Looking at X-100 as an alternative

[texchappy]

Been looking to upgrade my camera gear from my 5 year old Nikon D40 (have a thread or two on it). Had about decided on an OM-D but the X100 really intrigues me too. If ya' don't mind I'd like to ask a couple of questions.

1. Got my first film rangefinder last week and had a ball shooting it. The X100 has the look and OVF of a RF, how close is it in real experience?

2. Does Fuji only sell the X cameras online? Didn't see where there was a brick and mortar option given for Kansas City.

3. One of the things I like to do is shoot wildlife - birds and going to yellowstone, etc. One of the drawback given of the M4/3 cameras is AF for things like this as well as well as lack of really long lenses. If I got the X100, I'd keep my Nikon for the long end and use the X100 as an everyday camera. Does it handle 'light'? By that I mean is it going to be easy for someone with neck and back problems (me) to lug around and shoot family, landscape, and architecture?

TIA.
Tony

 

[keytarjunkie]

1. It's how you make it. I turn off playback and use the EVF only when it's effective (for distances under 5 feet). The distance marker in the viewfinder tells me how far I'm focused. It should not be mistaken for a rangefinder, but you can get it to handle similarly to one.

2. It's sold in stores too, but it's not the kind of thing you'll find at Best Buy. It's a very niche camera tailored mostly to professional photographers. You're best buying one from amazon.com or one of the big photo stores online.

3. Yes the X100 is painfully light. It doesn't have the weight of a solid Leica or Nikon RF, but more like a plastic 70's rangefinder. However, I would argue that one of the main selling points of a smaller m4/3 sensor is that all of your focal lengths double from 35mm, and you can use a 150mm lens as a 300mm lens (kind of). And I've heard that some of the m4/3 cameras' autofocusing is faster than professional DSLRs. So...

 

[Tony Whitney]

Although I have an X-100 along with several Leicas (including an M6) plus a Ricoh GXR M-mount, the best camera I've EVER used for bird and nature photography is my Leica V-Lux 3. The results with its 600 (equivalent) lens are amazing to me, even hand held, and the whole outfit is really light. The alternative can easily be a $15,000 rig that weighs more than a rocket launcher. The V-Lux is pretty good at the wide angle end of things too - a great travel camera. It's not a camera that inspires much "pride of possession" like the X-100 or the Leica, but it sure gets the job done. Good luck with your search!

 

[mwooten]

1. It is sort of like using a rangefinder when looking through the viewfinder (OVF). However, the manual focus indication is closer to the Nikon “green dot” than a real rangefinder. The autofocus is rather good, but the manual focusing really poor. I have been spoiled by other cameras I own. (Manual focus on the X100 is a hook to snag camera geeks like me.)

2. Mine came through amazon.

3. Mine weighs one pound, one ounce with a uv filter and a hood.

Do remember that you are somewhat limited with it being a fixed lens camera. Which can be a good thing, or a bad thing. The quality of the raw files are really good, and I think it makes a fine everyday camera.

 

[Keith]

I think an OMD would provide you with everything you're suggesting. The image quality will be better than your D40 and if you get an adapter whatever Nikon primes you have will double their focal lengths and make them pretty useful for wildlife shooting.

As an every day shooter it would do all an X100 is capable of and more and it is a very easy camera to focus manually if that becomes necessary in poor light.

You wouldn't need the D40 ... but if you want a camera that looks like a rangefinder, then of course the Fuji is the winner here!

 

[texchappy]

I think you're right Keith. I keep coming back to the OM-D (and of course the pictures you posted not long ago with your new lens help with that). Watched a video of the new Canan T4i and it didn't seem to focus nearly as fast as the Olympus.

 

[gavinlg]

Why not grab the om-d and get two birds with one stone. It'll do well as a birding outfit with its amazing IS and plethora of cheap and small m4/3 tele zooms.

And thats coming from an x100 lover.

 

[texchappy]

The OM-D went back to the store today. Out of 12 shots I took this morning, one was sort of ok. After a week I think I should be able to get a better hit rate than my 40 year old Nikon F2.

So, now my plan is to get a DLSR and a smaller camera. I’m looking at the X100 (which I really like the look of) but might stretch to the X Pro 1.

Whatya think? Am I going to get any better success with it than I did after a week of fiddling settings and menus with the OM-D?

 

[GaryLH]

The OM-D went back to the store today. Out of 12 shots I took this morning, one was sort of ok. After a week I think I should be able to get a better hit rate than my 40 year old Nikon F2.

So, now my plan is to get a DLSR and a smaller camera. I’m looking at the X100 (which I really like the look of) but might stretch to the X Pro 1.

Whatya think? Am I going to get any better success with it than I did after a week of fiddling settings and menus with the OM-D?

The xp1 has potential to replace a dslr given the lense road map plus the ability to use legacy lenses via x mount adapters. Below is website info from Fuji.

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/pdf/lenses_accessories_catalogue_01.pdf

The Fuji x series tend to take time to learn how to use properly. From the old film day equivelent cameras, x100 is more like konica hexar af and xp1 s more like contax g2...

Some people adapt right away, others take very long time and others just never can get used to it. Af is going to be slower than what use are used to from the om-d. Right now x100 is a bit faster to focus than the xp1 in terms of af. Everyone is hoping that with future firmware updates that af speed improves the way Fuji did for x100.

Check out Dante's site for his comments on both cameras.
http://www.dantestella.com/technical/x100.html
http://www.dantestella.com/technical/xpro1.html

Plus the rff forum thread he put up in the xp1 forum...

I have both x100 and xp1... I have been using them so much that my Ricoh gxr and my mf folders are not seeing much use lately. 🙄

Good luck
Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Forgot to mention, all u need to do to just put it into p&s mode for a stranger to take your picture is set to "A" on shutter and aperture dial the set view from LCD mode and u are good to go.. Just did that the other week and asked the waitress to take a picture of my wife and I with my x100. 🙂

Gary

 

[umcelinho]

I think an OMD would provide you with everything you're suggesting. The image quality will be better than your D40 and if you get an adapter whatever Nikon primes you have will double their focal lengths and make them pretty useful for wildlife shooting.

Keith said what I was about to say. If you're into wildlife shooting and need long lenses, m4/3 should be the way to go, using the crop factor as an advantage. For anything else, get a fast wide - 20/1.7, for instance. This way you get a great all-around kit just as the x100 is, missing 5mm in field of view but gaining a fraction of a stop and a really good tele kit using the same body. also, the OMD is weather sealed.. althought the 20/1.7 is not, it's better than nothing.

the x100 is not that similar to a rangefinder, despite the form factor. I thought I'd be using the optical VF most of the time, but actually I just use the EVF, since I can get a smaller AF area, making it more precise. but having the OVF is sure helpful, for both battery saving purposes as well as shooting in bright sun. manual focusing on the x100 is awful, but I focus pretty much like I would with a rangefinder, center image to lock AF (instead of aligning the images), then frame and shoot. pretty straightforward. the ND filder is useful. I love how the camera is absolutely silent and really light and thin, I sometimes have it on the inner pocket of a jacket and no camera bag is needed, which is quite welcome when going out to bars or anywhere that you want to keep it low profile.

 

[willie_901]

The X100 with the most recent firmware can be used similarly to how you would use a mechanical, fixed-lens rangefinder. The X100 AF can be effective when operated manually (this does not mean physically turning the lens focus barrel). It is easy to quickly check focus accuracy even when using the OVF. it is easy to focus and recompose. Except for extremely bight sunlight, the lens can be pre-focused for zone focusing without rasing the camera to your eye. In bright light you would have to look through the finder to zone focus. In fact, I use the X100 much as I used my Canonet QL III 17 and my Yashica GSN. I enjoy using the OVF. I find it valuable o be able oo see outside of the frame lines. I only switch to the EVF when framing accuracy is critical or when I need the quickest possible AF speed in EVs below 5-6. The lens is excellent but has one significant weekness... bright point-source lights in high-dynamic range scenes will flare at certain angles. Street lights in night scenes are typical offenders.

Some people have difficulty adapting to using the X100 this way. Most people experience a family steep learning curve with the X100. I know I did. Understandably some people are alienated by the X100. Others really enjoy using it.

The OM-D is obviously a viable option. The two cameras are very different and as far as I'm concerned they have dissimilar advantages and disadvantages. Only you can decide which one will best meet your current and anticipated future needs.

 

[douglasf13]

I pretty much agree with everything that Willie said above. The X100 may not be a rangefinder, but, in feel and use, it is rangefinder adjacent. My NEX-7 isn't getting used much anymore.

 

[rbelyell]

saying the x100 is problematic in manual focus is like saying a tesla sucks because it doesnt make muscle car noise when accelerated:ITS NOT MADE THAT WAY!

please stop with these foolish comments. the tesla is an electric car; it doesnt make noise. the x100 is an AUTOFOCUS camera; it doesnt manual focus. end of story. for what it IS, the x100 offers tremendous IQ, virtually unequaled by anything near its class. period. its easily jacket pocketable. if you take the time to actually learn how to properly use it, the AF is fine. ive lost maybe 2% of my shots in nine months to poor AF performance. it is much more portable than the omd, which i also have. you cannot do better for an everyday cam than the x100.

for wildlife, you probably could not do better than the omd with it great IS and 2x crop factor. you are correct in that it has absolutely the single worst menu/setup system ever devised by the cruel minds of nonphotographer software engineers. i came to it from the related ep2 and it took me over a week to get the setup settings to yield positive results. but its like traveling to tahiti: it really sucks getting there, but worth it once your there. stick with it, for your purposes having both cams will work great for you, as they do for me.
tony