DavidX
Established
Like many, when this camera was announced I thought someone had tapped directly into my brain to create my dream camera (not to replace the D700 I use for work, mind you, but for taking satisfying and high quality images with a small camera) I do editorial work and expected something whose images I could give to a client as well as doing fun stuff.
So I placed a preorder, and while waiting and reading I went from initial excitement (remember when the first images/peeks came out and they were great?) to worry (so many bugs and gripes!)
Then by chance I got one as a walk-in at a local shop. I’ve had it for two days and I’ve read the manual.
a) This thing is superb.
b) There’s lots of stuff wrong with it.
In a nutshell – this is camera can give you great images. In its area of expertise (how would we say this, its sweet spot?) yes, it can give you images you can sell to a client who’s used to good dslr files.
It is very clever and well thought out. Its build quality and ease of use are great.
Elephant in the room is the OVF is superb, and it what FOR ME makes the whole thing work. The way the OVF/EVF is integrated + really useful close focussing distance mean I can use it to work the way I want to; and that is what it’s all about. I can use it for the kind of editorial work I used to do with a 35mm film camera and 35mm lens. I used to use that for 70% of my shots. IMHO with a 35mm lens you can do workplace portraits, food, interiors, exteriors and candid people shots. Couple that with astounding high ISO that we never had with film and life just got so much easier.
But hey – it only costs $1500 (I’m including the case and adapter/hood here because it really needs them) That’s the ballpark cost of one pro lens, guys – cut some slack!
Remember - we paid more then this for the first 5MP point and shoots. I’ve got a Nikon Coolpix5000 on my desk that cost me $2K. My Dlux 3 cost me over $1K when it first came out. In short – the price is just fine. It’s good value. (to me – and isn’t that what matters?)
So – it’s CLEVER, but it’s not REFINED. There are lots of really nice ideas in the way it works, but there are rough bits too.
Some things can be fixed with firmware, some can’t. Main points:
Yes – the command dial thing on the back is a bit annoying and it’s easy to get the wrong thing pushed.
Manual focus is useless. (Harsh? Maybe, but I’ll repeat – useless. Try using it in very low light – you’ll think you’ve gone mad) So what? – put it on MF and use the AE/L button to focus – that works great, and it’s how I set up my dslr anyway – thanks Fuji!.
I wish you could jog ISO in whole stop with the Fn button and jog dial (I’m hoping there’s a trick - does anyone know?)
To sum up – it’s a winner. There are lots of things wrong with it but the basic premise and the OVF is so right that it’s a must-have. Yes, it’s also annoying, but if you can’t get good shots with it don’t blame the camera.
So I placed a preorder, and while waiting and reading I went from initial excitement (remember when the first images/peeks came out and they were great?) to worry (so many bugs and gripes!)
Then by chance I got one as a walk-in at a local shop. I’ve had it for two days and I’ve read the manual.
a) This thing is superb.
b) There’s lots of stuff wrong with it.
In a nutshell – this is camera can give you great images. In its area of expertise (how would we say this, its sweet spot?) yes, it can give you images you can sell to a client who’s used to good dslr files.
It is very clever and well thought out. Its build quality and ease of use are great.
Elephant in the room is the OVF is superb, and it what FOR ME makes the whole thing work. The way the OVF/EVF is integrated + really useful close focussing distance mean I can use it to work the way I want to; and that is what it’s all about. I can use it for the kind of editorial work I used to do with a 35mm film camera and 35mm lens. I used to use that for 70% of my shots. IMHO with a 35mm lens you can do workplace portraits, food, interiors, exteriors and candid people shots. Couple that with astounding high ISO that we never had with film and life just got so much easier.
But hey – it only costs $1500 (I’m including the case and adapter/hood here because it really needs them) That’s the ballpark cost of one pro lens, guys – cut some slack!
Remember - we paid more then this for the first 5MP point and shoots. I’ve got a Nikon Coolpix5000 on my desk that cost me $2K. My Dlux 3 cost me over $1K when it first came out. In short – the price is just fine. It’s good value. (to me – and isn’t that what matters?)
So – it’s CLEVER, but it’s not REFINED. There are lots of really nice ideas in the way it works, but there are rough bits too.
Some things can be fixed with firmware, some can’t. Main points:
Yes – the command dial thing on the back is a bit annoying and it’s easy to get the wrong thing pushed.
Manual focus is useless. (Harsh? Maybe, but I’ll repeat – useless. Try using it in very low light – you’ll think you’ve gone mad) So what? – put it on MF and use the AE/L button to focus – that works great, and it’s how I set up my dslr anyway – thanks Fuji!.
I wish you could jog ISO in whole stop with the Fn button and jog dial (I’m hoping there’s a trick - does anyone know?)
To sum up – it’s a winner. There are lots of things wrong with it but the basic premise and the OVF is so right that it’s a must-have. Yes, it’s also annoying, but if you can’t get good shots with it don’t blame the camera.
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sper
Well-known
The Case of the X100's Fn button, or how I learned to stop worrying and love Auto ISO.
I also just learned the quick way into macro mode is just to snap it into EVF mode. So the only thing left me for to complain about design wise is the lack of control during movie mode. *shrug*
It's going to take some learning, but I'm seriously loving this camera. I wish it were a little bigger so I could get a better grip on it, but I'll live.
A soft release really made a big differences for me too.
Glad you like yours and weren't swayed by the naysaying!
I also just learned the quick way into macro mode is just to snap it into EVF mode. So the only thing left me for to complain about design wise is the lack of control during movie mode. *shrug*
It's going to take some learning, but I'm seriously loving this camera. I wish it were a little bigger so I could get a better grip on it, but I'll live.
A soft release really made a big differences for me too.
Glad you like yours and weren't swayed by the naysaying!
DavidX
Established
Yeah - I was tetering on not buying - glad I did!
It's funny - I bought my D700 3 yrs ago, took it home and literally used it on a food shoot 30 mins after taking out of the box without reading the intructions. With the Fuji I was totally confused; could not even work out how to set image quality.
I think in writing my post I wanted to make the point that it's one thing to make a list of plusses and minuses, and talk about features, which any good review should do, but that gets away from what using a camera is really about...
The D700 doesn't really have any bad points, but the Fuji does. However I think this camera will really fit in with how I like to work; the good bits are just so compelling that the bad bits become uniportant.
I think I'l have to learn how every feature works, and then end up using almost none of them - just refine the use to suit what I want.
It's funny - I bought my D700 3 yrs ago, took it home and literally used it on a food shoot 30 mins after taking out of the box without reading the intructions. With the Fuji I was totally confused; could not even work out how to set image quality.
I think in writing my post I wanted to make the point that it's one thing to make a list of plusses and minuses, and talk about features, which any good review should do, but that gets away from what using a camera is really about...
The D700 doesn't really have any bad points, but the Fuji does. However I think this camera will really fit in with how I like to work; the good bits are just so compelling that the bad bits become uniportant.
I think I'l have to learn how every feature works, and then end up using almost none of them - just refine the use to suit what I want.
yanidel
Well-known
I don't understand Fuji. They got quite a few things right that duplicates the rangefinder experience (dials for speed and aperture, framelines, look) but they screw up on the one thing that matters most to many RF users: manual focus. To me, it is a good looking DSLR, but really not match for the M's in terms of usage.
DavidX
Established
Agree - I think formware could help a lot - and why doesn't that jog wheel at the back work the MF??? I even find the MF on my Dlux 3 quite workable compared to the x100.
I really hope they're working on things like that...
JHenry
Established
I just saw one in a camera store here in Auckland. Must have just arrived, as it was still in the box, and the salesperson I was talking to (primarily about film) didn't even realize it was in the store.
Got him to take it out so I could hold, look and ogle it. It was very, very nice. Didn't get to try it out as he didn't want to put the battery in. Have to say, I better not start playing around with one, as I might succumb and my wallet/bank account would be worse off.
Got him to take it out so I could hold, look and ogle it. It was very, very nice. Didn't get to try it out as he didn't want to put the battery in. Have to say, I better not start playing around with one, as I might succumb and my wallet/bank account would be worse off.
hxpham
Established
I don't care too much about manual focus, I just hope they can make a successor that focuses fast as a D3/D700 or 1D.
peripatetic
Well-known
It's already as fast as those cameras in live-view mode, probably faster.
Could they squeeze in a phase-detect AF system? Well maybe, but the camera would have to get a bit larger and probably double in price if you want it to be pro-level performance.
Does anyone know whether it would be technically feasible?
hxpham
Established
Yeah but focusing as fast as those cameras in live-view mode doesn't mean much, unfortunately. The NYTimes review complained about the X100 focusing slowly and also inaccurately in low light, which makes me sad. Hopefully they can produce a quicker focusing camera in the future.
Something like the X100 but with a 50mm (FF equivalent) lens and quick AF would be my perfect camera.
Maybe it's because I'm a digital youngin who hasn't experience the joy of darkroom processing and all that jazz but I don't enjoy manual focusing nor the "process" , so the buggy manual focusing doesn't bother me as long as there's a distance meter for setting at hyperfocal distance.
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DavidX
Established
When I only had manual focus lenses and shot film I didn't miss many shots due to poor focus. Now my eyes are worse (I'm in my 40's) and I use AF to focus then recompose like I used to, except I press the AF/AE L button on the back, then reframe, then shoot. (D700) It's great I can do this on the X100 as well - just the same.
It's not as fast as the D700 and not as good in low light - early days, but I reckon I will find a way to get good results for that.
I'm not a Leica guy and maybe I would find the X100 frustrating if I were, but having used AF - this is "pick a spot, set AF, recompose, shoot" - I think the X100 is pretty good.
I need to use it heaps more obviously, but my early feeling is that it's easy to find instances when it won't work and say "Oh this sucks" but in the type of situation when one is actually taking photos it's pretty good.
As an aside - my grandfather had a SpeedGraphic and I remember him saying "You know, when you're taking a shot of someone and it's a bit dark, it's a good idea to ask them to strike a match and hold it next to their face; that gives you a good point to focus on."
It's not as fast as the D700 and not as good in low light - early days, but I reckon I will find a way to get good results for that.
I'm not a Leica guy and maybe I would find the X100 frustrating if I were, but having used AF - this is "pick a spot, set AF, recompose, shoot" - I think the X100 is pretty good.
I need to use it heaps more obviously, but my early feeling is that it's easy to find instances when it won't work and say "Oh this sucks" but in the type of situation when one is actually taking photos it's pretty good.
As an aside - my grandfather had a SpeedGraphic and I remember him saying "You know, when you're taking a shot of someone and it's a bit dark, it's a good idea to ask them to strike a match and hold it next to their face; that gives you a good point to focus on."
Gid
Well-known
I received mine on Thursday but didn't get around to using it in anger until yesterday. Observations:
Autofocus is just fine except in very, very low contrast situations (but at least it tells you it can't focus). I haven't noticed any difference in speed in poor light (F2, 1/40, ISO 1600). It is much faster than I imagined it would be - not state of the art DSLR, but fast enough (for me anyway).
Manual focus using the focusing ring is slow and clunky. Setting hyperfocal or zone focus is easy though and then you can just leave it and shoot away.
Silent mode really is silent, but if you want to use flash or the focus assist then you have to come out of silent mode - better just to have options to turn off shutter sounds and beeps rather than just a low volume setting - should be an easy firmware fix.
Start up and wake up from sleep takes a couple of seconds - you've got to push the shutter button all the way down to wake it up from sleep and this can be a bit hit and miss - I tend to just switch off and switch back on, but this may just be a problem of familiarity - it is about the same speed as my old Olympus E1 to start up.
There is noise at ISO 1600 - noisier than I thought it would be, but it is not unpleasant and cleans up nicely in Lightroom (I shoot RAW and haven't looked at the NR options with jpegs). Have yet to venture above ISO 1600.
Auto ISO is great - does what it says on the tin.
The OVF is just fantastic, it really is as good as the hype. The ability to customise what you see in the display is great too.
Image quality is very good - more than adequate and not just at low ISOs.
Form factor - its not an M8 or an RD1. It doesn't have a solid heft to it, but its not particularly fragile. I have medium sized hands and I find the grip area, particularly thumb space on the rear, quite small. You can't really give it a good grab, without worrying about what buttons you might inadvertently press. However, that is probably as much to do with familiarity as anything else.
The lens hood does intrude into the finder, but not really a problem. It does, however, cause a significant shadow if you use the built in flash.
Write speed isn't brilliant, but it didn't get in my way.
RAW at 19MB - way too big. My 5D only produces 13MB.
Overall, I like it and look forward to getting more used to it, but I don't love it, yet.
Autofocus is just fine except in very, very low contrast situations (but at least it tells you it can't focus). I haven't noticed any difference in speed in poor light (F2, 1/40, ISO 1600). It is much faster than I imagined it would be - not state of the art DSLR, but fast enough (for me anyway).
Manual focus using the focusing ring is slow and clunky. Setting hyperfocal or zone focus is easy though and then you can just leave it and shoot away.
Silent mode really is silent, but if you want to use flash or the focus assist then you have to come out of silent mode - better just to have options to turn off shutter sounds and beeps rather than just a low volume setting - should be an easy firmware fix.
Start up and wake up from sleep takes a couple of seconds - you've got to push the shutter button all the way down to wake it up from sleep and this can be a bit hit and miss - I tend to just switch off and switch back on, but this may just be a problem of familiarity - it is about the same speed as my old Olympus E1 to start up.
There is noise at ISO 1600 - noisier than I thought it would be, but it is not unpleasant and cleans up nicely in Lightroom (I shoot RAW and haven't looked at the NR options with jpegs). Have yet to venture above ISO 1600.
Auto ISO is great - does what it says on the tin.
The OVF is just fantastic, it really is as good as the hype. The ability to customise what you see in the display is great too.
Image quality is very good - more than adequate and not just at low ISOs.
Form factor - its not an M8 or an RD1. It doesn't have a solid heft to it, but its not particularly fragile. I have medium sized hands and I find the grip area, particularly thumb space on the rear, quite small. You can't really give it a good grab, without worrying about what buttons you might inadvertently press. However, that is probably as much to do with familiarity as anything else.
The lens hood does intrude into the finder, but not really a problem. It does, however, cause a significant shadow if you use the built in flash.
Write speed isn't brilliant, but it didn't get in my way.
RAW at 19MB - way too big. My 5D only produces 13MB.
Overall, I like it and look forward to getting more used to it, but I don't love it, yet.
hxpham
Established
And if you're shooting high iso and large apertures, a beautifully atmospheric light source
DavidX
Established
Yes - I think you can set the sounds to off without silent mode. I like the silent mode though, it's a bit like "don't get embarrassed because your camera beeped or the flash went off in a museum or at a concert" mode. They're looking after us...
I think it took me 2 years to love the Dlux 3 and work out how to get good results out of MF, and I reckon I had the D700 for a year before I got around to shooting RAW.
And "silent mode" as used on my FM2 + Motor Drive involved using the manual shutter button not the MD12 shutter button then winding it on by hand. It still went "clunk"
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Gid
Well-known
You're correct re: sound volume - don't know how I missed it. That makes a big difference. There are some nice touches and it isn't very far from being a superb camera. Certainly a very good first attempt.
Huh? Well, Fuji isn't in the niche market. If they made this a true manual focus rangefinder, they'd have priced themselves out of the mainstream market.
It's not exactly a DSLR is it? Where's the reflex / mirror part?
I'm a M user and the Fuji is great for its price. I think people expect way too much from Fuji regarding this camera... when people should just be happy that Fuji had the balls to make something different.
Gid
Well-known
+1
It is a pretty good alternative to the M8 if you don't mind one lens. The IQ is there and you get AF which works and no IR filters required. Manual focus could be better, but it is useable, especially if you use hyperfocal and/or zone focusing. And yes, I've had an M8 and RD1 and 35mm film rangefinders. Its not perfect but it is a very good attempt. However, I doubt that the RF crowd were their primary market.
ZeissFan
Veteran
The challenge of this camera became the unrealistic expectations heaped upon it. People believed that it would be the most perfect of all cameras, that it would revolutionize and reinvent photography. At least, that's the impression I got from reading the posts.
In truth, it was like every other digital device that's hit the market. It probably has some great points and probably some not so great points. And like nearly all digital devices, it will either be upgraded or replaced within the usual 18-month time frame.
In truth, it was like every other digital device that's hit the market. It probably has some great points and probably some not so great points. And like nearly all digital devices, it will either be upgraded or replaced within the usual 18-month time frame.
yanidel
Well-known
I don't think you need a true manual focus to make it effective. Look at Sigma's distance dial on the DP2. Fuji could have put a mechanical ring on the lens with distance scale. It is more important to me than the actual focusing patch of the M's. Yet, that fly-by-wire system whose information shows up on the LCD or viewfinder is plain useless.
hteasley
Pupil
I wanted the X100 a lot more, until I saw it it essentially M-sized. There's no circumstance in which I think I would prefer carrying that over an M.
willie_901
Veteran
The X100 is really two cameras in one because of the OVF/EVF. RF users will enjoy the large bright OVF. The OVF and EVF displays can be customized to display minimal or lots of useful parameters and inforamtion.
The AF is as fast and competent as other cameras that use contrast detection. In EV 5 - EV 7 light, the slowest AF is when you do from a 4 ft. focus point to a 15 ft focus point. I have no issues with the AF speed once the optimal set up options are selected.
The meter is works really well. The X100 meters as well as my D200/D300/D700 bodies. The live histogram is useful too. I enjoy the analog adjustment of exposure compensation.
Manual focus implementation is not at all what RF users would expect. MF has a couple of uses. In static situations where focus is critical and time is not, MF will give accurate focusing. In fact, MF will give the best results in this situation. If you are experienced with zone focusing, then MF will get the job done there too. However the focus-by-wire firmware seems to be designed for static use, as changing the focus from 5 ft to 25 ft is slow and frustrating. So, the X100 is not suitable for MF only use.
AF focusing techniques for EVF and OVF modes is completely different. I am practicing focusing in EVF using AF-S, locking focus and switching to OVF to shoot. For zone focusing in OVF, AF-S gets you close quickly. This method becomes less useful as the f stop number decreases. It works really well for candid work because you can instantly evaluate the focus distance and DOF in the finder. I know many people just hate EVF, but when EVF does not work well, OVF will work well and vice-versa.
The camera can be used without any lag or noise. The former takes some practice and user-manual face time and the latter is trivial.
The lens performs well. At f 2 there is flare, or maybe it's just weak spherical abbe ration. Anyway, the lens center is sharp at F2. The edges are don't hold up as well. Unsurprisingly the lens just gets better and better as you stop down. Like most lenses with a 23 mm focal length, the bokeh can be nice or it can be a bit busy. The longitudinal CA seems to be well-controlled. I can't imagine the lens performance holding back a good photographer.
The RAW files are excellent. They are much better than LUMIX micro 4/3 RAW files. The X100's RAW files hold up as well as the D300/D700 RAW files. The dynamic range of the X100 RAW files is impressive.
The battery is small because the camera is small. I would plan to carry one charged battery for every four hours of photography, i.e. actually taking photos. The battery charger is pathetic (3 hours for a full charge). I can't find a high-quality third-party charger.
If chimping is important to you, you will be frustrated by the X100. The design does not encourage chimping.
You need a very fast SDHC card. So far only the San Disk Extreme Pro cards give fast write times. Everything else is slower and some can be a lot slower.
You need to format the card in-camera every time you start anew. I do this by habit anyway. Otherwise start up times can become very slow. The start-up times are acceptable when power saving options are not selected. Of course this reduces battery life.
The firmware does have issues. Some of the problems are due the complexity of having two finder modes. Some of the issues are just stupid and quirky compared to main stream digital cameras.
I'm enjoying the X100. I carry it with me wherever I go.
The AF is as fast and competent as other cameras that use contrast detection. In EV 5 - EV 7 light, the slowest AF is when you do from a 4 ft. focus point to a 15 ft focus point. I have no issues with the AF speed once the optimal set up options are selected.
The meter is works really well. The X100 meters as well as my D200/D300/D700 bodies. The live histogram is useful too. I enjoy the analog adjustment of exposure compensation.
Manual focus implementation is not at all what RF users would expect. MF has a couple of uses. In static situations where focus is critical and time is not, MF will give accurate focusing. In fact, MF will give the best results in this situation. If you are experienced with zone focusing, then MF will get the job done there too. However the focus-by-wire firmware seems to be designed for static use, as changing the focus from 5 ft to 25 ft is slow and frustrating. So, the X100 is not suitable for MF only use.
AF focusing techniques for EVF and OVF modes is completely different. I am practicing focusing in EVF using AF-S, locking focus and switching to OVF to shoot. For zone focusing in OVF, AF-S gets you close quickly. This method becomes less useful as the f stop number decreases. It works really well for candid work because you can instantly evaluate the focus distance and DOF in the finder. I know many people just hate EVF, but when EVF does not work well, OVF will work well and vice-versa.
The camera can be used without any lag or noise. The former takes some practice and user-manual face time and the latter is trivial.
The lens performs well. At f 2 there is flare, or maybe it's just weak spherical abbe ration. Anyway, the lens center is sharp at F2. The edges are don't hold up as well. Unsurprisingly the lens just gets better and better as you stop down. Like most lenses with a 23 mm focal length, the bokeh can be nice or it can be a bit busy. The longitudinal CA seems to be well-controlled. I can't imagine the lens performance holding back a good photographer.
The RAW files are excellent. They are much better than LUMIX micro 4/3 RAW files. The X100's RAW files hold up as well as the D300/D700 RAW files. The dynamic range of the X100 RAW files is impressive.
The battery is small because the camera is small. I would plan to carry one charged battery for every four hours of photography, i.e. actually taking photos. The battery charger is pathetic (3 hours for a full charge). I can't find a high-quality third-party charger.
If chimping is important to you, you will be frustrated by the X100. The design does not encourage chimping.
You need a very fast SDHC card. So far only the San Disk Extreme Pro cards give fast write times. Everything else is slower and some can be a lot slower.
You need to format the card in-camera every time you start anew. I do this by habit anyway. Otherwise start up times can become very slow. The start-up times are acceptable when power saving options are not selected. Of course this reduces battery life.
The firmware does have issues. Some of the problems are due the complexity of having two finder modes. Some of the issues are just stupid and quirky compared to main stream digital cameras.
I'm enjoying the X100. I carry it with me wherever I go.