eleskin
Well-known
I own 2 M8's, a 15mm super wide Heliar ,28mm Elmarit, 35mm Summicron,
35mm f1.2 Nokton, 40mm Nokton, 50mm Noctilux, 50mmSummicron, 90mm Tele Elmarit, 135mm Elmarit with eyes, and 280mm Telyt, and yet, the Fuji X100 has my attention. Why?
Well to be frank, it offers me not a replacement for my M stuff, but a tool to give me more capability for not that much money that satisfies my attraction to rangefinder like cameras. The X100 is not a true rangefinder like the M8/9, but it is Rangefinder like, and it does give a direct optical view while offering a view outside the frame lines to anticipate what is coming into the field of view. No DSLR or any other product is doing that except what Leica, Voigtlander, Zeiss, and now Fuji have offered. Another thing is sometimes I do not feel like hauling around my lens collection and 2 M8's and would prefer something I can take out for an evening out and not feel weighed down too much. M's can do this as well, but the Fuji has more capability. Let me explain. Although the M8/9 cameras offer excellent image quality, they suffer at high ISO unfortunatly. Test reports of the X100 suggest the high ISO is superior to the M8/M9.
Another option: Yes, autofocus. This is why many of us have DSLR's as well as M's. There are situations where fast autofocus is very helpful, and I know this very well, despite being able to handle a rangefinder very well.
Sometimes off camera flash is very useful, and being able to move the flash with one hand and the camera with the other is a great technique. Look at the work of Larry Fink and you will understand. Being able to operate a camera with one finger is a great technique, and the M camera jsut does not handle well for this. I have used a Pentax 645N with the Sunpack 622 "potato masher" with only one finger on the camera button. The X100 is even better in that it would be much lighter than the Pentax 645N or the average pro DSLR.
M cameras can shoot moving subjects, but when you start shooting wide at f1.4 or f1.0, it is a nighmare when subjects are moving away or towards you rapidly. From the tests I see, the X100 handles very well with focusing at subjects moving quickly towards or away from the camera. The M8,M9 are not well suited for this.
Many will say just buy a DSLR. I say that sometimes DSLR's are too bulky, and being a rangefinder user, the X1000 makes me feel more at home.
Will I use the X100 more and will my digital M's and lenses collect dust?
No. A Noctilux is what it is, and the X100 cannot replace that at all as well as Voigtlanders 15mm Super Wide Heliar, 50mm Summicron, etc,,,
What the X100 represents for me is another tool in my box with my M cameras and lenses. Thats it.
35mm f1.2 Nokton, 40mm Nokton, 50mm Noctilux, 50mmSummicron, 90mm Tele Elmarit, 135mm Elmarit with eyes, and 280mm Telyt, and yet, the Fuji X100 has my attention. Why?
Well to be frank, it offers me not a replacement for my M stuff, but a tool to give me more capability for not that much money that satisfies my attraction to rangefinder like cameras. The X100 is not a true rangefinder like the M8/9, but it is Rangefinder like, and it does give a direct optical view while offering a view outside the frame lines to anticipate what is coming into the field of view. No DSLR or any other product is doing that except what Leica, Voigtlander, Zeiss, and now Fuji have offered. Another thing is sometimes I do not feel like hauling around my lens collection and 2 M8's and would prefer something I can take out for an evening out and not feel weighed down too much. M's can do this as well, but the Fuji has more capability. Let me explain. Although the M8/9 cameras offer excellent image quality, they suffer at high ISO unfortunatly. Test reports of the X100 suggest the high ISO is superior to the M8/M9.
Another option: Yes, autofocus. This is why many of us have DSLR's as well as M's. There are situations where fast autofocus is very helpful, and I know this very well, despite being able to handle a rangefinder very well.
Sometimes off camera flash is very useful, and being able to move the flash with one hand and the camera with the other is a great technique. Look at the work of Larry Fink and you will understand. Being able to operate a camera with one finger is a great technique, and the M camera jsut does not handle well for this. I have used a Pentax 645N with the Sunpack 622 "potato masher" with only one finger on the camera button. The X100 is even better in that it would be much lighter than the Pentax 645N or the average pro DSLR.
M cameras can shoot moving subjects, but when you start shooting wide at f1.4 or f1.0, it is a nighmare when subjects are moving away or towards you rapidly. From the tests I see, the X100 handles very well with focusing at subjects moving quickly towards or away from the camera. The M8,M9 are not well suited for this.
Many will say just buy a DSLR. I say that sometimes DSLR's are too bulky, and being a rangefinder user, the X1000 makes me feel more at home.
Will I use the X100 more and will my digital M's and lenses collect dust?
No. A Noctilux is what it is, and the X100 cannot replace that at all as well as Voigtlanders 15mm Super Wide Heliar, 50mm Summicron, etc,,,
What the X100 represents for me is another tool in my box with my M cameras and lenses. Thats it.
