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I’d like to apologize in advance: if you were hoping not to feel the urge to part with some of your money, I don’t think this review will be much help. As I told my buddy Morten Byskov in an email when I first got my hands on this lens: damn. When I originally reviewed the X-Pro1 I defined it as something that was clearly “part of a system”, as a camera that by its very nature felt much less intimate than the X100 (the only other X camera at the time). Much has changed since I wrote that review: more X bodies have appeared, the entire ecosystem has exploded with stellar Fuji offerings as well as Zeiss and other third-party lenses added to the mix for good measure; it’s rather phenomenal when you think about it — it hasn’t been that long. But while I came to love the X-Pro1 just as much as the X100 — albeit for different reasons — it still always felt like an extremely refined cog in an ever evolving system. Until now. With the introduction of the XF 23mm f1.4 R lens (B&H), Fuji finally brings the long-awaited 35mm field of view to the X-series, something that was previously only available with an X100/S or via an adapted lens. We could certainly argue about the why’s of such a long delay for an indisputably classic focal length — marketing conspiracies et all — but I doubt anyone will be faulting the execution: saying this was worth the wait is a serious understatement There are many intangibles about using a camera, the way it sits in our hands, how different pieces come together and fall into place. At the risk of sounding way too hyperbolic, here’s the short version of this review: I feel as though the X-Pro1 has just found its long lost sibling – The balance, the size, the weight, the focusing, the build… Everything about this lens feels exactly right to me. Soul mates, baby.....
Via Thomas Menk
I have been DSLR free for about two months and all is well. During the past two months I’ve been to Cuba, New York (x2), and Arizona. I feel I have hit just about every type, and kind, of job I do and my little Fujis have performed flawlessly.
The latest release candidates of Adobe Camera Raw (7.4) and Lightroom (4.4) include improved demosaicing logic for Fujifilm's X-Trans sensor cameras, including the flagship X-Pro1.
Fujifilm has also announced firmware v2.00 for the X-Pro1 high-end mirrorless camera, promising performance improvements. Firmware 2.00 addresses many of the criticisms that have been levelled at the camera by many reviews. This includes improved autofocus speed, better manual focus behaviour and less waiting for processing and card-writing. We've been using a beta version of the firmware and have prepared some notes on its effects. The final version of the firmware will be available for download from September 18th 2012.
This lens and the Nikon D700 were my first choice to take along on a trip, when wanting to travel light. The 50mm angle of view being the most versatile of fixed focal length lenses. So it was my feeling that on the Fuji with it’s APS-C sized sensor, that this would become one of my favorite lenses to use with the Fuji XP1, as I also use an 85mm on the Nikon FX cameras.
As we all know “great expectations” can be just that. In this case it did not happen. Don’t get me wrong I still like this lens very much. Unlike it’s more modern counter parts (i.e. the new Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 G) I actually like some of it’s “un-corrected” aspects. However my first impression on the Fuji were not great. http://www.jimgamblin.com/blog/
Via Thomas Menk
I’ve known Kevin Sparrow for some time now. I wouldn’t say we go way back, but in internet time, we’ve been around, doing relatively the same kind of work for a few years. Kevin’s someone I look up to, not only as a photographer, but as a person and a passionate artist. When he and I spoke a few months back about photography, he mentioned he was thinking of ditching his Canon 7D for the Fuji X-Pro1. I didn’t know what to think but after reading his words and seeing these photos, I can’t blame him! Read on below for one of the most in-depth reviews I’ve ever had on this blog....
Via Thomas Menk
This is the first time that I have written an article for Luminous Landscape so it probably makes sense to introduce myself first so that you can get an idea where I am coming from as a photographer and decide for yourself whether my views, likes and dislikes are likely to chime with your own...
"Compared to other mirrorless AF systems Fuji is providing very fast prime lenses straight from the beginning which is certainly a smart approach considering the premium brand claim. The Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R represents the standard lens of Fuji's new X-mount system. Covering an APS-C image field the field-of-view is equivalent to about 53mm. The combination of 18mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4 and 60mm f/2.4 makes this "gang of three" a highly attractive setup for street and travel photography."
"The mirrorless market is red-hot at the moment and the stakes are correspondingly high. Mirco-Four-Thirds did a jump-start in late 2008 and it is certainly the most successful system at the moment - hunted by Sony NEX. Fuji is almost dangerously late in this game but it seems as if they are betting their fortunes on the very high end of the market with a spice of retromania. The Fujifilm X-Pro1 tries to offer the benefits of the mainstream while offering exclusivity similar to Leica. The market will decide whether this is no-man's land or a successful niche.
In our first Fuji review we will cover the Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R - one of the three initial lenses for the X-mount. Following a Fuji tradition these lenses are called "Fujinon" XF. This may be news to some but Fuji is actually a long time player in the system camera market but they were mostly active in the large- and medium format league and their Fujinon lenses earned quite a reputation till the decline of the film business - maybe google for "Fuji GX" if you are interested. Anyway, the Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R is a so-called pancake lens - it's just about 4cm long and weights only 116g. In full format terms it is a standard wide-angle lens. An equivalent focal length of "27mm" is not so hot nowadays but it is certainly generic enough to be suitable for a couple of applications such as landscape or street photography. It is a surprisingly fast lens so it has some decent capabilities to achieve a quite shallow depth-of-field when using short focus distances."
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A couple of weeks ago I posted my impressions of the Zeiss 32mm Touit lens for NEX cameras, based on a copy loaned to me by Zeiss, USA. Now that we have our own copies I can be, shall we say, a bit more aggressive in examining the lens. Not to mention getting an opportunity to continue my string of aggressively bad pun titles (which Drew absolutely hates). But, hey, don’t blame me. I didn’t pick the name. I just do what has to be done. I have yet begun to pun. Anyway, given that a lens with electronic autofocus and aperture control was something new in the Zeiss consumer lineup, Aaron and I couldn’t wait to take a look inside and see how things were put together. Once we got a look inside, we found there was more Touit than we expected (don’t say I didn’t warn you). The lens is put together solidly in typical Zeiss fashion....
Via Thomas Menk
Following the recent public release of Adobe Camera Raw 7.4, we've updated our studio comparison database with new raw conversions of files from the Fujifilm X-Pro 1, X-E1 and X100S. We've been using the release candidate version of ACR 7.4 for some time, which contained significant improvements to Adobe's treatment of files from Fujifilm's X-TRANS sensors. The official public release version of ACR 7.4 brings some further (very minor) tweaks.
I’ve read a few reviews of the X-Pro1 dismissing its use in the studio, confining it purely to the realm of event and documentary photography. Obviously this a genre at which it excels and the core of the system’s philosophy. But as most of you know these cameras have now become my main system, not merely a fun add-on. Which means they ARE used for studio jobs. All kinds of studio jobs. I recently did a shoot for Serdy Media, a production company which owns several specialized TV stations in Quebec — namely Zeste and Évasion, the french food and travel channels. This was a studio product shoot for their new online boutiques. After thoroughly testing the setup, I decided to again forego my Nikon kit and do the entire session using only the X-Pro1 and the 35mm Fujinon XF f/1.4 lens. It worked beautifully. The X-Pro1 actually has several things going for it for this type of work: - The ability to use the rear LCD for live view without changing how you usually work with the camera. - The two zoom levels with built-in sharpening to pinpoint the focus. - Large focus point coverage. - Horizon line and framing guides. - The ability to switch the same lens to macro mode for detail shots. - No mirror to deal with. Combined with the timer function this is as stable as it gets. All of this makes for a very easy going experience and allows for extremely precise work. The two points of contention when it comes to shooting this camera for studio and/or flash photography are 1) sync speed and 2) tethering. The sync speed obviously wasn’t an issue in this case. As for tethering, I’ve discussed my solution in another post already: an Eye-Fi Pro X2 card. To be honest this was definitely the weakest link in the chain, and I was very fortunate to work with a client who didn’t mind the glacial speed at which photos were getting transferred to the computer. But I didn’t like it. I made jokes about it but it bugged the hell out of me the entire time. I’m glad further testing has revealed an ad-hoc network to be exponentially faster. I won’t get caught with this problem again.
Via Thomas Menk
So, to answer the question posed at the top of this article: The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 certainly gives the Leica M9 a run for its money. I compared images I shot a couple of years ago with the Leica M9 with those shot at similar ISOs with the X-Pro 1 and the X-Pro 1 was, to my eye, the clear winner depsite its smaller sensor. On the other hand, while the Leica M9 lacks the X-Pro 1's AF capabilities, it has no discernable lag time while the X-Pro 1 has some lag time under bright sunlight (otherwise it's fine). The M9's brightview viewfinder's focusing system, once mastered, is outstanding, but doesn't provide as much information as the X-Pro 1. The M9's optical viewfinder is brighter than the X-Pro 1 and its coverage is better, but the X-Pro 1 has one of the highest-resolution EVFs available so if you're in the pro-EVF camp, that's a big advantage. Exposure controls are comparable on both cameras and size and weight are similar. Want video? The Fujifilm offers 1080p HD video. The Leica M9 has none. Overall, finally, Leica has serious, if imperfect, competition.
Via Thomas Menk
I know you guys LOVE these crazy comparisons..and some of you get all up in a roar over them but that doesn’t mean I am not going to post more! Today I was out and about with the OM-D, X-Pro 1 and NEX-7. Now, I could not use the same lenses on all of these so I used what I had on hand.
Fujifilm X-Pro1 review. The X-Pro1 is Fujifilm's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and it aims straight for the high-end camera enthusiast as the equally classically-styled X100 before it. However, far from simply being a 16MP X100 with interchangeable lenses, the X-Pro1 also features characteristically adventurous Fujifilm technology: a X-Trans CMOS sensor. This uses a non-standard color filter array which promises less susceptibility to moiré, avoiding the need for a low-pass filter - promising sharper images. Fujifilm has announced an impressive XF lens roadmap, so is it done justice by the first X-mount body?
"My impression is that Fuji brought out the X-Pro1 for high-end enthusiastic photographer (hence the "Pro" name and high price tag). If you know how aperture, speed, and ISO work together, and are willing to take time to compose a shot, then this camera will certainly suit you. If you are shooting fast moving objects (sports or even kids), then you are probably not going to like the X-Pro1 because of its slow autofocus and shutter lag (see AF discussion below). I've seen some reports from people who thought they were "ripped off" by Fuji after buying the X-Pro1. I can understand that, because this is not your typical point and shoot camera. Neither is it a DSLR replacement. It takes time to really understand the camera and get accommodated with this new style of shooting. It takes some effort to get the picture you want; it's not a point and click machine!"
Via Thomas Menk
"The Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R macro is the first tele lens for the Fuji X-mount system. Fuji follows a "dual mode" approach here. Being aware of their limited production resources they mixed the concepts of a relatively fast tele and a macro lens. Regarding its max. aperture of f/2.4 it is certainly no speed demon but fast enough for e.g. very decent portraits. The macro capabilities are limited to a max. magnification of 1:2 which may be disappointing to some. However, this should be well sufficient for mainstream macro photography."
Via Thomas Menk
Just a very quick posting to advise that there is an upgrade to Aperture 3.3 available today, but it still does not have support for raw files from the Fuji X-Pro1 sadly. It available on the Apple Support web site or by doing a software upgrade from your computer.
Here is the change log: - New unified photo library for both iPhoto (v 9.3 or later) and Aperture; no import/export required; Faces, Places, slideshows, albums and web sharing work across both applications
- Support for AVCHD video has been added
- Aperture now lets you use camera-generated previews for faster browsing of RAW files immediately after import
- Highlights & Shadows tool has been updated to deliver higher-quality results and work with extended range data
- A new Auto Enhance button has been added to the Adjustments panel
- White Balance tool now includes Skin Tone and Natural Gray modes to simplify color balance
- Auto button has been added to the White Balance tool for one-click color balancing
- Set Desktop command has been added to Share menu so you can set a desktop background from within Aperture
- A new Manual option allows you to drag and drop projects to customize sort order in the Projects view
- New preference allows you to set the background brightness of the full screen browser
- Facebook, Flickr, and MobileMe albums are now displayed as thumbnails in the main window when accounts are selected in the source list
- Minor terminology changes, including "Original" instead of "Master" and "Info" instead of "Metadata"
- Source list includes a new "Recent" section, showing Last Import and recently-viewed projects
- Raw Fine Tuning is no longer displayed in the Adjustments panel by default
- Faces can now be named by dragging them from the Unnamed Faces browser to existing snapshots on the corkboard
- The Faces corkboard now includes a menu that allows you to set the order of face snapshots
- Newly designed monochrome source list and toolbar icons
- Addresses numerous issues related to overall performance and stability
Via Thomas Menk
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