift it on, and in the three or four days that Ive had it, its certainly quirky and and the controls are goofy, and Fujis insistence on making us re-learn cameras in their language is a little bothersome but thats fine.
Im sick at the moment and so have been only in the house playing with it and reading the manual- yes new camera new conventions that have to be learned means I have to actually 'read' the manual!
So what the gist is -for me- that its a really well endowed machine with a very healthy set of options which are very much designed to give you the user a good connection between film and its translation into digital from Fujis perspective. Until now all Ive had is an Xpan and an M6 and a GF1 for 'sketching' with, and until now, the making of images has been settled in what film I choose to use, how I develop it, and how I prepare it after the scan. This camera seems to offer me much of that choice, but in its own language and yet has the option to name it after its film which is a terribly nice feature despite me being a mostly Kodak user for E6 and C41 and then Neopan for BW.
The BW out of this camera as well as with the other Fujis is wildly hot stuff.. It really says to me that Fuji mapped the heck out of their negative densities and tone maps and wrote some astoundingly flexible algorithms for their digital cameras. Im impressed. I eat film for breakfast, and Im impressed to the point that I may actually take this camera seriously for serious image making in the future.
In terms of comparisons to the other X series cameras, I dont know I wasn't interested in the X100 or 10 they are cameras that have fixed lenses, so I never used them, I like rangefinders because I can actually see though them and focus through them better then I can with any other cameras. I also have a billion dollars invested in a trickle of Leica lenses so Im waiting for an affordable M something to come out for normal human beings with normal incomes.
I borrowed a NEX7 two weeks ago to try out and its the alternative for me if this doesn't work, the VF on it is actually very surprising in that its actually easier to focus through then Id expected and it really doesn't need the peaking that Id borrowed it for initially. Now, taking it that I got this XPro1 because it was a pretend RF body and had an OVF and the sensor was pretty hot stuff, the OVF is actually completely worthless if you are not using the fuji lenses, because theres no focus confirmation of any kind with it, which is a big let-down one which I contemplated just walking out of the shop and not getting it, but Im an optimist and I had two other reasons to try it, the sensor and the fact that it was the right shape in my hand and thats part of what gives me confidence in the field when working professionally with cameras.
The sensor is completely insane, never have I been able to get the kinds of shots I have been able to get on this camera in just a few days of playing with it. Ive shot lots and played with it and all im going to say is that its the best thing Ive ever seen outside of my friends Leica S2. ..and maybe what Rollei Digibase 200 CR with its extended latitudes for E6..
Handling, well I have to wear specs, id prefer contacts by my eyes are on strike right now and contacts are out of the question, its a pain to wear them and use cameras even this one, its better then a Leica but not as good as a Hexar or Ikon. The button placements are ok, the ones where your thumb are are too far over for my hand to hold the camera securely and have access to them. Ill be getting that grip or an alternative one asap. I love how on both the NEX7 and on this you can completely disable the LCD on the back which is usually the first thing I do on these digital cameras, Ill be putting a piece of gaffers tape over it soon. No screens for me thank you very much.
I wonder if there will be a thumbs up for this at some stage.
