Lightmancer
Legend
- Location
- Sunny Frimley
- Name
- Bill Palmer
...that I genuinely am not too keen on the XQ1.
On paper at least, it offers some advantages in performance and speed over my current trusty XF1. When a black one appeared last week on the Fuji refurb. shop with a spare battery and leather half case for under £200 I pulled the trigger in the full intention of subsidising the purchase further by selling on my XF. It arrived this afternoon and a few short hours later I'm looking at the parcel on the hall table ready to go to the post office in the morning. It's going back, and I think I should share why.
The first surprise was that there is no separate charger. Like the Ricoh GR it charges batteries in the camera via a USB connection and plug. I abhor this trend; it may save a pound or two, but it is counter-productive. When travelling I want to be able to charge my spare battery while I am still carrying and using the camera - while out to dinner, for instance - ready for the next day. I could buy a separate charger, but...
The next surprise was that it is a new (to me at least) battery size. One of the things I generally appreciate about the X-Series is interchangeable batteries. My X-Pro, X-T and X-M all take the same battery - therefore I only need to carry a single charger and set of spares. Ditto my X20 and XF have the same battery size. I genuinely expected the XQ to continue this trend, but no.
Surprise #3 is that I found the handling less user-friendly than the XF. Without the half case it's fiddly, with the case it's awkward - the fit, particularly around the strap lugs is a bit hit and miss. The control ring around the lens is awkward to use in practice; the ring is narrow and set close to the body and doesn't fall readily to hand. This was a real disappointment and probably if truth be told the tipping point in my tale. The XF has come in for some criticism for it's unusual handling but I have to say it suits me better.
Half an hour in the garden with both cameras settled the matter. Looking at the results on my monitor side by side I made my choice. It's not that the XQ1 is a bad camera - far from it - but it is not a camera that is better enough to make the transition a foregone conclusion. To be fair I think I said something similar when it came out. The XQ2 is the new kid on the block now, but given that the primary improvement over the 1 is the addition of classic film mode I think my comments are equally as valid.
So the XQ1 goes back to Fuji for a full refund. The XF1 continues as my smallest "sensible" camera; the old dog has seen off the young(er) pretender. The moral of this story is simple - newer has to be significantly better to replace "old friends" I hope that Fuji has taken that to heart in their design of the X-Pro2.
On paper at least, it offers some advantages in performance and speed over my current trusty XF1. When a black one appeared last week on the Fuji refurb. shop with a spare battery and leather half case for under £200 I pulled the trigger in the full intention of subsidising the purchase further by selling on my XF. It arrived this afternoon and a few short hours later I'm looking at the parcel on the hall table ready to go to the post office in the morning. It's going back, and I think I should share why.
The first surprise was that there is no separate charger. Like the Ricoh GR it charges batteries in the camera via a USB connection and plug. I abhor this trend; it may save a pound or two, but it is counter-productive. When travelling I want to be able to charge my spare battery while I am still carrying and using the camera - while out to dinner, for instance - ready for the next day. I could buy a separate charger, but...
The next surprise was that it is a new (to me at least) battery size. One of the things I generally appreciate about the X-Series is interchangeable batteries. My X-Pro, X-T and X-M all take the same battery - therefore I only need to carry a single charger and set of spares. Ditto my X20 and XF have the same battery size. I genuinely expected the XQ to continue this trend, but no.
Surprise #3 is that I found the handling less user-friendly than the XF. Without the half case it's fiddly, with the case it's awkward - the fit, particularly around the strap lugs is a bit hit and miss. The control ring around the lens is awkward to use in practice; the ring is narrow and set close to the body and doesn't fall readily to hand. This was a real disappointment and probably if truth be told the tipping point in my tale. The XF has come in for some criticism for it's unusual handling but I have to say it suits me better.
Half an hour in the garden with both cameras settled the matter. Looking at the results on my monitor side by side I made my choice. It's not that the XQ1 is a bad camera - far from it - but it is not a camera that is better enough to make the transition a foregone conclusion. To be fair I think I said something similar when it came out. The XQ2 is the new kid on the block now, but given that the primary improvement over the 1 is the addition of classic film mode I think my comments are equally as valid.
So the XQ1 goes back to Fuji for a full refund. The XF1 continues as my smallest "sensible" camera; the old dog has seen off the young(er) pretender. The moral of this story is simple - newer has to be significantly better to replace "old friends" I hope that Fuji has taken that to heart in their design of the X-Pro2.
