Fuji X100 or X-series system camera (JPEG vs RAW)?

ean10775

All-Pro
Location
Cleveland, Ohio
Name
Eric
I'm new to this forum, currently shoot with a Canon 5DII with prime lenses in the 35mm, 50mm and 85mm focal lengths as well as shooting with two m43 cameras with kit zoom lenses, a 20mm prime and various legacy glass. I've been toying with the idea of picking up an X100 (or even an X-Pro1/XE-1) for a while now as I love what I'm seeing from these cameras (I should also say that I have a soft spot for Fuji as I've always loved their films and my first real digital camera was a Fujifilm s6000fd). My preferred FL is 35mm on a full-frame sensor, but admittedly my current setup in that regard is lacking in several ways:

1. My 5DII + Samyang 35mm f1.4 is large and heavy to carry so I don't find myself using it as much as I'd like. Also, the Samyang is manual focus only which can be a challenge to use, especially at wide apertures, resulting in my use of liveview with focus peaking to help ensure accurate focus

2. My Olympus m43 cameras with my 20mm lens (giving a 40mm equivalent field of view) is great in good light, but I really dislike shooting either of my m43 cameras at anything over ISO 200.

On paper, the X100 seems like the perfect camera for me (though I know it has its quirks) and with used prices coming down with the announcement of the X100s I'm considering finally picking one up. I'd also consider something like the XE-1 if a 23mm f1.4 materializes since I don't mind using an EVF exclusively, but I worry about the lack of accurate RAW support for the X-Trans sensor cameras in Lightroom.

I realize that's a lot of exposition to get to my real question - Are X100 users typically finding they prefer the in-camera JPEGs or the flexibility of RAW and if possible, how do the JPEGs of the X100 compare to that of the cameras with the X-Trans sensors? The XE-1 appeals to me as I like the idea of a system camera perhaps moreso that a fixed lens camera, but without a 23mm lens currently available and based on my concerns regarding RAW support, I'm thinking the X100 may be a safer bet.
 
Can't speak to comparisons with the X-Trans, but I had a similar thought process to yours, in that I wanted to try JPEG-only on the X100 for a while (mostly shooting street) to see if the quality, tonal range and depth were good enough to abandon RAW shooting in most situations. So far, I am absolutely amazed at how much pushing and pulling I can do to a JPEG from the X100, and I haven't had a single shot ruined by blown highlights or lost shadow detail. No doubt I will be shooting some RAW eventually, but for now I am really enjoying the 10x increase in card capacity, and still blown away by the X100 JPEG image quality (vs any Canon, G or 7D, that I have been shooting).

See my previous post on this topic for an example.
 
I haven't done any PP to a JPEG since I stopped using my Fujifilm s6000fd nearly 6 years ago (SilkyPix was the only software available for it and my computer wouldn't run it), so its interesting to hear that you guys are pushing and pulling exposure from JPEGs from these cameras without loss of IQ.
 
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