The Fuji Guys posted part 1/3 of their X-M1 first look at youtube here. For a deeper look at the top features and the new lenses (16-50 / 27) we have to wait for part 2/3 and 3/3.
pre-orders
X-M1 (body only or with 16-50mm) – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline EUROPE: DigitalRev / WexUK / PCHstore
XF 27mm – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline EUROPE: DigitalRev / WexUK / PCHstore XC 16-50: WexUK / PCHstore
FR-readers roundup
Lawrence: “hi Fujirumors. It’s been a month since I got my Fuji X-E1. Here’s my top 10 photos so far! Feel free to link to it”
Lawrence
– Brandon: “Hey there, Been reading your site every since I found out about the various new cameras that Fuji has been working-on– keep up the good work! I know the X-E1 is not exactly the newest camera at this point, but I’ve not seen very many examples of night photography taken with it. I put it to the test this past weekend and thought maybe your readers would be interested in seeing some night photography shots (click here).”
“Overall, I came away VERY impressed with how the Fuji lenses and sensor performed when used for night photography. The accuracy of the auto white balance in the X-E1 is simply in a category of its own. The combination of Fuji lenses and its sensor produce amazingly colorful and sharp photos that to me are quite impressive. Most night photos in color don’t do much for me but these blew me away in color. I would not hesitate to recommend the Fujifilm X-E1 and 14mm & 35mm lenses for night photography.”
Brandon
– Andrew: “Hi, […] some thoughts on the X Pro 1 from an old pro.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the camera, but there are too many BUTS at the moment and not enough people are mentioning them.
I know 3 other pro’s using this camera and I am not alone in my frustration. So I hope you will print this to elicit some decent conversation. And by that, I don’t mean a whole lot of net trolls whinging about my Leica comments.
cheers Andrew.
With a little time on my hands the other day, I decided to drop into see the friendly Leica dealer on Ave Beaumarche in Paris and with SD card in hand, try a few shots with the new Leica M (240).
I’m no pixel peeper, so I won’t bore you with my results, but what struck me right away was how well it worked as a camera and how much quicker it felt than my X Pro 1. I do own an M6, but all the same, this camera felt intuitive in my hands.
Heresy I hear you Fuji owners say, but let me explain. I’ve been pounding the pavements of Paris this last few weeks and daily taking many hundreds of photographs in what I would call a street style. I’ve had some good success, but I’m bothered by the amount of shots I’ve missed whilst the camera is getting up and going or deciding on it’s point of focus. Street photography is by it’s very nature reactive and quick and I admit, that after 40 years in the business and a number of eye operations, I am slowing down a bit.
What struck me when using the Leica, was the speed, manually focussing and all, between seeing and shooting. So I thought I would make a few observations to Mr Fuji about his sometimes wonderful machine.
The positives of the X Pro1 we all know well, a great feeling camera, well made and with some great glass, as good as a Leica, I’m told. Compact, lightweight, a good optical/digital viewfinder and a great future lens roadmap. It’s a seductive list and it seduced me to lay out for the body and 4 prime lenses.
So, why aren’t I completely happy? Well here is a list of things that bother me that I feel should not be happening.
Battery life is woeful. I rarely use the EVF or leave the rear screen on and am constantly getting caught out with a flat battery. Ever owned a Canon 5D mk 2 or 3, then you will know what great batteries can be like. You can just about shoot all day with 1 Canon battery and I cannot see why the X Pro 1 with only a single processor and no mirror cannot match this performance. I’ve been caught out so many times by sudden battery death and I never leave home without them fully charged.
Whilst on the subject of batteries, why are all the Fuji models using different sized ones. There must be a heap of pros and advanced amateurs shooting both X Pro 1’s and X100’s and I bet it frustrates the hell out of them, having to run two sets of batteries and chargers. And who was responsible for designing a battery that could be put in backwards rendering the camera inoperable? DESIGN 101, a bit of forethought would have gone a long way.
Now we come to my real bugbear, the menu layouts. Is it just me or does everyone find themselves all of a sudden shooting away, only to find that the camera setup has changed, the auto level has gone, or the EVF won’t shut off. What the hell is going on and why does it have to be so hard???????
I’m an Apple Mac user and despite what my jealous PC mates tell me, I use Macs not because they look so much nicer than a PC, but because of their functionality.
Macs work, simply, efficiently and generally with little fuss, once you get the swing, there is an obvious logical workflow to using them and it’s that obvious logical workflow that seems to have gone astray with the X Pro 1….. It shouldn’t have to be so hard. Software engineers seem to think, that because they understand the logic of a process, their customers will too. Well using the X Pro 1 can be a bit like recording your favourite program with the TV remote and I’m sure you all know what I mean here.
Hey Fuji guys, why not second a few of those Apple software designers for a few months and rebuild the interface from the ground up. I’m feeling decidedly unsure of explaining myself properly here, but I know in my heart things can be a lot better.
And finally, is there any point to having a whinge about autofocus speed? You betcha there is. If we are going to have a serious contender as a street camera, then things have got to change. I know there is a rumoured X Pro 2 in the wings with a rumoured twin processor inside it, but there must still be a fair bit of latitude via software upgrades to improving things on the current model (the same goes for battery performance I suspect). Well, we shall wait and see what next July brings with it’s rumoured upgrade. Those of us who have put their faith in the X Pro 1, should not have to put our hands back into our pockets when the X Pro 2 arrives, just to get what we thought we were getting in the first place! [admin: read the updated rumor here. The X-PRO2 won’t come before late 2013, early 2014]
When you look at the heritage of Leica cameras, even the 1939 model 3A I have still works so well, albeit a bit bruised and battered.
Fujifilm is hardly a small company with little resources available to sort out these teething issues. So, finally, what’s in all of this for Fuji? Well, they are sitting on the edge of greatness here with their cameras and they need to start asking themselves the hard questions. Do they want to play in the big sandpit with Mr Canon, Mr Leica and Mr Nikon, or do they want to be consigned to the trashcan of camera design history, just another camera manufacturer that nearly made it, a could have been….. The ball’s in your court guys. Greatness awaits.
Andrew
– Craig: “In case you can use this on the Fuji Rumors”… Fujifilm Xpro-1 – Wedding Photographs – The Beauty of Black and White here.
Craig
28 Responses
Why do people compare autofocus of X camera with Leica? go mount a Leica lens or Voigtlander on a Fuji X-Pro/E. Also, why are you autofocusing in the streets? zone focus. Battery comparison against a DSLR battery? really? way to compare the battery size and mAhp… Last time I checked, all DSLR have different batteries for their consumer, prosumer, pro bodies. I won’t go too far into comparing Leica legacy with Fuji X line of camera that’s barely got started. I’ll wait for the next comparison between a hummer to a honda civic.
I just don’t get the complaints about the X-Pro1:
1. Battery Life: Carry a couple of batteries. I hate it when people moan about battery life (they tend to result in new batteries for the next version of the body (pointlessly)), all you have to do is buy another one! I regularly get several hours of use from mine solely using the EVF.
2. Different batteries from the X100: I presume they changed the battery in the X-Pro1 to increase the capacity and, in any event, why would an ILC use the same battery as a compact?
3. Menu layouts: It is just you. I presume you are unintentionally pressing the DISP button on the back from your description. Note that has independent effects on the EVF and rear display.
4. AF Speed: I agree with you that Fuji should improve the AF speed, but it certainly isn’t the worst AF in an ILC I’ve experienced (that award must go to Sony’s NEX line for their sheer inaccuracy). With respect, AF speed is irrelevant for true street photography as opposed to taking photos on the streets… If that’s all that is important to you, get a Nikon 1.
Oh, and I’ve used an M240, and it’s a big improvement over my M9, but it’s a slow camera in need of some improved firmware. The menus look nice, but are frustrating and slow in use.
Honestly, it sounds like you should just use a DSLR instead or in addition to your X-Pro1.
I think there is nothing to compare between a Leica M and a Xpro!
The first one beiing a FF we said it all. Eggs are eggs.
The one thing you could compare is the price you”‘ll pay. I can purchase 3 pro’s for the price of one M- body! We even don’t talk about lenses
Yes I would like to,see a FF pro but by that time I imagine the price would’nt differ as much .
Second, why bother that ? Fuji is not a big firm but alsoLeica isn’t that big anymore. They can’t follow up the demand and delivery is delayed.
Personnaly I ‘ m convinced of the quality xpro delivers even though I’m not a seasoned photographer as the most of you forum guys are but I put my faith in it together with my Xpro.
This is my last post as life’s too short and there’s too many images not being captured. Battery life: as above – buy another or take less images – seriously – who takes more than 100 ‘considered’images in a day? Never mind 2 or 300 that most batteries are capable of…autofocus, ain’t what it could be, but it’s getting better…people think that Fuji are ‘listening’ to them when they hear that an update has been made that they’ve been posting and posting and posting about. Here’s the news. They haven’t…well not much, anyway – they’ve been listening to and watching the competition – not jus other manufacturers but all the other camera products that are available and sell well…and don’t and taking their cues from these…
Here are a couple of thought experiments.
Take a battery from the Canon 5D m2 and tape it to an X-pro1.
See what you get.
Maybe there were design decisions about the size and weight of the camera that were constraints to how big the battery might be?
Here’s another one: take the purchase price of the Leica M2 and the lens of your choice and divide that by the purchase price of the X-pro1 with the lens of your choice.
See what you get.
I subscribe Brandon’s comments regarding Leica’s operativity vs Fuji’s x-pro1 quirky setup, but to me the main problem is not IQ, sensor size or autofocus speed (although it’s unusable with any moving object no matter how slow), the main problem is the hybrid VF concept. The great thing about a Leica or any real rangefinder is that composing and focusing is intuitive and fast, once mastered it becomes second nature, like riding a bicycle, you just don’t think about it and it reacts to your reflexes. Not so with the x-pro1, the OVF’s parallax correction is dreadful, you are never sure where you are focusing at, then you have to use the EVF which is like watching TV, takes away all the advantages of the OVF and introduces lag. This process slows you down and takes you away from the shot, whereas with a rangefinder you expose, focus and frame extremely fast. Regarding street photography and zone focusing with a Leica you just have to look at the DOF scale printed on the lens and you’re done, but with the x-pro1 the DOF is inside the viewfinder (you have to turn it on, look through it, set it, again three steps where Leica only needs one) and the x-pro1’s dof scale is rubbish (this has been stated several times). It’s a pity that the Fujinons don’t have DOF scales on the lenses (only the 14mm does) this would make the camera so much enjoyable. What strikes me is how old technology trumps the new, instead of learning from it and improving it’s strong points. To the X-pro2 i’d only ask for a usable OVF where you can focus manually and auto without needing the EVF. They could just throw the EVF away as far as I am concerned. Great cameras are very much like handguns: cock, point, bang!
Sorry, I meant Andrew’s comments not Brandon’s 🙂
If speed is important the x-system may not be right for you, but I’m not certain about any arguments for a Leica m-240 in the face of the speed of almost any dslr and many of the other current mirrorless systems.
Issues with the menu interface must be taken as really really subjective, and if you really want an apple gui maybe you should just stick to taking shots with your iphone.
The x-system brings many things to the table and puts them together in a way that makes it a satisfying tool for many photographers. IQ in a more compact package and commitment on the part of the manufacturer to support a user group that is different from the ‘target’ group of most compact camera manufacturers.
I agree there is nothing like a Leica in term of time from vision to actual shot. Let me remind you that this happens in a rather narrow field of focals: from 28 to 50mm. Anything lower requires a second viewfinder (focus, change viewfinder, compose, shoot), anything longer makes you frame through a viewfinder so small that at my age I have difficulties in telling what is there (I could at 20, but didn’t have the money for a Leica at the time). With my X-pro 1 I can do copy and macro (via heritage Micro Nikkor, no cost), I can do tele landscape, and very soon I will be able to do reasonable portaits with one of my 90-105 thanks to focus peaking. Fuji may be a little slower in the street (but I would suggest: go 14mm and hyperfocal) but is much more flexible.
The comments directed at Fuji are right on the money!!! Of course the comparison to Leica is completely unfair from a price perspective. You cold buy An X-Pro 1 and every lens for less than just the m240 body alone withut a lens.
Who takes more than 100 shots in a day? Just about every pro on Earth.
i tend to agree with the writer that Fuji needs to improve the battery life and focus speed performance.
Stop whining, ladies – no matter how much you cry, Fuji won’t serve you breakfast in bed. Don’t like the battery life? – buy more batteries, they are cheap when you order off-brand (go to DX, for example). Don’t like that the battery can be put in camera backwards? – put a colorful sticker on the “right” side, use your nail file to make a tactile marks, whatever… I consider it a feature, not a bug. Why? One word: storage. You can safely store the battery inside your camera without discharge; saves you a cubic inch of luggage space. Not much, but for carry-on every inch counts.
And speaking of Leica… As much as I like Hyundai Coupe, you just can’t compare it to Bentley. They are very different cars for very different styles of driving. Same with Fuji and Leica: you certainly can run them side by side, but what’s the point?!
Menu layouts: they are actually better than Nikon’s. Oh, and if you find yourself in a situation where you demand speed and responsiveness of the pro SLR from MILC… seek help. Seriously, this is pathetic. It’s like complaining about slow Internet on board of a transatlantic jet plane.
PS: An addition to my Fuji wishlist: DON’T change the battery in the next model, use the same one. Just add a real battery grip option for those of us who need MOAR 😎
Ok, let’s not speak of Leica, let’s say rangefinders. Wherever you read Leica just replace it with rangefinder 😉
Fuji doesn’t have a rangefinder, and rangefinders don’t have an AF and focus peaking. Apples and oranges again 😎
Contax G2, a rangefinder with autofocus whose body design has unashamedly been copied by Fuji. Check it out: http://www.kenrockwell.com/contax/g2.htm
I still believe the hybrid VF is a flawed attempt as it is and I find surprising that with the technology at our disposal this is the best that can be done.
G2 was a glorious little camera, but not exactly a rangefinder. Well, it it is – and it isn’t at the same time. If you start counting RF AF as a “true” RF, you’ll have to compare Fuji X100 to Olympus µ, which would be quite unfair (apples and oranges again).
Back in the early days of AF, we had quite a variety of ways to focus. RF AF was popular among P&S cameras, PDAF was first adopted by Minolta with their SLRs (if I remember correctly)… We even had a sonar AF system with some Polaroid cameras!… Unfortunately, RF AF is just not accurate enough for the digital media.
And a “true” RF remained pretty much the same since the inception of it: you rotate the focus ring manually until your split image becomes one. Which means:
1. You won’t be able to focus accurately with fast telephoto lenses, where every millimeter counts.
2. You won’t be able to focus in the dark or on a subjects with very little contrast. A split mirror or prism used in rangefinders darkens the image, so when your naked eye can barely see stuff – forget about using RF, it’s like putting sunglasses on.
Fuji can reliably (but slowly) focus in low light, thanks to CDAF. You have 2 or 3 more stops advantage if you focus manually using EVF (can’t wait to try a promised focus peaking). From the feel of it, I’d say Fuji has at least 4 or 5 more stops of focusing ability over the best non-autofocus rangefinders when it comes to low light shooting.
However, when you look at Fuji’s OVF… It’s quite dim. The whole viewfinder is covered by a semitransparent mirror, so just forget about using it in extremely low light.
Oh, and speaking of low light and zone focusing… Imagine that you have to photograph in a total darkness. Event photography example: people watching a wedding slideshow. To see a distance and DOF scale on your Leica, you have to use a flashlight (giving away your location and probably destroying the moment). With SLRs you use your AF illuminator, destroying the moment completely.
But with Fuji, you just peak into your EVF and see a boosted image of what’s going on, along with the distance and DOF information. Yippie-kay-yay! 😉
…Apples and oranges again.
Fuji lovers, stop being so thin skinned! When someone makes constructive and accurate criticism of a nearly great camera recognize the truth and encourage Fuji to do better then finally we might get the product we all want. I agree with all Andrew’s points and could add a whole lot more. Don’t get me wrong I love the X- Pro and its lenses but it is still work in progress and the X-Pro2 needs a big leap to fix the shortcomings.
I respect constructive criticism (I have plenty for Fuji), but I wouldn’t take seriously anyone who complains that the AF speed is too slow for their tasks but a 1939 Leica works just fine.
Ditto.
To me a rangefinder with DOF scale on the lens is no doubt a faster camera, be it from 1939 or 2013. Have you tried one? The X-pro1 is great for some things but is limited in terms of fast reaction, I am sure they will improve this on the X-Pro2.
I’m well aware of how a rangefinder operates, and in the kind of conditions that CDAF would struggle with, it’d be just as difficult to nail the shot with a rangefinder – which is why so many people used and continue to use zone focusing for street photography.
Exactly, but as I said zone focusing is hard with the X-Pro1 because there is no printed DOF scale on the lenses (except the 14mm) and the scale on the viewfinder is just terrible.
I really don’t get the menu layout thing.. I haven’t had such problem as Andrew, and I have owned the camera since release. Oh yah, I do get paid for the photos I take with my fuji, so, I guess that makes me a pro as well.
I like the menu system. It’s perfectly logical to me. And the Q menu is great.
Andrew: “but I’m bothered by the amount of shots I’ve missed whilst the camera is getting up and going or deciding on it’s point of focus.”
-Make sure the quick start mode is on (harder on the battery but I shot almost 300 shots the just other day on one battery, I’ve had the XP1 for over a year and the battery life is consistent, I carry three batteries and usually only use two when out for the whole day)
-Turn off the auto power off feature so the camera doesn’t go to sleep on you (switch it off via on off instead, this way the camera won’t go to sleep which takes far longer to wake than if you just get in the habit of turning off the camera when you take it away from your eye).
-Take the AF mode off of multi and put it into area mode (you select the point instead of the camera selecting it is much faster to acquire focus this way)
I’ve used a wide variety of RF cameras over the last 20 years and in most lighting the XP1 will get to focus faster than an RF camera. Very low light I give the edge to a RF camera but my X100S with focus peaking is just as fast and more accurate than an RF in low light.
Andrew I’m not trying to invalidate your statements but I think you should try the changes I’ve suggested for your own knowledge so you’ll give the camera a fair shake with a proper config.
At the end of the day to each their own.
Andrew: “but I’m bothered by the amount of shots I’ve missed whilst the camera is getting up and going or deciding on it’s point of focus.”
-Make sure the quick start mode is on (harder on the battery but I shot almost 300 shots the just other day on one battery, I’ve had the XP1 for over a year and the battery life is consistent, I carry three batteries and usually only use two when out for the whole day)
-Turn off the auto power off feature so the camera doesn’t go to sleep on you (switch it off via on off instead, this way the camera won’t go to sleep which takes far longer to wake than if you just get in the habit of turning off the camera when you take it away from your eye).
-Take the AF mode off of multi and put it into area mode (you select the point instead of the camera selecting it is much faster to acquire focus this way)
I’ve used a wide variety of RF cameras over the last 20 years and in most lighting the XP1 will get to focus faster than an RF camera. Very low light I give the edge to a RF camera but my X100S with focus peaking is just as fast and more accurate than an RF in low light.
Andrew I’m not trying to invalidate your statements but I think you should try the changes I’ve suggested for your own knowledge so you’ll give the camera a fair shake with a proper config.
At the end of the day to each their own.
Very thankful for the criticism!!
Makes sense to compare it to another rangefinder like Leica, especially since sometimes you hear the claim that Fuji is the new Leica. Makes less sense to compare it to a dSLR.
All in all, sounds like substantiated criticism, things that people should know before buying a X-Pro1. Things that especially people who are used to using dSLRs should know and think about.
Will it stop me from buying a X-Pro1 this week (even though the X-Pro2 will probably be here in half a year)? Hell no.
Also, the prices for X-Pro1 bodies here in Japan are in free fall the last 2 weeks or so. Every day 10 bucks down. It’s crazy.
I get 1000 shots out of a battery on my x100s. Maybe you are pressing the shutter wrong.