Fuji X100 quick review + NYC

[Bonjour43MA]

After selling all of my Nikon full frame SLR gear (no time and didn't want all that gear sitting around collecting dust) I started looking for a small, compact camera which has good PQ that is better than your typical P&S. I compared all the micro four thirds cameras, the Sony NEX cameras (only NEX 3 and 5 at the time) and the X100 and decided to give the Fuji a try. I took the camera with me to NYC 2 months ago and used it for the first time in "real world" situation and as the only camera I carry with me. Overall I'm happy with what it can do, and the size and weight of it really make a difference espeically when you walk around for 7+ hours a day! Posting the review now during the long weekend cuz I finally got time to do it! LOL



Pros:
- APS-C sized sensor = SLR PQ
- retro range finder look = sexy
- well built, magnesium body
- Extended Dynamic Range settings work very well
- external dials for shutter speed, aperture, and exposure comp.
- light weight, easy to carry, great for traveling
- excellent lens (sharp! even at F2). Corner sharpness is good past F5.6
- great colors OOC with JPG
- very discreet. people don't notice me much with this camera
- fixed 35mm lens, changed how I compose a shot and be more creative
- excellent low light performance up to ISO 3200
- 720P/24 video mode (but almost no manual control)
- nice 3-stop built-in ND filter
- has a "Commander mode" for the flash (but most likely needing Fuji's EF-20 or EF-42 to work)
- pretty decent Macro mode, can get very close (10cm)

Cons:
- a little quirky with some of the menu settings
- accessories are expensive (but some DIY solutions are available)
- Battery life is not that great. I get about 200 shots per charge. Definitely need more than 1 battery if you travel with this camera.
- weird limits on shutterspeed + aperture combination. i.e. at F2, the shutterspeed is stuck at 1/1000th, forcing you to use the built-in ND filter to get proper exposure if you want to shoot wide open on sunny days (the shutter speed maxes out at 1/4000th)
- AF can be slow at times
- I don't like how you need to switch to Macro mode when you are within 1 foot of your subject (other wise the camera will refuse to focus). The workaround is to flip the OVF to the EVF, then somehow you can get closer. Very quirky that's for sure
- fixed lens can become limiting if this is the only camera you have on you
- RAW files, at least with Lightroom 3, do not retain the extended DR settings (the camera has DR100%, 200%, and 400%). Supposedly if you use Fuji's Silkypix softare you can get those back but I haven't tried.
- no MF adjustments during movie recording

Here are some samples from my NYC trip. Very little adjustments done in Lightroom 3 as the camera on auto WB and in Av mode got the shots right 90% of the time :











































Video Samples:

Test 1 on Vimeo

Test 2 on Vimeo

[LiquidTurbo]

You're a disgrace. Take off "Nikonian" off your sig please

Nice photos!

[N.V.M.]

wow, just great stuff there. excellent series of images.

[Hehe]

I have also converted from D700 to X100.

Can't say I don't miss the flexibility of FF DSLR, but X100 really holds up against them.

[Bonjour43MA]

I totally miss my D700! The AF speed, flexibility with lenses, the image quality, the giant view finder... I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it. However, the X100 is not 10 pounds with lenses, and for someone like me that doesn't shoot professionally, I won't feel guilty having the X100 sitting there collecting dusts. lol

The image quality of the X100 is excellent even when compared to regular sized SLRs.

[LiquidTurbo]

switch back to the D800.. rumor has it it'sgoing to have a 36MP sensor...

[Mananetwork]

PFFF.. 7+hrs a day.. I traveled for a month with all my gear

[gilly]

i actually bought one a week ago. Planning to go to hk in a month and I will be using that instead of my d7000. Cant wait to see how it performs. I will have to get used to the slower focusing speeds tho but this camera is hella sharp and sexy.

[c3m]

thinking about getting one but I've been hearing this "sticky blade"

It is really worth the price (going for 1200CAD at the moment)?

[Bonjour43MA]

Originally Posted by c3m

thinking about getting one but I've been hearing this "sticky blade"

It is really worth the price (going for 1200CAD at the moment)?

If you already have a full set of SLR gear and lenses and you just need something compact, then yes it's good for that. However, I would not buy this as my ONLY camera.

I think I might go back to an SLR sometime next year. More practical under all circumstances.

[gilly]

Im at HK right now using this camera. Il post up my little review when I come back but a huge con with this camera so far is that it needs a crazy fast memory card or your camera will take forever to turn on. I always miss my shots cuz im waiting for it to turn on. I was using a 15mb/sec card and it takes about 3-4 seconds to turn on. I just bought a 45mb/sec card and now it takes about half a second to a second to turn on. The fotos r amazing though.