There is one camera company that is really getting noticed these days, and that is Fuji. They seem unstoppable as they continually are releasing new cameras and lens at a very fast pace. They stand apart with their APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor. It all started with the X100 and since that introduction Fuji has followed with numerous other X branded cameras. Not forgetting where their roots are they released the next generation X100s a few months ago. This little camera has a huge following and if there is a camera that has done retro right it is the X100s. Alain Briot a regular contributor here on Luminous-Landscape switches gears from his regular essays and does a Camera Review Of The X100s.
Reader's Digest Version: It's a remarkable, sync-at-any-speed camera with a no-apologies 16mp chip. I'll probably make more pictures with this camera over the next year than all of my other cameras combined.
Remember when you bought your first digital SLR camera? You thought, “What a piece of engineering!” You opened the box and took the first glance as excitement and joy ran through your veins. No more film, no more limitations and the ability to take as many photos as you want. The world was your oyster. You went through the manual and the number of options, menus and settings left you gasping. While the battery was still charging you were already planning your first photo endeavour. Then you ran outside with your shiny new camera and started shooting like mad. After all, with digital there are no limits. In the evenings you hit the Internet. You were sure you had the best camera on the market. You read all the reviews that were proving your point. But wait, you thought, “Maybe I should get a better lens, a better-rated lens.” You scratched together all the money you could and bought a huge, beautiful pro-rated lens. “Now I can take really stunning photos!” you cried. You drove to the nearest park and photographed everything around you: benches, trees, leaves, people, even hydrants. You uploaded your photos, looked at them at 100%, and admired sharpness and dynamic range. Again, you went on the Internet, hit the blogs, forums and ratings and thought, “If only I had a telephoto lens, I could take even more amazing photos.” The next day you visited your local dealer and came back with a massive telephoto 2.8 pro-rated. WOW!
But wait! Another question hit you. “How I am going to carry all this equipment?” You ran back to the store and picked the largest and best camera backpack you could afford. Daily you carried the backpack with your expensive SLR and superb lenses and took hundreds of photos. Sure the bag was heavy and the camera overwhelming but you told yourself, “This is the price I have to pay for top quality.” You justified an inconvenience. You kept uploading your photos to the computer, then processing and uploading them on the Internet. Next, you repeated your mantra about your camera’s superiority. You followed this sequence religiously every day. But despite your best efforts, photography had become an almost robot-like endeavour. Then it hit you. Something was not right! You noticed that others were taking much more interesting photos that were more engaging, more powerful. You went through them, you counted every pixel and you compared. Sure their photos were not as sharp as yours, the resolution was lower, the dynamic range was nowhere near yours but somehow their images were so much better and more interesting. You grumbled to yourself, “It is not possible! After all, I spent thousands on my equipment and I feel I am going nowhere!” You nervously studied the 300-page manual and asked yourself, “Maybe I am missing some settings? If only I knew how to set up…” You fell asleep with the manual as your pillow. Next day in the field you set up a tripod, put your brand new, huge, super-fast lens on your camera, went through your settings, played with all the buttons and you came back home… with even more mediocre photos. Your frustration was growing. Where is the joy? Where is the passion? Should I buy a better lens? Should I change my in-camera settings? Weeks and months passed and you left your heavy backpack at home more often. You became unengaged and uninspired. You started avoiding photography. What a chore it had become! You think, “Maybe that’s just how it is. Maybe I am overreacting. Maybe this is the new normal.” The following day you bumped into a kid next door and he showed you a few photos he had taken with his iPhone. You immediately dismissed the quality and told him to buy a real camera but deep down you admired his images, creativity and passion. You went home depressed and discouraged. Then, one day you came across your old friend who was holding a small and interesting camera. Out of respect and curiosity, you took it, looked through the viewfinder and played with the controls. At first, you felt hostile towards this tiny camera. After all, at home you had whole backpack of expensive gear. But deep inside you had a strange feeling. Something drew you closer. It was the strange but familiar feeling you had when you shot Leica or Contax film cameras. You could not stop thinking about the little camera you held in your hands today. After a few days of internal struggle you decided to go for it. You realized what had been missing.
How many of you have had a similar experience? I did.........
Thomas you are mentioned in this article "Finally, “Scoop It” by Thomas Menk should be bookmarked and followed; it has great photographs and insights." Cheers
- The aperture ring on the lens, the shutter speed dial like old film cameras
- The hybrid viewfinder
- Amazing quality of the RAW files
- Beautiful colour rendition, especially with the Astia Film Simlation mode
- Great dynamic range
- Tiny, lightweight, quiet, it is a perfect tool for street photography
What I don’t like about the Fuji X100s
- Autofocus still needs some improvements
- Poor battery life. I highly recommend buying a second battery if you plan to be out all day.
- Video mode only automatic, quality could be better given the great X100s sensor;
- The lens isn’t extremely sharp at f/2 (but is still usable) and has some distortion. I had hoped that Fuji would have improved on it.
Despite a few weak points, I really enjoyed using the X100s and it is definitely a camera that I will bring with me for day-to-day photography. It is fast, silent and discreet, and you can even choose to silence the shutter button. No one will notice you when you use it. However, at the same time, it will never become my main camera system. The reason is probably personal, but if I were to visit a place for the first time, I would probably miss a wide angle lens and a medium telephoto lens as I like to diversify my shots and represent a place from different angles and perspectives.
I liked shooting with it in Venice as I had already visited the city. Moreover, thanks to the Fuji X100s’ fixed lens, I was able to concentrate on one single type of photography (street photography), and this proved to be a very good exercise. As I said before, it is a niche camera – you have to know why you are buying it and for what you intend to use it. If street photography isn’t your genre of choice, the x100s probably isn’t the best camera for you. I have to admit that I am not an avid street shooter, and sometimes all I wanted was to be closer to my subject (I did some cropping in a few pictures). The RAF (Fuji RAW) files are another aspect that really impressed me. The dynamic range is huge and the amount of detail you can recover in both the shadows and highlights is stunning. I rarely work with such good RAW files coming from a camera like this one. You can really see the quality of the X-Trans sensor. High ISO images have little noise and an overall filmic “look” that is quite pleasant to the eye.
Here are some images I took with the Fujifilm X100S that was loaned to me by my camera vendor in Vietnam. I have used the X100 and am looking to see if the X100S does indeed have the improvements. I tested this camera to see if I should sell my Carl Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 that I use on my Sony NEX-7 and buy this as a second camera. The two will produce the same 35mm equivalent with the aperture almost the same. If I did not have the CZ 24mm, then I would buy the Fujifilm X100S immediately, no doubt. Overall, the Fujifilm X100S produce beautiful and pleasant images right out of the camera, the colors are amazing as all Fujifilm cameras are. The AF is now very fast. Metering is accurate. Noise is one-stop better than all camera I have used and the same as my Canon 5D Mark II images, and this is amazing for APS-C sensor. The .jpgs are absolutely clean with great details. I set everything at 0, no NR, no sharpness, no saturation, vv...
I use 1600 ISO on all the low-light shots as I have no need to go higher. Also, did some macro and fill-in flash toward the end. Yes, that is me, my wife and daughter as models. The camera is easy to use, even my amateur friend took the image pin-sharp. Hope this helps anyone thinking about this camera.
Pros:
- 16mp sensors is awesome, just like the X-E1 I have tested - ISO & noise control is supreb, one-stop better than my NEX-7 - AF is definitely faster. I sold my X100 because of slow AF, no more problem in the AF department - colors rendition is beautiful and better than my Sony - lens is exptremely sharp with details rendition in dark shadow area - dynamic range is totally awesome, make me want to sell my Sony gear - on-camera flash is superb as you can see in some of my fill-in images - silent shutter makes shooting a joy - aperture ring on lens is the best way to control aperture - auto-iso setup is well thought-out and much better than the Sony implementation - good battery life but not great, you will need several extra battery for one day shooting - the Q button implementation is superb offering quick glance and setting changes - ND filter built-in is awesome as I found myself using it on several occasions for f/2.0 shooting - EV compensation dial is the most used dial and every camera should have one dedicated dial - Hybrid OVF/EVF is excellent, though I used EVF 90% of the time - build is excellent and all Fujifilm are "Made In Japan"
Cons: - EVF still have lags, Sony NEX have better EVF - LCD is still primitive compare to my Sony NEX - 6fps as compared to 12fps on Sony NEX - only +-1EV for AEB, not good for hand-held HDR - cost $1300, I think about $1100 is the best - screw on wide-angle adapter is not quick - using it with filter, you have to buy adapter - lens cap will drop and lose if you are not careful
So I guess this is my official return to the blog folks. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday series I posted last week while I was getting everything back in order at this end of the computer screen. I case you’re wondering: the vast majority of the images in that series were shot with the 35mm on the X-Pro1. I used the X100 on a couple of occasions but the X-Pro1 kit stayed glued to my eye most of the time. This was a conscious choice. I wanted to exploit the camera’s ISO capabilities in available light while also sticking to that single 50mm focal length as much as possible. Working within boundaries. Last week of course saw the announcement of Fujifilm’s X100 successor: the X100S. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a wishlist come true. Same body, same ergonomics, same fixed 35mm focal length but… New technologies that now place it squarely at the forefront of the X Series roster. With second incarnations of both the X Trans sensor and EXR processor, this camera has just leapfrogged the X-Pro1 and X-E1. I’m not going to delve into the details because I’m sure by now most of you know all there is to know, but I will say this: the addition of phase detection to contrast detection on the AF system blew me away. I never saw that one coming, certainly not this soon. Same goes for the new split-screen focusing: most of us were expecting focus peaking but this was totally unexpected. I love that. I love companies that think outside the box and throw me for a loop. This new camera also introduces a serious change to the button layout, placing the AF selection button on the right-hand side. Can I hear a hallelujah?! This seemingly small modification is HUGE in terms of handling and something I’ve been hoping for since the very first time I used an X camera. It means we’ll be able to switch focus points with one hand, without changing our grip and finger position.
HUGE. In light of this, I give you the quasi-religious appeal portion of this post:
O great, kind and benevolent Gods of Fujifilm We know phase detection is hardware-related & perhaps focus peaking is as well (although we secretly wish to be surprised) But could you please, in your bottomless and most infinite wisdom, grant us the ability to swap the functions of our X-Pro/X-E1 macro and AF buttons through the all-encompassing magic of firmware? We humbly await, basking in your eternal light.
Oh! And that minimum shutter speed setting in Auto ISO. In case you’ve forgotten.
I have been DSLR free for about two months and all is well. During the past two months I’ve been to Cuba, New York (x2), and Arizona. I feel I have hit just about every type, and kind, of job I do and my little Fujis have performed flawlessly.
So you're dating this great gal. She smart, cute, and good company. She seems to really care for you and gives you most of what you need. You take her everywhere. Your friends like her. You think this could be the one. Then, one day, her folks invite you over and introduce you to her sister.
See where I'm going with this?
At first glance, they look just like twins. If you look closely, the younger sister's hair is done a little different, and she's in slightly better shape. For the most part, however, the differences seem trivial. But then she comes over and sits down, and you start to talk. She got a quick wit. Real quick. Smarter than her sister, clearly, and a lot more insightful. Her tastes are more refined and she can hold her own on any topic. And man, she gets you like you've know each other forever! She finishes your sentences and laughs at your jokes. You're in serious trouble brother....
And so it is with the Fuji X100s. So much like her older sister, but with so much more going on beneath the skin...
Zack Arias put the new FujiFilm X100S through its paces in Istanbul in March 2013 - we've put together a video of Zack's walkabouts in Istanbul with the X100S where you can see him in action shooting the sights and people of Istanbul.
If you've got the time check, out this amazing video!
There is no better place to test the quality of a camera than to try and capture some of the beauty in which is held in Istanbul. Although these pictures are captivating, it doesn't do Istanbul justice at all.
A place of color, flavor and culture that has to be seen to be believed, experience the beauty that will leave you speechless. There are a few companies out there that offer a true experience taking you off the tourist map and allow you to see what Turkey and Istanbul is all about.
Turkey Travel Guide, provide tailored tours in which they work with you to create a experience which creates lasting memories.
Following the recent public release of Adobe Camera Raw 7.4, we've updated our studio comparison database with new raw conversions of files from the Fujifilm X-Pro 1, X-E1 and X100S. We've been using the release candidate version of ACR 7.4 for some time, which contained significant improvements to Adobe's treatment of files from Fujifilm's X-TRANS sensors. The official public release version of ACR 7.4 brings some further (very minor) tweaks.
The latest release candidates of Adobe Camera Raw (7.4) and Lightroom (4.4) include improved demosaicing logic for Fujifilm's X-Trans sensor cameras, including the flagship X-Pro1.
Our hands-on first look at the Fujifilm X100S. Fujifilm's update of its large sensor, fixed lens X100 adds significant upgrades, including a 16MP X-Trans CMOS sensor with on-chip phase detection AF, a higher resolution LCD display in its unique Hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, and the company's latest user interface. But there's a whole host of smaller improvements to, which promise to iron out many of the X100's particular quirks. In our first look preview, we take a detailed look through what's changed compared to its predecessor.
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