Fujifilm X-Pro 1 personal review

This describes my first experiences with Fuji X-Pro 1 camera. The review is purely subjective. After all, what works for me, does not necessarily work for anybody else.

I wanted X-Pro 1 to replace my D700 for all around photography, especially for travels. Smaller, more portable, but having not only an equal or better quality, but also psychological feature of not feeling to have any compromise by not taking a full frame camera with me. That was the objective. Read on to find out, if it was a successful choice.

I have been a user of X100 for about a year, and I expected to have already learned how to use such camera.

The decision to buy it was accelerated by the fact I left my X100 on the table before going on a long trip to Japan. Without any camera, but iPhone, I felt almost naked. So I did everything to secure the possibility to use the camera already on the first day of my stay in Japan. It was possible thanks to Amazon.jp, and a nice local shop Akihabara Outlet Plaza.


Paradoxically, the cameras I buy over the years bring me better and better picture quality, but slower and slower performance.

Lenses

The First: Cosina Voigtlander 15mm 4.5 Heliar Super Wide

By accident, the first lens I got to use was not a native lens, but M-mount Cosina Voigtlander 15mm 4.5 Heliar Super-Wide II. I decided to get this lens instead of Fuji XF 18mm, and ahead of the announced Fuji XF 14mm.

Cosina Voigtlander 15mm 4.5 Heliar Super Wide II, photo by uaru

Being an M-mount lens means it is fully manual. In practice, as expected, it did not present any obstacle.

The DOF of this lens is huge... It is so huge, it does not really need any focusing when stepped down, and rarely when full open at 4.5. The blur that appeared on some photos I  attributed more to not fast enough shutter speed, then incorrect focus.

Recently I started to shoot Auto ISO with my Fuji X100, to keep ISO as low as possible, but not giving up on shutter speed and not having to change the ISO value all the time, which is problematic in fast changing situations.  Unfortunately, lack of the possibility to set the minimum shutter speed is a big and famous problems with the current implementation of the  Auto ISO setting in X-Pro 1. Going back to hand picking the ISO setting before shooting is necessary to get sharp pictures.

With its huge DOF of 15mm lens, it is tantalizing to open it to 2 or even more. Unfortunately, this lens is not that fast. Even if I find myself liking to shoot it on the street, in the late evening it is becoming more difficult to handle.

My first test picture:

The Second Lens: Fuji XF 35mm 1.4

Everybody is praising the quality of this glass, and it was obvious I will get it, even if it would be my only original Fuji glass.

The lens itself is larger then I thought. It is my largest glass so far for X-Pro 1. Even so, it is much MUCH smaller than my almost equivalent Nikkor 50mm f1.4 G. It is beautiful.

Shallow DOF  at 1.4  was the reason I desired it. It is especially important for APS-C sized sensor. To understand how shallow the DOF can be with this lens, I present two photos. One shot at f8, the other at f1.4.

Demonstration of XF 35mm Depth of Field: F11

Demonstration of XF 35mm Depth of Field: F1.4 - DOF is really thin.

And my then standard "wall" picture:

 

The Third: Minolta M-Rokkor 90mm f4

I wanted to have a third lens, longer, for close-up portraits and some special cases, when the usage of "foot zoom" is not possible.

I considered many options. 

• native Fuji XF 60mm macro f2.4
• Voigtlander Heliar 75mm f1.8
• Leica Elmarit 90mm f2.8
• Leica Elmar 135mm f4

In a way, it would be nice to have all of them for some reason or the other. All the above lenses cost at least equivalent of 500 euro, and I was short on budget at this moment.

Not giving up hope, I hunted in second hand photography shops in Ginza for something in M-mount variety, which I could use for the assumed purpose. I could not find anything below the said price level from Leica glass. The cheaper Elmarits were at the level of e-bay auctions, and Elmars commanded even higher price.

The fate brought me to a shop which existence I completely forgotten, even if I already bought something before. In a really small shop in backstreet in Ginza, I noticed an inconspicuous lens, which was quite cheap and its specifics were just appropriate. The description was Minolta M-Rokkor 90mm f4, and the price was a fraction of what Leica glass cost.

I investigated a little on the internet. I found out, that this is probably the only case in history, that a German company manufactured something for a Japanese brand. The glass was made by Leica for the join project with Minolta: Leica CL/Minolta CL. Its other branding is Leica Elmar-C 90mm f4. It has some nice reviews:

http://elmqvist.blogspot.jp/2009/05/leica-elmar-c-90mm-f4-on-m8.html

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1013&message=41489276


I thought the specs are OK for the price and it is not a bad idea to give Rokkor a try.

The lens is diminutive for a 90mm lens. For X-Pro APS-C sensor, it is equivalent of 135mm, which is longer then traditional portrait lens, but I think it is still usable. The minimum focusing distance is 1m.

Here is the test "wall" picture:

Who knows, maybe I will be able to use it for some action as well, even if it is manual;-)

I saw some sports photos on Steve Huffs blog, which were shot with manual M-lenses, so it is perfectly possible.

Street shooting

The camera handles differently then any other camera I had used. The AF is really very slow. It is not that I shoot out-of-focus - it is that the camera often captures picture just after the subjects left the frame! It is necessary to prefocus it - but it also does not guarantee the camera will not start thinking before capture.

Looking on the LCD or through viewfinder is not enough: you must predict and prepare in advance. The old saying, that when you see it, it is already too late, has never been more true with modern digital cameras. It simply is no compare to the faster-then-thought reaction of Nikon D4, my D700, and even my old Panasonic GF1. 

To GUARANTEE the prompt reaction, it is necessary to go to manual mode. And here is a catch: manual focusing requires as much prediction as AF, much more skill and experience and on top of it, the current Fuji glass is quite slow in manual focusing.

Just too slow... ;-)

To focus manually, I figure it is probably better to use a completely manual lenses, like M-glass, or any of the other manual lenses out there - one of the reasons for CV15.

I guess that by investing in M-glass you really cannot go wrong, given that it is currently supported by all mirror-less systems (including the awesome Ricoh GXR Mount, which I also considered). Manual focusing is not really that inconvenient, at the users of the aforementioned GXR prove… So it could be I should look into some 28mm/35mm M-glass for manual shooting, leaving the Fuji XF only to AF tasks?

All together, this camera is much more challenging to master then all the other cameras I used in the past. In a way, it is more challenging than the film cameras of old, which did not have any lag..

However, the X-Pro picture quality is awesome. I believe that when the camera usage is mastered, it is capable of extraordinary results.

And strangely, in spite of all the described problems, it is quite likeable. At least, I enjoy using it. I would like it to be better - but I do not feel like coming back to my old equipment.

The effort to predict how the situation in front of the photgrapher unfolds is also a demanding but good exercise. So I believe that using this camera will make one a better photographer altogether. And having captured a nice shot, I feel satisfaction.

Later, having exercised the clairvoyance and using ultra fast camera like Nikon D4 would produce miracles;-) Having said that, I would not bring Nikon D4 on any of those walks around the street.

Street shooting: Lenses

Which lens is my favourite? Surprisingly, CV15. It is the most reliable performance-wise. It is much wider then obvious 23mm (35mm in full frame equivalence), so I thought I cannot close to the subjects in normal street situation.

XF 35mm is however the best after dark. I cannot feel the right distance yet. It should be half a step further then with 23mm lens. But with practice, I still believe this lens has potential.

The most funny thing is, I am usually satisfied with the lens I have stucked to the camera at any given time. I went by for two years with one lens only for my Panasonic, even if I was thinking of buying other (which I never did).

X100 vs X-Pro 1

Here is the real contest, as those cameras are quite similar.

X100 has ultra quiet leaf shutter. I was afraid X-Pro to be too loud. In the street the difference is not really noticable, but it is, especially when you get close to subject (less then 1m). The camera click sounds nice, and even in a loud environment, like a street, I could feel exactly the moment, when the picture was taken.

There are circumstances however, I would not dare to take pictures with this camera, like in the absolute quiet room.

I must say yet, that currently X100 is much better companion for street shooting. Three main reasons for it are:

• The lens of X100 is an equivalent of 35mm. This is perfect for street shooting - right now I do not have such lens for X-Pro 1.
• The ultra quiet leaf shutter
• The reaction for shutter press is faster. I have the impression it focuses faster then X-Pro with 35mm lens.

On the other hand, X-Pro 1:

• the variety of lens makes it more flexible, with the notable exception of an equivalent of 35mm.
• I always now, when I took picture, and if I took it at all.
• I had better results with manual focusing

Considering all this, I prefer X100 for street photography at this moment.

The very good news is, that both X100 and X-Pro with one or two lenses are still lighter then D700 with just one bright zoom. An you have one camera as backup.

I am looking forward to yet not existing X200 - the camera with leaf shutter and lens of X100, and the sensor and some improvements of the X-Pro.

The grand test - Echizen Matsushima Aquarium

The ultimate test for me is how the camera works in aquariums. I bought this camera because I had a belief it could perform nicely.

If the focus is right, the quality is awesome. However, getting the focus right is a pain, especially with fast moving fish. Here we go again to manual focussing, like in the old days. In Nikon D700 I could do AF in 95% of situations.

Having said that, the photos came quite good. I am satisfied with the session. There are some types of photos I could not take with this camera, but I could take other, which I would not have taken with D700. With D700 I would not be forced to think how to compensate for focusing problems, so the photos might come more typical.

Hunting for prey in Echizen Matsushima Aquarium

Let us try, if we can swim out of this boring tank - a sea turtle (海亀) in Echizen Matsushima Aquarium.

Sneaky... an octopus in Echizen Matsushima Aquarium.

I still would like to go to an aquarium with D700, but this camera gets a passing grade. And it weighs so little, in some circumstances it surpasses D700 in practice.

Summary

I am not totally convinced I want to sell my Nikon D700 now (but mainly, because I feel attached to my tools). However, I am convinced, that normally I would use the X-Pro 75% of the time, with 22% going to Fuji X100. D700 would get the remaining 3% for special assignments. That means that Nikon D700 is almost obsolete for me at this moment, unless I will make photography into a job.

This review was written based on experiences in July, 2012. 

Photo picks #2: A portrait of an old man

dad by vrot01

First it caught my attention, because it looks WHITE. The whiteness of this photo stands out.

When we look at it, we notice that some of the elements are not white, but have different shades of grey. But still, when we look at it, it is white that we see.

There is a lot to like about this picture. The almost monochromatic character  makes it look very simple, but there is power in this simplicity. The background is white as well. It is blurred, as it is a usual trick for portraits to avoid attention to the noisy background. In this case, even if we get more depth of field, we would not seen anything more, because there is a white wall behind. But putting the focus on the old man's head provides an almost a 3D effect.

I feel also a kind of connection between the photographer, and the old man, even before looking at the description. The old man does not look into the camera, so he might not be aware of the photographer's presence. Just looking at the photo, we'll never know. But I feel this connection, especially that I also took a few of those "stop the time" pictures.

The portrait looks ethereal. Still here, but like the transition has already started. It is scary in a way, because when we look at it longer, it makes us thinking about our very own life.

Those kind of photographs I like the most. The ones, which convey a very strong feelings with the minimum of resources.

Photo picks #1: X-Pro 1 married with Leica lens for macro shot

I am starting a new series of posts. I would like to simply share impressions on the interesting photos I have found on photo communities websites, and to suggest my friends to see those photos for themselves.

Below I am presenting a very nice macro shot. Macro photos could be outstanding, and can be quite boring. This one is very pleasent to my eye, I like the colors of the leaf starting from red and going through yellow to green, with wonderful light reflections. It looks wet - maybe the rain just stopped? The background is very nicely blurred.

The gear used to shoot it is another reason for me to highlight this picture. The camera was Fujifilm X-Pro 1, and the lens was Elmarit-R 90mm 2.8. The author of this photo did, what I think I will do - buy a longer non-Fuji lens until Fuji releases nice tele lenses. This photo is a proof this approach actually works.

It gives me confidence that my impressions about the Fujifim X-Pro 1 camera were correct, and when I finally get it, I will not regret it.

NATURE IN TRIO by iHuraba

Geotagging issues

I am deeply disappointed with Nikon GPS GP-1. I thought it was a very cool idea to have my photos geotagged, with convenient on camera unit, with the data going directly to the EXIF without any additional effort.

The practice is not so nice. It turns out the unit has big difficulties with staying on track. In Japan, where I actually wanted to tag my photos, I could only occasionally get the position. And when the position was lost, it took a huge amount of time to get the satellites back. I see no reason for that in places, where other GPS devices work without problems.

I was waiting for 4 minutes with camera taken out in front of Madurodam in the Hague, until I got the position, in spite of the fact I put the camera on long time before. If I am in a company, I simply cannot afford waiting.

Entering the buildings – forget. It is understandable, that the device loses satellites. But is has no function „last position” to tag the photos, when it loses track. It would be sufficient to do so, since it is reasonable to tag the photos taken inside a building as one position. However, the unit does not remember, where it is. So the camera cannot tag the following photos as taken in the same building. Shame.

Of course. I can take the photo at the entrance, and then tag the subsequent photos manually. But to take a photo just it could contain a tag, and then tag the rest is not the way I wanted to do it, when I decided to buy the device.

Another problem is ergonomy. The camera with this accessory attached feels clumsy, and it is not possible to put it easily inside a bag. I used to put camera on the left side, for easy catching the grip. It is not possible. Keeping it always off the bag is also impractical – sometimes you just have to put it in, like you going inside a shop and the security is concerned with your camera ready to take photos.

If you think that attaching and detaching it is a solution, you are wrong. It takes too long, for the operation, and for it re-aquiring position.

Those issues are the reason it is good device only for people, who arrive into the photographing location, have lots of time before starting shooting, and rarely move to other location before the shooting is over.

When you use this accessory, you cannot use a remote control. The battery drain on the camera is smaller issue (but if you want to have the GPS on most of the time, and you probably want, because otherwise it is never ready when you want to take some action shots, it depletes the battery quite quickly).

The last issue, I plan to add small Panasonic GF1 camera to my gear for use when D700 feels too big. I would also like to geo tag those photos as well. It is probably impossible to do with GP-1.

Summing those thing up, I have a GP-1 for sale.

However, I got already hooked into geotagging my photos. There are other solutions on the market, like a hot shoe synchronized JoboGPS. This would work with GF1, but it would still feel clumsy, and I would still need to run my photos through external program.

I suppose a simple GPS logger comes the closest to the ideal solution.

• It is very small, so you can carry it anywhere.
• It is very discreet. Nobody would even notice it.
• It can provide accurate position e.g. each 10 seconds. The probability you move fast enough, that photos taken in the 10 seconds time frame should be tagged differently, is zero.
• It will work with any digital camera.
• It does not attach to the camera, so the camera operation, like putting it in and out the bag is not affected in any way.
• If you carry more than one camera, one device is enough for all. It can serve also for your companions cameras, too.
• It can be useful not only for geotagging photos, but for other purposes, like marking you jogging route on Google Earth.
• It works on its own batteries, so it does not interfere with your camera battery, and camera operation cycles (on, off).
• The log gives basically the „last position” feature, when it loses satellites.
• Typical logger weighs less than 100g, so it is not bad for you back.

There are many different loggers on the market. I put additional requirements on the list:

• Works with standard AA or AAA batteries
• Operates in the driverless mode: it is visible to a computer like a storage device.

After some research I think the small Amod AGL3080 will fill my needs completely.