If there was no price difference...

A

Al Downie

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I have an X100 which I intend to keep for sure, but I'm thinking about selling all my other worldly goods and buying into the interchangeable lens X-series. At the moment, because of the special offer available in the UK, kit prices are as follows:

X-E1 + 60mm + 35mm = £1674
X-Pro1 + 60mm + 35mm = £1678

X-E1 + 18-55mm + 35mm = £1595
X-Pro1 + 18-55mm + 35mm = £1778

So... whatever kit I buy, both the X-E1 and the X-Pro1 are in the same ballpark. (I'm thinking I'd buy the zoom and the 35mm just now, and save for the two other f1.4 primes which will be released in 2013).

If you had neither camera, and price wasn't a factor, which would you choose?

With my X100, I do tend to shoot more with the EVF (low light, accurate framing, live exposure compensation, focus confirmation etc), but I have a nagging doubt that if I bought the X-E1 I'd suddenly miss the OVF, for a reason I don't know yet. I've also heard that the EVF on the X-E1 is very much better than the X-Pro1, which may negate all of the above. At the moment I'm kind of leaning towards the X-Pro1, but for two really daft reasons: 1) I prefer the look and feel; 2) I hate flash photography and therefore dislike the nasty and cheap-looking little pop-up panel on the otherwise handsome top-plate of the X-E1.

I'd be grateful for any efforts to push me off either side of the fence!
 
Blimey! Where are you seeing it for that price??? I've seen very attractive looking prices on places like Procamerashop.co.uk, but those are Hong Kong imports which don't qualify for the free lens deal (and probably cause warranty issues too)...
 
Al Downie said:
I'd be grateful for any efforts to push me off either side of the fence!
Click to expand...

Can I join you on that fence?

I find myself using the X100 EVF more than I expected, but I would probably miss the OVF. I don't really like the all black look of the X-Pro1, the X-E1 looks odd without a viewfinder window. I prefer noisy, shaky, available light to flash. I can wait a few months for the new lenses to become available; and for prices to fall —I don't regret paying full price for the X100, I has been worth every penny of the ~50% depreciation over the past 18 months.

I am inclined to fall on the X-Pro1 side, but maybe not until there is a shiny metal special edition.
 
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having not seen an xe in person...the only thing i prefer is it's smaller size. the xpro1 is bigger than it needs to be...i like having the 2 finder options tho i think i could live with just the evf...i'd likely use the lcd mostly.
 
I went into the local shop today to have a play with the X-E1 and the X-Pro1, both with the 18-55mm lens attached (the X-Pro couldn't do very much because the firmware required updating to work with the zoom, so I was really only comparing look and feel). I have to say that the X-E1 felt very light and 'toy-like' in my hands after handling the X-Pro. Although there are sound arguments in favour of the smaller, more discreet proportions of the X-E1, my heart still says that the X-Pro is the one to go for.

I thought the fly in the ointment for me would be that, because I eventually want to end up with the set of three f1.4 primes and therefore don't want to buy the 18mm or the 60mm just now, in order to take advantage of the BOGOF deal I'd have to buy the zoom and claim the 35mm as my free lens. I'm not a fan of zooms, but out of curiosity I took this one out of the shop (on the X-E1) and fired off a couple of snaps to see what it was like. Blimey! To be fair, a 2.8" LCD screen isn't the best display for evaluation of an image, but even in that tiny little window I was amazed at the sharpness, right out to the edge of the frame. It's a fantastic lens, and for that quality and convenience I'm prepared to tolerate the bulk of the zoom. It's pretty much confirmed for me that the right plan is to buy the X-Pro with the zoom and 35mm lenses as my 'starter pack'.
 
Would a full-frame sensor not require a whole new series of lenses? I'd be very surprised if they made a full-frame camera (obviously in an effort to achieve even greater IQ), and then used lenses whose coverage is optimised for APS-C.
 
I don't think Fuji will offer a bigger sensor. The APS-C sensor puts many larger sensors to shame, considering the extra cost of such sensors. And the Fuji lenses are full-frame for the sensor size in any case.
 
Yeah that might be, but I don't want to sacrifice having to put a wider angle lens in order to archive the same focal length compared to 35mm. Main concern being the loss of limited d.o.f.
 
Rogier said:
Yeah that might be, but I don't want to sacrifice having to put a wider angle lens in order to archive the same focal length compared to 35mm. Main concern being the loss of limited d.o.f.
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If you want slighly shallower DOF at equivalent f stops, then feel free to buy a digital with a 35mm sized sensor. In my case, I can't justify several thousands of incremental dollars just for this...I'll just shoot film. 🙂

In terms of an RF-style full-frame digital, there are only two options available at the moment: M9/ME and M9M. The three+ year old sensor technology in these cameras is woefully short of the IQ of the Fuji X sensors. (Of course the M9M is a speciality offering.)
 
Another vote for the X-pro1, especially now that in Romania, of all places, a 'Black Friday' deal includes the 18mm at a very good price. I have the X100 and love the interchangeable VF modes but I have big hands and so would appreciate the bulk of the X-pro1 camera body. This said, I'm keeping the Epson R-d1 (s) bodies because of their 'magical' sensors and output. Have a nice weekend! Peter
 
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