View Full Version : taking a knife to a gun fight...
back alley
07-01-2011, 13:09
had my first outing with the x100 today...the 'silly summer' parade celebrating canada day...
these 3 were on the way to the parade...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5065/5891535989_14353e33b6_b.jpg
it was a quick shot though they did stop to let me take it.
'one man float'...he was coming right at me...
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6032/5892117708_b64dc7856b_b.jpg
i was surprise that this one is sharp, i just plunged the released w/o waiting for the 'green light'.
these 2 mounties were pleased to pose...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5151/5891543341_1e15c252a0_b.jpg
a heavily cropped shot...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5075/5891553901_33232ff346_b.jpg
i doubt that i would use the x100 at another parade...it felt very clumsy and extremely slow in my hands...in fact i am surprised that my shots turned out at all but they are all sharp...none are very good 'art' wise but as far as a first outing and getting to know the camera it was a good day.
it is slower than i would like and many of the shots i took have the action just leaving the frame...i need to learn the timing of the x100 as it is very different from my rangefinders.
tomorrow i will bring it to the farmer's market and see what we can do together, in a familiar and slower moving setting.
So was it shutter lag that slowed you down or being unfamiliar with the camera?
Remember, I called dibs when you decide to sell. ;)
ItsReallyDarren
07-01-2011, 13:17
Great picture of the mounties. A much better way to ride a horse compared to the horse on a stick I used as a kid.
back alley
07-01-2011, 13:26
So was it shutter lag that slowed you down or being unfamiliar with the camera?
Remember, I called dibs when you decide to sell. ;)
no shutter lag...focus lag.
and the battery died way too quickly...
plus unfamiliarity with the camera.
shooting with the rd1 was probably a mistake till i know the x100 better.
back alley
07-01-2011, 13:27
Great picture of the mounties. A much better way to ride a horse compared to the horse on a stick I used as a kid.
thanks darren!
kids and parades are made for each other...
coelacanth
07-01-2011, 13:37
Joe,
I find using AEL/AFL button as AFL only and keeping focus for multiple shots works well. Also you can set to MF and use AFL button to AF (shutter release button remains MF).
Love that kids shot with ranger hats. :)
Those are really nice joe, and I truly love those Mountie hats.
Jamie Pillers
07-01-2011, 13:50
Joe,
One thing I would recommend that helps with the speed of operation. As you've found out, the camera 'goes to sleep' fairly quickly if its not making pictures. So I do what i used to do with my ricoh cameras... I've developed a kind of nervous habit of half pressing the shutter button every couple of minutes. I hardly notice that I do it anymore. This keeps the camera awake and ready to go.
Roger Hicks
07-01-2011, 13:52
Nothing to do with the pics -- which I thought were technically good and artistically a very long way from poor (Frances was quite impressed too) -- but the title reminded me of an ex-Hell's Angel chum. We all know that if it's a fist fight you bring knives, and if it's a knife fight you bring a shooter, but he and his mates knew they'd be up against guns. So as well as the shooters they brought a dozen hand grenades...
What would the photographic equivalent be? Noctilux vs. Summarit? Thambar vs. first generation Summicron? Elmarit-M 135/2,8 against 90/4 Elmar? Not, by the look of it, X100 vs RD-1.
Cheers,
R.
The shots look really good. The color, DR, and WB look great. If you get a chance, open up the lens at the framer's market shoot. I think the lens really gets magical at f2.
Did you shoot with AF-S or AF-C?
I was disappointed with the battery life after my first shoot with it. I've since set up the camera to use less power, but I still carry an extra battery.
I do the same as Jamie. I keep the camera awake by tapping the shutter release.
/
robklurfield
07-01-2011, 14:25
Joe, if you hadn't told us the camera was slowing you down, no one would have known from these nice images. I suspect half the battle is getting used to a the feel of a new tool/toy in your hands. Of course, with your record of moving from one piece of gear to the next, who knows whether this one will stay long enough .... Anyway, some great work here.
Warren T.
07-01-2011, 14:37
Hey Joe, nice shots! I agree w/Ray, nice color, clarity, WB, DR, etc. So how many shots and/or hours did you get out of the one battery? (just curious)
...must...resist...GAS
--Warren
...must...resist...GAS
--Warren
Ha! Warren, have you held one yet?
/
Harry S.
07-01-2011, 14:42
I see what you mean. I took my camera out yesterday while visiting my friend and her 18month old son. Little kids are never easy to photography but i was really fumbling with the X100. Lost of missed focus and I found it hard to quickly adjust the ISO on the fly. I think It just comes down to familiarity, the IQ is there.
back alley
07-01-2011, 14:47
Joe,
I find using AEL/AFL button as AFL only and keeping focus for multiple shots works well. Also you can set to MF and use AFL button to AF (shutter release button remains MF).
Love that kids shot with ranger hats. :)
i bought the x100 to use as an auto everything camera and the less fiddling i have to do, the better.
the kids were cute, thanks.
back alley
07-01-2011, 14:48
Those are really nice joe, and I truly love those Mountie hats.
thanks!!
i can't complain about the image quality...
back alley
07-01-2011, 14:49
Nothing to do with the pics -- which I thought were technically good and artistically a very long way from poor (Frances was quite impressed too) -- but the title reminded me of an ex-Hell's Angel chum. We all know that if it's a fist fight you bring knives, and if it's a knife fight you bring a shooter, but he and his mates knew they'd be up against guns. So as well as the shooters they brought a dozen hand grenades...
What would the photographic equivalent be? Noctilux vs. Summarit? Thambar vs. first generation Summicron? Elmarit-M 135/2,8 against 90/4 Elmar? Not, by the look of it, X100 vs RD-1.
Cheers,
R.
i always think of that line from sean connery in the al capone movie...
Warren T.
07-01-2011, 14:50
Ha! Warren, have you held one yet?
/
no, not yet, i don't even want to be in the same room as one ;).
--W
back alley
07-01-2011, 14:50
Joe,
One thing I would recommend that helps with the speed of operation. As you've found out, the camera 'goes to sleep' fairly quickly if its not making pictures. So I do what i used to do with my ricoh cameras... I've developed a kind of nervous habit of half pressing the shutter button every couple of minutes. I hardly notice that I do it anymore. This keeps the camera awake and ready to go.
i do that with the rd1...with the x100 i kept it awake by turning all the battery saver stuff off, but then the battery died half way through the shoot.
back alley
07-01-2011, 14:54
The shots look really good. The color, DR, and WB look great. If you get a chance, open up the lens at the framer's market shoot. I think the lens really gets magical at f2.
Did you shoot with AF-S or AF-C?
I was disappointed with the battery life after my first shoot with it. I've since set up the camera to use less power, but I still carry an extra battery.
I do the same as Jamie. I keep the camera awake by tapping the shutter release.
/
thanks ray. i used af-s.
i think most of these were at iso 400, shot at 5.6 mostly.
i'll try some tomorrow at a lower iso and at 2.
i'm thinking the camera will be better suited for a slower moving event.
back alley
07-01-2011, 14:58
Hey Joe, nice shots! I agree w/Ray, nice color, clarity, WB, DR, etc. So how many shots and/or hours did you get out of the one battery? (just curious)
...must...resist...GAS
--Warren
hard to say warren...i have been playing with the camera since monday, trying to learn it...i do know there were 3 bars (full battery) indicator when i started the day and within a few minutes it was down to 2...so clearly i had used a bit of juice prior to the start of today.
the image quality is hard to argue with...these are jegs, with a bit of tweaking...raw will have to wait till i buy a copy of lightroom.
back alley
07-01-2011, 14:59
no, not yet, i don't even want to be in the same room as one ;).
--W
as nice as the 20 is on the g1...this lens is better.
thanks ray. i used af-s.
i think most of these were at iso 400, shot at 5.6 mostly.
i'll try some tomorrow at a lower iso and at 2.
Also, try auto-ISO and aperture priority.
/
back alley
07-01-2011, 15:10
Also, try auto-ISO and aperture priority.
/
these were aperure priority.
why auto iso?
Richard G
07-01-2011, 15:29
Auto ISO is great with this camera, although unnecessary for that parade. Harry mentioned the tedium of adjusting ISO indoors with kids - much better to set ISO to two hundred, put it on auto ISO and set the upper limit, the high ISO is so good. Even for another day out in the sun, if you like 400, still set it at 200 with auto ISO and then dial in your minimum acceptable shutter speed. That might be 250 for street shots, but if you do want to try wide apertures the camera will drop from the 400 it probably would have selected for the shot of those three girls down to 200. It's important because at f2 and f2.8 your maximum shutter speed is 1/1000s and you get 1/2000 max for f4 and f5.6 with 1/4000 only available for f8 and smaller. The other thing you can do with 1/250 and f5.6 is focus on something at the hyper focal distance, make the AFL/AEL button a focus lock button only and it's your rangefinder set up exactly. The auto ISO Is great for shooters like my daughter who just want to choose f16 and 1/125 regardless of the light. This is not a slow camera. Do keep it.
Well ... spare batteries aren't axactly expensive ... not to mention that the one the camera actually comes with is Chinese I noticed!
Stop comparing it to your RD-1! :D
back alley
07-01-2011, 15:45
Well ... spare batteries aren't axactly expensive ... not to mention that the one the camera actually comes with is Chinese I noticed!
Stop comparing it to your RD-1! :D
the fuji version is 90 bucks locally!!
these were aperure priority.
why auto iso?
Basically (exactly), what Richard said. The high ISO IQ is very good, so you shouldn't have to futz with changing the setting. You can let that variable slide and work the other two as you like (one of the great things about having great high-ISO quality).
Agree too. This is not a slow camera (not as fast as film, but close).
/
SolaresLarrave
07-01-2011, 15:58
I didn't imagine you'd fall for this camera... but then, I'm glad you did. VERY nice photographs, joe...
To your credit: I was totally turned off by this camera after Keith's review. But the colors and sharpness of your shots have convinced me that it is a good machine. I am now feeling curious...
Take care!
the fuji version is 90 bucks locally!!
Yes ... well I was thinking more along the lines of eBay. There's a zillion options.
I currently have my eye on a little USB charger (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280688848234&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) that actually comes with a battery for twelve dollars! :eek:
Made in china of course so we know it's good. :)
I meant to mention Joe .... I love the colours in those pics you posted!
got any of will and kate ?
Harry S.
07-01-2011, 17:40
Auto ISO is great with this camera...
Thanks Richard for explaining this. I must admit I didnt know about this function.:o I just tried it out and it seems to work really well!
I'm not a real fan of auto ISO sorry. A large part of shooting digital for me is being able to use ISO in the same way you use shutter speed and aperture ... to control the look of your final output. This is where the three stop ND filter of the X100 is very useful.
Harry S.
07-01-2011, 18:06
The real thing I hate with this camera (so far) is that every major change you want to make, be it Auto ISO or ND filter, you have to stop and wade through menus to activate/deactive it.
On my DSLR's and film cameras every function I use is at my fingertips, with a button or dial.
Nice pics and happy Canada Day, it looks like a fun time. These descriptions I'm reading here aren't exactly selling this camera to me. Too slow? Have to keep the camera awake? Reminds me of the Contax G2 I had, after awhile the motor noise in the lens drove me crazy. When the focus was on it was great, but when it was off it was off by a mile, and sometimes just too slow. I'm faster with an M or an OM and certainly a DSLR. I don't get the point of a compact auto everything type camera that gets in your way when life moves too fast for it. But hey, I've never shot with one so I'm certainly missing something and there are plenty of cameras out there that people love that are just not for me, and likewise for others.
Dr Gaspar
07-01-2011, 18:48
X100's photos look sharper than real life.
back alley
07-01-2011, 18:49
got any of will and kate ?
not my cup of tea...plus i think they are about 3000 miles east of here....
Richard G
07-01-2011, 19:16
Nice pics and happy Canada Day, it looks like a fun time. These descriptions I'm reading here aren't exactly selling this camera to me. Too slow? Have to keep the camera awake? Reminds me of the Contax G2 I had, after awhile the motor noise in the lens drove me crazy. When the focus was on it was great, but when it was off it was off by a mile, and sometimes just too slow. I'm faster with an M or an OM and certainly a DSLR. I don't get the point of a compact auto everything type camera that gets in your way when life moves too fast for it. But hey, I've never shot with one so I'm certainly missing something and there are plenty of cameras out there that people love that are just not for me, and likewise for others.
Lots of threads and posts on RFF on just how good this is. The small unit, the interface, the lens and the sensor are all fantastic. DSLR quality in a tiny package. Option for manual controls. There are some very experienced guys on this forum, street shooters with RFs and DSLRs, who recognize the clear quality of the X100. This is an auto everything that doesn't get in your way, with the option of manual everything.
Harry ... I don't understand the theory about the hardship of having to dive in and out of menus to change certain settings. The basics seem to be there at your fingertips to me ... aperture, shutter speed and EV compensation. Sure my D700's ISO can be changed with a touch of a button and the quick flick of a command dial but it's like a Mack truck compared to the little Fuji!
I think these cameras are spoiling us! :D
Harry S.
07-01-2011, 20:35
Possibly yes. If this camera only did half of the things it can, all those things would fit on buttons :-)
Possibly yes. If this camera only did half of the things it can, all those things would fit on buttons :-)
They've already given us a button and command dial layout more suited to tiny hands! :D
Some re-thinking there would be useful!
The real thing I hate with this camera (so far) is that every major change you want to make, be it Auto ISO or ND filter, you have to stop and wade through menus to activate/deactive it.
On my DSLR's and film cameras every function I use is at my fingertips, with a button or dial.
Set it auto ISO and forget about it. What else do you want to change on the fly in a hurry? Set the Fn button to that and away you go. I don't find the camera gets in my way in the slightest.
peripatetic
07-02-2011, 01:26
Auto-ISO is brilliant.
I hardly ever need to use the menus. The most-used function is to format the card after I put it in the camera.
I got a couple of spare batteries for £2.99 each from 7dayshop. Both work fine. I wouldn't be hugely surprised if they lasted slightly less long than the Fuji battery, but if that is true I couldn't say for sure by how much. Certainly I get around 300 shots from the Fuji and more than 200 from the cheapo backup batteries, I have never drained one completely because I so far have never shot more than 500 frames in a single day with my X100.
Lots of threads and posts on RFF on just how good this is. The small unit, the interface, the lens and the sensor are all fantastic. DSLR quality in a tiny package. Option for manual controls. There are some very experienced guys on this forum, street shooters with RFs and DSLRs, who recognize the clear quality of the X100. This is an auto everything that doesn't get in your way, with the option of manual everything.
Thanks. I will have to investigate further. A few rough experiences from people who are just getting started with this camera is certainly not enough to come to any conclusion. The X100 has definitely generated a lot of excitement, I'll see if I can get a chance to check one out for myself.
M4streetshooter
07-02-2011, 03:54
Lots of threads and posts on RFF on just how good this is. The small unit, the interface, the lens and the sensor are all fantastic. DSLR quality in a tiny package. Option for manual controls. There are some very experienced guys on this forum, street shooters with RFs and DSLRs, who recognize the clear quality of the X100. This is an auto everything that doesn't get in your way, with the option of manual everything.
Richard, that's a great way to look at it. My friend has been in Paris for a few months and started to do Auto all. With the new small AF target, it focuses fast in low light.
I like to do some more thinking so I use A mode mostly or M mode.
With Auto ISO, the camera is brilliant.
I have no issues with the interface as I don't need to change anything but what my eyes are looking at.
It's a great street camera, probably one of the best.
Don
back alley
07-02-2011, 04:36
ok, 2 fully charged batteries...set to auto iso...no camera bag...i am ready for today's shooting...wish me luck!!
Go gett'um
I am hoping to hear that the camera was simple and brilliant, not just brilliant.
I pretty much have this camera down to a subconscious level, never menu dive, rarely miss focus and get 300-500 shots out of a battery of which I have three. I am as fast on this little guy as I am with my D700. I have shot close to 5,000 images since getting the X100.
I have very specific needs with my X100, needing it to basically eliminate the need to rent an M9 which it easily has. Today's fun includes behind the scenes with a former U.S president.
The X100 is truly an awesome camera for what I need it for...:-)
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.