My X100 review.

This is just what happens when you let preconception get in the way of straight shooting. This camera was designed as an auto focus but the biggest bitch is the poor manual interface. Well it wasn't designed as such and doesn't compare to Leica M. However, as a auto focus, put it up to your eye, compose and fire camera, it performs quite well. It is what it is. Just the stellar performance in the noise regard does it for me. I only hate the choice of 35mm equivalent lens, too short for me. I have one but found myself shooting with the 5DmkII today.
 
Good effort, but I think it's tainted by the fact that you only had a 'few hours of use' with it. It's a quirky camera and you need to spend a bit of time with it before you can extract it's potential. A lot of your negative points reflect misunderstanding how it works.

I think you missed the option to add a manual focusing scale to either the VF or LCD when in manual focus mode, which shows you exactly where the scale focus sits, and how large the depth of field is at that aperture. Regardless, it's not a manual focus camera, it's an autofocus camera.
 
I think some of the problems you have with the camera are due to preconceptions and lack of education on its functions. For example, you stated that controlling anything other than ISO you have to dive into the menus, but you can control the two other functions that you want quick access to with buttons, white balance - pressing down on the jog wheel and metering mode - pressing the AE button on the left of the LCD. Also you can control the aperture without diving into the menus by using the toggle switch. It can change the aperture by 1/3 stops from the aperture you have set on the aperture ring. These control issues you have may have been remedied by firmware updates.

The center button is definitely too small.
 
I disagree with some of the posts here that say the X100 is designed to be an auto-focus camera and definitely not a manual focus camera.

I've been using the camera for months, not hours, and to me, the X100 is a brilliant ZONE FOCUS camera for street photography! And when you set this camera up to behave like an M6 on the street (zone focused by pre-setting focus distance in manual mode using the AFL button), the speed is excellent and the image quality is as good as the Konica Hexar AF (which I used for years).

Too many people write this camera off because of the slow auto focus in fast-moving situations. In my opinion, it was not designed to do that. These complaints are very similar to the ones I read when the Hexar AF came out... quirky menus/buttons, slow auto-focus, etc..

The X100 is a great camera if for no other reason than Fuji's decision to go for image quality by building a lens and sensor combination that compliment each other. Everything else is pretty straight forward digital camera routine, with all the normal work-arounds presented by any digital camera.
 
I didn't even read the review by someone who is negative about it after a few hours. I back James and Gavin's comments. I've been using it since May last year and have been bowled over repatedly by the image quality. With deeper understanding of the controls and setting up a few things from the menus you can pretty much stay out of the menus altogether after that. The only time I go in now is for the ND filter, not very often. The good oil on how to best use this camera is easily found right here on RFF, with some real experts giving us their distilled wisdom through the middle months of last year. I have collected some of these gems in a text file if anyone wants it. Size, sensor and lens. It's remarkable.
 
As others have said, you have to spend time with this camera (and its manual) to really understand it. The only gripe I have is the focal length - I prefer 50mm to 35mm - but I'm used to it now. Otherwise, if you are prepared to invest a little time, this is a superb camera.
 
I can't find fault with Ken's review.

Investing more time into the camera will never change the fact that the lens ring aperture control only moves in full stops or that the OK button is wholly inadequate or that the Auto ISO menu entry isn't a choice within the ISO menu or that they still haven't issued firmware allowing the photographer to redefine the one-off RAW button as a second Fn button.

After using the camera for some time and discovering workarounds for various issues I finally came to the conclusion that for me the camera wasn't a good fit. Some days it felt like the camera actively got in my way, but to be fair there were times when using it was simple and natural feeling.

If one is observant you don't need to spend a lot of time with a camera to identify its features and warts. Figuring out workarounds takes much longer.

In this case the reviewer figured out more quickly than I did that the camera was not for him.
 
Adanac said:
Investing more time into the camera will never change the fact that the lens ring aperture control only moves in full stops or that the OK button is wholly inadequate or that the Auto ISO menu entry isn't a choice within the ISO menu or that they still haven't issued firmware allowing the photographer to redefine the one-off RAW button as a second Fn button.
Click to expand...

Seriously? Full stops? I was not aware of this. Been on the fence about this camera, but this would drive me crazy.
 
Adanac said:
Investing more time into the camera will never change the fact that the lens ring aperture control only moves in full stops or that the OK button is wholly inadequate or that the Auto ISO menu entry isn't a choice within the ISO menu or that they still haven't issued firmware allowing the photographer to redefine the one-off RAW button as a second Fn button.
Click to expand...

Full stops meh - at least it has an aperture ring. I set my 5d to half stop adjustment via custom functions specially because I find the third stop adjustments too slow and just unnecessary. I'd set it to whole stops if I could, but I can't. I manage to use the OK button just fine, and I have above average sized hands. It would be nice if it was bigger, but it just doesn't bother me really. I don't use auto ISO - I use the camera in full manual, but the camera remembers the last menu input you used and when you go back into the menu it places you where you were last time - so it's not really THAT hard to select or unselect auto-ISO - of which isn't even an option on my 5d, and works better than nikon auto ISO anyway.
That firmware is coming, and even so the camera works perfectly without it.

The complaints seem very small for a camera and lens that costs less brand new than a well used 30 year old equivalent leica 35mm lens, and is, in market positioning, one of a kind.
But that's just me, I spent a little bit of time to learn it, and now I use it. I find it HIGHLY intuitive.
 
Jamie Pillers said:
I disagree with some of the posts here that say the X100 is designed to be an auto-focus camera and definitely not a manual focus camera.

I've been using the camera for months, not hours, and to me, the X100 is a brilliant ZONE FOCUS camera for street photography! And when you set this camera up to behave like an M6 on the street (zone focused by pre-setting focus distance in manual mode using the AFL button), the speed is excellent and the image quality is as good as the Konica Hexar AF (which I used for years).

Too many people write this camera off because of the slow auto focus in fast-moving situations. In my opinion, it was not designed to do that. These complaints are very similar to the ones I read when the Hexar AF came out... quirky menus/buttons, slow auto-focus, etc..

The X100 is a great camera if for no other reason than Fuji's decision to go for image quality by building a lens and sensor combination that compliment each other. Everything else is pretty straight forward digital camera routine, with all the normal work-arounds presented by any digital camera.
Click to expand...

Exactly! The ability to pre-set focus distance by using the AFL button to lock focus is pretty much an improved implementation of the raved about snap focus of the Ricoh's, making the X100 a great street shooter.
 
gavinlg said:
Full stops meh - at least it has an aperture ring. I set my 5d to half stop adjustment via custom functions specially because I find the third stop adjustments too slow and just unnecessary. I'd set it to whole stops if I could, but I can't. I manage to use the OK button just fine, and I have above average sized hands. It would be nice if it was bigger, but it just doesn't bother me really. I don't use auto ISO - I use the camera in full manual, but the camera remembers the last menu input you used and when you go back into the menu it places you where you were last time - so it's not really THAT hard to select or unselect auto-ISO - of which isn't even an option on my 5d, and works better than nikon auto ISO anyway.
That firmware is coming, and even so the camera works perfectly without it.

The complaints seem very small for a camera and lens that costs less brand new than a well used 30 year old equivalent leica 35mm lens, and is, in market positioning, one of a kind.
But that's just me, I spent a little bit of time to learn it, and now I use it. I find it HIGHLY intuitive.
Click to expand...


Exactly... I couldn't agree more.

I would argue that anyone who has major gripes about the x100 (ergonomics aside) either:-

a) hasn't tried it

or

b) bought it without properly considering the use to which they intended to put it

Obviously, if the ergonomics don't suit an individual, then that's fully understandable, but aside from that, virtually all the criticism that I've read of the x100 is fairly trivial. In my experience, almost any camera has something irritating about it, and I just can't see why some people are so keen to put the boot in to this one. I find it great fun to use, and it gives excellent results. Any quality deficit in the output from mine is invariably my fault, rather than the x100's.
 
The X100 has been out for nearly a year so another short use review isn't needed. To really find out about it there are plenty of long term users posting their experiences along with the most important thing, pictures. There is one question I would ask, how many people get into a new car and instantly feel comfortable with all the controls, it takes time.

For information you can assign the ND filter to the Fn button for quickly turning on and off.
 
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