Fuji Have you received your X-T1 and what do you think?

I just got one yesterday morning and some lenses this morning. I found the body in Seattle late on Saturday and was amazed they were able to get it to the Post Office in time for it to go out Priority Mail on Saturday, but it got here early Monday. And I'm within one day of B&H using UPS ground, so I ordered the lenses and extra batteries yesterday and got 'em this morning...

I have the 14 and 18, which I owned before with an X-Pro and XE1, and the 23mm, which I'd never used.

The camera body is pretty nice. Solid feeling about the size of the XE1/2 but with the extra height from the hump. The EVF is about as good as everyone is saying, about the same as the one in the EM1, which I also have. AF seems faster than any other Fuji I've used, but I've just been messing around with it, so I can't say definitively. Not as fast as the current m43 AF, but not far off - much better than I remember. Haven't done anything difficult with it to judge accuracy yet and haven't tried face detection or tracking AF yet. The shutter sound is kind of a two-step sound that may be the same as other Fuji bodies - I don't recall. But it caught me short the first few times I tried it - it makes it feel sort of slow, but that's an illusion because the exposure clearly happens right away and the rest of the sound is no doubt the shutter resetting itself or something.

Focus peaking is better than I remember from the X100s I shot with for a while, three colors and two levels each is much nicer than the faint white that was the only option with the X100s. The split prism focussing is nice and, when zoomed in, pretty precise. I've played around with the separate focus box but I frankly doubt I'll use it - it just makes everything too small and I find it easier to just use the center area for either peaking or split prism and then magnify it when I want to.

I really like having both a good EVF and a flip up rear screen - that was probably the combination that most made me choose this over the XE2. One little niggle though - you can leave the eye-sensor on, but it's a little sensitive if you're shooting from the belly or waist and unless you hold the camera a few inches in front of you, the screen will turn off and switch the view to the EVF. You can over-ride that using the little switch on the side of the EVF hump, but you can't set it to just toggle between the EVF and screen. One push will switch you out of eye sensor to the LCD only, the next will take you to EVF only, and then the third will turn the eye sensor back on again before the fourth starts the cycle again. Most cameras with this feature allow you to just turn the eye sensor off and just use the switch as a toggle, but this requires extra steps. The best solution I've seen to this is the EM1 which automatically disables the eye-sensor when the lcd is flipped up so you can't accidentally switch the view by holding it too close. Then when you close the screen, the eye sensor is automatically enabled again.

The back buttons, particularly the four way controller, are a bit fiddly as others have reported. It doesn't bother me much, but it might bother folks with meatier fingers. But I LOVE the number of programmable buttons. Only having one function button and the Q button on previous models always seemed like an unnecessary limitation - this one's got programmable buttons everywhere. Not to mention all of the external switches and dials. I won't use a lot of them, but they're in the right places... I kind of miss the threaded shutter button - I love using a soft release - but it's not a big deal and I can alway stick an adhesive backed soft release on it if I choose.

One comment on the lenses - the early runs of the 14 had really horribly loose aperture rings. You could just about turn it by blowing on it. The new lens isn't exactly the firmest action I've ever felt, but it's much better than before. Pretty useable actually. The 18 is a little stiffer and grittier than I remember from previous copies. And the 23's aperture ring is just about perfect feeling. I've had an RX1 for a while and that was my gold standard for fit and finish and the feel of the controls. This body, particularly with the 23mm lens, pretty much equals that and no other Fuji I'd used before came this close. The only thing that's not quite there is the exposure comp dial, which is really so stiff it requires a finger to assist the thumb. Not a terrible thing, but quite the perfect sweet spot the RX1 seemed to hit. But certainly better than some previous Fujis where they were too easy to accidentally turn - that will NOT happen with this!

Anyway, pretty favorably impressed. Nice to be back in the Fuji world after having de-emphasized it for a while and been altogether out of it for a while too. Now it's front and center again. The bodies are even better and there are more good lenses to choose from...

-Ray
 
Not getting one till the weather sealed zooms come out then i'll get the package...see how that works out for sports. In the meantime i'll keep reading what you guys/gals are finding pros and cons...i don't think it's going to replace my 1Dx just yet.

Delivery date is mid March here in Toronto according to my local dealer who wants me to pre-order ...not to miss out on the vertical grip :p
 
Got it yesterday but tonight was the first night I took it out of the box and "played" with it a little.
I just got myself an Olympus E-P5 as well, so I wasn't too much in a hurry to open another box in front of my wife.. the joys of married life :p

I'll most likely play around in depth tomorrow morning before work, but here's my first impressions for now.

Box is heavy and the camera feels heavier than my X-PRO1.

Camera feels nice in the hands, but I still prefer the feel of the X-PRO1 or the X100S.

AF is faster, but my 35/1.4 rattles a lot more on this new camera :(
I'll have to try out my other lenses tomorrow and hopefully I'll have quieter lenses.

The view finder is amazing! I just got an Olympus VF-4 deceived today, and when looking through the X-T1's EVF, it looks a little bit bigger and clearer than the VF-4.

That's about it for tonight.
Here are some photos :)

12805466435_db3e08fcdf_b.jpg

Camera Porn by Taz Spin, on Flickr
 
I opted for the X-T1 instead of the Nikon Df, which means that I like the camera. As I did not have time to shoot with the camera, I will stick to initial 'handling' impressions. Inevitably my opinion is influenced by my experience with the X-Pro1.

The first thing that struck me are the differences in layout of controls. I got so used to the x-pro1 controls that I messed things up immediately. E.g. when I tried to change the focus point (I use the Fn button for focus point selection) I started recording a video. When I wanted to switch view mode ((use of eye sensor, not switching to OVF ;-) ), I pushed the AE-L button. It's a minor issue but it makes switching between x-pro1 and x-t1 somewhat challenging. Although I do not have meaty hands, I do have bigger hands so I really have to get used to the four-way controller. The buttons on the X-T1 are less pronounced so it takes more time to find and push the right button. The buttons of the x-pro1 are more user-friendly in that respect. Big plus is that there are no left-side controls anymore and that we have more choices with respect to button-functions.

The size of the X-T1 puzzles me. On one hand I like the small size and weight. On the other hand, it feels less comfortable in the hand. I haven't bought the vertical grip yet but I will probably do that to get a better grip. I will also have to experiment with various ways of holding the camera yet. I wonder how comfortable it will be to use with the upcoming bigger lenses. Speculation: I expect these lenses to combine perfectly with the organic-sensor based x-pro2.

I love the external ISO control. It's easy to change ISO even without getting your eye of the camera. The avaiilability of the mode selector (bkt-Ch-Cl etc) works well too. I do not have problems with the shutter speed lock in A position as others reported. It's easy to change w/o taking your eye of the camera. It might be a problem with fast moving target but I would not want to change the setting (or preselect shutter speed) in such a situation.

Fuji definitely listened to complaints about the exposure compensation dial. We've got 3 stops and it is a lot stiffer. No more accidental changes (which happens frequently on the x-pro). It's funny that some people are now complaining they can't turn it with their thumb. If you have a strong thumb, you can still turn the wheel but it is better to use thumb and finger to turn the wheel. This works well w/o taking your eye of the camera since there is enough space on the front of the wheel.

The tilt-able screen is one of the reasons for buying this camera. Great feature. For those of you who never used and think they don't need it (I was among them): as soon as you've tried it, you will be sold.

The EVF is nice and big but it remains a TV-screen with somewhat unnatural colors, at leat out of the box. I like an OVF much more (one of the reasons for keeping the x-pro1). On the other hand, this EVF makes manual focusing MUCH easier compared to x-pro. The focus highlights are clearly visible. As my eyes are getting worse and worse, this is a real bonus.

As I still have to become familiar with using the camera, more news about little bonuses and quirks as well as shooting experience later.

I wanted to replace the x-pro by a x100s but I decided to wait until I know if I am comfortable with te X-T1 size.

ADDED:
1. the BACK button can no longer be used for switching silent mode on/off (unless I missed something). The function cannot be assigned to another button either. So you have to use the menu. Not sure yet if it's an issue because the sound level can be set to 0 in the menu.
2. The focal point cannot be set to the middle by pressing the OK button anymore.
3. Manual focusing has become MUCH easier with the X-T1 compared to the X-Pro.
4. The more I use the 4-way controller, the easier it becomes to operate.
 
I love it, the body feels great in my hands, but I will agree the four way controller could have a better feel. Not sure about the need for the vertical grip.
Af seems more than quick enough, love he control layout, feels very solid, and the EVF is by far the best one yet, getting very close to looking like an ovf.
Just wondring what it will be like shooting with an X-T1 and an XPro at the same time
 
I love it, the body feels great in my hands, but I will agree the four-way controller could have a better feel. Not sure about the need for the vertical grip, unlike my old OMD. Af seems more than quick enough, love he control layout, feels very solid, and the EVF is by far the best one yet, getting very close to looking like an ovf. Besides tightening up the exp control nob they also added resistance to the on and off switch
I like the separating of the battery slot from card slot. Just wondering what it will be like shooting with an X-T1 and an XPro at the same time.
This will be an amazing camera with the 56, can't wait
 
So I updated the firmware yesterday of both my 14/2.8 and 55-200 lens!

The 14/2.8 felt fast on the X-T1, as if I was using my X100S!
The 55-200 felt faster and hunted less as well.

The 14/2.8 is snappy even on my X-PRO1, but the 55-200 struggles a lot. I haven't even taken the 55-200 out after last Summer, because I took it to a wedding I attended as a guest, and wasn't able to get a single photo in focus :mad:

I have a studio session today, so I'll try to use the X-T1 as much as possible! Can't wait!!

1 more photo

12833065223_3eae53db79_b.jpg

X-PRO1 X-T1 by Taz Spin, on Flickr
 
The more images I see the more I want that thing, even though I got my XP1 only three months ago - curse you Fujifilm. Now where is that 23mm pancake lens ?
 
I love this camera because it really was what i had wanted all along (since the digital era began 15 years ago). Though i do believe a lot of the emotion is due to my age and i suspect that most people that will embrace the XT1 may be of a certain age as well.

I wonder what other people think :rolleyes:
 
I love this camera because it really was what i had wanted all along (since the digital era began 15 years ago). Though i do believe a lot of the emotion is due to my age and i suspect that most people that will embrace the XT1 may be of a certain age as well.

I wonder what other people think :rolleyes:

Not sure how old you are, but I'm 45, and I started late with photography (still film) but by then the SLR was the norm... My first rig was a Canon Rebel, then had an EOS Elan. Nothing special about either one of them (looking back now) from the retro dept except for a manual switch on the Elan for drive mode. So my roots don't go back to the rangefinder days... however as I started to dabble in different DSLRs, I found the dials and buttons approach much better than the menu approach to changing settings... One of my favorites is the Canon EOS 1 system with the buttons on the top left to change the various settings, which seemed a little more professional than the PSAM dial of the XXD line... Then I had a Nikon D300s, which has a direct switch for shutter mode, exposure mode, and the buttons used with the dial like the other pro Nikon's and the EOS-1... My point is that, even though I don't have my X-T1 in hand yet ( come on Henry's ), I think the dials and switches approach is not one that is necessarily related to how old the photographer is, but what makes the photographer comfortable. There are 65 year old photogs that love shooting with a Canon S100 and there are 18 year olds that will take to an X-T1 like it's the only way to control a camera for ever.
 
Romi, thanks for pointing me in the right direction! It works the same on the X-T1. Makes life more complicated with an x-pro and an x-t1.

did you figure it out - is it the 'back' button like on the x-e2?

(Sent from another Galaxy via Tapatalk.)
 
Back
Top