Photography Blog Posts First Fuji X Pro 1 Review

Well, the first review of the X Pro 1 from a major source has surfaced. Unfortunately, it's Photography Blog. I had never found much use for their reviews before this point, and that criticism remains. They are woefully easy on products that come across their desk, and considering that other people who have handled the camera have referred to its autofocus as "terrible," PB's usage of the term "ponderous" does nothing but annoy me.

The review hits all of the points that we expect of a review and nothing else. Conclusion? They love the camera, but don't like the price. Considering the ISO performance of the camera, though, I think that the final price is not entirely insane. I don't think that it's good business sense, but it's not insane.

That ISO performance is really the shining star. Photos are completely usable up to 25,600. No other APS-C camera comes close. This is an even bigger leap than the new generation of Sony sensors seen in the Pentax K5 and Nikon D7000. Truly impressive. I wounder if Fuji will sell that sensor to other companies, because I can think of about a dozen cell phone makers that would line up to get their hands on it.

Another Negative View On the Fuji X Pro 1

EOS HD, a website primarily aimed at filmmakers using SLR cameras, has posted what could be called a review of the Fuji X Pro 1. It... is not good.

Before I comment, this review is admittedly coming from a video enthusiast. But he makes the entirely correct point that there is no technical reason why Fuji's video recording features needed to be so sub-par. It is a feature that should be there, simply by virtue of the hardware, yet isn't. Still, I don't shoot a lot of video, so I can write this off.

Beyond that, though, his criticism applies just as well to photography as it does videography. Namely, he thinks that the focus scheme is so terrible as to ruin the camera. He dislikes the hybrid viewfinder, he dislikes the lenses, and he dislikes much of the interface. On a positive note, he thinks that the camera is overall a snappier experience than the X100, which shows that Fuji is indeed finding their feet in this race.

When coming from the perspective of someone who is steeped in the most up-to-date technology that the imaging world is able to produce, the "retro" bits that many photographers covet seem positively absurd. He says that almost every comparison with Sony NEX-7 comes out in Sony's favor, and the focus issue even hands a win to the cheaper Micro 4/3 crew. While I still want this camera, this autofocus problem is becoming increasingly salient.

I have said it before, I will sacrifice usability for image quality, and the reviewer admits that the Fuji likely wins that race. Still, I could buy a Panasonic GH2 and Leica 25mm/1.4 for the same price as the body, or the NEX-7 and Zeiss 24mm/1.8mm for only a bit more. I hope that the X Pro 1 shows us its better side as more reviews start to come in, because this is a pretty big disappointment for me.

Importantly, though, and what stops me from simply saying "fuck it" and forgetting about Fuji, is what this camera reveals about the philosophy at corporate Fuji. They are interested in innovating. They are trying to push the industry forward. They want to do things differently. Canon? Nikon? What are they doing differently? Nothing, that's what. So even if Fuji doesn't nail the target with this camera, they will inevitably get closer as time goes on, and while they likely won't get my money with this iteration, if they stay the course, they will inevitably get some English gold from my English pocket.

First Bee Of The Year

I've mentioned that I have a slight obsession with photographing bees. I don't know what it is about them. As far as bugs go, I just consider them to be, ahem, the bee's knees. I love their color, their form, their industriousness. They're like fuzzy little Doozers with stingers.

From fō-tō-gră-fē Photographs

ePhotozine Posts Fuji X-Pro 1 Review

ePhotozine has posted a review of the new X Pro 1. None of their reviews are terribly comprehensive, and their image tests are minimal, but a review is a review.

One interesting thing is the new list of shots that I've uploaded. My initially positive impressions of the 18mm lens are somewhat lessened. In fact, judging from the shots that they have uploaded, I would call the 18mm downright disappointing, with significant softness at the edges and corners. The 60mm is sharp, as is the 35mm, but that 18mm is a big let-down after earlier shots seemed to make it impressive.

As for price, I still think that the entire package is a bit too high. The 60mm macro is over $200 more expensive than Canon's APS-C 60mm macro, and the performance is comparable. I'd say that the 35mm is fairly priced, but it is a difficult call. Canon again makes the 50mm f/1.4 for over $200 less, and the performance again seems very similar, although the edge does appear to go to the Fuji.

Aside from the 18mm, I remain excited. Prices are a bit high, but build-quality is definitely a cut above. I wouldn't buy into a system this early in its life, but I have to admit, I'm tempted. And that's saying something.

The First Flower of Spring

The first tulips of our shockingly early spring.

Love And Respect For Canon

Eight years and going strong.

I realized that I have been doing a lot of Canon bashing on this website, and while most of it is well-founded, it does not tell the whole story.

I have three cameras: A Panasonic GF1, a Canon EOS 20D, and a 5D Mark II to which I have off-and-on access. While I love the GF1 and think that mirrorless developments are the only thing that have fomented real innovation in the camera world, the power of the SLR model is undeniable. Whenever I enter a truly demanding environment, I carry along my EOS cameras.

Yes, they weigh a lot. Yes, they aren't quite inconspicuous. But when getting a shot really matters, my GF1 stays home.

For example, I was just outside trying to photograph some bees that have come out of hibernation early because winter never happened in New England, this year. Yeah, I have an obsession with bees. Bees are not exactly slow-moving. For their size, they never stop, and they move like the dickens. If I tried doing this with my GF1, nearly every outing would be a failure.

Yes, mirrorless is advancing quickly, and implementing one in a demanding environment is becoming feasible, but they weren't before, and really aren't quite there even now. For that, even though I lambast Canon, I use their cameras. And when I come out of a difficult situation with multiple good shots, I, if sometimes briefly, love them.

The romance is out of them, but I think that is because they have become tools as opposed to something romantic. That's why so many pro photogs like Leica so much, because there is romance in the cameras. They have their Nikons and Canons, but those may as well be Craftsman. They are tools for creating photos. With romance, just as with Leica, it's not about the photo, it's about how you got there.

I've never had much respect for that philosophy, but I can at least understand it. I sometimes lose perspective in the drive for ever-newer cameras and technology. I sometimes forget that the camera that has been serving me well for nearly eight years is still the thing that I instinctually grab when I worry about the environment that I might be entering.

I sometimes forget that the sorrow of a failed photo counteracts whatever pleasure I get from holding a camera. I sometimes forget, in my frustration with the company, that the tools that they made have produced most of the photos that, when I look back upon them, elicit the smile of a memory relived. I sometimes forget that while the camera, seemingly so tactile and real, breaks, fades, and is eventually forgotten, the photos, in all their ephemeral humanity, are forevermore.

Fuji X Pro 1 Rolling Review on Luminous Landscape

Luminous Landscape, a terribly designed website staffed by some of the best and most well-known photogs online, has posted part one of a rolling review of the new Fuji X Pro 1. Aside from DPReview, their rolling review of the Sony NEX-7 was easily the most detailed, comprehensive coverage of the camera available online. If you have never read anything by them, I suggest that you start.

Not much to be said yet, but they do address some of the early impressions of the X Pro where reviewers called the camera flimsy and sporting a poor build quality. It assuages my fears with LumiLand saying that these guys are completely off base. The camera is indeed as well built as it appears in photos.