emraphoto
Veteran
as i tried to illustrate, one's 'quibbles' may not be anothers.
Rick Waldroup
Well-known
I posted this on another thread about this camera. When Fuji first announced this camera, I was as gung ho as everyone else about getting one. A friend of mine finally got his and he let me shoot it for a day and that is when I decided not to purchase one.
The images it produces are wonderful, I just did not like the way it handled and it seemed sluggish to me. Now, this is probably due to the way I shoot, that the camera just did not seem right for me. My friend absolutely loves it and shoots with it every day.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that it was just not the camera for me, and that is a bummer because I really had my hopes up for it finally being the digital street shooter I have been looking for all these years.;
The images it produces are wonderful, I just did not like the way it handled and it seemed sluggish to me. Now, this is probably due to the way I shoot, that the camera just did not seem right for me. My friend absolutely loves it and shoots with it every day.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that it was just not the camera for me, and that is a bummer because I really had my hopes up for it finally being the digital street shooter I have been looking for all these years.;
FrankS
Registered User
Cameras are like foods. Everyone has different tastes, and no one is wrong about that.
NickTrop
Veteran
An edible camera - now that would be something!
FrankS
Registered User
I have a minty example. 
Nick, you have used this argument in numerous threads about this camera. We all know you are a value hunter and love your low-end DSLR. I respect that and at times wish I liked DSRLs because they are the best value. Unfortunately, I hate using them. Also, I'm not one to go for the cheapest option. I go for the best option for me. Obviously, this differs for everyone, so I don;t know why you are trying to convert people to a DSLR on a rangefinder forum.
Many of us do not like the DSLR shape that you love so much. Therefore, Fuji was smart in making the X100. If they made the X100 in the shape of a typical DSLR, I bet it wouldn't have been as nearly the hit the X100 is. As much as you cannot fathom it, I did not buy the X100 because it looks cool / retro. I bought it because I prefer the traditional RF shape and prefer a OVF to a DSLR's prism.
As we have stated before, buying your low-end DSLR with a f/2 24mm lens is just as expensive (if not more) as the X100.
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NickTrop
Veteran
NickTrop
Veteran
Few points - yes, the Fuji is not a bad option if you must shoot with a 35mm focal length. And - no, there not many alternatives at this focal length and speed and yes, those that exist are expensive. I concede that the camera is a decent value if you are, indeed, a pure 35mm shooter.
However, you miss my point. First off, entry-level APSC DSLR options are not the "cheapest" option. The cheapest option would be a no-name, low end pns that you can get these days for $50-$60. The point I was trying to make is that they represent the best value because this is a highly competitive segment and a technologically mature one. The intense competition over the years in this segment has resulted in near "perfection" and and optimization of value to the consumer with last year's "pro" technology being pushed downmarket in a very rapid release cycle. It's not that they're the "cheapest", it's that this segment represents the best bang for the buck, currently, imo. The IQ varience is negligible between all APSC cameras. It's all the same "engine" under the hood. Some have different approaches to sharpening, noise reduction, and color saturation. When fitted with a prime instead of a zoom they are "bigger" than alternatives but the difference in size offers no practical advantage one way or the other. You can make a strong case that having a grip offers more control and better ergonomics than not, as this is what (I'm sure) research into ergonomics indicates, and what I find. It's why they're designed this way with form following function - at the expense of "pretty lines".
And, again, the "quibbles" that have been oft pointed-out - especially regarding speed of autofocus, regarding the X100 would have excluded it from being released in the entry-level sub-1000 DSLR category. The issues cited by the poster (not the first either) that caused him to sell would not be accepted in even the entry-level DSLR segment.
There are clearly more sensible options for a photographic tool if you're willing to broaden your horizons and consider (shreik) less expensive options and lose your soft spot for an old form factor.
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KM-25
Well-known
I suppose I could use the bottom of the X100 to pound a small nail into a wall to hang a picture up with, but why do that when I could go find a hammer?
I could load the lens cap up with some M&M's, but I might be better off with a candy dish...
When I want or need what my X100 has to offer, nothing else will do...and I do mean nothing, not even a Leica. We as photographers *want* some people to like the cameras we do not find adequate. That way camera makers keep giving us the variety they come up with...
I could load the lens cap up with some M&M's, but I might be better off with a candy dish...
When I want or need what my X100 has to offer, nothing else will do...and I do mean nothing, not even a Leica. We as photographers *want* some people to like the cameras we do not find adequate. That way camera makers keep giving us the variety they come up with...
Well, if we were all looking for bleeding edge technology, we wouldn't be here. This forum is full of people who use cameras with limitations and old school functionality. Some of us actually like that aspect.
I agree with this. I'm too sensitive to ergonomics and simplicity. I wish I wasn't at times... it would be a lot cheaper. That said, I don't think anyone was arguing that there aren't better deals out there. However, again, this forum is full of people who aren't looking for the best deal in the collective minds of others...just the best camera for them.
efirmage
Established
It seems like some people are using it to great effect. For me, the X100 and all the similar types of cameras are in fact prosumer point and shoots. That's fine for many, and some pros might be able to get enough out of it. I opted for the Canon S95 to achieve almost as much quality in something that I can take with me everywhere. The portability won out over image quality in this format.
paultreacy
PHOTOHUMOURIST
I'm using the X100 everyday and I think it's the finest camera I have ever used and I've used many. I'm ever liking it as a video camera. The images are so clear it could be up ressed to 1080 with little loss. Sound gathered separately and it's quite a formidable little performer.
http://paultreacy.com
http://paultreacy.com
JonR
Well-known
Have used mine for a couple of months now and I tend to like it more and more. For me having come from the analogue Nikon cameras and then all the digital ones the X100 is a perfect combination with a D90 and the bigger Nikon system.
My daughter needed a smaller camera but for her having grown up with P&S cameras and Niokon D50/D60´s it was more natural to go for a Nikon Coolpix 7000 (which by the way is a really nice camera).
It all just shows that different needs requires different cameras!
Jon
My daughter needed a smaller camera but for her having grown up with P&S cameras and Niokon D50/D60´s it was more natural to go for a Nikon Coolpix 7000 (which by the way is a really nice camera).
It all just shows that different needs requires different cameras!
Jon
gavinlg
Veteran
The fuji has a leaf shutter and is basically silent FYI. The other thing is that there certainly are people who prefer the 'classic' gripless form-factor - me for one, and I know some other guys in here too. One of my favorite DSLRs ergonomically is the Olympus e-4x0 series, which has a classic style body with no protruding grip, like so:
For some of us, the form factor is the whole point of the x100, and not just for nostalgias sake.
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bhop73
Well-known
Sorry, i'm not going to be selling my x100 since I happen to love the thing.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
Adanac
Well-known
point out the alternative choices, available for purchase today (or last February), in the X100's basic size and shape, with an APS-C sensor, with both an optical and electronic viewfinder (and with a viewfinder, *period*), that produce images on par with the X100, I'd appreciate that.
There being relatively few cameras now or back when the X100 that could deliver on *all* of those features is where real and perceived value is assigned, and where "what the market will bear" fits in. The X100 wasn't priced horribly out of balance, given it provides / provided a set of features difficult to acquire at lower prices.
Mirrorless compacts with larger sensors delivering high IQ in a package that appeals to photography enthusiasts and pros alike are going to be more common soon. There will be more choices than ever, and that is definitely going to change market pricing dynamics in this segment of the industry.
For that reason alone I'd say the X100 is likely to see competition - perhaps even from Fujifilm themselves - that undercuts its real or perceived value soon.
At the same time the Leica digital rangefinders are also going to face increased competition, what with a number of makers coming out with products that are different primarily because they lack a rangefinder focus mechanism. When other makers produce very high IQ capable machines, able to satisfy enthusiasts or professional desire to mate manual and autofocus lenses of high quality - and work equally well with either - it stands to reason that Leica's perceived value will be eroded and perhaps much more severely than the likes of the X100 and similar cameras.
There being relatively few cameras now or back when the X100 that could deliver on *all* of those features is where real and perceived value is assigned, and where "what the market will bear" fits in. The X100 wasn't priced horribly out of balance, given it provides / provided a set of features difficult to acquire at lower prices.
Mirrorless compacts with larger sensors delivering high IQ in a package that appeals to photography enthusiasts and pros alike are going to be more common soon. There will be more choices than ever, and that is definitely going to change market pricing dynamics in this segment of the industry.
For that reason alone I'd say the X100 is likely to see competition - perhaps even from Fujifilm themselves - that undercuts its real or perceived value soon.
At the same time the Leica digital rangefinders are also going to face increased competition, what with a number of makers coming out with products that are different primarily because they lack a rangefinder focus mechanism. When other makers produce very high IQ capable machines, able to satisfy enthusiasts or professional desire to mate manual and autofocus lenses of high quality - and work equally well with either - it stands to reason that Leica's perceived value will be eroded and perhaps much more severely than the likes of the X100 and similar cameras.
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Adanac
Well-known
Having now read back to this earlier post of yours, I do get where you are coming from.
I do disagree about your size comment - there's a certain threshold of size, and shape, above which a camera (to me) no longer becomes an every-day carry item. I can fit the X100, my smartphone, wallet, two spare power packs and a sling strap in a very small carry bag - not deep at all - that I carry slung around my back. It doesn't look like a man-purse which for me seems to be important. Both the camera and the carry bag is small, light, and unobtrusive, and as a result the camera gets carried everywhere, every day. That was worth something to me... actually quite a lot.
That all said, if I could get (and afford) the same in an APS-C or better yet full frame sensor mirrorless "compact" that took interchangeable lenses, had an optical or as good as optical electronic viewfinder, could focus AF or MF with equal ease and accuracy, silent-ish and vibration resistant shutter system,... then I'd be in the market for that. But it has to fit in that bag of mine (with a decently fast and sharp prime, probably a 35mm equiv. a go-to lens) because I'll go no larger.
anorphirith
Established
totally agree & I'm coming from a GF-2
hausen
Well-known
Really love my X100. Took it and my M9 on holiday to Tahiti last week and come home with a new respect for X100. My M9 gave me major headaches with buffering/card writing and card failure issues. Long story but it is currently jetting it's way to Solms. Am really impressed after having to use the X100 as my digital option a long with my Xpan. May not be for everybody but is consistently delivered for me when my M9 let me down.