Fuji X10 after trying OM-D...X20 in the future?

[kwaphoto]

I've had the X10 for almost a year and the X100 since Nov 2011. I had been lusting after the Olympus OM-D EM-5 for since it was announced and finally gave it a try. Long story short, you don't always appreciate what you have with Fuji until you try another system. I forgot what a pain it is to change lenses and deal with slow lenses (unless you are in over $1000 for standard f/2.8 zoom). That little X10 is just so much fun, it fits in a pocket and the IQ is more than good enough for daily use. I've even used it for portraits in my home studio with success.

Carrying the OM-D or X10 for a quick trip? The X10 wins.
Auto WB? The X10 wins.
Fun factor? X10 wins
Value? X10 wins
Skin tones? X10 wins
AF speed? OM-D, no question
Fastest zoom lens for <$1k? X10

I've really tried to love the OM-D, I really have - as I've been and Oly E-1 and E-3 user and Oly fan for years. But these Fuji's just "speak to me". I have a feeling that OM-D will be returned/sold and an X20 may join my X100 as the main kit. I'd rather carry these two than an small OM-D kit of fast glass and a slow kit lens (12-50 f/3.5-6.3), 45 f/1.8 and 25 f/1.4. The two Fuji's are easier and more fun!

I'll have more relevant examples soon (probably a blog post later).

Has anyone else had a similar experience of trying to go back to a larger system only to find the Fuji's calling to them?

 

[dixeyk]

I have an X10 and has been very impressed by it. So much so I sold my M43 gear and kept the X10 as a companion to my NEX which I use for legacy glass. Day to day I am just as likely to grab the X10 as the NEX and am equally as happy with the results.

It is a fun, easy to use camera and it is my go everywhere camera. Of course extra batteries are a good idea...

 

[JJJPhoto]

I use m43 gear as my main kit but the X10 is my "take everywhere" camera for life's spontaneous moments. I also have some DSLRs but rarely shoot with them anymore because m43 and the x10 does everything that I need.

 

[Ray Sachs]

There's almost no point in shooting an OMD or any other ILC if all you're just going to use is the kit zoom. You'll pretty much always do better with a good premium compact.

-Ray

 

[kwaphoto]

There's almost no point in shooting an OMD or any other ILC if all you're just going to use is the kit zoom. You'll pretty much always do better with a good premium compact.

-Ray

Agree. I've only tested the 12-50. Only the 45 f/1.8 and 25 f/1.4 saw any use. Great lenses! But I now remember why I love the X100 and X10. It's easier to swap a small body quickly than swap lenses back and forth

 

[Lawrence A.]

Well, I can't jump in your boat, though I wish you happy sailing with your X10. I absolutely love the E-M5, for me the best digital camera I've ever owned. (I am decidedly NOT saying the best digital camera that ever existed!) I usually use primes on an interchangeable lens system, so slow zooms are not usually a factor, and with the E-M5 you can boost iso when using the 12-50mm with no real quality penalty. I find it quite a capable and useful lens, even if the PL 25 or Oly 45 is usually on the camera. And except for the fact that it is so damned big, I think its macro is better than the X10, even if the X10 convenience makes me use it more for that application -- with perfectly good results) I love using my manual focus legacy lenses on the OMD, for the look of the results as well as the joy required concentration of focusing manually; the files are clearly superior (yes I did do a test), as they should be. You can't really compare a compact with a built in zoom to an interchangeable lens system if you don't like changing lenses. The winner is clear before you start.

All that said, I love my X10, and will gladly sail beside you with it. If one camera had to go overboard, though, it would not be my OMD. This reminds me of the micro 4/3 vs APS-C vs full frame debates, where passions flew in a sometimes less than attractive way, though this thread has so far avoided that. The best camera is the one you want to use. Period. There can be no argument to that. Should Cartier-Bresson have used a Hasselblad because of the "bigger files"? I suspect the decisive moment would often have passed him by.

For me the micro 4/3 system provides my main digital shooter, the E-M5, which I can shoot manually with ease. THAT is important to me, though it might not be to others. The X10 is what I have wanted for a long time but had trouble finding, a "take anywhere, anytime" camera that provides me with image quality I can be confident in, and that I love using. I've used a lot of other excellent premium compacts, but only the X10 has so far really satisfied those criteria to the point that I'd willingly take it as my backup on an important trip.

 

[JJJPhoto]

Lawrence, I agree the E-M5 is a GREAT camera. I don't consider the X10 a direct (apples-to-apples) replacement for the E-M5 or vice versa. However, for candid everyday stuff I personally find the X10 and its little f/2.0-2.8 zoom to be more flexible than my larger E-M5 (or even my little E-PM1) with a prime lens. I personally don't consider any of the m43 zoom lenses--even the excellent Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8--to be a good "take everywhere" candid camera for me because it's just a little too big.

However, if I'm going somewhere specifically for a photographic opportunity (a paid photo shoot, a family event where I need to capture images and video, or a vacation where I don't need to travel as light as possible) I tend to bring my E-M5 or one of my Pen cameras and some m43 primes. I use the X10 as my "daily sidearm" for those spontaneous moments with my kids or when I run across something interesting during the day.

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[Lawrence A.]

JJJ, I pretty much agree. The X10 is on my hip whenever I leave the house, and often next to me inside. The E-M5 -- or Hasselblad, or Bessa R -- is on me when I decide to spend some time shooting. I'd hate to choose just one, but if I had to the E-M5 would definitely be the keeper for me.

But that's a little like choosing Haydn or Mozart. I've had a passion for Haydn since I was 15; I go to sleep listening to his string quartets; he's at the very pinnacle of my personal musical pantheon, along with Bartok. But -- good Lord! -- how could I live without Mozart??!

I often go out with the X10 in a little belt case and -- for film -- the Olympus XA in a pocket. I love both for their convenience and have no problem with the quality of the shots I get from them.

I agree that the E-M5 and X-10 are really not comparable; I was responding to a previous post that did compare them. I refuse to take sides in gear conversations; it's too personal. FOR ME the X-10 is the perfect take anywhere camera, giving good results and being a blast to use. It's not my main shooter, and no compact is likely to be. If I took an important trip again, it would be my backup, but not my main camera, though it would be used, not just "there" in case the E-M5 broke. I'm not suggesting that's a position anyone else should take.

I hope I don't sound like I'm bashing the X-10. It's a camera that I love and use constantly.

 

[kwaphoto]

Yes, the X10 is a great camera for daily use. For other projects that require higher IQ, I pull out the X100. Both travel VERY well together as companions. I find it easier to swap cameras that swap out lenses on the OM-D when I'm out and about.

 

[Archiver]

I used the X10 as a general purpose camera until I got the OM-D and the Panasonic 12-35mm zoom. The tradeoff in weight and bulk were overridden by the much faster and more accurate AF, the image quality, the ability to use excellent lenses, and the movie mode. The X10 is great for when I want a small and unobtrusive camera, but when I need very rapid, spontaneous shooting and accurate AF, I reach for the OM-D.