Sean Reid Reviews the Fuji X100

Amin

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You've heard the old cliché, "You get what you pay for". In the case of Reid Reviews, it really is true. Sean Reid's reviews are insightful, comprehensive, sophisticated, rigorous, and you have to pay for them ($32.95 annual subscription required).

Today, those of us who subscribe to Reid Reviews received the following email:
I just published a very extensive "rolling review" of the Fuji X100 with over 70 illustrations. As such, it is
certainly not light reading. But I hope that it will be very useful to photographers who are curious about this new
camera and who want to understand it in depth. This first installment is primarily based on field testing I've done
with the X100 in various conditions and with various subjects. Over the next week I will be adding new sections
to the review that compare the output of the X100, at various ISO levels, with output from three competing cameras.

If you want to get close, detailed, and personal with the Fuji X100, Sean's review is highly recommended.

Link: Welcome to ReidReviews
 
I find his reviews (like Reichman's) refreshing and useful because they are deeply opinionated based on his own needs and experiences as a photographer.

Considering a major part of the photography I enjoy, the X100 is very attractive. It appears there was some rush / sloppiness in testing the camera with experienced users before entering production. It will be interesting to see if Fuji listens and takes any action.
 
The flip side of the X100 being buggy is that it came out within a reasonable period of time. Remember how long the DP1 took to come out after being announced?

At least with the X100, people will have the camera to use...
 
Amin

That's a very fair point, in particular because most of the criticisms are open to firmware solutions. If Fuji responds by answering most of these points, even if it is through several updates, they will win a lot of interest, and loyalty.
 
I've been using the X100 pretty much exlusively in Jamaica over the past couple of days and, in use, almost all of the niggles get pretty insignificant pretty quickly. It could badly use one more function button OR a dedicated ISO button (the ability to configure the RAW button for something other than RAW is the obvious choice) and they need to integrate all of the ISO options onto one menu. Other than that, its completely useable already and those can be worked around pretty easily the vast majority of the time.

Its already a VERY nice camera to use and should only get better with firmware tweaks. Unfortunately, we have yet to leave the resort on this trip, so my photographs are nothing but nice, if fairly boring shots, of a very pretty Jamaican resort. But enough circumstances to test its capabilities. Hopefully, we'll get out of here for some kind of sightseeing one of these days...

-Ray
 
I subscribe to Sean's site too. But using that slow as molasses Flash set up totally irritates me. In any event, I refuse to read more X100 reviews. I'm trying to resist ... I must resist ...
 
I've been using the X100 pretty much exlusively in Jamaica over the past couple of days and, in use, almost all of the niggles get pretty insignificant pretty quickly. It could badly use one more function button OR a dedicated ISO button (the ability to configure the RAW button for something other than RAW is the obvious choice) and they need to integrate all of the ISO options onto one menu. Other than that, its completely useable already and those can be worked around pretty easily the vast majority of the time.

Its already a VERY nice camera to use and should only get better with firmware tweaks. Unfortunately, we have yet to leave the resort on this trip, so my photographs are nothing but nice, if fairly boring shots, of a very pretty Jamaican resort. But enough circumstances to test its capabilities. Hopefully, we'll get out of here for some kind of sightseeing one of these days...

-Ray

Ray

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I am reasonably certain this camera will be my next purchase: it matches very well my current photographic needs.
 
I used to subscribe to Sean Reids site but wish he would either sell reviews al la carte or preferably create android/iPhone/iPad apps of his reviews that he could make money on and be still protected, instead of the Flash site subscription. Flash is so outdated.
 
I'm sorry to say that I am not a subscriber to Sean Reid's site. I am no doubt missing out. Not being particularly "technical", I figured much of his review might be beyond my ken. That said, since I continue to feed my thirst for any possible news tidbits as to the X100 being for sale or in stores in the USA....I came across this happy bit of news on Fujifilm Finepix X100 News & Rumors that mentions Sean Reid's review and his using a beta version of....Lightroom 3.4 - which is a very nice tidbit to have gleaned.:D

Perhaps by the time I have my own X100, Lightroom's new version and RAW support for the Fuji will be full fledged!
 
The issue is the flash program he uses. If I can't read it on my iPhone, I don't need it.
He does great work but Flash....
Nuff said...

It is frustrating. He explains it in detail - wants to avoid his work being easily copied etc. He clearly likes the control. From my experience with online services, my advice to him would be to rather rely on online advertising for the revenue. In the end, though his reviews will be copied and pasted, most readers will hop across to read in full and he would gain from the traffic and revenue.
 
Sean seems to genuinely dislike the idea of getting revenue through ads: inherent bias, etc. Even if he were guaranteed to generate more profit that way than through his current subscription model, I don't think he'd switch.

All of this is extensively addressed here: Welcome to ReidReviews
 
I've emailed him before about the use of Flash and he was very adamant about it at the time. But clearly things will have to change. It's going to cost him some money to transfer all that content into a new format, but as a paid site our expectations are higher.
 
Ya gotta support the iPhone.... Or the iphoney people have to support Flash.
I'd be on in a minute but the lack of a reader on the iPhone stops me.
I spend more time on the phone that the computer.
Anyway, he's a great writer and does a very good job.
 
Streetshooter said:
Ya gotta support the iPhone.... Or the iphoney people have to support Flash.

If you read the main page on his site, which can be accessed without subscription and is not in Flash, it is clear that Sean feels that the iphoney people have to support Flash. I'm with Sean and am typing this now from my fully web-capable Motorola Xoom.
 
I would have to say I disagree. Flash has no advantages over simpler methods of achieving the same ends, and for mobile devices it can have significant disadvantages. Apple does not have a problem with Flash, and works closely with Adobe on development for OS X. Apple does have a problem with the mobile version and the impact it can have on the user experience. Take the new RIM tablet: a supposedly fully Flash capable device. It plays Flash based video fine, but Flash games it cannot handle. that is the sort of user experience that is simply unnecessary.

The reality is that Flash development is past it's peak. I see this clearly in the ads, videos, promotions and games that we develop and are developing. Interestingly, the need for Flash developers has dropped significantly. My team simply does not develop in Flash, nor does any major agency I work with.

I should add that one of the major issues Apple has had with Flash for the web is that it is proprietary: in other words, totally controlled by Adobe. Apple takes the view that an OS is one thing, but that tools for the web should be based on open technology.

For the geeks, here is an article you might find interesting:

Flash on Android: Look but don't touch

Anyway, for Mr Reid it is just much simpler to have a bolted door which does not allow copying and distribution. It's a pity I think, because his reviews are deeply valuable for the thoughtful purchaser.
 
Pelao, you're making me feel as though I should ante up and pay for the subscription. I wish I could see an example of his kind of reviews...perhaps I'll hunt for one. I find extremely technical, pixel comparisons are just not for me...so I've hesitated.
 
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