The best camera I've ever used... period.

[Jamie Pillers]

I've owned the X100 for about 5 months now. I'm getting to the point where I can say this is the best camera I've ever owned. I don't want to waste your reading time by listing all the superb features, pros, cons, foibles, etc. Rather I wanted to paint a more subjective picture of my experience with the X100. First, I should say that I use the X100 for everything I'm interested in, photographically. I love making pictures of everything street life, to intimate moments with my family, to big wide-open landscapes, to up-close macro stuff. Except for my love of trying out flea-market lenses (for which I'll be adding some ILC sooner or later), I could happily live with this camera alone.

Any camera I've ever used (includes a huge array of both film and digital P&S, SLR, RF, MF, LF gear) requires the photographer to deal with work-arounds. The Fuji is no exception. But I can say without any hesitation now, that the work-arounds I needed to develop for the X100 have been as painless as with any other gear I've used.

I'm now able to focus quickly enough to never feel like I'm losing photo opportunities. I tend to use the camera like I use a film rangefinder camera... zone focused and manual exposure. I can now change ISO, focus mode, 'film style', aperture, and shutter speed without taking my eye off the viewfinder. And the viewfinder... man-oh-man!! Its the brightest small camera viewfinder I've ever used. And the best thing of all... this camera is small and perfectly balanced in the hand... thus comes along for the ride every day, all day.

Image quality is as good as anything I've used, at least as it appears on my computer screen or in inkjet prints. Better than darkroom prints? I don't care about that anymore. The color fidelity & saturation, dynamic range, and sharpness of the X100 images are superb. I don't need more than that.

For the pure pleasure of photography, I can't imagine owning anything better than the X100. Obviously the techno drum beat goes on and there are going to continue to be amazing cameras coming down the pike. But I can't imagine adding anything to the X100 the would increase the pleasure I get when I'm out looking at the world.

Click on, brothers and sisters. And here's to you, Al, wherever you are.

[emraphoto]

Jamie,

i also consider the x100 one of the best digital cameras i have used to date. a very, very powerful reportage tool.

i am off to do some work and feel quite comfortable with two x100's and nothing else.

[kdemas]

Jamie Jamie Jamie! Seeing you with a camera for this long is causing a disturbance in The Force, it's simply unnatural! The Jamie I know is a whirlwind of trades and SLRs and purchases and testing and....

I'm glad you're happy with the X100 as it's fun when a tool really works for you. Personally I'm trying to resist the drumbeat of the X-Pro1...but that's another topic!

Enjoy my friend!

[Sam Kanga]

For me, I would have to say my M2

I live in the 35 & 50mm world (occasional use of 28). The M2 has the frame lines I need for those focal lengths (28mm is the edge of the frame)
Beautiful, Quiet, Smooth, Fast. My second body is an M4P.

Using a small rangefinder is blazing fast, and I can trust that I've got the shot. In over 35 years of shooting, I can't think of even 5 shots that I have missed because I was out of focus. I've missed more shots because I've stupidly not been prepared, or didn't have a camera with me! (I think that's the 8th deadly sin).

thanks
Sam

[gavinlg]

I would agree that the X100 is one of, if not the best camera I have ever used.
It's ergonomically exceptional, has a brilliant viewfinder, the AF implementation is genius, it looks great, it's the perfect size and weight to hang off my shoulder all day/every day, the IQ is at least as good as the current top of the range full frame DSLRs, the JPEG files that come out of it are mind blowingly good (better than top of the range DSLRs), the lens is superb - basically no distortion, sharp to the edges, super consistent, and at about $1000us I honestly can't think of any new camera that even comes close to it on a value/usability/output quality basis.

[keytarjunkie]

I concur. The X100 is my favorite digital camera. It is the backup to my Mamiya 7, which so far has been my favorite camera ever. They are pretty similar, actually. The Mamiya just has no BS! The X100 has a teeny bit.

While I'd like a full-frame sensor with a 35mm lens, that would create more battery consumption, and a larger lens that is placed farther away from the sensor. So I'm quite happy with this one.

[Jamie Pillers]

Stay safe out there, and good to see those X100's being put to good use!

[Jamie Pillers]

Kent,
If you stick with the X100, then you can avoid spending time chasing down 'the perfect lens' for the XPro. :-) And (I'm going to go out on a limb here), I suspect that the X100 will eventually be seen as THE cult camera of the early 21st century... ummm, well maybe the VERY EARLY 21st century, until April anyway. :-)
Jamie

[Jamie Pillers]

X100 is WAY better, Sam. Dump that Leica gear and come on over to the dark side. ISO-on-the-fly man!! How many shots have you missed because you had ISO 100 film in there when you suddenly found yourself inside a dark bar confronted by the paparazzi moment of a lifetime? ;-P

[Jamie Pillers]

Ditto. :-)

[Jamie Pillers]

Full-frame sensor X200 will be here in... (my forecasts have never been wrong when it comes to techo toys coming down the pipe)... in 4 years. Then THAT will be my "best camera ever". :-)

[Rayt]

I played with a friend's X100 and agree it is the best digital p&s I have used up to date. An hour ago I picked up the 100vs 4x5 slides from the lab. While I am a film shooter I prefer large and medium format quality so perhaps it is time to abandon 135 film for digital where it does not matter as much such as street shooting. I prefer high ISO digital to shooting 3200 film anyway.

[rbelyell]

i traded my 5d for the x100. dont regret it in the least. love my X, love theresults. i smile whenever i see an iso3200 file because i know its better than any other 3200 file out there.

[fireblade]

i have access to one at anytime and have used it a dozen times or so and unfortunately i am beginning to like it...... the problem is that black one calls.

[porktaco]

son of a... you are also making my life a living hell of GAS fantasies

[whitecat]

All it needs is a zoom lens like the X10.

[zvos1]

I answered the call of a black x100, best digital camera I've used hands down. Since I bought it I haven't checked classifieds once, that says a lot.

[Paddy C]

Nicely put.

I've dismissed the camera a number of times but keep thinking I still want one.

[rover]

Originally Posted by Paddy C

Nicely put.

I've dismissed the camera a number of times but keep thinking I still want one.

I have not dismissed it, but question simply how many cameras that I want, and the place for a fixed lens camera. That said, the images this thingy makes are more than impressive, and I am very tempted.

[gilpen123]

The black one is the one. I love my X100 and the fuji colors, I love the feel, the look and the lowlight capabilities. Quirky at times but I can live with that. Update as it comes, don't miss those tiny bits of imrpovement.

[DennisPT]

Thanks for sharing Jamie and I miss Al

[David_Manning]

Glad to hear the X100 is getting out of the way of people making images! The X100, the new anti-GAS medication!

I love mine. I only worry about it's longevity. It feels electronic to me, and I see that aperture opening and closing all the time. I'd love to see a "professional" version...simply, one that will last years in use. Maybe weather sealed (since it's so electronic), case-hardened, etc. I'd LIKE to use it as a professional tool, but I've got a nagging feeling it may fail when I have to depend upon it. I think this is where dSLRs lead the pack...they're prone to survive more abuse in the field.

[willie_901]

I carry the X100 daily. I use it as if it were a RF camera.

The ability to shoot at ISO 3200 and get a useable B&W print is a game changer for me. I rarely go slower than 1/125 which makes the most out of the lens.

The only inherent flaw is the ghosting present from bright point source lights, especially at night. This I can live with.

This winter I entered three 12 X 18 color prints from the X100 in a local, juried, gallery exhibition. There were 75 accepted out of about 160 entries and 3 of them were mine. Two were at ISO 800 in EV 6 - 7 light. Two were spontaneous just because I had the camera with me because it' so easy to carry. One took an honorable mention. Not bad from a camera that someone here claimed was impossible to focus a couple of months ago.

And, Scott Kelby an RC can go ....

[thegf]

i too am happy with mine. it's a good value in a small package.

i still don't get why everyone assumes a "full frame" camera will be released. i honestly don't think that camera manufacturers see this as something worth pursuing. the reason SLRs do it (as does Leica) is because of all the glass that's out there. because the x-mount is new, they can craft glass made for the sensor.

[noimmunity]

Originally Posted by thegf

because the x-mount is new, they can craft glass made for the sensor.

and the new 35/1.4 in XF mount is simply stellar, like Zeiss or Leica, at CV prices.

Nice post, Jamie!

I wanted a 50 efov and waited for the X-Pro1; certainly was worth it, for me!