wongyboi
Established
For the past 2 weeks I have been shooting solely with the X-pro1. I thought I should share with the RF community my thoughts and experiences with the camera. Take note that I am still using the camera out-of-the-box and have not updated the firmware since purchase.
I have mainly focused on the negative aspects because the benefits are obvious and most people seem concerned whenever they hear XPRO. The picture quality the camera is capable of are fantastic. All images are resized JPEGS as Lightroom has only just provided an update for RAW compatibility.
The Good
Picture Quality. No need to say more, there are pixel peeping sites you can visit which will tell you what you want to hear.
ISO/Noise. See above.
Dynamic Range. See above.
Size. I replaced my Canon 60D and a few lenses with this combo. The camera is light. The first time I picked up a Leica my initial impression was "Wow, this is heavy". The first time I picked up my XPRO I thought it was very light. Build quality is great too. Fits well in the hand.
It's also a fun camera to use
Pictures make my heart melt.
The (Not So) Bad
Focusing. At a wedding I was attending, one of the cameramen approached me and asked about my camera. "How's the focus speed?". I told him "Not as bad as people say it is". That statement remains true. Another gentlemen approached me in Melbourne asking the same thing as he was holding off from purchasing a XPRO because of focusing speed. It isn't fast but it isn't bad either. In broad daylight/outdoor it's absolutely fine.
Other users have posted ways of getting around the focusing issues. It's a shame really. Out of the box and in a new users hand the camera is poop. Unless you know how to get around the quirks and what settings to use you will not get the most out of the camera. Small things such as:
1. CORRECTED AF - turning this ON makes focusing a lot easier.
2. MACRO MODE - turning on for close subjects gets you a much higher hit rate for focusing on subjects.
Lens Chatter. I have noticed and been told that the firmware largely fixes this issue. Not bothered by it while walking in the street unless it's a really quiet environment.
The Ugly
Lag. In low light the EVF will be slow. What concerns me more is the way the camera will adjust information through the viewfinder. Unlike most cameras which have the lens hunt into a focus position the XPRO instead 'JUMPS'. People here call it 'freezing' or lag of the EVF. It's the lack of transition between one point to another e.g. focusing on a distant object then a closer one, half-pressing will get you from FOCUS A --> Freeze/Delay --> FOCUS B.
The camera will do this with the AE-Locking too. Once you lock in your preferred exposure you don't get a live update as you pan your camera to your subject. It will 'JUMP' from EXPOSURE A --> EXPOSURE B once you half-press and focus on your subject.
Rear Light. I hate it. It is constantly flashing, at the corner of my eye as I shoot. I honestly don't know why. Holding focus on a subject? Flashing until the shot is taken then flashing some more as photos buffer. It serves little purpose while shooting and is quite an annoyance.
Frame Lines and Framing. Wtf. I still do not understand this. I would focus on my subject and in my head know exactly where to position the camera to compose the photo. Half-pressing the shutter however will automatically shift the frame lines to a new position once the subject is in focus. This is a problem because mentally you have to compose TWICE - before and after half-pressing.
If there is a way to fix these problems now, please do tell. I'm still trying to understand the camera and I think THAT is the NO#1 flaw. The Fuji XPRO has so much potential. Is it a great camera? Definitely. Can it be improved? Definitely. All the ugly bits to the XPRO can easily be fixed but unfortunately it isn't user friendly. It is a camera that is difficult to approach. There is a steep learning curve where reading a manual will not improve the handling of the camera.
I love this camera to bits though. It will be by my side for quite some time
I have mainly focused on the negative aspects because the benefits are obvious and most people seem concerned whenever they hear XPRO. The picture quality the camera is capable of are fantastic. All images are resized JPEGS as Lightroom has only just provided an update for RAW compatibility.
The Good
Picture Quality. No need to say more, there are pixel peeping sites you can visit which will tell you what you want to hear.
ISO/Noise. See above.
Dynamic Range. See above.
Size. I replaced my Canon 60D and a few lenses with this combo. The camera is light. The first time I picked up a Leica my initial impression was "Wow, this is heavy". The first time I picked up my XPRO I thought it was very light. Build quality is great too. Fits well in the hand.
It's also a fun camera to use
Pictures make my heart melt.The (Not So) Bad
Focusing. At a wedding I was attending, one of the cameramen approached me and asked about my camera. "How's the focus speed?". I told him "Not as bad as people say it is". That statement remains true. Another gentlemen approached me in Melbourne asking the same thing as he was holding off from purchasing a XPRO because of focusing speed. It isn't fast but it isn't bad either. In broad daylight/outdoor it's absolutely fine.
Other users have posted ways of getting around the focusing issues. It's a shame really. Out of the box and in a new users hand the camera is poop. Unless you know how to get around the quirks and what settings to use you will not get the most out of the camera. Small things such as:
1. CORRECTED AF - turning this ON makes focusing a lot easier.
2. MACRO MODE - turning on for close subjects gets you a much higher hit rate for focusing on subjects.
Lens Chatter. I have noticed and been told that the firmware largely fixes this issue. Not bothered by it while walking in the street unless it's a really quiet environment.
The Ugly
Lag. In low light the EVF will be slow. What concerns me more is the way the camera will adjust information through the viewfinder. Unlike most cameras which have the lens hunt into a focus position the XPRO instead 'JUMPS'. People here call it 'freezing' or lag of the EVF. It's the lack of transition between one point to another e.g. focusing on a distant object then a closer one, half-pressing will get you from FOCUS A --> Freeze/Delay --> FOCUS B.
The camera will do this with the AE-Locking too. Once you lock in your preferred exposure you don't get a live update as you pan your camera to your subject. It will 'JUMP' from EXPOSURE A --> EXPOSURE B once you half-press and focus on your subject.
Rear Light. I hate it. It is constantly flashing, at the corner of my eye as I shoot. I honestly don't know why. Holding focus on a subject? Flashing until the shot is taken then flashing some more as photos buffer. It serves little purpose while shooting and is quite an annoyance.
Frame Lines and Framing. Wtf. I still do not understand this. I would focus on my subject and in my head know exactly where to position the camera to compose the photo. Half-pressing the shutter however will automatically shift the frame lines to a new position once the subject is in focus. This is a problem because mentally you have to compose TWICE - before and after half-pressing.
If there is a way to fix these problems now, please do tell. I'm still trying to understand the camera and I think THAT is the NO#1 flaw. The Fuji XPRO has so much potential. Is it a great camera? Definitely. Can it be improved? Definitely. All the ugly bits to the XPRO can easily be fixed but unfortunately it isn't user friendly. It is a camera that is difficult to approach. There is a steep learning curve where reading a manual will not improve the handling of the camera.
I love this camera to bits though. It will be by my side for quite some time
Lss
Well-known
If I understood your issue correctly, what happens there is due to parallax compensation and can't really be remedied. It is exactly the same on any RF or direct view OVF camera that provides the compensation. I guess the difference to a manual focus camera like a Leica M is that when you focus manually, you are in control and perceive both the change in focus point and the framing throughout the range. With AF, you just look at what happens, so the change may appear jumpy. I seem to remember feeling the change is not smooth enough when trying the X100 some time ago. Having said that, I don't think it should be much of a problem with an AF camera either, unless you are working on a tripod or you constantly go between maximum and minimum focus distance. Of course, it is very much a personal experience and I have never tried the X-Pro1 myself. Perhaps there is something about the implementation that could be improved, but the underlying problem (if you feel it is a problem) will not go away.
wongyboi
Established
It isn't much of an issue after a few outings with the camera. Just never had a camera adjust in such a way. After a few shots you forget about the frame and it simply becomes a natural flow of FOCUS>COMPOSE AFTER>SHOOT.
I guess the point I was trying to get across was that for many people who try the camera or purchase it, it takes getting use to. It does things that other cameras do not in ways unlike standard DSLRs. Not just with the framing but many aspects of the camera itself. Being unique isn't so much a good thing because you can not approach the camera with experiences from using other systems.
I guess the point I was trying to get across was that for many people who try the camera or purchase it, it takes getting use to. It does things that other cameras do not in ways unlike standard DSLRs. Not just with the framing but many aspects of the camera itself. Being unique isn't so much a good thing because you can not approach the camera with experiences from using other systems.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
The blinky light on the back of the camera is eliminated with a small piece of black tape.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
There is definitely a learning curve, just as there is for shooting effectively with a Leica M.
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
I was going to suggest a small blob of black acrylic paint.
gavinlg
Veteran
Great photos - show off the strength of the lenses and sensor I think.
All the stuff I agree with, the focussing seems to me to be fine - not bad as people say it is. It is certainly a MUST to turn on AF correction in the menus, turn ON quick start, and turn OFF ovf power save. This is how the camera should come from factory, but then it isn't fujifilms fault that people don't read the manual and test things out. The x100 is exactly the same. Make sure you update to the latest FW as fujifilm does 'under the hood' improvements without saying anything (for instance the x100 went from an average AF speed to a very quick AF speed through about 2-3 FW updates - all undocumented improvements, and I'm sure the x-pro will be the same.)
I'm really leaning toward this camera now - basically my x100 is the absolute best digital camera I've ever used, and I was holding out for the 5dIII, but it's just so expensive and large.
BTW feel free to post more photographs!
All the stuff I agree with, the focussing seems to me to be fine - not bad as people say it is. It is certainly a MUST to turn on AF correction in the menus, turn ON quick start, and turn OFF ovf power save. This is how the camera should come from factory, but then it isn't fujifilms fault that people don't read the manual and test things out. The x100 is exactly the same. Make sure you update to the latest FW as fujifilm does 'under the hood' improvements without saying anything (for instance the x100 went from an average AF speed to a very quick AF speed through about 2-3 FW updates - all undocumented improvements, and I'm sure the x-pro will be the same.)
I'm really leaning toward this camera now - basically my x100 is the absolute best digital camera I've ever used, and I was holding out for the 5dIII, but it's just so expensive and large.
BTW feel free to post more photographs!
wongyboi
Established
Did not know this! Thanks!
It is a shame that factory settings don't provide optimal performance. It has so much potential that users must unlock themselves through using the camera.
PatrickT
New Rangefinder User
Nice write up and great photos! I especially like the one looking out the window..
Johnhw
Established
Looks like you are getting along with it great!!!
And appears that your comments are things we all explored and found the fixes for quickly. I was totally exhausted until someone told me about AF Corrected ON. Now, I would not trade this camera for anything. My DSLR's are gone.
I am now also the owner of all 3 lenses picking up the 60 Saturday for a graduation...beautiful images.
For the first time this weekend I tried the panorama mode which was cool and continuous shooting mode. When you play these back in review a window will appear giving you the first image and then a smaller window showing all the continuous shots in action...like a short movie. That was unique as well.
I don;t know if you are having any trouble getting the custom info. you check inside the OVF window but if you are simply place your eye to the viewfinder and at the same time touch the disp/back key until you get the custom display info. This is really not explained in the manual and after much searching finally found the answer.
Anyway...keep shooting!!!
And appears that your comments are things we all explored and found the fixes for quickly. I was totally exhausted until someone told me about AF Corrected ON. Now, I would not trade this camera for anything. My DSLR's are gone.
I am now also the owner of all 3 lenses picking up the 60 Saturday for a graduation...beautiful images.
For the first time this weekend I tried the panorama mode which was cool and continuous shooting mode. When you play these back in review a window will appear giving you the first image and then a smaller window showing all the continuous shots in action...like a short movie. That was unique as well.
I don;t know if you are having any trouble getting the custom info. you check inside the OVF window but if you are simply place your eye to the viewfinder and at the same time touch the disp/back key until you get the custom display info. This is really not explained in the manual and after much searching finally found the answer.
Anyway...keep shooting!!!