Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

  

Archive 2017 · Sony zeiss 35mm 2.8 or Fuji X100s?

  
 
rsrsrs
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Sony zeiss 35mm 2.8 or Fuji X100s?


i already have a Sony A7.
Im looking for something compact.
The price of both second hand is almost the same.
Has anybody made a decision?
What do u think...?



Feb 11, 2017 at 05:27 AM
chez
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Sony zeiss 35mm 2.8 or Fuji X100s?


I have the older X100 and A7r with the 35 2.8. The X100 is nice, I use it when biking or x-country skiing, but it's a totally different interface and requires a total different processing flow for me. Personally I would just get the 35 2.8 which is a very compact lens that delivers nice images. I don't see anything to gain by getting another camera.


Feb 11, 2017 at 07:59 AM
arduluth
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Sony zeiss 35mm 2.8 or Fuji X100s?


I hope this isn't too long... tldr: if the size of the A7 isn't a problem, just get the Sony 35mm f/2.8. The X100S does one thing way better than my A7 - I can fit it in my back pocket, which I can't do with my A7 with any lens.

I recently got an Fuji X100S for a similar reason - I wanted something smaller than my A7 for those times when the A7 is overkill. Importantly, I wanted something I could bit in my back pocket if needed or in my jacket's chest pocket when skiing. The OVF also sounded cool and seemed to work well when I've played with an X100T in the store. Getting used to this camera has been frustrating. I'm on the fence about whether I'll keep this as my small and light camera or whether I'll have to sell it. If I sell it, I'd find a ~24mm lens to use with my old NEX-5R or maybe try the RX1.

The ironic thing is that it's the X100S that feels more like a computer than a camera compared to the A7, which generally stays out of my way.

I did a lot of research on the X100S before buying and had a good sense of the weaknesses of the camera. The biggest disappointing surprises are the quality of the EVF and the focus ring.

- The X100S is maybe the worst MF experience I've had, and that's coming from someone who has used Contax G lenses on crappy Fotasy MF adapters. The focus ring's build quality/feel is below the $100 NEX 16mm pancake. Focus by wire and not very responsive. It's also very easy to bump it when changing aperture.

- I was expecting EVF quality similar to my Sony A7 and NEX-5R's FDA-EV1S, since they share the same 2.36 Mdot OLED screen. Nope. The color and contrast are usually off in a way that the LCD isn't, especially in low light. Much more contrast than the actual image or the image on the LCD, and sometimes the colors seem weird. No way to adjust that as far as I can tell. It's not a reliable way to judge exposure like it is on my Sonys. The image stream is also a bit less detailed from what I can tell - MF is definitely harder than it is on my A7 or NEX-5R.

The built-in ND filter sounds like a great idea, but it comes with an impact on IQ. The ND filter doesn't reduce sharpness, but it does add a fair bit of veiling flare. Mind you, the X100 23/2 lens is already pretty vulnerable to veiling flare. It's bad enough that I usually just stop down rather than use the ND filter.

The shutter speed limitations are a bit of bummer considering the impact on IQ of the ND filter. You can't do 1/4000 until f/8! I've seen different numbers online, but here are the max shutter speeds according to the camera (faster shutter speed that isn't shown in red):
f/2.0: 1/1000
f/2.8: 1/1200
f/4.0: 1/2000
f/5.6: 1/2500
f/8.0: 1/4000

AF Performance: Sometimes, it's certain and almost instant, sometimes even in low light (1/40s, ISO 6400, f/2). Sometimes it hunts for no apparent reason. Sometimes it'll just fail, even when my own eyes can focus manually just fine. Sometimes AF on an a contrasty distant scene will just fail, or it'll miss focus just enough that it looks crappy. Sometimes I can't tell what lead to softness - bad focus, lens performance, JPEG engine, or the sensor. Compared to the AF of the Sony FE 28/2, it's usually quite a bit worse in good light but sometimes better in low light in focus speed and reliability. The Sony FE 28/2 on my A7 has more reliable AF in low light even though it can be slower - the X100S will just give up, whereas the A7+28/2 can take a longer time but always locks.

Lens Performance: Unfortunately, I've not used the Sony 35mm f/2.8 so I can't compare the two. I can tell you about the performance of the Fuji 23/2 lens in the X100 series based on my experience with the X100S:
- Decent wide open, lower contrast and a touch of SA
- Sharp across the field at infinity at f/4 or so (excellent)
- Very prone to veiling flare
- Does OK with the sun in the frame
- Weird flare around lights in night scene
- Focus transition doesn't impress
- Bokeh is OK, but the rendering of the lens rules out separation at middle distances
- Very little vignette (or, RAWs are corrected)
- You can focus close - near macro at ~1:4 - but performance is surprisingly bad at f/2 and f/2.8. Expect top down a lot.

I'd also echo what @chez said - the camera's interface and processing is pretty different. Getting used to the X-Trans files definitely have been a bit of a hurdle. So far I can't match the kind of detail that I can get out of my NEX-5R (same sensor, different color filter) with a good lens. I don't know if that's the fault of the lens or the lens or sensor.

Like I said above, I'm on the fence about whether or not I'll keep using the X100S. It's slowly growing on me. I wish I could justify the RX1RII. :P



Feb 12, 2017 at 10:25 PM





FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.