Fuji Do you shoot differently with your X?

Penfan2010

All-Pro
Location
NJ, USA
Name
Ed
I presume that many of the Xtogs on this forum got into the X-system for it's redefined retro design, as well as the image quality. I've found that my photos with the X100 and X-Pro 1 are different from those I take with my digital Pens, especially when I use the optical finder. I shot with film RFs before (occasionally still do), and I tended to pre-visualize and take more time in composing and focusing vs. on an SLR. While the hybrid VF Xs do benefit from AF, the fact that you have to mentally account for parallax and the relatively slower AF, lead me to use my X's the same way as my RFs, and so I tend to use them for more quiet, reflective subject matter, where I pay more attention to composition. The photos I take with my Pens are more spontaneous, and I do far more cropping after the fact with the m43 images. What about you?
 

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I feel the exact same way. Using my X100 forces me to take better pictures. I should be able to use the same practices on a different camera. I think there's something about how I feel when shooting with the X100. Like I'm aware of the cameras the look like it and came before it and the shots people made with those cameras. I feel like I need to be more classic in my composing skills to live up to the types of shots I enjoy from the golden era of photography.

That proabably sounds really stupid, but it is what it is.
 
I agree with both of the above comments, the X100 with its retro looks, aperture ring, shutter speed dial all remind me of my days using Leica M's and in turn makes me think and shoot as I did then, I tend to look at the scene and pre-visualise the end results I am after then set the camera accordingly.
I do shoot in aperture priority and when on the street use f4 as my standard aperture and if the light is overcast then I will dial in minus one third EV.
I find that doing this allows me to get results I am happy with without the need to shoot multiple images thus cutting down on editing - great camera - great results.
 
One of the reasons I like shooting a number of systems, rangefinders, m4/3, film slrs, medium format, etc. is that I find each camera, with its strengths and weakness, informs how I "see" when I'm carrying it. So, yes, I work differently with the Fuji X10 (don't have one of the big boys yet) than I work with the E-M5, or the old Leica screw mount, etc.. My sensibility, my feeling for the world around me is still behind the lens, but it's being influenced by a different set of tools. I find it good and enjoyable.
 
I don't think so. I came from a fully manual Minolta SRT303b, to digital photography, and I have never really been able to let go of thoughtful composition and exposure. The digital compacts I have/had allowed more spontaneous and automatic shooting I suppose, but I haven't enjoyed those, as much as I do my DSLRs and the X100, and the compacts I have/had which allowed manual control. Sure, I have shot on auto on all of them, but my preference is and always will be for manual or partially manual (except focus, my eyes are so crap these days, I do have difficulty with manual focus).

All this, of course, is why when I go out to shoot, I rarely come home with more than 20-50 shots... whereas many others I know go shoot 500 or more in a day... and I can't ever help thinking "why?"
 
I don't think so. I came from a fully manual Minolta SRT303b, to digital photography, and I have never really been able to let go of thoughtful composition and exposure. The digital compacts I have/had allowed more spontaneous and automatic shooting I suppose, but I haven't enjoyed those, as much as I do my DSLRs and the X100, and the compacts I have/had which allowed manual control. Sure, I have shot on auto on all of them, but my preference is and always will be for manual or partially manual (except focus, my eyes are so crap these days, I do have difficulty with manual focus).

All this, of course, is why when I go out to shoot, I rarely come home with more than 20-50 shots... whereas many others I know go shoot 500 or more in a day... and I can't ever help thinking "why?"

That's great shooting discipline on your part, and good that you were able to keep the thoughtful composition and exposure as you transitioned over to digital.

My own journey to digital was from an old Olympus OM-1 to some of the early Canon and Minolta digital compacts. I have to admit that the ease of using those full auto compacts and the removal of the "I can't afford to waste expensive film" constraint made me a lot lazier initially. As such, I used my first digicams for family snapshots, while my film cameras were reserved for personal "serious" photography. That said, I still found a difference in my film shooting style when I was using an SLR like the OM-1 vs. a rangefinder like the Leica M3----I found that a rangefinder still required far more thought and pre-visualizing compared to an SLR. I just find I work differently with a WYSIWYG interface like an SLR screen or EVF vs. an RF or Optical finder.
 
I'm pretty much in the same boat, I come from an SLR background and a Sony NEX later on where I used to run and gun and choose the best image from a series of shots. I had to slow down when I started to use the XP1, I had to pre-visualise my shots. I believe that I fall under Sue's description of someone who shoots 500+ shots (or at least I used to). I find that since using the XP1 I have been more selective with my shots and as a result I shoot less images but find more "keepers". I know that the camera is just a tool and shooting with the XP1 does not make me a better photographer, but it has definitely taught me to be a more thoughtful one.
 
The X-E1 is the only camera I've ever used that I set auto ISO (to 6400 at that) and not worry about it. It isn't that the images are noise free, it is more that I actually like the noise that comes out of this camera.
 
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