Why I sold my X100

[jsrockit]

It seems that many of those who are disappointed with the X100... either had expectations that were unrealistic or that they chose the wrong tool for the job. Many of the things people complain about I have no issues with...and I'm no genius. Sure, you might have to figure out some work arounds compared to a DSLR or a mechanical rangefinder, but that's again about choosing the right tool for the job. To expect the camera to do 100% of your photographic work is unrealistic.

 

[paulfish4570]

i'm not much of a street guy. i am deliberate, even in crowds. i like rangefinder cameras for their carry-ability and compactness more than anything else, and the x100 certainly is this. i can focus and shoot at the same speed as with my IIIf.
love mine after three weeks of steady use. i posted some near-sunset and night shots this morning.

 

[Broke]

I sold my X100 a couple weeks into owning it.
I thought the build was nice, the finder excellent, the lens pretty good, and the sensor excellent.
The ergonomics (which they apparently tried so hard to make classic) really suffer on account of the electronic interface.
One of the biggest troubles I had with it, was the non-moving (or parallax correcting) focus field in OVF mode -- I think they've corrected that in firmware update, however.

Cheers,
Jim

 

[jacksondonald]

x100 was my first digital camera so i made sure to read the instruction booklet cover to cover and i did not think anything was "quirky." maybe it matters from which vantage point you approach the camera -- coming from film M cameras as i do, I just LOVE it. perhaps people with more digital camera experience find it frustrating?

 

[paulfish4570]

oh yeah, i still have not done the firmware upgrades. i know where i can get a link to the second upgrade, but not the first. should i do the first one first? link?

 

[peripatetic]

The 1.11 upgrade massively improves close and low-light AF ability. Like a different camera.

Not like a DSLR (though anyone who ever expected that was dreaming) but certainly much much faster than I can manage with my manual RF cameras.

I believe that there are some people who can focus an M faster than a speeding bullet, but I also believe that the number of people who fall into that category are tiny and all of them are RFF members. Most people cannot even begin to approach AF speed with MF unless they are zone-focussing. I certainly cannot.

Since I got my X100 back in March I have only used my Canon 5D2 on 3 occasions.

The X100 is by far the best camera (film or digital) that I have ever owned. There are no significant "quirks" left worth speaking of after the 3 firmware updates, and even the AF is now quite reasonable.

It's my "Cold dead fingers" camera.

But of course it's not for everyone. Why on earth would it be?

 

[bhop73]

It couldn't get this one. Never. I'm moving. She's moving. I'm in her face with a 20mm wide open. The X100 couldn't get this.

This is what I want it for, hanging off a wrist strap and ready to fire a moment's notice.

--Rich

If it's like you say and you're both moving towards each other, then I don't see how anyone can get this pic super sharp all the time with anything less than a pro dslr or luck.

 

[gavinlg]

The X100 is basically my poor-man's version of the M9. Quality images and optics. Fuji is not producing cameras with quirks intentionally. The quirkiness is related to the complexity of operation of a camera as advanced as this and one must take the time to let this system grow on you. I am amazed by the number of people who claim to dislike this camera. It certainly motivates folks to comment though and that in itself indicates the impact this has had on digital photography. What happened to us that we demand such perfection in products such as this? The essential function of this camera works absolutely perfectly - it takes wonderful photographs in the right hands.

Tom

Perfectly said, and exactly mirroring my thoughts.

 

[andrewteee]

But don't so many other cameras, in the right hands? And after all they are tools, and which one is the right one for each of us.

Perfectly said, and exactly mirroring my thoughts.

 

[GaryLH]

oh yeah, i still have not done the firmware upgrades. i know where i can get a link to the second upgrade, but not the first. should i do the first one first? link?

http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/software/firmware/x/finepix_x100/index.html

Maybe I am misunderstanding the info here, but the way I read into the info on this web page, the latest encorporates all the other prior fixes.

Good luck
Gary

 

[paulfish4570]

yes, the the latest update did everything ... 🙂

 

[paulfish4570]

i like yer style, 'moof ... 🙂

 

[Mlehrman]

Paul, speaking of updating the X100 software...I haven't done it yet, and to tell you the truth, I've been reluctant to start for fear that any glitch will "paperweight" the camera. How simple did you find update procedure, and how improved is performance? Mostly concerned here with low-light focusing, though I don't think that is specifically addressed?

thanks,

Mike

 

[Keith]

Strange thread this!

There's been so much discussed about the X100 and it's always been accepted that the manual focus function and feel is awful ... which it is! Auto focus works fine until you get down to an EV level where it can no longer pick up sufficient contrast to be effective or reliable ... we accept this also!

What's left to discuss ... the camera has no other serious issues that handicap it that I can see? I also think that Fuji are unlikely to change anything in a susequent model if there is one because the camera is selling very well as is!

 

[paulfish4570]

Mike, i found the logic of the update instructions a tad off-putting, and asked my bride (who is far more right-brained than me) to help. she did it in about 10 minutes, no issues at all. you must understand that i have difficulty even finding the desktop function on my laptop ... 🙂

 

[bwcolor]

Love mine. Setup how I want, so not much use for menu and when I do use the menu it is via the "Fn" button.

The add-ons that have helped, or that I like:

Firmware Upgrades: I swear..faster and closer focus w/o macro and in and out of menus easily.

Luxecase with strap: Dynamite red.. short strap but...

Clone Thumbs-Up for X100: Short strap and Thumbs-Up.. great combo

EF-20 Flash: Use fill flash a lot these days. So, it is Flash, or Thumbs-up

I've learned to work with the auto and manual focusing. I believe that the firmware has also been useful in this regard.

One complaint.. Occasional freezing of all functions and need to remove battery. Don't know what this is about.

 

[Mlehrman]

Paul, thanks for the quick response. My bride will be of no help here, though she can run rings around me, logic-wise. I suppose slow and deliberate is the way to go for me. But, what are the major differences that you have found, if any?

 

[5:00 PM]

Over the past three days, I've done two of the most typical shooting projects that average amateurs find themselves doing: a tour around San Francisco with visiting guests and a party in a private home. On the tour, the X100 (with the latest firmware 1.11) felt and largely performed like the PERFECT camera for the task. But at the party, with lots of close subjects that move around, it was a lot of work. Under about four feet the AF is dodgy at best; my experience with AF cameras goes back to the original Minolta Maxxum 7000 and I don't think I've ever had more focus misses than I had at that party. I've done much better work in the same home under the same conditions with a dSLR; the X100 just seems too slow for use at close range. Compared with a dSLR, it's very hard to keep up with little kids...but if you can get them to hold still for one second...

 

[greyelm]

As they say in the computer world, the manual focussing on the X100 isn't a fault, it's a feature😀

 

[greyelm]

I get the impression that you can't have a mechanical focus ring at the same time as stepper motor driven autofocus (i will accept expert opinion on this). Even the GF1 m4/3 lenses have fly by wire manual focus, allbeit better implemented. The AFL button on the X100 is a very simple solution. I compare any new piece of kit to a new car, eventually you just turn it on and drive without thinking.