Fuji X Pro-1

[Charlotte]

Fab looking shots there, Tewders.  I had a play with exactly the same setup at a shop on the way out of Heathrow last night and had to remind myself that I already have Lots Of Nice Cameras...

[Tewdric]

The one in the shop was probably on firmware 1.00, which is how they ship.  I upgraded to 1.11 this morning and it's a different camera.  It's still a bit buggy, but fantastically useable.  Give it six months and it will probably be a modern classic. 

They definitely beta tested it with their customers though.

[andrewc]

http://www.photographyblog.com/news/fujifilm_x-pro1_firmware_update_2.00/  Firmware version 2.0

[Tewdric]

Thanks for that Andrew - I'll be upgrading as soon as it is relaeased.

I've taken to working in Jpg, Astia emulation, +1 saturation.  You realise how futile your efforts are to get raw conversions as good once you discover that little secret.

[Tewdric]

OK, I'm on firmware 2.0!  Off to Pembrokeshire to test it out tomorrow, but it does seem a lot more responsive now.

[Tewdric]

OK, that's a lot better!  The autofocus performance and shutter lag are much improved with the new firmware and it's now a very capable performer indeed.  The low light performance now is just stunning, a complete game changer.  I was shooting loads of pictures In near darkness one evening in a hotel and you just don't need flash.  Stick this thing on f1.4, auto ISO maximum 6400, automatic dynamic range control and it will take noise free, sharp pictures of a crow in a coal cellar.  It's phenomenal.

Manual focus now works very quickly and is very useable.  With the fearsome sharpness and wide aperture potential of the 35mm lens, it's nice to get your subject's eyes in focus rather than the end of their nose...

I've standardised on Astia emulation mode, colour +1, which gives a nicely saturated result but with a gentleness and warmth that is very endearing.  Combine that with the pleasant bokeh and you get consistently good results.  There are very few times that RAW is needed; indeed there's an argument with this sensor to let fujis own algorithms just get on with it.  (The funny sensor layout makes it an absolute bugger to write raw converters for, apparently)

It won't do everything that a decent DSLR will do, the shutter lag is still there in a very small amount if you haven't first prefocussed, and it will never have very long lenses, and the battery life is quite short, but for my current photographic needs it's ideal.  If you want a paparazzi sniper or sports camera look elsewhere, but for street photography, most social stuff and anything involving low light I don't think you can do much better.


Untitled by tewdric, on Flickr


Untitled by tewdric, on Flickr

There are some tasty looking lenses on the way too.

http://www.optyczne.pl/5155-nowość-Prototypowe_obiektywy_dla_systemu_Fujifilm_X.html

I originally thought this camera's killer selling point would be Leica M Mount compatibility. Now I think it is its own lenses that will make people want it.

Overall, very happy chappy here.  It's a camera for photographers who prefer photographs to cameras..

[ed_o_brain]

You make a compelling argument for wanting one.

[andrewc]

It's a shame about the battery performance though. I've just bought an X100 and exhausted the battery on that with approx 220 shots.   I've got a spare, but it means the camera won't be going on extended tour.   I know that my Pentax SLR is good for a couple of weeks on a single battery.

[andyoxon]

Tewdric - could you post some EXIF data for those pics?

[Tewdric]

Yes I'll link the full res ones when Iget a minute - they are straight out of the camera but imported via the IPad, so are automatically resized when imported.  I don't think it fiddles with colour settings but they do look a lot better on a big calibrated monitor!

[Tewdric]

Full res example straight out of the camera:

(it's not perfectly sharp but illustrates the look and feel of the images- hand held at arms length!)


DSCF0982 by tewdric, on Flickr

Exif:

General
-------
Byte order:Intel (small endian)

Main IFD
--------
Camera make:FUJIFILM
Camera model:X-Pro1
Software:Digital Camera X-Pro1 Ver2.00
Date/time:22/09/2012 16:54:00
Image description:
Copyright:   
Orientation:Normal
Title:
Subject:
Author:
Comments:
Keywords:
Resolution:72 x 72 inches

Exif sub-IFD
------------
Exif version:2.30
Aperture value:2
Brightness value:1.46
Colour space:RGB
Compressed bits per pixel:3.2
Date/time original:22/09/2012 16:54:00
Date/time digitised:22/09/2012 16:54:00
Exif image width:4896
Exif image height:3264
Exposure programme:Aperture priority
Exposure time:0.00555555555555556 seconds
Exposure bias value:0
File source:Digital camera
Flash present:Yes
Flash mode:Compulsory suppression
Flash fired:No
Flash red eye reduction:No
Flash strobe light:No detection function
F number:2
Focal length:35
Focal length in 35mm film:53
Focal plane resolution:2092 x 2092 centimetres
Gain control:
Image unique ID:
ISO speed rating(s):800
Light source:Unknown
MakerNote data offset:0
Max aperture value:1
Metering mode:Pattern
Related sound file:
Rendering:Normal
Scene capture type:Standard
Scene type:Directly photographed
Sensing method:One chip
Shutter speed:5.524 milliseconds
Spectral sensitivity:
Subject distance range:Unknown
White balance mode:Auto

Interoperability sub-IFD
------------------------
Interoperability type:R98
Interoperability version:1.00

Thumbnail IFD
-------------
Thumbnail orientation:Normal
Thumbnail resolution:72 x 72 inches

[andyoxon]

OOI Auto ISO?  ISO 800 looks good.

[Tewdric]

Yes auto ISO - I set the max at 6400 and let it get on with I most of the time, also auto HDR.  I wouldn't normally dream of such heresy but it really does just work - as well and, in most cases, better than I could do shooting raw and spending half an hour in Lightroom and Photoshop.

[andyoxon]

Yes auto ISO - I set the max at 6400 and let it get on with I most of the time, also auto HDR.  I wouldn't normally dream of such heresy but it really does just work - as well and, in most cases, better than I could do shooting raw and spending half an hour in Lightroom and Photoshop.

I feel as though I'm in a time warp...   

Re Auto-ISO, I wonder why Fujifilm never had a firmware update to fix the lack of a user definable minimum shutter speed in A-I.  I gather it's set to 1/40s or summat.

[RJ]

With the X Pro 2 in the wings, there are a couple of seriously tempting offers out there for the X Pro 1. Having spent a useful half hour in one of the few remaining Scottish Jessops earlier in the week, I'm seriously tempted ...

[bumper]

I'm seriously tempted ...

me too

the body is  free with the 18mm and 27mm lens (wish it was the 35mm) and the full leather case. I'm thinking of buying it as a spare body to complement the xt10, as an alternative to buying the xt1. I could then get the 35mm too I don't need it for action shots so it'll just be plopped on top a tripod every now and then, and it'll save me changing the lenses.

I've played with an xt1 today, feels special. The only thing to put me off getting one, the rubber was coming away from the body this is a fairly new camera! It felt really nice in my hands though.