Fuji Fuji X100s - one more "first impression" post...

I have no intention of starting flame wars in this 'civilized' forum. I am just saying that you have mentioned lots of other cameras as competition to the x-100s, I strongly disagree with that assessment. There are so many factors that make the x-100s unique when compared to the other solutions out there....
-size to iq ratio
The Sony rx1 might have great iq, but having an electronic viewfinder dongle on top makes it less of a compact solution when compared to the x-100s.
M4/3, nex, canon m, panasonic g, samsung nx, not really..................
-hybrid viewfinder, you are right, I would love to have a Leica or an x-pro1 but for daily use the x-100s offers the best of both worlds and works better for my needs.
-ergonomics and controls, Fuji/Leica vs the rest.....
-price...Fuji/Leica


The original x-100 sold a lot because it was unique and people were hungry for its size/iq... a lot of those people discovered that the camera did not meet there needs after a while.... Move forward.... Maybe the x-100s will sell less but the crowd is more mature and savvy now.... all logical, The market now has more offerings, but there is nothing close to the x-100s proposition! In short, someone looking at m4/3, nex, xe-1 or even the Rx-1 has very different priorities than a potential x-100s buyer....

Ps: I have a tiny minimalist belt case for the x-100s, I wish I could fit an x-pro1 there and enjoy the same experience, size does matter for some...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I have no intention of starting flame wars in this 'civilized' forum. I am just saying that you have mentioned lots of other cameras as competition to the x-100s, I strongly disagree with that assessment. There are so many factors that make the x-100s unique when compared to the other solutions out there....
-size to iq ratio
The Sony rx1 might have great iq, but having an electronic viewfinder dongle on top makes it less of a compact solution when compared to the x-100s.
M4/3, nex, canon m, panasonic g, samsung nx, not really..................
-hybrid viewfinder, you are right, I would love to have a Leica or an x-pro1 but for daily use the x-100s offers the best of both worlds and works better for my needs.
-ergonomics and controls, Fuji/Leica vs the rest.....
-price...Fuji/Leica


The original x-100 sold a lot because it was unique and people were hungry for its size/iq... a lot of those people discovered that the camera did not meet there needs after a while.... Move forward.... Maybe the x-100s will sell less but the crowd is more mature and savvy now.... all logical, The market now has more offerings, but there is nothing close to the x-100s proposition! In short, someone looking at m4/3, nex, xe-1 or even the Rx-1 has very different priorities than a potential x-100s buyer....

Ps: I have a tiny minimalist belt case for the x-100s, I wish I could fit an x-pro1 there and enjoy the same experience, size does matter for some...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Fair enough - you're basically telling us what YOUR priorities are for a camera and how the X100s meets them and does so far more effectively than the other options out there. No problem with this at all. It was just calling other cameras toys and not real cameras that got me riled with your earlier post.

By criteria that other people may deem important some of the other competitors may well be better options - and I don't know that these are vastly different priorities that would rule out the X100s, but they are different. I've personally decided that for size, the Coolpix A is a better option for me and I'm more comfortable with the 28mm focal length for a lot of the shooting I do anyway (particularly street shooting where size matters more than for some other pursuits). And while I like the OVF on the X-Pro and X100s, I'm also very happy shooting without a viewfinder much of the time. If the OVF is your main priority and you've gotta have it all the time and 35mm is your focal length, that's an obvious call. If the X100 was a native 28 and had an add-on for 35 or 50, I'd be all over it and probably use it 90% of the time. Since its not, its not for me, but obviously would be for a lot of folks...

Its a great camera - its just not the only good small camera with a great large sensor anymore...

-Ray
 
I have no intention of starting flame wars in this 'civilized' forum. I am just saying that you have mentioned lots of other cameras as competition to the x-100s, I strongly disagree with that assessment.

Another way of saying "...I strongly disagree with that assessment" would be "...those cameras are not competition to the X100s for me". Those two little words "for me" prevent a lot of nonsense arguments in forums.

Obviously a lot of people are choosing between the X100s and any number of other cameras you might not consider. For those people, the X100s is by definition comparable to and competitive with whatever other cameras they are considering. Ray's piece was written for a broad audience.
 
Another way of saying "...I strongly disagree with that assessment" would be "...those cameras are not competition to the X100s for me". Those two little words "for me" prevent a lot of nonsense arguments in forums.
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Are you advising me on how to phrase my words/language?!!:( I am just passionate about the X-100s and i do not think the other cameras are a fair comparison, why will that trigger "nonsense arguments". I personally hate DPR for the amount of trolls there and have no interest other than having a healthy discussion NOT an argument, comparing the X-100s to those cameras is like apples to oranges "FOR ME?!" This is the first time that an Admin advise me on how to phrase my words. For me photography is about fast composition and framing, so "For me obviously" those view-finderless cameras are toys. Sorry again:(
 
Are you advising me on how to phrase my words/language?!!:( I am just passionate about the X-100s and i do not think the other cameras are a fair comparison, why will that trigger "nonsense arguments". I personally hate DPR for the amount of trolls there and have no interest other than having a healthy discussion NOT an argument, comparing the X-100s to those cameras is like apples to oranges "FOR ME?!" This is the first time that an Admin advise me on how to phrase my words. For me photography is about fast composition and framing, so "For me obviously" those view-finderless cameras are toys. Sorry again:(

No problem. You got your point across. Your priorities are what matter when you're choosing a camera and you're very clear about what they are. I'm glad you found what works for you. We're all on that journey in our own ways, figuring out how we shoot best for the various types of photography we pursue, and finding the right tools for how we shoot. Interestingly, as someone who's primarily a street photographer, I find a viewfinder, even the Fuji OVFs, constraining and an impediment when it comes to fast framing and composition and prefer either a flip up waist level LCD or, as long as the focal length is within the 24-28mm range (up to 35, but I start missing more shots as I move north of 28mm), I'm pretty comfortable shooting from the hip and knowing what will be in the frame without looking at the camera at all. A viewfinder just puts more distraction between my eye and the scene I'm shooting. But to each their own - I wouldn't think of criticizing you for your method if it works for you. The idea is for each of us to find the techniques that work best for us in our shooting and then find the tools that best match those techniques. The X100 is a great tool for some of those techniques, and not so great for others.

Enjoy the camera. I like it enough that I considered buying it even thought its not ideally set up for a lot of the kind of shooting I do.

-Ray
 
I'd feel quite overcharged if I wasn't even interested in using the hybrid viewfinder of the X100(S). It's the most expensive part of the camera, and it's Fuji's USP. Without it, the X100(S) is basically just a (too big and too heavy) Nikon A.

Over here, an RX1 with both viewfinders costs almost as much as a Leica M9, as Sony feels that the US pricing for the RX1 is way too low for European standards. The full package with both viewfinders is also larger and less practical than the hybrid viewfinder. So obviously, these are pretty different cameras for folks with different preferences. It's going to be interesting to see if/when Fuji will come up with a full-frame "X200", that would basically contain an X-Trans version of a then current full-frame Sony sensor.
 
hmm! i wish the X-100s came in 50mm for streets! i once had the nikon 28mm 1.4, great lens for low light, but i did not have the courage to get too close to my subjects on the streets! for a big guy like me 28mm means getting too close and intimidating! I value and respect that some people can shoot without viewfinders, "for me" the experience is about seeing the world intimately through the camera, and a tiny bit outside of the frame in anticipation for the action...
 
hmm! i wish the X-100s came in 50mm for streets! i once had the nikon 28mm 1.4, great lens for low light, but i did not have the courage to get too close to my subjects on the streets! for a big guy like me 28mm means getting too close and intimidating! I value and respect that some people can shoot without viewfinders, "for me" the experience is about seeing the world intimately through the camera, and a tiny bit outside of the frame in anticipation for the action...

Yeah, there's no right or wrong way. Henri Cartier Bresson shot a 50mm most of the time, Garry Winogrand shot with 28mm. Some shot with twin lens reflexes down by their bellies, others with viewfinders at their eyes. When the X100 first came out, I was still somewhat new to street shooting and I wanted to like using the viewfinder and spent plenty if time trying to, but after spending plenty if time shooting various ways, I realized it was in the way for me. I love the OVF and use it for all kinds of other stuff, but very rarely for street.

I shot a bunch in New York last weekend with the X100s, RX1, and Nikon "A". I mostly shot the X100s with the 28mm adapter lens. For the street work I did, almost all was from the belly or waist. Some with the RX1 at 35mm, but most with the Nikon and Fuji at 28mm. You can see some of it here if interested. And, yeah with 28mm I'm generally getting in close, but that's a lot easier to do when I don't have a camera stuck to my face...

NYC April 2013 - a set on Flickr

-Ray
 
Ray,
I'm new here, and have quite enjoyed your posts (and writing etiquette). Since this thread seems to have veered off onto personal preferences regarding viewfinders, I'll add my presences to the pool. I like using optical view finders; good quality OVFs. The number one reason I switched from 40D to 5Dmkii was the bigger, brighter viewfinder. Part of this has to do with my preference for manual focusing (I don't ever do modern Sports Illustrated type photography), and a quality OVF plays a significant role in manual focusing. This was the among the reasons I moved from the 5Dmkii to the M9. The OVF on the M9 (and its kin) are superb. I'm looking to add the X100s to my gear, and one of the major considerations (amongst others) is the hybrid VF. I'm also considering adding the OMD (as a short term stopgap as a second body). I'm quite curious about its EVF and the tilting rear screen (to be used similarly to a Twin Reflex camera). I've never used an EVF and am approaching the two (X100s & OMD) with an open mind and eager to experience the challenges each will present. Too often we're far too enamored with our styles and fear the unknown or the different resulting in us being stuck in the trenches as the rest move on. It's a terrifyingly exciting time in photography where the old paradigms are being challenged. Panasonic and Olympus started the revolution with their 4/3 system, that's been gaining momentum. Fuji's borrowing from the past while pushing optical systems and sensors in novel directions. Sony branching out in a different direction altogether. Nikon's challenging entry level medium format backs. Where all this ends, is any ones guess. But one thing is clear. Those of us who fail to embrace and understand these changes run the risk of missing out on probably the most exciting period in photography of our time.
 
I just acquired the X100S. I haven't had any time to become acquainted with the camera yet, but my initial take is that this is a camera that knows what it is ... what it was meant to be and is true to itself and to its design.

I have a lot of learning for proficiency, but I have never felt so pleased with a camera since the Nikon F.

Gary
 
I just acquired the X100S. I haven't had any time to become acquainted with the camera yet, but my initial take is that this is a camera that knows what it is ... what it was meant to be and is true to itself and to its design.

I have a lot of learning to for proficiency, but I have never felt so pleased with a camera since the Nikon F.

Gary

Acquire a RX1
 
Thank you, Ray. I, too, always enjoy your "write ups" and find them just the right mix of factual and personal. I'm also enjoying reading everyone else's comments, as well.

Fortunately, I'm not in the market for another camera right now...however that doesn't mean I don't enjoy keeping up with what's new and different.:wink_old:

Love those Basset Hounds!:biggrin_old:
 
Well I have had the X100 since September and it's a really nice camera.
I'm glad I was able to get the X E1 and a couple lenses.
From what I've read the X100s is a different camera.
Roosbeh is going to retire on all the Leicas he turns.
 
I just acquired the X100S. I haven't had any time to become acquainted with the camera yet, but my initial take is that this is a camera that knows what it is ... what it was meant to be and is true to itself and to its design.

I have a lot of learning for proficiency, but I have never felt so pleased with a camera since the Nikon F.

Gary
There goes my bargaining chip.
 
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