image courtesy: Craig Litten
Pro-photographer Craig Litten (over 10,000 published photos) posted his informal review. It’s well worth to stop by his blog and read it. But let’s start with the X-Trans debate:
“At the heart of the Fuji X-E 1 is the X-Trans sensor–believe the hype, it’s real! […] The color from the Fuji X-E1, and all the Fuji cameras housing the X-Trans image sensor make me want to stop shooting in B&W, even in flat, ugly mid-day sun […]. The sensor not only handles bright, bold colors incredibly, but also handles whites and subtle, pastels equally well as you can see from the other samples below. I love to shoot in the Velvia film simulation mode, as mentioned above under most lighting conditions, but you have to experiment with it. It seems to do best with natural, outdoor light rather than artificial light. But I could be proven wrong since I’m still experimenting with the camera. […]
I prefer the EVF in the X-Pro 1 to that of the X-E1, even though the latter has higher resolution. The EVF in the X-E1 suffers from the pretty noticeable lag. Lag happens when you move the camera, especially in low light, when you are viewing though the EVF.
The XF 18-55 […] focuses absolutely silently and super fast. Yep, I said, “super fast.” This being my first lens in the Fuji XF lineup, I was wondering what all of the talk of slow focusing was about. The first week I got the X-E1 and 18-55 zoom, I took it out and shot two different paid assignments with it, and it performed flawlessly! Did I mention that the assignments were paid, professional and published? This is a testament to this little camera system. Normally, I would have shot the same assignments with two big, heavy DSLRs at my sides. Afterward, my back and knees would have suffered. Plus, as an added bonus, shooting with the X-E1 was FUN!
The X-E1 is a fine camera with some talents of it’s own, but at the end of the day, for professional work, I much prefer the bigger sister, the Fuji X-Pro 1“
There is much more to read and find out why he prefers the X-PRO1 over the X-E1 at his website here.
image courtesy: Craig Litten “Fujicolor: BAM! POW!!“
33 Responses
XF18-55, Super fast? you gotta be kidding me. I can’t use the lens to auto focus on my daughter indoor because it is so slow. little bit better out door, but nothing compare to the D90 it is replacing. It is only reasonably fast, at best, focusing on still objects, with inaccurate result. I am finding myself often checking the distance scale at the bottom of the screen just to be sure. Hopefully the big firmware update later this month can fix this
I wouldn’t call it “super fast”, but it’s on par with the fullframe “normal” zooms in terms of AF speed. However, you have to keep in mind that “normal” zooms on FF always have been the slowest focusing zooms of the bunch. In a typical “pro” kit consisting of 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200 f/2.8 zooms, the AF speed of 24-70 is glacial (at least for Canon and Nikon versions).
However, once you start comparing AF speed to a fast “pro” zooms in APS-C league, the game changes. 17-55/2.8 is so much faster than Fuji’s offering… Well, it’s also 3x bigger and heavier.
I didn’t say that it “tracked moving subjects” but that it focused super fast. Mine does anyway. Comparing it to DSLRs would obviously be taking what I said out of context which I also wrote at the end of the paragraph titled “Zoom.” Actually, my copy of the 18-55 focuses so quickly, (now using it on my X Pro 1) that I’ve had to check it by moving my hand back and forth in front of the lens to see if it was actually focusing. Unlike the 18mm and 35mm, it’s silent.
Thanks for reading!
Craig, I agree with you (by the way, thanks for the article!) – it is fast. As a matter of fact, one of my first thoughts when I got my XE1 kit was – what’s all this fuss about slow AF? It’s totally fine!… But then I got a 60mm macro, what a pain.
Same for me. Once indoor + low light forget it. You just can’t use AF. Again comparing to an 7D for instance. So yes with people or children for instance in mouvement, you get plenty of unsharp images or miss the right instant. But not sure if its linked to the cam or the lense. (ex-1 + 18-55). Even in the shop where I bought it they had problems to demonstrate AF. Sill the camera is good in other situation.
lawry, I don’t know which X-series camera body you are using, but the X-E1 and the X-Pro1 use contrast detection (CDAF), unlike DSLR’s and newer APS-C hybrid cameras that utilize CDAF & PDAF (phase detection). So you can’t compare a CDAF camera to your D90.
Side note: When using live-view on your D90, it’s only using contrast detection. It was a strange decision on Nikon’s part. Not sure why they did that, but you can test that out and compare the difference in speed for fun.
Contrast detection can be tricky, but once you understand it, its easier to use. There’s lots of tips and tricks you can Google. For example, if I want to take a photo of my wife reading a book on the couch,I won’t focus on her face as there’s not enough contrast and most likely would take repeated attempts to focus and if it does, it would be blurry; so rather I focus on the book, or the corner of the couch near to her face and then quickly recompose. Once you get in the habit of focusing on another point/light within the frame and recomposing for your main subject, it becomes 2nd nature, quite fast and a hundred times more reliable.
Thanks for the tip, Hsu. I am using X-E1. Yes, shooting in liveview is a nightmare on D90. I only use that for my tokina 116.
I mainly much use my XPro for low light work – 1/30 / f1.4 @ ISO1600 is a common exposure – and I rarely have an issue locking focus unless I’m pointing the camera at an area with zero contrast. By moonlight, streetlight light, crappy interior ambient light. It’s not awesome for fast action, but it locks on dead nuts accurate.
I agree with lawry. I have already said it before but I’ll repeat it in case repetition makes someone takes it into consideration: AF is just too slow and unusable with any moving object, and I don’t mean moving fast, just strolling, and I don’t mean tracking, just focusing. So far I only own the 18-55 and have read that it’s the fastest, I was considering the primes but if they are even slower it’s a no no until the issue is solved. If you only focus on static objects you don’t really need AF to start with. Zone focusing could be a good compromise solution as it has been for years and still is in rangefinder cameras, but it’s current implementaion without lens markings and a dreadful scale on the Vf doesn’t make it a good option. I am sure the X-Pro2 will improve all this. Even the X-Pro1 could be improved by rethinking the DOF scale via a firmware update, that should be easy.
I don’t have any FF camera so I can’t tell the speed of FF lens on FF camera. But my 18-105 kit lens on my d90 is faster. So is the tamron 70-300 VC
People will complain about these cameras until the X-Pro 2 comes out with an efficient hybrid AF system; and, even then, when the AF is very good, but still not the fastest, the excuse makers will still continue to complain.
Unquestionably, the Fuji X-Pro 1/X-E1 are not the fastest cameras. If you need speed, don’t get a camera with a contrast detection AF system. While the OM-D may be faster, it is not more accurate for delicate focus, shallow depth of field shots: if the subject is smaller than the AF square, it has a tendency to select the background to focus on.
If you need speed, get a professional-level DSLR. However, don’t expect great AF accuracy with a DSLR, as many of them have a tendency to have front and back focus issues. With a DSLR, you need to take a few shots of the same subject to ensure that you nail focus; whereas, with my X-Pro 1, as long as my hands are steady and the shutter speed is fast enough, the AF is spot-on accurate.
Perhaps I am a slower, more careful photographer; and, I don’t shoot sports very often, though I have taken several panning shots with the X-Pro 1, and it hasn’t been a problem.
Just like I told my friend, who is considering getting an X-Series camera, the X-Pro 1 is a great camera for me, but perhaps it isn’t the camera for you. Go to a store and try the camera out or, even better, rent one before you buy it. If it doesn’t suit your needs, just don’t buy it. It definitely is not a spray-and-pray type of camera. But, for those that say it doesn’t focus in low light, they are nuts, as I have taken lots of shots in low light. If you say it won’t focus on something that has no contrast, then that is another story, as it needs contrast to focus, hence the AF system: contrast detection AF.
Very nice pictures of Craig.
Sorry, Mr. Pro, but you’re wrong. According to Mr. Ueno, from Fuji, X-E1’s frame rate EVF is the same speed as X-Pro1: 46fps. Source: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3273907
This review is here to help whomever reads it. I get absolutely ZERO dollars for writing it. I spent weeks with the camera, and untold hours shooting and writing it. But sadly, everything on this page is negative and the information is misconstrued.
By the way Mr. Rogerio, I NEVER EVER mentioned the EVFs framerate.
“The EVF in the X-E1 suffers from the pretty noticeable lag.” lag == framerate.
Anyway, don’t let it get you down. Most people here, myself included, are fatigued with the whole thing. Fuji waster their money and our time with the Xtrans sensor, if they had not bothered they would have sold many more cameras and made more money per unit.
Your photos look great, its nothing to do the the sensor, and honestly its nothing to do with the camera either.
I don’t know, Tim. I don’t think everyone is as unhappy with the X-Trans sensor. I actually really like the results I am getting with it.
What I am extremely frustrated with, though, is the lack of support for handling the RAW files. I also find it very strange that Fuji doesn’t seem to have provided adequate support to Adobe et.al. in handling the X-Trans files. I don’t find ACR to be particularly good with them and my (admittedly) limited testing of Iridient Developer hasn’t convinced me that improvement, if any, outweighs the inconvenience of altering my workflow.
The two things are intrinsically related. I’m fairly certain that a Bayer sensor without the AA filer would be just as good 99% of the time and have broad RAW support.
Its nice that Fuji does interesting things but really this is creating lots of work for lots of companies, and lots of work for lots of users, for a marginal benefit. Its been 500 days, and for most of those Silkypix was the only option.
Tim, lag ≠ framerate, it’s a lag. And in case of XE1, it’s not consistent – it just struggles with some scenes in low light, having too much to process. You can lessen that lag by turning off various whistles and bells, such as live histogram and other unnecessary info in the frame. Actually, if you switch to a “custom” screen where you’ve unchecked everything in settings, you can avoid that lag for most low light scenes.
@tim – Frankly, without the trans sensor I would not have bought a x-pro1. Truth be told, the difference between the Trans and Bayer sensors is there, for better or worse. For me, the better side is worth the worse side, if that makes sense 🙂
Adrian, I brought the XP1 in spite of the sensor!
At the time IQ did not matter to me, software support did, and there were some rumors that the JPEGS were better than RAW 😉
But now, seeing what Sony is doing … well 18mths is a long time in silicon tech and the Fuji sensor is behind. So really Fuji shoots themselves in the foot AFAIC with this, high dev cost, lost sales, out of date sensor – so they don’t make a profit do they?
Personally I’m not good enough that it matters …
Mr. Craig, I’m trully sorry. I was rude to you.
I’ve read your article in the integrity and I felt you were being biased towards the X-Pro1.
Clearly you took your time and went back and forth until you finally elected the X-Pro1 as your camera, and maybe this decision clouded the impartiality of your judgment, but in no way that justifies my attittude. I also took my time and like to thing my decision for the X-E1 was the correct. So perhaps that’s the reason I acted like a jerk with you.
I still believe that both cameras suffer from this, as owners from both sides report everywhere. As I pointed out previously, it’s a fact that both cameras use the same sensor and share the same frame rate in their EVF’s, which is the cause of their slower performance compared to other EVFs in the market.
But your argument is very solid: the higher resolution OLED EVF of the E-X1 could be too much to the sensor and the cause to a bigger lag compared to the XP.
All the best.
Thank you Rogerio!, it’s no problem.
I love both cameras, but I love the OVF being available when I need it. Even though it’s not always accurate, and the AF is not as good. And the Play button location is HUGE to me being that I use the cameras professionally. If not, it would be less of an issue. Thanks for reading the article, and enjoy your wonderful little Fuji.
I still can’t figure out if the kit zoom or the 35mm prime is the way to go. The zoom sticks out far enough that it seems to me to defeat the whole purpose of wanting something small.
Do the idiots from DPReview hang out here too? It’s starting to sound like it. I loved coming here to enjoy what the Fuji’s have to offer and the great articles like Craig’s and all it seems now is wankers that have nothing better to do.
Take your DSLR and go use them for what they were intended to do but obviously you have too much free time on your hands you bunch of amazing photographers you.
As for the sensor, I had a client update her portfolio the other day and I compared our last session with our new one I shot with the X-E1, the results were stunning. I couldn’t believe how good they were. Granted I shot my last one with a D700 which is a couple years old but still, I’ve shot with a D600 and I still prefer the Fuji.
Wow, talk of an educated and constructive comment. I am sure that if Fuji’s personnel ever wander around here and catch Mike´s deeply insightful comment it is going to help them out a lot in order to improve future models for the benefit of us all. Bravo.
Thank you for your kind comments. Coming from you I am so deeply moved you even noticed my comment at all really. Now I can hold my head high as I now know that ohwow thinks my comments were educated and constructive. Happy days.
Agreed! The X-Trans sensor produces beautiful images. Although there is room for improvement, I am very satisfied with my X-Pro 1. It is far better than my old Canon DSLR, and it is the only camera that I am interested in at the moment. As for performance, it doesn’t hold me back -the AF is sufficient, for me anyways. And, Capture One does a very nice job at converting the files, as for as I have seen.
Yes Mike, they do. They’re easy to spot too. They’re the ones who want everyone else to believe the x-series cameras, sensors, and lenses aren’t worth the money and essentially suck compared to completely non-comparable dslr systems. They whine about every little specification. They pretend to know how much money fuji makes or loses on sales of these systems. They invent model numbers for as-yet unreleased products with their personal feature preferences and let the rest of us know that they’re not going to be taking any photographs until the next-gen model comes out. They still believe that such a thing as a perfect product exists for the masses, or is at least viable. The old saying, “you can please some of the people some of the time….” is quite literally is lost on them.
They’re really just posers with nothing better to do with their entire lives, so they guzzle energy drinks all day and troll forum boards like this one, nikon, canon, mirrorless, etc looking to cyber-clash with anyone they can, using nothing more than specs and data as a basis for argument. These people aren’t photographers — they’re just spray and pray snapshooters who couldn’t get better results using a $10,000 camera than they could with a $100 model, so their only recourse is to chicken fight over what’s better than what else anonymously online. None of them actually ever publish anything, or even have a photoblog of their own that they share openly with real photographers. I imagine those that do have quite a collection of cell phone pics of their BFF and puppy.
I also don’t actually think many of these people actually own, or have really used the camera systems they complain about. No normal or sane person would buy an x-series camera, hate it, sell it, then continue to hang out in the fuji forums for months or years posting whiner comments about gear they actually don’t use or own. A normal person would move on.
Anyway, sad as it is the DPReview troll infestation is always on the move…forum to forum, seeking new places to ruin for others. Better to just read the info and forego the commentary.
Well said. Cheers
(totally off topic) Is it just me, or I can – at last! – scroll FR with the arrow keys?! Thank you, Patrick! 😎
yes you can! 🙂
Mr. Litten, don’t let the negative comments discourage you. Many who comment on here always speak negative. The overwhelming majority of people who read articles such as yours enjoy them. Not to say everyone agrees with every comment, but we respect the time & effort put into such an article. I for one agreed with virtually everything you had to say. Keep in mind that most people who comment on any kind of review for anything only reply when they have something negative to say. They do not, however, usually speak for the majority. Those who agree with you are probably out enjoying their wonderful Fujifilm camera instead of nit picking your article. In fact, I’m off to shoot with my X-Pro 1 right now:-)
Thanks so much Glenn!