one vs another

[back alley]

i'm struggling as to how to write this without looking like a troll.

when the x100 was first announced i was very excited...i love new stuff and this seemed like a pretty wonderful blend of old and new and a great daily carry camera.

with all the threads about the x100, both serious and not so, i started to get frustrated with the whole idea of the camera.

i am now at a more sane and serious place and wondering should i buy or not.

right now the question i have is, why buy this camera and not another? say like an rd1 for about the same price?
yes, it has a lens attached but i have enough lenses to attach one to another rd1.
sure it has a higher mp count but my current rd1 with it's 6 mp seems to be working for me ok.

i am not even close to deciding but i am thinking that i am in no rush to decide now.

 

[ynohtnA]

I've been very excited about the X100 as it ticks all of the boxes for the camera I have been wishing for. I have DSLRs, I like using them, I don't love using them, too much in the way of taking the photograph as I see it. I've been following all of the X100 hype, I've absorbed it but not been swayed by any of it, from Fuji, from pro or con forum comments. As with any significant purchase I make I see how the specifications compare to my wish list then only make a final decision after seeing at least 3 comprehensive reviews from sites or magazines I trust and listening to feedback from those early adopters that have actually bought and used it. I'm desperately hoping the X100 is the camera I've been searching for but at this stage it could still turn out to be snake oil.

My advice, don't get caught up in the hype, wait until you have sufficient data to hand and you can make a rational decision (must be the scientist in me!). I've been waiting a long time for the right camera, keeping my money in my wallet for a few weeks more ain't going to hurt 🙂

 

[user237428934]

My advice, don't get caught up in the hype data to hand and you can make a rational decision (must be the scientist in me!). I've been waiting a long time for the right camera, keeping my money in my wallet for a few weeks more ain't going to hurt 🙂

Rational decision? What are you doing here in this forum 😎

 

[ynohtnA]

Rational decision? What are you doing here in this forum 😎

This one is quite sane compared to certain others 😀

 

[Todd Frederick]

My experience with Fuji has been very good. I still use a Fujifilm E900 and carry it in my bolsa calle all the time. If you can afford it why not get one...but, give it a year and it will cost $129.95 !!!! It looks just like my Yashica Lynx 5000. Kidding...if I could I'd get one. Nice street digital camera.

 

[back alley]

i used to use fujinon enlarging lenses in my wet darkroom, they were great.

i am more thinking of a x100 vs rd1 scenerio.
in a one body/one lens set-up, the x100 would appear ideal if 35 was a preferred fov...but would it be all that different from an rd1 with and equivelent lens attached?

 

[Paul T.]

i used to use fujinon enlarging lenses in my wet darkroom, they were great.

i am more thinking of a x100 vs rd1 scenerio.
in a one body/one lens set-up, the x100 would appear ideal if 35 was a preferred fov...but would it be all that different from an rd1 with and equivelent lens attached?

That's true.

But, a 35/2 equivalent lens together with the R-D1 is going to cost you a lot more than the Fuji. And we are discussing a camera with no support. So the fact that the X100, new, compares well with a used camera, is pretty impressive.

Or theoretically impressive, given we have had no substantial evidence on autofocus speed, or IQ, as yet.

 

[sevres_babylone]

"in a one body/one lens set-up, the x100 would appear ideal if 35 was a preferred fov...but would it be all that different from an rd1 with and equivelent lens attached?"
More megapixels would be better if you do a lot of enlargements bigger than 8 x 12. (I know, I know there are threads in the R-D1 forum about gigantic enlargements from 6 megapixels.) Likely much better high ISO performance, if that is important to you.

Downside, even if you are just a 35mm lens user -- The R-D1 gives you the options of different looks with different lenses. I have the CV 35mm PII, your Canon 35 2.8, and the Nokton 40mm, and use them all at different times.

I am not mainly a 35mm guy, so can't see it as a DRF replacement. However, I can see getting one someday as a supplement. I mainly shoot in the 50mm range, and the 75mm equivalent range is also important for me. The Fuji would be sweet instead of carrying a second body.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Joe,
I hope this isn't seen as hijacking your post. I've ordered the X100. Before I did it, I seriously thought about the RD1. The primary thing (there were others and Paul T. pointed some of them out) that tipped the scale toward the X100 was file size.

But here's a question I've not yet resolved. If you tried to make, say, an 11 x 17 print from a 6MP RD1 file and then the same from a 12MP file from another higher res camera, would the prints look different. Would I be able to tell at that print size which was which? This is a question strictly about resolution, not about issues such as which camera produces the best colors or whatever.

 

[Niels]

That's true.

But, a 35/2 equivalent lens together with the R-D1 is going to cost you a lot more than the Fuji. And we are discussing a camera with no support. So the fact that the X100, new, compares well with a used camera, is pretty impressive.

Or theoretically impressive, given we have had no substantial evidence on autofocus speed, or IQ, as yet.

Greetings all. As for the IQ I wont go into that - we have a discussion on that subject in another thread. But I agree that "we have had no substantial evidence on autofocus speed, or IQ, as yet"

I have the R-D1 + a couple of crons (28 and 50) - especially with the 50mm coupled with the original Epson software you get a downright wonderfull portrait photo package.

Ive had some reasonably good street photography with the R-D1/28 mm cron as well - but have banged my head against the wall much too often when lights gets dim. As an interrim Ive tried the Oly EP2 with a panasonic 20mm 1.7 (or the 28 cron) - and have to conclude thats its not good enough for several reasons.

So I have ordered the X100 for this specific need: low light street.

Kind Regards

 

[jsrockit]

right now the question i have is, why buy this camera and not another? say like an rd1 for about the same price?

For me, as a M8.2 user, what has me interested is the high ISO capabilities, autofocus capabilites, and shutter speed dials / aperture ring in a camera that is shaped right and also has a built in OVF/EVF at decent price. There is nothing else like it and it is what I've been waiting for. After using cameras like the Leica X1 and the Ricoh GXR, I've gotten used to using small cameras with high ISO in certain situations. I'm hoping the fuji feels like a hybrid of all three of these cameras more or less.

 

[hausen]

I understand your thought process. For me it has been quite simple because I no longer have a darkroom and have little patience for scanning, film for me became problematic. If this camera lives up to the hype then I can have a film like body that is digital. I have been looking at X1, DP2, LX5 etc as a carry around camera for awhile and when I saw the early X100 advertising I knew it was the one for me. Have paid my deposit and hopefully get it 2nd week of March. I really don't see it as anti-film or pro-digital. More as a camera that means I can have the feel and look of my favorite film bodies but the convenience of my current digital situation.

 

[tom in mpls]

If this camera lives up to the hype then I can have a film like body that is digital. I have been looking at X1, DP2, LX5 etc as a carry around camera for awhile and when I saw the early X100 advertising I knew it was the one for me.

I am hoping that this is the camera that the Sigma DP1 might have been. But much better--with a built in, useful viewfinder.

 

[Roger Hicks]

When I saw it at photokina I thought, "Looks great."

I also thought "I'll wait until I read some reviews I trust, or get one to try for myself."

What I didn't think was "WOW! GREAT! INCREDIBLE! I'LL ORDER ONE SIGHT UNSEEN, REGARDLESS OF FOCUS SPEED AND IQ!"

Cheers,

R,

 

[monochromejrnl]

i used to use fujinon enlarging lenses in my wet darkroom, they were great.

i am more thinking of a x100 vs rd1 scenerio.
in a one body/one lens set-up, the x100 would appear ideal if 35 was a preferred fov...but would it be all that different from an rd1 with and equivelent lens attached?

If an RD1 was my main shooter then there are only three reasons I can image that would compel me to buy an X100

Megapixels - X100 > RD1 = permits bigger print enlargements
Autofocus - X100 > RD1 = one has it the other doesn't
Newer sensor - X100 > RD1 = better high ISO performance

Maybe a fourth:

hybrid O/EVF - X100 ? RD1 = main unknown is how the X100's viewfinder system compares to the RD1 and other optical VF with coupled RF patch - I suspect as that as good as the X100 will be - the fact that it lates a RF focus system will differentiate it from your RD1 if you're tied to RF focusing.

If RF focusing isn't critical for you, then you could probably get all of the above for half the price in an entry level dSLR which would offer much more versatility.

 

[Todd Frederick]

I took a look at the R-D1 on ebay and there were only a few for sale but lots of accessories. A Luigi case is $270 !!!! The big advantage of the R-D1 is that it has a wide choice of lens options from LTM (with M adapter) to M mount in CV or Leica or whatever other vintage brand you can find.

However, the X100 is 12 mgp and, if you really don't make mega-huge prints, there's a lot of cropping room in that camera which would make-up for the 35mm only lens.

I'd go for the Fuji, and the styling is really nice (retro that is)...good bling. (^O^)

I'd be happy to give one a test ride if someone would like to send me one. I'll get it right back to you in a few dozen years or so.

 

[Todd Frederick]

Oh, a couple of thoughts crossed my mind...that happens occasionally

*Is an autofocus camera that looks like a rangefinder camera really a rangefinder camera if the rangefinder is an electronic viewfinder?

**If you want a rangefinder camera that has a real rangefinder I'll be happy to sell you my Lynx for $1,300. Actually I'll drop the price to $1,000 so you'll have a few pennies left over to buy and process the film since it isn't digital. It looks retro too!

***I took a first walk-about an hour ago with Al Kaplan's old Bessa-L and the 21mm CV, and it took a lot of discipline not to try to focus it and simply accept that I couldn't zoom in to crop. I actually had to move my body closer!

The X100 would make a nice walk-about camera and, if it didn't have AF you could just zone focus, but the cost is very high IMO. For that price I could buy a lot of tacos, or a few Luigi cases. ;>)

Keep us posted Joe.

 

[Paddy C]

The absolute best thing to do in these situations is wait. Just forget about it, don't read threads etc. Read some reviews when they come out. Then continue waiting.

If, when June rolls around, you're still thinking about it, then it might be time to put down some money. But you may find your interest (err GAS) has passed.

 

[Catto]

The other thing with the R-D1 (as a current owner/user) is that it's actually fairly hard or expensive to find a lens as wide, and as fast as the one in the X100; the closest would be a Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron, but in the end I sold mine to get the Zeiss 28 Biogon (at the cost of a stop) - to me, a much nicer lens, though I lost a stop of brightness in the exchange.

But to get a fast 23-24mm (35mm equiv) for the Epson, you'd have to go to a Leica 24/1.4 - which is a lot more expensive, and doesn't come with any of the X100's other advantages as you mentioned.

I'm actually considering the possiblity of replacing my R-D1s and lenses (Zeiss & Leica) with an X100, Ricoh GR-D and something fast in the 50mm range to be determined. Perhaps the Ricoh GXR with the 28mm & 50mm modules? Considering it, mind - I've grown quite fond of the R-D1 with the 35 Summilux pre-ASPH!
R

 

[Paul T.]

I sorely miss my R-D1. I don't think my GF-1 - which absolutely has its merits - is in the same ballpark, altho I don't miss the paranoia my Epson would succumb to some random error.

What is undeniable is that the Fuji is the first reasonably priced camera that can fill the same niche. I paid £860 for my R-D1 used; I nearly bought the VC 28/1.9 (the 28/2 wasn't available at the time) which would have made the package well over £1200 - with a used camera, to give me a 35/2 equivalent. Granted, a fixed lens camera should come to less than the sum of its parts, but the Fuji, so far, does justify the hype. Altho I still wouldn't buy one without knowing more.