It is astonishing how versatile the 35mm eq. focal length on the X100 is. I seriously doubt that any other focal length has near the versatility. I shoot landscape, portrait, street, closeup, all with the same lens. On the occasion that I want a bit wider, I slap on the 28mm converter and get even wider. I could easily live with just the X100 if forced to.
rattymouse wrote:
It is astonishing how versatile the 35mm eq. focal length on the X100 is. I seriously doubt that any other focal length has near the versatility. I shoot landscape, portrait, street, closeup, all with the same lens. On the occasion that I want a bit wider, I slap on the 28mm converter and get even wider. I could easily live with just the X100 if forced to.
35mm and 50mm tends to be the consensus for the two most popular single focal length options. I happen to prefer the 50mm focal length, but I'm working to get more used to the 35mm of my X100.
douglasf13 wrote:
35mm and 50mm tends to be the consensus for the two most popular single focal length options. I happen to prefer the 50mm focal length, but I'm working to get more used to the 35mm of my X100.
On my APS-C camera, I used 20mm and 35mm lenses. Now that I have shot with the X100 for the past two years, I find it harder to use the 35mm lens so shoot with it much less. Previous to my X100, the 35mm was the most used lens of mine.
Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I'm in the same boat (although I'm considering an X-E1 with a 35/1.4 instead of the kit lens). Now that both cameras are out – or at least the X-E1 is starting to hit the streets – I figured I'd see how people are feeling. I'm trying to decide between exactly these two models, although I'd likely purchase used if I went with the X100.
I bought a new X100 and it's the best camera purchase i have made all year, better by far than my 5D3. I love this camera and it's changed how i shoot.
I will however also be picking up an XE-1 next year tho with the kit zoom as i'm falling fast in love with the Fuji X System.
chris78cpr wrote:
I bought a new X100 and it's the best camera purchase i have made all year, better by far than my 5D3. I love this camera and it's changed how i shoot.
I will however also be picking up an XE-1 next year tho with the kit zoom as i'm falling fast in love with the Fuji X System.
Thanks Chris. I realize you may not have gotten your hands on an X-E1 yet, but if you had to pick only one, which do you think it would be?
Also, could you elaborate on how it's changed your shooting style? For the better, I assume?
Ive not handled an XE-1 yet but get the feeling from talking to people that it is identical in size to the X100 and is very similar in handling to the X100.
I can't see the XE-1 suiting me more than the X100, the best thing about it, is it's simplicity. Fixed lens, great auto settings, simple menus and it just works!
The X100 takes a lot of pressures away from shooting. I was walking around Hamburg with it last night and having the Auto-ISO set up correctly, F2 in AV mode it is just ready to go and performs near faultlessly. It takes away the technical thinking and allows me to concentrate on not missing expressions and things that happen around me. The thing i also love about it is that it's such an unintimidating camera, no one takes you seriously and as such you can just bring it to your eye and shoot with much more ease than a comparable SLR set up.
If you are torn between the two and are thinking of buying the X100 used, i'd say grab an X100, shoot it for a month and if it's not for you, sell it on for minimal loss as they do hold their price and then go get yourself an XE-1. I would put money on it staying in your kit bag tho! ;-)
Thanks Chris. Starting with an X100 is definitely a possibility. The only niggling issue in the back of my head is that it will BE my kit, not an addition to. Sure, I have a few other cameras that I have played with, but the Fuji (whichever I end up with) will by my only "serious" camera.
i loved the x100, it was my vacation camera, but i started to notice it was too big to pocket and when it came down to it i wanted to be able to swap lenses for portraits of friends on vacay. the XE1 and X100 are almost identical in body size. and the 18 f2 isnt that much bigger, which gives a good 27mm focal length, which is perfect for me on vacation.
Well, I've had the X100 for about a year and just taken delivery of the X-E1 with kit 18-55 lens.
I've had a great time shooting with the X100 and it often went in my thinktank along with 5D2 and zeiss lenses, it always gets used.
I think the negatives are:
Slow AF in low light
but the biggest issue for me is tendancy for the lens to flare and ghost.
I've not used the X-E1 much yet but was very impressed when I unboxed it, wow the camera is small, and I perfer the button layout over the X100. One thing to note though the 18-55 lens makes this combo much more bulky and front heavy. I'm looking forward to getting some smaller primes and can't wait for the 27mm pancake.
I'm a longtime 5D2 + 35L user, for professional and personal use.
Just got an XE-1 + 35 1.4 as a second camera, with plans for the 18mm.
Coming from a DSLR takes adjusting, some of it very frustrating. By far the primary issue is the AF system on the X cameras as currently implemented. At close, medium contrast, or low light-- AF has a strong tendency to hunt, never acquire, or land on the obvious background. It's the one thing that probably limits the number of scenarios in which I'll be able to use the XE for professional purposes.
Which is too bad, because it's the perfect sized system, and the lenses are incredible. I've only done preliminary IQ experimenting, but it looks quite good. Room for improvement? Sure. But my editors-- at major publications-- will not think twice about accepting these images. If Fuji could get the camera to focus as fast/accurate as the center AF point on my 5Dmk2, and give me better video control... I'd actually consider going all X. Specially in a few generations of IQ/Resolution/RAW conversion enhancements. For now, the X is not quite ready for primetime.
I was in the same boat as the OP and subsequent posters: Second camera, small-size being primary. For me, the X100 just didn't have the resolution I wanted, whereas the XE did. I find 35mm my favorite FL, so that was a point for the X100, but I don't mind because I actually enjoy getting 28/50 equivs with the XE.
Bottom line is that I don't think I'd pocket either X100 or XE, so I went with the XE for the versatility. I also liked the idea of being able to put some of what I spend into value-holding (or at least value-not-vanishing-overnight) glass as I build the system.
But also know that Canon EOS Digital is mature compared to Fuji X. This shows in annoying places: no custom minimum SS when in auto ISO or Aperture priority, no exposure simulation via EVF or LCD, slower overall startup to shoot, etc.
I plan to give the XE a real workout over a few coming assignments. And I bought an EOS to X converter so I can use my older MF lenses on the X.
I'm still not really sure that deciding between the X100 and XE-1 makes a lot of sense. The XE-1 is more in competition with various NEX, m4/3, NX, etc., cameras, while the X100 is more in competition with cameras like the Leica X2.
i have a d700 kit with all the timings, picked up the x100 when it came out and its perfect, the xe1 with a lens is fairly bulky until the 40mm eqiv turns up, but the x100 is still a 35 f2 which is nicer. for the price of a lens for the xe1 you can pick up a 2nd hand x100...
35mm and 50mm tends to be the consensus for the two most popular single focal length options. I happen to prefer the 50mm focal length, but I'm working to get more used to the 35mm of my X100.
If I only had one lens, 35 would be too wide and 50 too narrow - would need to split the difference at 40.
