Fujifilm dilemma

Hardware
9

I second these comments. Also, is this new camera your primary camera or a secondary “fun” camera. If the former, I’d go X-T30, X-T3 after X-T4 released, or even X-T200.

A couple years ago I was shooting a Nikon D7100, wanted a smaller rig, picked up a X-T20 with a couple of cheap-o XC zoom lens. About 1/3 weight and size of my Nikon, and blown away by how fun it was to shoot and how good the image quality was. Lighroom sucked as their demosaic of raws were awful, and the new details method they rolled out was jnot much better. That’s what led me to darktable. Now I want to learn rawtherapee too, plus I feel better about donating a good chunk of what I spent on LR to the dt and rt developers and instructors.

10

I’ve been trying to find an MTF chart for the X100V, as its sleek retro look has me hooked. But I can find one. I’d like to know more about the lens on it. The X100 series is know for being a “camera where specs don’t matter” :joy::sob:

11

I missed these comments in my previous reply. I understand your dilemma now as the 100 series does look like a very fun pocketable camera. Any camera stores near you that will let you rent one for a day? I would recommend trying to find raws from both cameras and playing with them. Many people love x-trans but there are also those who have gone back to bayer.

12

I’m happy you understand my dilemma :smile: I’m probably not crazy (or not the only one…).

Yeah, very good point. There’s a shop close by that should have the X100F for rent, so it would be a good thing to try the feeling.

I know, I’ve heard the same things… but it also seems that it gives nice emotions… and according to what I’ve seen thus far about the X100V (on DPReview, for instance), it should be quite an improvement and the lens redesigned.

13

I’ve read this as well… But how much better?? :wink: an mtf chart would help. I’d also want to know if it is sharper than my 23mm f2. If it isn’t, an X-T3/4 might be in my future :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

14

But that wouldn’t be much more compact that the 80D, I fear…
I agree though, some MTF details would be nice.

15

Do not forget EOS-M series. I am considering Canon M6 Mark II for pocketable camera. With 22mm F2 pancake a much more dependable camera than Ricoh GR IMO. Fuji X100V body is larger and heavier and I liked M6II handling more. It’s actually amazing how nice such a small body felt.

1 Like
16

Agreed, though there’s still one thing missing: The raw CA-correction in foss raw-converters (don’t know about commercial converters) does not work for xtrans. You have to rely on lensfun profiles for CA-Correction for xtrans.

17

I totally see your point. I’m a long time Canon user (and fan :wink:).

However, I’m curious about the Fujifilm world, so the question for me now is “where to get in?” :grin:

18

Where I am (Germany) it is possible to rent for a few days cameras and lenses. This is what I did.
After I tested for almost one week the X-T20 and a few lenses, I sold all the Sony gear, bought an X-T2 kit and that was it.
My main motivator was not ‘Sony is BAD, Fuji is GOOD’ but ‘I want a smaller and cheaper system where the quality is close to FF’.

2 Likes
19

Yes, also in Switzerland that’s a possibility :wink:

I’ve rented a X100F for the weekend (a spontaneous get away in Paris) and I have to admit it has a great feeling. But thus far I didn’t look at the pictures yet (except through the camera screen itself, so I can’t judge yet.
I’m especially curious about the film simulations. If they produce interesting JPGs I may fall in love…

Next weekend I guess I’ll try the X-T30 as well.

Thanks for the advice :wink:

20

Oh no! You are supposed to shoot RAW.
Then use Film simulations/cubes/LUTs/HaldCLUT &c.
But: can’t you simulate already now, without having the
camera in question? Which is your favourite developer:
darktable or RawTherapee?

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

21

I found this today… Not scientific but better than nothing!

2 Likes
22

Well, I’m actually curious to see how the off-the-camera JPGs are actually looking.
I have some familiarity with Fuji films, almost all of them, and if the “factory” JPGs are nice I can even explore another type of digital shooting that does not involve RAW editing, but just playing with a somewhat more constrained space.

23

Since its not your only camera, I would get an X100 series if you want Fuji. The flash sync capabilities are pretty rare, not many cameras can do it. It also has Fuji’s freaky viewfinder I’ve never tried. X-T whatever has neither.

If you want to use different lenses, get a Canon or something, since you already have Canon stuff. My EOS RP fits just fine in the mini camera bag my X-E1 used to be in, even with an EF lens on there. An EF-M camera would work too. But no Canon, and barely any cameras at all that a normal person would buy or tote around with them, can sync the flash like the X100 cameras can.

I like the 35mm equivalent focal length for general use, I don’t know about you. Get an X100, its so much different from your Canon. XT Fujis are still Fujis, but they do the same job as the camera you have now, X100 does something your camera doesn’t, which is sync the flash, even automatically, in bright sunlight, at whatever shutter speed you need, without using a trick HSS mode. It’s awesome for casual snapshots, and potentially powerful for serious stuff too I guess. You gotta mess around with speedlights and menus to get your Canon to do anything similar to that.

I wouldn’t get into Fuji as an interchangeable lens system today personally, especially in addition to another camera system, I dipped my toe in the water and bailed rather than switch to it or start buying any of their better lenses, it would be burdensome for me to buy good lenses for Fuji AND Canon, but the cool thing about the X100 cameras is I can still just pick one up some day if I want too, you don’t have to get invested in anything at all really, just the camera. And it comes with basically all of Fuji’s most unique stuff in there, its more “Fuji” than the XT cameras, if you know what I mean lol.

Oh, I have to add too, I think if I did ever decide to use only Fuji, I’d skip the 23mm lens and get one of the X100 cameras instead, because of its flash sync abilities, and it doesn’t cost more than the lens + whatever other decent Fuji body. I use a 35mm lens as my normal lens basically, so I wouldn’t mind one attached to a camera.

1 Like
24

OK, I see you’re a very big fan of flash photography :smiley:.
As for me… well, I honestly think I’ve never took a single shot with flash… :sweat_smile: (except when playing with second-curtain or light trails effects and so). Then OK, that can’t be a decision driver for me… I think I don’t even really know the precise meaning of flash sync and when it’s good or bad…

Anyhow, I don’t think I’ll step into flash photography any soon, but I do get the point about not having the necessity to replace my Canon. Since I’m happy with it, if I need something different probably the X100 is the choice.

I still have to try the X-T30 though, and I’m curious as well.

And in the link posted by @paperdigits it seems that the X100V has not the sharpest of the lenses at wide open… Am I right?

25

I can’t draw too many conclusions as the focus points (look at the lens cap) vary and with a shallow depth of field the results can’t be relied on. Just my thoughts.

26

A few years ago the mirrorless bug caught me. I tried first m4/3 then Fuji X-Pro-1 then again a better m4/3 (Olympus OMD-EM1, a near-pro body bought second-hand for very little money), finally settled on the Fuji XT-2. I still have the XT-2 to this day, coupled with a bigger Nikon D810.

The Fuji are great cameras, no doubt about that. What I wanted to say is that the hybrid viewfinder was the thing that pushed me to try the X-Pro-1 and you know what? I never used it. Even if in theory that was the special thing about the camera. I was using the EVF all the time. And so I switched to the XT-2 because the EVF was better in that camera (but I still remember fondly the first generation 16Mp sensor in the X-Pro1; it was wonderful).

So this is to say that perhaps a 2nd-hand XT2 or even a first gen XT1 could be a better camera overall. About the lenses, a 18mm f/2 can be found 2nd-hand for very little money and it’s a wonderful little lens, that makes for a very compact package. Add to this the new 35mm f/2 XC (the all-plastic new cheap lens) which looks like being exactly the same optically of the 35mm f/2 that I own (and love), and you’ve got yourself a very competent and compact system. Something also cheap midyway between the two is the 27mm. The 23mm f/2, to stay on a similar focal length to the X100 models, is more expensive and bigger but objectively better than the 23mm on the X100s.

1 Like
27

He’s indicated that money is not a problem, so the more durable 35mm f/2 might be a better choice than the plastic one.

28

Oh yes, very good point… Thanks for making me notice, I went back to look at the picture more attentitevely :wink:.

I totally see your point. I rented the X100F for a couple of days for a short trip and I see how “technically” the hybrid VF doesn’t add anything. It doesn’t make you faster, nor more precise, in most of the occasions, especially on close-ups. But you know… I can’t explain really why but I used it a lot. Maybe just for the taste of using something different and figuring out how to make it work. I do agree that it may not add anything, especially if you need to be efficient and accurate, but “luckily” for me, I’m not a professional :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: and I can afford to shoot always inefficiently.
Ok, a part from jokes… Is there anyone with pro expertise out there that actually has an application for the X100 that makes it better than everything else?
Just curious…

I think I almost made up my mind, but I wanna try the X-T30 first… :face_with_monocle: