Fuji DPreview up with X100 review

[Ray Sachs]

Just posted: Our in-depth Fujifilm X100 review: Digital Photography Review

Basic conclusion is that it rocks and sucks pretty simultaneously. They can't believe some of the quirks but love it anyway. Very high marks for IQ.

Sounds like a lot of us early adopters...

-Ray

 

[Amin]

It's a very positive review for a niche camera by DPR standards. Usually if a camera isn't for the masses, they pretty much miss the point. Eg, Sigma DP1, Ricoh GRD, etc.

 

[wt21]

But they only give it a silver <shakes head>

I guess because of the quirks. Maybe if a Fuji FW update fixed some of that, they'd go gold.

 

[Pelao]

Fascinating camera. The flaws and quirks will surely become the stuff of legend.

I don't have an X100, and have only played with one for about 20 minutes. I think I pretty much agree with many of dp's points, although I certainly share Amin's surprise: normally those guys mark down anything that is not what they see as mainstream.

Anyway, the nerd in me found the X100 so irritating as to be pointless. The geek in me (the side I like to think is more important...) simply loved it. In other words, goofing around with all the menus and settings was an insight into how not to do things, but sticking it in the equivalent of 'A' mode and simply shooting was incredible fun. I normally shoot in A, and with such good high ISO performance and flexible Auto ISO I probably would not change ISO very often. Which means that I change Aperture and Exp Comp and not much else when I shoot. So I spent 5 minutes staring in bewilderment at menus that seemed prepared by the same guys that designed the appearance of the camel.

I spent the next 15 shooting like crazy, and wondering if I could justify the purchase (meaning explaining to Her Regalness). It comes to the eye beautifully, frames things so you can see the whole story, and executes so stealthily that the victims never know you have struck.

Sigh.

 

[soundimageplus]

Fascinating camera. The flaws and quirks will surely become the stuff of legend.

I think i'm going to start calling it "Alternatively Configured!"

 

[soundimageplus]

The Dpreview list of "bugs" is amazing.
Here it is:-

• ISO and DR are set independently for each exposure mode, and for the Motion Panorama drive mode
• When the ISO is set manually it overrides the DR setting, but in Auto ISO the DR setting takes priority
• ISO 100 (L) and 12800 (H) are unavailable (greyed out) when shooting raw
• ISO bracketing, film simulation bracketing and dynamic range bracketing drive modes will turn off raw file recording without warning (and aren't greyed-out when shooting raw)
• When using AEL/AFL to autofocus with the camera set to MF, no focus confirmation is displayed (and equally, there's no warning when correct focus can't be attained)
• In Manual exposure mode, Live Histogram always implies correct exposure, regardless of settings
• In Manual exposure mode, camera will allow shooting at incompatible shutter speed / aperture combinations (e.g. 1/4000 sec F2)
• Program shift only works if Auto ISO is disabled and flash mode is set to Suppressed.
• Program shift counts rear dial or thumb lever commands beyond the point where the aperture is set to its largest or smallest (F2 or F16), and requires those commands to be reversed before it will stop down or open up again
• Drive and macro mode settings are discarded on changing exposure mode, entering playback or auto power-off
• OVF Power Save Mode disables live histogram, but leaves the box in which it's normally displayed blank in the viewfinder
• Drive mode, macro and flash mode buttons behave differently from the white balance button, and differently again from the AE and AF buttons
• AF point cycles from anywhere on the top row to the bottom right position by pressing the 'up' key, and from the bottom row to the top left by pressing 'down'
• When using the EVF or LCD, the AF point size is reset by switching to manual focus, or using the OVF
• In video mode, a full-press of the shutter is required to start recording, but only a half-press to stop
• In video mode, autofocus is continuous regardless of focus switch position (AF-S / AF-C)
• Magnified manual focus assist is not available in video mode
• The ND filter is not available in motion panorama or video modes
• Depth of field scale appears to have been calculated for a 35mm actual (rather than equivalent) lens, making it distinctly conservative
• When shooting JPEGs in 16:9 aspect ratio, the EVF and LCD displays are cropped accordingly, but the OVF displays 3:2 framelines. It's possible to enable 16:9 guidelines, but unlike the framelines they're not parallax-corrected
• Camera can only be woken from auto power off by half-pressing and holding the shutter button
• In playback, when magnifying a portrait format image the enlarged area is shown in a 3:2 portrait format area (even if shot at 16:9), wasting most of the screen area
• Images can't be deleted in the Detailed Information playback mode
• Images shot in 16:9 JPEG + RAW can only be reconverted in-camera to 3:2 JPEGs
• Images shot in continuous drive mode use a completely different file naming convention (which causes problems with sorting)
• Battery can be inserted the wrong way round, despite having an asymmetric shape
• Supplied charger won't accept the battery directly, instead it requires a (supplied, but unlabelled) adapter piece to be fitted first

I think we should have a prize for the first person to complete the list!!!

 

[Ray Sachs]

Its an impressive (or UNimpressive list), but in reality, only a couple of these have actually bothered me in operation and they're not that serious. The lack of focus confirmation when using manual focus and the AFL/AEL button to focus is the biggest day to day issue for me. To me, the biggest problem isn't even listed as a bug (because it does WORK), but it is discussed in detail in the review as a horrible UI design decision - the separation between ISO and AUTO ISO modes in the menu system. And the lack of a dedicated ISO button. I've taken to just leaving the camera in auto ISO most of the time (which it actually handles quite well because its high ISO results are so good), but its far from an ideal situation. I'd love to be able too choose the ISO manually for a specific set of shots and then easily return to AUTO on the fly, but that's just not happening with this camera.

-Ray

 

[soundimageplus]

but in reality, only a couple of these have actually bothered me in operation and they're not that serious.

I'm very much in agreement. And certainly some of your suggestions did help me bypass some of the problems.

Personally I'd have liked a much simpler mode of operation anyway, and I'd have been happy if a lot of options had been left out. A Leica M9 for example is much simpler than the X100. MF yes, but a different approach.

 

[emptyspaces]

I've been furiously shooting with the X100 for a month now, and have (like most) developed a love-hate relationship with it. Image quality is fantastic overall. I believe a lot of the maddeningly weird menu-type issues (they are indeed many, as DPreview pointed out) will be addressed with a firmware update. But there are a few deal breakers for me personally:

• The camera overall is just way too sluggish. If I were walking around Rome snapping photos of scenery, no biggie, but if you see a fleeting moment developing, you've got to factor in a few seconds for the camera to wake up, then another second or so to lock focus. Not awesome.
• It's too easy to accidentally flip the focus mode switch on the left side of the camera. If I owned the one I've been using, I'd tape it in place.
• You have to switch to macro focus way too soon. I'd like to be able to stand 1.5-2 feet away from a subject and shoot without having to menu-dive.
• It's very easy to stump the autofocus. And near impossible to use the manual focus. This camera should have taken manual focusing seriously.
• $150 for an adapter that lets you screw on a 49mm filter.
• Movie mode is almost worthless. Feels tacked on. This could have been an awesome movie camera, too.

Everyone's mileage may vary. There is a ton to like about the X100.

 

[soundimageplus]

Movie mode is almost worthless. Feels tacked on. This could have been an awesome movie camera, too.

That is so true. The quality of the footage at 720p is amazingly good but as you say, it seems its there because everybody else does it

 

[Djarum]

I took a look at the Jpegs. For some reason there is something lacking up to ISO 800, when compared to the E-PL2. I'm wondering if they are using a stronger AA filter or they don't apply as much sharpening in camera like the E-PL2 does. It does look like a cool camera.

 

[Ray Sachs]

I've been furiously shooting with the X100 for a month now, and have (like most) developed a love-hate relationship with it. Image quality is fantastic overall. I believe a lot of the maddeningly weird menu-type issues (they are indeed many, as DPreview pointed out) will be addressed with a firmware update. But there are a few deal breakers for me personally:

• The camera overall is just way too sluggish. If I were walking around Rome snapping photos of scenery, no biggie, but if you see a fleeting moment developing, you've got to factor in a few seconds for the camera to wake up, then another second or so to lock focus. Not awesome.
• It's too easy to accidentally flip the focus mode switch on the left side of the camera. If I owned the one I've been using, I'd tape it in place.
• You have to switch to macro focus way too soon. I'd like to be able to stand 1.5-2 feet away from a subject and shoot without having to menu-dive.
• It's very easy to stump the autofocus. And near impossible to use the manual focus. This camera should have taken manual focusing seriously.
• $150 for an adapter that lets you screw on a 49mm filter.
• Movie mode is almost worthless. Feels tacked on. This could have been an awesome movie camera, too.

Everyone's mileage may vary. There is a ton to like about the X100.

Some of these are personal preference and I can understand being bugged. But the deal about the camera being too sluggish is all about how you set it up. I've been shooting almost nothing BUT 'fleeting moments' with the X100 and haven't missed one because of the camera's sluggishness yet. You do need to turn off sleep mode and turn on quick-start mode and turn off the OVF power saving. Then, just leave the camera on while you're shooting and turn it off for any longer breaks. Turning it on in quick start mode when it can't go to sleep is very quick. Yeah, it takes forever to wake up, so don't let it go to sleep. The downside to this is you need to carry extra batteries, but I do this with any camera anyway so I don't see it as a downside. I'd rather carry an extra battery than have a camera that didn't respond when I needed it to.

Personally, I've never accidentally flipped the focus mode, most use MF with the AFL/AEL button so it goes to macro seamlessly, and don't care about movies. I haven't had any problems with the AF either, but I know this is a common complaint (maybe mostly from folks coming from DSLRs?) so this is personal preference. And I agree that the cost of the adapter/hood thing is ridiculous, so I won't buy it - probably wouldn't have anyway.

-Ray

 

[Amin]

I took a look at the Jpegs. For some reason there is something lacking up to ISO 800, when compared to the E-PL2. I'm wondering if they are using a stronger AA filter or they don't apply as much sharpening in camera like the E-PL2 does. It does look like a cool camera.

By all reports, the X100 AA filter is actually very weak. I think the in-camera sharpening is pretty conservative, so that may be what you are seeing.

 

[emptyspaces]

That's a great tip, Ray, I just wish it didn't need to be put into a coma (instead of asleep) in order to be at the ready. But you're right, that does fall under personal preference.

Not sure what you mean in the second paragraph - do you set the camera to manual focus and autofocus with your thumb on the AFL/AEL button? I just tried that. It works pretty well, but only in the two viewing modes I don't love to use - plus, I don't like the enormous centered focus rectangle (prefer a tiny spot, in a perfect world - does the large rectangle affect spot metering?). Your method does solve the annoying task of switching to macro, which is nice.

The autofocus is very slow, and not just compared to DSLRs.It reminds me of the very first digital Pen camera (E-P1?) in that regard. I had a Panasonic GF2 in my hand today, and that sucker focuses almost instantly.

I like the X100, and I'm getting some great pictures with it...it's just not a snappy and responsive camera compared to a lot of others I've used, DSLR or not. But maybe that's not the X100's thing. One thing's for sure, I'm glad Fuji made it. I was thinking for awhile nobody would make a camera like this again.

 

[Armanius]

horrible UI design decision - the separation between ISO and AUTO ISO modes in the menu system. And the lack of a dedicated ISO button.-Ray

Easily the MOST annoying quirk about the X100.

I am normally not this critical of anything ... but who was the moron that thought of separating the ISO and AUTO ISO controls, and then bury the two separate controls in two separate sections of the menu??? Even the most basic point and shoot camera that allows user ISO control doesn't do that!!!

And once in AUTO, the user can't override the AUTO choice until he goes back into the menu and turn off AUTO first!

Fuji, please change that! And also allow for customization of the RAW and AEL/AFL button. Ideally, I'd like to use the FN button for ISO (which would include control for AUTO ISO), and use the RAW button to control the ND filter.