X100 on the job

[emraphoto]

well, not one to review cameras really. hell, don't much care what folks are using BUT i thought i would offer up some thoughts and pictures.

WARNING - the images are of a graphic nature.

DISCLAIMER - i don't want the thread to get derailed by the subject matter. if anyone wishes to discuss the commission (subject matter) please send me a p.m. or email and i will be happy to talk.

DAY 1 (so far there is only day 1. more to follow)

i will approach this from an interface, reliability, user friendliness position. as far as technical details there are plenty of reviews about and truth be told i have pretty low standards. if it makes it past the picture desk i am happy.

the high iso capabilities from the camera are quite extraordinary. combined with the simple'ish interface and it's resemblance to the hexar af (which i love) i was inclined to buy. some folks find the single focal length an achilles heel and i understand their position. i, on the other hand, could shoot the rest of my life on a 35mm equivalent so the fixed lens is a non issue. i shoot a lot in aperture priority and dial in compensation as needed. the camera seems well suited for this approach. the shutter release is easily found with the camera to eye and smooth to release. i would prefer the afl/ael button be up around the jog dial for faster and more intuitive access but can live with it where it is. i have the fn button set up for iso and with that away i go. i am not a big fan of auto iso as 'sharp' is often not the look i am going for. i want control over shutter speed via my aperture selection.

the menu systems have been covered elsewhere at length so i will keep it short. they (menu systems) do seem a bit 1994 in layout and visual presentation. i don't find them to much an issue though as i generally stay away from them throughout the day. i set the camera up to shoot in about 2 minutes and have yet to change much. manual is still in the wrapper/box. if i could make 1 request to fuji it would be a graduated nd filter option.

the drive is a welcome addition and i do use it. specifically when i am very close and their is a tension in the air due to proximity. a bit difficult to explain or accredit to a particular camera however the X100 goes with the flow. rattling off frames with barely a whisper. with that said i so use a bit of shutter volume. silent makes me anxious. "is this thing working" sort of affair.

manual focus. now there are many folks committed to manual focus at times and i am one of them. there are also varying approaches to manual focus so i will stick to my own. i zone focus. a LOT. ael/afl button set for af lock, until you press again to release, works very, very well. as a matter of fact i damn near love it. it is consistent, predictable and allows me to leave the lcd off for the whole day. something i am rather keen on.

as i have yet to read the manual, or any manual for that matter, i have no idea what the jog/thumb dial is for. i suppose i should figure that one out.

the viewfinder is bright and clear. i shut off every possible drop of info i could and it provides the info i need and is uncluttered.

i am yet to dig into the RAW issue. i do prefer to shoot RAW and will fill in the blanks later.

file transfer is easy on the mac. having spent many a day lugging bags around i have jettisoned everything i could. card readers sit at home. USB to the macbook and away i go. the jpegs look fabulous to me yet due to my somewhat sloppy approach in shooting i need RAW to sort out WB issues later. another recommend to FUJI would be to create a door system for USB access etc. akin to what is on a 1d series camera. snug fitting and sealed. the hinged doors always seems flimsy to me.

i did notice one strange occurrence in transferring files. i lost a frame somewhere long the line and this has never happened to me before. i don't know if this is software (my end) related yet.

one battery held up for a full day of shooting. i am ok with that. after using a canon g10 and not having to charge for days on end i am a bit spoilt. i do generally buy multiple batteries when buying cameras so all is good on that end.

another quibble with FUJI would be the charger. i mean seriously FUJI?!?! who came up with that one? canon s90 style please. charger and flip out prongs. tight battery fit. it you are going to market the thing as the 'professional's choice' then understand what the pro needs. hint - needless plastic bits and cables isn't on the list.

the compensation dial does turn a little easy. this was brought up elsewhere. i have suffered too many occurrences where i started shooting only to realize too late that something wasn't quite right in the camera settings. i now have a habit of looking things over quickly before i shoot. minor quibble? depends on who you ask i suppose.

i haven't used the evf much. i find the optical version to be my cup of tea right now. will have to fill in this blank later as well.

so, day 1. pretty pleased with the camera. no major flaws detected and it appears to be a powerful little camera. great files, silent and intuitive once set to ones liking. i will post more as i move along.

pictures now!

[skibeerr]

Thanks for this Emraphoto, much appreciated.
It seems to do what its supposed to do, take photo's in a good way.

[nlubis]

Thanks for sharing.
I'm also finding my way with the camera.

[emraphoto]

well in all seriousness, i am unsure what the folks are talking about when they say 'for pro photographers who know their way around a camera'. it was profoundly easy to set up and get rolling. shutter, aperture, compensation and whatever you decide fn should be.

nlubis - thrilled you are liking it. very potent little machine.

skibeerr - it does take photo's very well and surprisingly (for a compact digital) the way i want. i am not sure what took so long but FUJI seems to have gotten it as close to right as anyone so far.

[SimonSawSunlight]

yes, it's a great camera, had the chance to try one in london. maybe I can afford one after the summer...

[Keith]

Great review ... I like the way you've highlighted the camera's pure potential rather than focus on a few fairly insignificant weaknesses that let's face it ... can be worked around!

Every interesting new camera that gets released these days seems to be measured by what it can't do!

[Spyro]

Nice, the pictures look good and it's good to know the camera didn't stand in the way of getting them. I decided to trust it for some of the most important photos of my life (the birth of my daughter) and didnt regret it, even though I've already returned it to fuji once for a stuck VF curtain.

Re charger, this is a very common battery which means there's all sorts of chargers on ebay for $10. Flip out prongs, cordless, USB chargers, car adapters, you name it. Here's a couple of links:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NP-95-Charger-Fu...item43a70640c0
http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-USB-Char...item415a5bed6a

I got the little USB one, it works.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Spyro

Nice, the pictures look good and it's good to know the camera didn't stand in the way of getting them. I decided to trust it for some of the most important photos of my life (the birth of my daughter) and didnt regret it, even though I've already returned it to fuji once for a stuck VF curtain.

Re charger, this is a very common battery which means there's all sorts of chargers on ebay for $10. Flip out prongs, cordless, USB chargers, car adapters, you name it. Here's a couple of links:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NP-95-Charger-Fu...item43a70640c0
http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-USB-Char...item415a5bed6a

I got the little USB one, it works.

Thanks for those links Spyro ... that USB device looks like the go to me!

How long does it take to charge a battery from dead flat?

[jky]

Very nice photos! Love the composition on the first one.

Re: Fuji
Thanks for sharing your experience. The X100 recently returned on my radar after having played with one at the local shop. Keep us updated...

[back alley]

the thing that keeps me looking back and wondering about buying one is the images.
they look great on my screen.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by back alley

the thing that keeps me looking back and wondering about buying one is the images.
they look great on my screen.

I'm sure you wouldn't regret getting one Joe ... I think you'd have a ball with it. The optical viewfinder and the frameline layout are just superb!

I'd suggest soon though before the used market changes in case you don't actually like it ... which seems unlikely! Mine's managed to convert me to the 35mm field of view which I was never really a fan of.

[back alley]

for better or worse there is a shortage locally...

[emraphoto]

Originally Posted by Spyro

Nice, the pictures look good and it's good to know the camera didn't stand in the way of getting them. I decided to trust it for some of the most important photos of my life (the birth of my daughter) and didnt regret it, even though I've already returned it to fuji once for a stuck VF curtain.

Re charger, this is a very common battery which means there's all sorts of chargers on ebay for $10. Flip out prongs, cordless, USB chargers, car adapters, you name it. Here's a couple of links:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NP-95-Charger-Fu...item43a70640c0
http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-USB-Char...item415a5bed6a

I got the little USB one, it works.

you sir, are the MAN! thanx

i have the little machine all charged up and will be shooting more over the next few days.

the X100 seems a very capable reportage tool. i can pack it all day and attract no attention. i am quite keen on having a little camera around my shoulder or neck and nothing else these days. no bags, chest vests, multiple bodies and such for me.

FUNNY SIDE STORY, FEEL FREE TO SKIP - i was out and about the other day and i came across a pair of wedding/lifestyle? shooters at the old faithful spot (think old building, red bricks, ivy and whatnot). the lead was sporting a couple of big dslr rigs with speedlights and big zooms and the assistant had this crazy velcro? vest with cameras stuck all over him?!? it looked like he was breastfeeding cameras?!?! i don't normally laugh at others but man oh man, it was a shockingly funny scene.

Joe - i am a big fan of the RD-1 cameras. awesome interface and beautiful files. i know you like lenses a little longer and the RD-1 seems well suited to that with the crop and 1:1 finder. i reckon the thing really fits your approach well. with that said, if you wanted to roll a little wider, the X100 is quite the solid little machine. beautiful files, light and compact and i can quite easily forget the digital nature of the thing when shooting. no LCD and familiar layout. something the RD-1 excels at as well.

[emraphoto]

for those who care - the images are jpegs almost straight out of the camera. minor dodge and burn work on 1 and level tweaks.

[AM*shoots*SF]

^ your 3 pics have a softness and graininess that does not seem standard jpeg out of the x100. Did you set up in camera or use post production to get those effects? They work great with the subject matter and create a mood btw.

[gavinlg]

I love your work dude, please post more if you feel so inclined!

[Spyro]

^ Ι agree with AM*shoots*SF, they look like well-scanned c41. It suits them.

Keith I haven't actually timed it sorry, I usually forget it on for hours...

[emraphoto]

Originally Posted by AM*shoots*SF

^ your 3 pics have a softness and graininess that does not seem standard jpeg out of the x100. Did you set up in camera or use post production to get those effects? They work great with the subject matter and create a mood btw.

I will have a look at the camera in the a.m. and try and figure out what i did. I will have a look at the exif as well.

[emraphoto]

Originally Posted by fdigital

I love your work dude, please post more if you feel so inclined!

Thank you my friend. I will keep adding my thoughts and images as i get to know the X100.

[isorgb]

emraphoto, excellent "review".
I like read story about camera on the hard job instead of tests, tests, tests. I like the way to get to know the new camera like yours.
By the way, I think that you can take good(!) picture with every digital camera.
Those picture are "strong". I can't describe my thoughts more and better, my English is still poor (but I'm working hard on this!).
...
and again: "please post more if you feel so inclined!"

[emraphoto]

Originally Posted by isorgb

emraphoto, excellent "review".
I like read story about camera on the hard job instead of tests, tests, tests. I like the way to get to know the new camera like yours.
By the way, I think that you can take good(!) picture with every digital camera.
Those picture are "strong". I can't describe my thoughts more and better, my English is still poor (but I'm working hard on this!).
...
and again: "please post more if you feel so inclined!"

No need to apologize Przyjaciel. I am always happy to see folks from other countries on the forum. It is what makes the RFF so great. I can talk to a friend (or two) in Australia and make a new one in Poland too. You have done a great job and I understood everything you said.

I will continue to ad my thoughts on the FUJI as the days pass. I will also post photos!

[richardvanle]

Nice hands-on write-up. Thanks.

[PatrickT]

I love it!!

[emraphoto]

so, day uh... 14?

a few more thoughts on the X100. i will post photos later this evening or in the am.

having an admittedly limited understanding of the 'bits and bobbles' that go into a camera such as the Fuji, i hesitantly ask, "why did we move backwards when it comes to the af abilities of cameras of the Fuji's class"?

when one considers the af performance of a camera like the hexar af it seems hard to understand how we have returned to what seems like the stone age in af ability. now the Fuji isn't crippled per say by af performance BUT in low light conditions with low contrast scenes it seems to struggle. why pack a sensor capable of stunning high iso performance when the camera is 5 years behind a film camera from 20 odd years ago? is there technological hurtles that i am not understanding? eventually the camera will find focus with a bit of patience and knowledge. it is a bit distracting though to hear the lens raking in and out.

the X100 is potentially one of the best reportage cameras i have come across in the digital realm. the two issues i have encountered, standing in the way, are the somewhat weak af performance when the going gets tough and today the camera seemed a bit 'buggy'. when changing to macro mode, i found the camera going to the macro choice screen and before i could confirm it the screen shut off. after a second, and sometimes third attempt, the camera finally complied. by then, the goings on had been interrupted and i became the photographer mucking with his camera. half way through filling a 4 gig card i ended up with a card error message and i am unsure as to where i am at with the images shot. it wasn't one of my sandisk extreme cards (which in fact cleared up the problem pronto) but it WAS formatted in camera and not a cheapo card. i don't know if i buy into this whole 'must use top end/specific cards' business? a great reportage camera, targeted at professionals, should be able to run any bloody card i put in it. minor gripe to some but a well thought out and reliable feature for others.

i am still quite fond of the X100 and intend to put some real mileage on it. i hope that the 'buggy' day is an isolated experience. it must also be added that a quick restart seemed to clear up any issues i was having.

perhaps some RFF folk who understand the inner workings of cameras like the X100 would comment on the AF choice and performance relative to things like cost, size, available technology etc?

[DtheG]

[quote=emraphoto;1648565]so, day uh... 14?

the camera seemed a bit 'buggy'. when changing to macro mode, i found the camera going to the macro choice screen and before i could confirm it the screen shut off. after a second, and sometimes third attempt, the camera finally complied. by then, the goings on had been interrupted and i became the photographer mucking with his camera.


This is disconcerting when you first discover it but quite useful once you realise that pressing the macro button a second time will (because it is now the 'left option' button) toggle macro mode. wait for the screen to shut off or hall press the shutter and the change of mode is set. This avoids having to fiddle with trying to press the tiny OK button. Same applies to Drive, Flash and Disp options.