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Author Topic: Fujifilm X100  (Read 9804 times)

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« on: November 04, 2011, 02:30 »
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Anyone using the Fujifilm X100 for stock?

I'm interested in the well-reviewed lens, sensor and high-ISO capability. And the portability. Not so keen on the reports of sluggish AF and numerous operational quirks.

Wondering if anyone has any experience with using this cam and getting shots from it accepted by the agencies.


« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2011, 09:30 »
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Just taking mine out for its first spin.

It will take some time getting used to it, especially compared to a dslr, but it's good fun snapping with it.

I'll only know if the image quality is up to par for stock in a couple of days.

I'll keep you posted.

« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2011, 16:21 »
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Thanks.

« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2011, 09:06 »
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Ok, so I couldn't stand the suspense and I went out and bought the last one in the local camera shop. Shot several hundred frames today, mostly children, leaves and things, and going through them on the computer now I'm pretty * impressed.

The lens is sharp enough for stock at f/2 except perhaps at close focus distances. By f/4 it's fine at MFD. The camera JPGs are superb ... among the best I've seen. ACR 6.5 handles the RAWs nicely, too, with a built-in auto lens correction profile. High-ISO performance is startlingly good: I reckon well-exposed shots at 800 should have no problem getting accepted, and even 1600 and 3200 should work downsized to 2000 x 3000-ish.

Camera operation is better than I expected from the reviews. Metering is excellent, just as good as my 1-series Canon. AF is on the slow side, but not a deal-breaker. If you prefocus rangefinder-style, shutter lag is brief, good enough to capture bouncing kids. The menu system is quirky, it's true, but after a few hours I'm familiar with it. The optical viewfinder is nice and the EVF is even better for some things.

Build quality is great, the feel of the camera is nice, and it's a small and lightweight package that fits into the side pocket of my jacket.

On the negative side, the lens flares badly in certain conditions, which I haven't quite nailed down yet. Point sources of light seem OK, but a bright overcast sky in the frame veils everything else.

A cautious thumbs-up so far.

« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2011, 20:37 »
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Yep... LOVE my x100. The 5D mark II pretty much is just gathering dust since I've gotten the Fuji. And Getty has taken all the upsized (from RAWs) photos that I've sent in, so I'm fully confident in what the camera can do. Very happy with my investment.

« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2012, 15:43 »
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I just bought this camera and am waiting for it in the mail.  I bought it for a more convenient party / family / walk around / holiday camera when I don't want to lug around an SLR and I want something that is better quality than a smarphone (iPhone in my case).  I got it because it has a large sensor and uses a lot of manual control to change things like aperture and shutter speed.  I'm happy to zoom with my feet with a camera like in in exchange for a quality lens.  I'm also a sucker for retro styled stuff.  I'm still waiting for it in the mail but will share more thoughts when it comes.

Is anyone else using it?  Do you like it / hate it?
 

... I just merged the two threads on this camera.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2012, 08:14 by leaf »

« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2012, 17:03 »
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I've got one and have had shots accepted with it. Lens flares if you point it into light sources, but otherwise pretty good quality. Too slow for stock work I found, but a good back up camera for when a DSLR is too big. Hybrid viewfinder is a good development, I'd like to see that in bigger, better cameras.

« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2012, 17:23 »
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I've got one and have had shots accepted with it. Lens flares if you point it into light sources, but otherwise pretty good quality. Too slow for stock work I found, but a good back up camera for when a DSLR is too big. Hybrid viewfinder is a good development, I'd like to see that in bigger, better cameras.

Thanks for the thoughts.  I probably won't use it much (if at all) for stock so the limitations in that regards isn't a big deal.  I have gotten a few good grab shots over the years that have paid off well but generally I find it is a waste of time to try and get stock from daily life. it's nice to have the opportunity however

« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2012, 17:38 »
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My only tip is to set up back button focussing with it, make it much more practical.

« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2012, 18:03 »
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My only tip is to set up back button focussing with it, make it much more practical.

You mean instead of having the shutter button set as focus, to use one of the buttons on the back for focus?

« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2012, 18:13 »
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Yes. I've switched to doing that with my DSLR too and it's a much better system.

« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2012, 18:57 »
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Yes. I've switched to doing that with my DSLR too and it's a much better system.

Ok.  I'll give it a try with that one.  I just started doing that a month or so ago as well with the dslr and agree, it is a better solution.

« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2012, 19:16 »
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The X100 and X-Pro1 are my everyday cameras now. I rarely pick up the 5D and hate it when I do. Getty and iStock have had no problem accepting the images - including those upsized for Getty from the 12mp  files from the X100.

Ed

« Reply #13 on: November 25, 2012, 23:06 »
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Curious to hear your thoughts after you get a chance to use it....I was thinking of the X100 and went with the X-Pro1 instead.  The only reason I went with my decision is I was thinking the 18-55 would be a better zoom once it's released.  I should get it tomorrow afternoon.  I think either one would be great for travel and street related images....though I'm curious how they would perform in studio, and I may try it (they are both pocket wizard friendly from what I understand).

Let us know your thoughts!

« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2012, 23:16 »
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Curious to hear your thoughts after you get a chance to use it....I was thinking of the X100 and went with the X-Pro1 instead.  The only reason I went with my decision is I was thinking the 18-55 would be a better zoom once it's released.  I should get it tomorrow afternoon.  I think either one would be great for travel and street related images....though I'm curious how they would perform in studio, and I may try it (they are both pocket wizard friendly from what I understand).

Let us know your thoughts!

I didn't care for the zoom at all, but it could be I just simply prefer primes these days.  Either body will produce stellar images in the studio, without question.

« Reply #15 on: November 30, 2012, 06:22 »
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Here are some initial thoughts.  I thought I'd post them now before I forget, then post more thoughts later.

Looks and Style
I really like the looks of rangefinder cameras and now that I have the X100 in my hands, I'm not disappointed.  I don't know why I like that style of camera but I do, so I'm happy to appease that desire.  It's not surprising that I still like the looks and style after using it as you can get a pretty good idea of the looks and style while looking at it online.  I do think the back of the camera has too many buttons though.  It looks a little cluttered and 'point and shootish'.  The size of the camera is very nice.  It is small enough to stuff into a back or a large pocket, is very light but large enough to actually hold and shoot with.  I figured if I wanted a mini point and shoot (with poor quality) I can use my phone, so I didn't need something super small.  If I want the best quality and best lenses I'll use the DSLR.  This camera is for when I want to take an actual camera, get good/decent photos, have fun shooting and not have to lug around several kg's on my shoulders all day to snap a few shots on a holiday.

Useability
I really like the manual mechanical aperture dial on the lens and the shutter speed dial on the top.  It is a little bit of a shame these don't include half stops (you can just a switch on the back to adjust the settings by 1/3 stops) but the feeling of them is very nice and tactile.  To change the ISO however you have to press the Fn button on top then rotate the back dial.  An OK solution but I think a manual mechanical control of the ISO would be the icing on the cake.  The old film cameras had it, they could stick it on the X100 if they wanted to.
Again, the back of the camera is a bit busy for my liking.  If the camera is supposed to bring us back to the old 'manual' days of shooting, it would be nice if the back of the camera echoed that.  Instead it is very point and shoot like with a dial that can be rotated and pressed in, in 4 directions.  This takes a little getting used to and is a bit frustrating trying to remember how to get the thing on macro mode, turn the flash on/off, change it to movie mode etc.  It is easy once you get used to it, but coming from a DSLR where you have dedicated buttons it seems very finicky. 

shooting
I've really enjoyed shooting with it though.  i don't know why I think it is more fun than using an SLR (which generally ends up being the Canon 5D mark III with 24-70 f/2.8 or a 50mm), but it is for some reason.  Perhaps the SLR feels too much like work, or too electronic and 'cold'.  The X100 is simplified and is feels more 'organic' or something.. not to sound too fluffy and hippy like but it has a fun feel to it.  It's like shooting with an iPhone but you are shooting with an actual camera instead of a toy.

wife factor
Yes I know there are lots of women in here who shoot.. this isn't a gender thing.. perhaps I should call it the 'spouse' factor.  In other words: How hard it is to use for someone who doesn't feel like reading the instruction book or playing with all the settings and buttons.
Figuring out how to get to movie mode or macro isn't completely intuitive but could probably be figured out once a little instruction is given.  You can slide the aperature and shutter speed dials to A (auto) so the camera works by itself.  This is a little more difficult than turning the Canon dial to the big green box but not a big deal.  So, not super friendly but not bad either.

Menus
I find the menu system UI a little backwards and clumsy.  Again, I'm used to the Canon system so it could just be familiarity, and the X100 menu is relatively small but still... I think Canon's is better.  The X100 has a funny underline / highlight thing when one item is selected that simply looks out of place, certain menu items are only available when you press the menu button at the right time.  If you press the menu while shooting you'll get the shooting menu items.  If you press the menu button while previewing images you shot, you'll see the preview menu.  It makes it a little dummy proof I suppose but it is frustrating when you can't find what you are looking for because you were in the wrong 'mode' to start with.  If i'm in the menu I want the entire menu, not a watered down menu.  I also find that little dial a little small and finicky to use..but again I'm used to the nice large 5D dials.  I'm getting used to it as the days go by.

Focus
I'm not sure manual focus is even worth trying.  You can turn the focus ring but it is hard to tell (impossible?) when things are really in focus through the viewfinder.  It would be nice if this was a bit better so one could really do manual shooting.  The autofocus is pretty good though, and seems quite quick.  I still dream of using a Leica because of this but I'll be happy with the Fuji for a few years I think.  I really like the process of things (baking, making a fire, building something) .. which is why manual, mechanical controls are fun when you are doing something for the purpose of enjoying the activity of doing it and not just for the results.

« Reply #16 on: December 01, 2012, 15:06 »
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Viewfinder
The view finder is one of the things that has been raved about on this camera as it combines a regular view finder, hybrid viewfinder and digital viewfinder all in one.  I like that it can show the shot you just took in the viewfinder for 1 sec afterwards, encouraging less chimping. I had read that the digital viewfinder was smooth and fast.  I suppose it is reasonably fast but I was expecting to be really fast, like the iphone live view.  It is more like a video shot with 5-10 frames/second.  It moves fast and updates fast but it pretty choppy.  It isn't a problem, I just thought it might be better.  The digital viewfinder is automatically activated when you shoot in macro mode (to reduce the parallax problem I suppose) but otherwise I like to keep it off.

When switching between modes (macro / regular, video/stills, flash) the info is displayed either using the back of the camera or the display in the viewfinder.  As far as I can tell (correct me if I'm wrong) the camera tries to guess if your face is mashed up against the viewfinder, and if so, uses that.  Otherwise it uses the back of the camera.  It is convenient when it guess right but rather irritating when it guesses wrong.  You press a button and think nothing is happening, when really the info was being displayed where I wasn't looking.

« Reply #17 on: December 01, 2012, 16:14 »
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The 'View Mode' button allows you to choose where the info is displayed and to turn the auto-eye thingy off. I guess you've already worked that out.

Also, get a thumb lever that fits in the hot shoe - helps the ergonomics of the camera no end. I bought one off eBay and it's fine.

Ed

« Reply #18 on: December 01, 2012, 20:10 »
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Leaf - I've been doing a lot of work with the X-Pro1 this past week and my experience is very similar to what you explain - especially with your paragraph about shooting.  It's just plain fun, it's light to carry around, the images are amazing (I shot without flash today indoors at the local art museum and I am EXTREMELY impressed with image quality).  White balance is also very reasonably accurate.

My only complaint is battery life....but I can live with that.

« Reply #19 on: December 03, 2012, 08:20 »
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Leaf - I've been doing a lot of work with the X-Pro1 this past week and my experience is very similar to what you explain - especially with your paragraph about shooting.  It's just plain fun, it's light to carry around, the images are amazing (I shot without flash today indoors at the local art museum and I am EXTREMELY impressed with image quality).  White balance is also very reasonably accurate.

My only complaint is battery life....but I can live with that.


I have been looking at the thumb grip a bit and also felt I missed somewhere to put my thumb on the back of the camera.  Perhaps I'll order one as well.  I agree though, I'm certainly going with an aftermarket thumb grip.
I really can't believe Fuji is asking $230 for their thumb grip when the camera itself only costs $1200.  How on earth can they justify a little piece of metal costing $230?  A cast iron frying pan only costs $20!!

« Reply #20 on: December 03, 2012, 08:32 »
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How on earth can they justify a little piece of metal costing $230?  A cast iron frying pan only costs $20!!

I bought my thumb grip from LensMate for $49 for the X100 and $70 for the XPro1.

« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2013, 04:34 »
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Looks like the camera just got an update with the FujiFilm X100s


 

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