X-pro 1 + all lenses.. first impressions

[anorphirith]

So after reading on this forum and a few other about the Xpro1, I've traded all my canon gear for the Xpro1 with all 3 primes (I had a 5D2 135mm2L 28-75mm2.8 50mm1.4 17-40mm4L)

The main reason for the switch is because I'm traveling a lot, and I've become really tired of hauling all my lenses and heavy 5d2 around, another reason is that I've been using the 5d2 for 3 years, I was ready to switch but the 5d3 was a huge disappointment for me and the D800E was nowhere to be found.
Also I"ve used a X100 last summer and absolutely loved the results compared to my 5d2
so anyway I finally got my xpro1.

First impressions:

Lenses:
The lenses are VERY light, even though they are metal construction. They are also very easy to handle and very well made. Tt's a big change coming from canon lenses I never really felt metal.
All the lenses seems to be very sharp from the large opening, which is to be expected for 600$ crop lenses... I had some apprehension on the 18mm but it also turned out to be sharp from my limited use.
The only issue I encountered was the 60mm lens hood, it's made of metal and when I attach it to the lens in "carrying position" I need to be VERY careful so the lens does not touch the hood and chips the black paint, the interior of the hood should be covered of black suede, instead of raw metal.

Focusing:
I tried it in the store before buying the camera, it seemed to work well under relatively well lit environment. but after I actually bought the camera and used it in real situations, things got ...different.
let's just say there is a learning curve to get sharp images.
the 60mm focus is very very slow, it's actually weird to try and get portraits with it. my subjects have to wait ~5 seconds in front of the camera just for the lens to focus, and most of the time I need to re focus. I might have lost the shiny eyes people have when I take the first picture of them

Battery
My 5d2 had a very long battery life, I could shoot about 800 photos. this one only lasts me about 280 photos, and out of these 280 maybe 30% are lost because of misfocus. today I went out from 8 am at about 5pm my battery was dead. so I had to carry the camera in the bad with all the lenses until my day ended at about 10pm.... very frustrating. I'll get an additional battery asap.

Operation
The camera feels great in the hands the dials make it much faster and clearer than my 5D2 to change the basic settings. The manual dials just make everything clear, intuitive, and very fast. changing lenses is about the same as my 5d2 except the release button is on the other side.
The shutter noise if so satisfying, it’s very addicting.
The startup time isn’t too bad one you tune the settings, format the card every time and used a very fast SD card (UHS1)
on AF-C mode, after taking a photo, even though the shutter button isn’t pressed, the lens continuously focuses, even if I had my lens cap on, so it just wonders forward and backward until to goes to sleep mode of until the camera is turned off. and I do use the AF-C mode because of the nice big green single focus point the camera shows.

The screen:
The screen quality if excellent, but the coverings are very low quality, I got a 1000 micro scratches on my screen that shine in the sun by just having the camera hanging on it’s strap, waving on my shirt. also after the first day, there’s already a tiny spec of white dust stuck under the screen....... very disappointing for a 1700$ camera

the images... well I really cannot judge since I'm so used to lightroom, and I literally never shot jpeg... so what's i'm seeing so far isn't very impressive. but becuase I loved my x100 for the raw files it produced I'm sure I'll love the xp1

I"m not giving up on the camera, it's a big dive from the canon comfort zone. I"m sure I'll learn how to master the camera, then I'll rewrite my impressions 🙂

 

[anorphirith]

 

[jwicaksana]

Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sometimes I too have the thought of dropping all of my Canon DSLR system and go with something more portable instead 😀

 

[dogberryjr]

It's quite a compact kit, isn't it?

 

[swoop]

My 5d2 kit includes a 28mm, 50mm and 100mm. It's only a tad heavier than my M9 kit of 25mm, 35mm, 50mm and 90mm.

I read that there may be a 70-200 f4 lens for the X-Pro1. I hope so, it would make a great companion to the M9.

 

[gavinlg]

I very recently sold my 5dI + canon lens kit because I hadn't used it since getting my x100 end of last year. In 2 months I'll be making my next big camera purchase to last me the next 5 years or so, and it's between the x-pro1 and the 5dIII, so I'll be very interested in your comments as you go on.

Thanks

 

[David_Manning]

I'm also a 5D2 and X100 shooter, and I thought about the X-Pro 1 as THE camera to replace both existing platforms.

As much as I love the idea of the XP-1, the (relative) speed of operation of the mark 2, along with more robustness, keeps me from committing to another platform. I've always had an SLR around for tele shooting, or fast stuff...sometimes, more creative photography too.

For me, part of the joy of the X100 is that there is no alternative lens, so it's one focal length only. Again, a creative decision is made to use the X100 by itself.

I think it would be nice to get a smaller, lighter system, but at the end of the day I can't yet replace the 5D2 for it's full-frame goodness, along with the 28/1.8, 50/1.4, and 85/1.8 primes.

 

[willie_901]

I haven't used a DSLR for personal work since I learned how to use the X100.

I did use a D700 to document the birh of a grandchild last fall. The light in the birthing suite was about EV 4 or worse and I refuse to use strobes around new-born infants. The D700 images were printable. But a relative's D300 photos were not.

Even though I haven't been able to work with a raw file from the XP1, I doubt I would choose it over the D700 in the most difficult situations. But I would have it with me just to see what it could do... and it could be a convenient back up too.

 

[AusDLK]

Sold my X100 and D700 when I got the XP1. Now, as hard as it even for me to believe, my M9 feels very expendable.

 

[mrisney]

I went big this Spring. Sold off my only digital camera - a Lumix GH1 and lenses, and bought both the 5DMKIII and the Fuji X-Pro 1. It's a bit overwhelming to be learning both at the same time, however the X-Pro 1 is a more intuitive camera for me. I figured it out quickly. My only peeve is that the it can get stuck in view mode, and then when I press my eye against the viewfinder, I don't always get a display, and it seems to lag in focusing at times. My nagging thought after reading these posts, are these cameras overlaps ?

Each camera system I have has a niche, 35mm film, 120 film, Panoramic.

with these 2 camera's it's easier to pick up the Fuji and shoot. On the images, (I have mentioned this in other forums) - and I am not trying to hijack this thread. Both of these cameras are very good, but in no way do they replace what I can do with Kodak Portra and scanned with a Fuji Frontier lab scanner. Different results, not superior, just differnt. Low light - both of these cameras excel.

Back to my original thought, for non pro usage, I wonder if it was a mistake to go in on both of these systems this Spring. Maybe I should have bought one or the other, but not sure if getting both was a smart decision ( Big tax break this year, so I had the funds to buy both the Canon 5DMKIII and the Fuji X-Pro 1 with the 18mm and 35mm)