Tell me why I want an X-E1

[02Pilot]

I'm having issues coming to a decision, so maybe you all can help me. I am primarily a film shooter; my digital photography is limited to occasions where the convenience is too much to resist or where the digital offers capabilities I can't duplicate with my film kit.

Right now I own two digital cameras: a Pentax K-5 DSLR and a Canon G12.

I bought the K-5 recently because I already have several K mount lenses for my film SLR and I wanted to be able to use them on digital as well. I have been happy with the results of this.

The G12 I bought when it was new and it has served me well over several years. I have no complaints and I still like the camera, especially as a travel backup for my film equipment.

The problem is that I have a bunch of LTM lenses that I really like, and I'd like to be able to use them on digital as well as film. Both budget and my use of digital are limited enough that it really doesn't make sense to keep both the G12 and a similarly-sized interchangeable lens camera. I like the convenience of the all-in-one package that the G12 offers, especially since convenience is one of the major factors in determining when I shoot digital at all. Yet I find it hard to resist the idea of using my comfortable, familiar, and highly capable LTM lenses; I have a sense, for whatever reason, that I will be happier with the digital results than I am with what the G12 produces.

So there's my conundrum: sell my trusty stand-by G12 and get an X-E1 (which, from what I've read, would likely offer the best capabilities when used solely with legacy lenses), or keep the G12 and consign the LTM lenses to film-only use.

I'm tormented by choice. Help me.

 

[porktaco]

if you don't care about autofocus, an xe-1 is an amazing camera. you can confidently shoot it at 6400 and get surprisingly nice photos. you have to figure out the x-trans raw conversion stuff, but for most people with a digital workflow it's fine. jpg results are also very nice but i didn't like them at super high ISO. the xe-1 stinks in the autofocus/shutter lag department, however. like, just enough to be really irritating. with MF lenses, the issue isn't there.

 

[02Pilot]

I don't care even a little bit about AF, to the point that I've even set the user preset modes on the G12 to manual/zone focus so I can use it easily for street photography. I'm not entirely certain that high ISO matter much to me either, though my brain still works in normal (film) numbers, not astronomical digital ones, so I rarely even consider the option.

 

[Iestrada]

Go for it. You will love it. I have an X-E1 that I only use my M and LTM lenses on. The Voigtlander 25mm f4 and the 28mm Rokkor tend to be my most used lenses on it.

 

[wjlapier]

I'm a recent XE1 convert. I have the 18-55 kit lens and I don't think the AF is all that slow. The lens is amazingly sharp. As said you can push ISO high with the XE1.

I also purchased an adapter to use Leica M mount lenses. Mainly LTM with a LTM>M adapter ( I use the same lenses on my M7 ).

I'm so pleased with the XE1 that I'm about to sell my remaining Nikon cropped cameras.

Love the color from this camera.

 

[f16sunshine]

There is a nice XE1 in the classified (not mine).

The Xtrans cameras are great tools. They seem to be made to go a long time too.
Very happy with them for the native lenses. For ltm and M mount they work very well but... I'm not good at focussing with an evf .
Image results are excellent when you get focus!

Cheers!

 

[02Pilot]

There is a nice XE1 in the classified (not mine).

I saw that, and it's not making this process any easier, given that I'd prefer to sell the G12 before acquiring the X-E1 (assuming I go that route). Judging by KEH and other sources for pricing, I figure the G12 plus accessories (mainly the factory filter adapter) should get me better than halfway to the Fuji.

If that X-E1 in the classifieds hangs around long enough for me to move the G12, it may well be mine. Anybody want to buy a nice very lightly used G12? (Watch the classifieds....)

Oh, by the way, y'all are a bunch of enablers. 😉

 

[Iestrada]

Glad we could help. 😉

 

[kuzano]

I can't help you on the operation, but I just bought an XE-1 with the 18/55 f2.8. I just downloaded the 2.30 firmware. The lens is up to date. The firmware operation is a "no brainer" with a fully charged battery and Fujifilm is on top of support pages to do this.

There are a coupe of forums that look good with lots of traffic.

There are a very high number of XE-1 bodies and kits on eBay. I picked mine up "Like NEW" in the box with all documentation. Full kit box, camera and lens. $530, $15 ship.

The person who originally bought it likes it so much, he immediately purchased the TX1. Hardly any use on the one I purchased. XE-1's are dropping into the market because of the release of the XE-2. Frankly, for my purposes, I see no reason to pay the extra tarrif for the XE-2 at an extra price of about $200 more used.

I truly like what I see, particularly the fact that the custom profiles number 7 and there are a couple of nice pages on the net for custom settings (all 7), and I particularly like the Q button on the back, to pull up a full page of setup changes all on one screen with one push and move quickly through the settings, one or all.

I'm happy so far. I've been shooting Olympus DSLR and PENS for ten or more years. I think I am going to like this move. The film simulation is also a real plus in my book.

 

[fuji645]

I recently bought an XE-1 just after the XE-2 release. Great handling, good controls excellent image quality. Like the OP I purchased a Pentax K2000 some years ago as my first digital and it's behaved well. For the Fuji I've used the kit 18-55 lens as well as my screw mount Serenar 85mm 2.0 and my M mount 50 Elmar. The Canon is great for low light work although a bit heavy. The Elmar gives great results but the native X mount lenses are really the charm.

 

[skopar steve]

Battery life stinks on the XE-1. Extra batteries are a must. I don't care much for the EVF, but I really like the images it produces. Took some getting used to the handling.

Still I think the XE-1 & 18-55 kit lens is a great photographic tool and an excellent value.

 

[nongfuspring]

Battery life is not great on the X-E1 if you use AF. Shooting MF makes a huge difference.

I originally got the X-E1 for adapted lenses and got some good results. They're really a ridiculous bargain at the moment, I've seen quite a few for $300 body only. The sensor is superb and the controls make switching between film and digital cameras very easy.

One thing to bear in mind is that wide lenses (which you may mostly be using due to the crop factor) rarely perform well in corners. If that's an issue then I'd check out the Ricoh GXR with M module which is designed to work with rangefinder lenses. Also, ideally grab an adapter that is adjustable - even expensive adapters often seem to focus past infinity.

 

[02Pilot]

Thanks for all the additional thoughts. I'm sure the native Fuji lenses are very good, and there is definitely an appeal to having a zoom around when you need it, but my intent is to use my LTM lens collection, at least right now; I don't think I can justify the additional cost of the kit lens at this point.

As far as the lenses I would be using, yes, I figured the wides would see the most use - I have a Voigtländer 21/4 and a Canon 35/2.8 (as well as a Jupiter-12 35/2.8, but I don't know if it will fit due to the large rear element). From what I've read, the crop is x1.5, so that would give me roughly the equivalent of a 35 and a 50. I'm not overly concerned with soft corners; I'd hope there isn't significant distortion with wide legacy lenses, however. The bit about the adapters not always stopping focus at the right point does bother me - are there any specific adapters that are adjustable or simply known to work properly?

 

[rybolt]

There are several good L39 to Fuji adapters on the market. Most are really cheap; less than $10. All will focus TO infinity and a few might focus just past that mark. You may have to play around to find one that stops when it gets to where it should stop. Personally, I had good lick with the Kipon brand. They are going to be just less than $50 but the ones that I've had focused just as they should.
By the way, that's my wife's XE1 in the Classifieds. It's a very nice camera. She just got a pair of XT1's.

 

[Roger Hicks]

You don't.

(OK, that was a meaningless statement, but so is a list of "reasons" why you do. If you don't know, how the hell are we supposed to guess? If you just want to spend some money, sure, go ahead. Or take up golf or any other hobby for parting fools and their money).

Cheers,

R.

 

[peterm1]

Oddly enough only yesterday I bought a Canon G15 and looked very seriously at an X-E1 as they were selling them at quite a good price - $750 Australian packaged with the Fuji 18mm lens which apparently alone sells for very nearly that price. I suppose what you want depends partly upon your needs. In my case I wanted a smaller camera that I could put into my pocket and that had a viewfinder - something the G15 just lends itself to pocket wise. And I previously owned a G11 which I liked very much for image quality but eventually sold because its shutter delay was sufficiently slow to annoy me. The G15 appears to be somewhat faster. Would you do better by upgrading to something like a G15? Just a thought.

Now if you do not mind the unpocketability (if there is such a word) of the X-E1, I can say it will have the advantage of being able to use third party lenses which of course you already know. It will also have some level of better image quality due to the larger sensor. Although this is likely to only be so in marginal lighting conditions as the Canon G series has always turned out top notch images in good light. Do not under value the image quality of G series cameras, they all seem to produce very good sharp images in my experience, if a little bit "clinical" and "digital" in appearance.

But often its not absolute logic that dictates these things. Our emotions always play a big role in such decisions. If you want an X-E1 to enjoy your Leica lenses, and you can afford it, then just buy it. Enjoy it. Don't worry too much about rationalizing it. Just do it.

BTW all cameras have some shortcomings. Other who own this camera have enlightened you about its poor battery performance etc. I cannot do so. You need to decide if you can live with those shortcomings. I would not make to much of them since as I say every camera I have ever owned has had something about it I disliked.

 

[02Pilot]

All good points - thank you all for continuing to contribute. This is exactly the sort of discussion I was hoping for: bringing out the pros and cons of the options I have. Lots to think about - I'm working on it, but the brain is sometimes not as reliably focused as I might like.

 

[jazzwave]

I bought used XE-1 for $300 , added used 35/1.4 and 18/2.
This suitable solution for my need; streetphoto, portrait.

I like XE-1 due to good IQ, cheap, not worry about AF.. I can do manual focus. Easy to pair with my Leica lens.
My XE-1 baterry still good enough to shot more than 300 frame, I bring 1 spare in my bag.
I don't need to break the bank or argue with my wife when bought this camera..🙂

I think XE-1 is one of Best buy camera..

 

[nongfuspring]

(as well as a Jupiter-12 35/2.8, but I don't know if it will fit due to the large rear element).

Unfortunately the Jupiter 12 doesn't fit the fujis. It will fit the GXR though.

I think rainbowimaging has a copper threaded adapter that you can adjust. It doesn't seem especially convenient though, I think there's a small screw on the side that you can loosen to take out the thread tube, and after that you'll be able to insert a shim of some sort. Never done it myself and you may find better options.

 

[Chrisrw]

Does anyone know if you can use collapsible lenses with the XE 1? Namely the CV 50/3.5 Heliar?