Looking into buying one of the Fuji X series cameras and i'm torn between going simple with an X100 and enjoying it's simplicity or whether i should wait and get the XE-1 with the kit lens and then think about building a system with the X-series lenses...

I have a 5D3 system with L glass which i use for work. I fly alot in my main job and want the Fuji to be able to be slung in the bag and be used for city shots, travel shots, slung on top of a tripod for the odd landscape and long exposure shot with a 10 stop.

Opinions please!?

Thanks,

Chris

I have the X100 and X-Pro 1, as well as a ton of EOS stuff. If I could have only one Fujifilm X camera, it would be the X100.

X100 for simplicity.
XE1 for versatility.

That's a tough comparison, since they're such different concepts, and its hard for us to decide which would work for you. X100 vs Leica X2 vs Sigma DP2(1)M and XE1 vs OM-D vs Nex-7 might be an easier road to take.

Well the only two options i am considering are the XE1 or the X100.

Whichever i buy it will only be used for the things listed above i imagine, as i have my canon kit for any paying gig. If either of the fuji's can be adapted for work then that's great, but not a requirement.

Just trying to get opinions from users of the X100 and Xpro1(which is pretty much identical spec wise to the xe1) who may have used the cameras for what i've listed above.

I know they are very different but for what i want from a camera, i would really like it to be a Fuji X series!

X100 is going to be more portable as the kit zoom on the XE-1 is a pretty good size. They do have a pancake for the X mount coming out though but I'm not sure the focal length, 27mm I think I might have read

There is a 23mm f1.4 for the X mount too, which would be a great lens I"m sure but it looks pretty large, around the size of the 35mm f1.4 if not larger

X100 is tough to beat for its size/performance ratio, though the Fuji 14mm prime on the XE-1 would certainly be a tempting 21mm equiv walk around

what is the kit lens, the zoom? get the x100 for size alone.

If you prefer to use Lightroom, X100. If not, XE-1.

chris78cpr wrote:
Well the only two options i am considering are the XE1 or the X100.

Whichever i buy it will only be used for the things listed above i imagine, as i have my canon kit for any paying gig. If either of the fuji's can be adapted for work then that's great, but not a requirement.

Just trying to get opinions from users of the X100 and Xpro1(which is pretty much identical spec wise to the xe1) who may have used the cameras for what i've listed above.

I know they are very different but for what i want from a camera, i would really like it to be a Fuji X series!

Ok, but, at the risk of using a car analogy, it's like saying you're looking at two very diffferent cars from the same company, like either a Honda Fit or a Honda Accord, rather than comparing an Accord to a Camry and Altima. It's hard for us to know the class of car that would work best for you, but comparing cars from the same class is a little easier.

The X100 and XE-1 are very different, from hybrid vs. EVF, to different sensor technologies, to leaf vs. curtain shutter, etc.

FWIW, I shoot an X100 and a Nex-7.

douglasf13 wrote:
chris78cpr wrote:
Well the only two options i am considering are the XE1 or the X100.

Whichever i buy it will only be used for the things listed above i imagine, as i have my canon kit for any paying gig. If either of the fuji's can be adapted for work then that's great, but not a requirement.

Just trying to get opinions from users of the X100 and Xpro1(which is pretty much identical spec wise to the xe1) who may have used the cameras for what i've listed above.

I know they are very different but for what i want from a camera, i would really like it to be a Fuji X series!

Ok, but, at the risk of using a car analogy, it's like saying you're looking at two very diffferent cars from the same company, like either a Honda Fit or a Honda Accord, rather than comparing an Accord to a Camry and Altima. It's hard for us to know the class of car that would work best for you, but comparing cars from the same class is a little easier.

The X100 and XE-1 are very different, from hybrid vs. EVF, to different sensor technologies, to leaf vs. curtain shutter, etc.

FWIW, I shoot an X100 and a Nex-7.



Doug, i totally understand what your saying and please don't think i was being rude or blunt with my previous comment, i appreciate your input.

I know what you mean and i understand the ways in which the cameras differ, it is because of that, that i am asking these questions. I've held a Nex and did not like the feel, the same with Oly Pen's and Panasonic cameras. Having held and used both the X100 and XPro1 i know that a Fuji is the way i want to go, i like where the X series is going but i also really like the simplicity of the X100.

Personally i can see pro's and con's of both cameras and in the end i feel i may end up getting both. However right now i can only afford one and need to get the right one out of those two for what i listed above. Flying is what i do for a living and i only take a small cabin bag that i live out of for 3/4 days so whatever i buy has to be small. Hence the X100 seeming like a good buy. However the flexibility of being able to choose from several lenses appeals and depending on destination i can see myself wanting different lenses.

It is for this reason that i'm seeking advice as i've got myself stuck in a point where i can't decide.

Ultimately if i was going for a Fit or an Accord both would drive me to where i want to go to, both would get me there safely, in a good time and fit most my needs. It's whether i want the luxury of the Accord, or the Air Con, or the leather, or the Sat Nav, etc. Or will i just be very happy with the simplicity of the Fit and the fact that it has bugger all inside but gets me where i want to go with good gas mileage?

Gotcha. It's tough, because the X-E1 is still an unknown quantity in use. To me, the appeal of the Fujis is the hybrid viewfinder and the more classic control layout, although, to be honest, my NEX-7's shutter location and 3 dials is actually a lot more ergonomic than my X100, so I'd say my X100 panders a little bit to my child hood, which is why it is still appealing. Since the X-E1 doesn't have the hybrid viewfinder, I don't have much interest in it, and I'm personally not a fan of their X-Tras sensor tech, which the X100 doesn't have.

That's why this is a tough thing for me to recommend, because I'd likely choose the OM-D, NEX-7 and X-Pro1 over the X-E1, and the X100 is something I'd shoot alongside one of those cameras.

If you think you'd be fine with a fixed 35mm equiv. then I'd say the X100 is a great choice.

Having owned the XPro, X100, m4/3 and NEX myself, another option is to do what I did and get rid of all of them and pick up the little Sony RX100.

I basically wanted a very compact camera that had good IQ and was simple to travel with as well. Someone with all the CSC's I'd always end up half filling my carry-on with lenses

Little RX100 though has some really nice IQ and a pretty good lens. Its a very useful 28-100mm range, fits into any pocket, and with 20megs of resolution, can produce some rather nice prints,especially if you shoot RAW. Stitch a couple of shots together for landscapes when you need wider than 28mm. For general walk around shooting though the 28mm f1.8 lens, and a pretty decent higher ISO for its size make a great little street shooter.

They have a handy little magnetic filter holder for it now as well. I use it with my 9 stop ND, polarizer and r72 IR filter (which is works well with btw)

Make no mistake, I enjoyed a lot about my X100, but the RX100 can go with me everywhere, and the versatility in the zoom range comes in quite nice. Other than high ISO, shallower DoF I'd honestly say the 20meg RX100 beats the 12 meg X100 as well.

Chris,

I would say the choice is really whether or not you can work with one focal length (in this case 35 equiv of the X100).

I have the X100 and can truly say it is a wonderful camera - great low light, gorgeous build, very easy to use and compose.. all with terrific IQ!

With that being said, I have taken it on vacations and sometimes wished I had another focal length - say an 85 or so. You can use a foot zoom quite effectively most of the time - but not always.

I think they are probably both great cameras - you really can't go wrong.

Rick

RickPerry wrote:
Chris,

I would say the choice is really whether or not you can work with one focal length (in this case 35 equiv of the X100).

I have the X100 and can truly say it is a wonderful camera - great low light, gorgeous build, very easy to use and compose.. all with terrific IQ!

With that being said, I have taken it on vacations and sometimes wished I had another focal length - say an 85 or so. You can use a foot zoom quite effectively most of the time - but not always.

I think they are probably both great cameras - you really can't go wrong.

Rick

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. That's why my NEX-7 has stuck around, too. My ideal single focal length is closer to 50mm, so, with the X100, I sometimes feel compelled to have the NEX-7 around with a short tele or standard, too. I could of course, try the X-E1 with the 35/1.4, but then I loose the OVF and the compact lens dimensions of the X100, and I'm not a huge fan of X-Trans. I could try the X-Pro1 with the same lens, but then we're talking a larger camera, and the same sensor situation. I'm going to try the NEX-7 as a single camera with the new Sony standard lens coming (and Zeiss standard coming in the spring,) but I still don't have the OVF option, which is fun with the X100, and I do like the retro vibe of the Fujis.

A new version of the X100 with a 50mm equiv., the Sony 24mp sensor, and the newer Fuji/Sony EVF inside of the hybrid viewfinder would be ideal for me, but I don't see that happening, so I'm stuck a little in between. As it stands now, I'm using the X100 for family, people and street as an everyday camera, and I've been supplementing with the NEX-7 when needed. If the new Sony standard lens works for me with the NEX-7, I may sell the X100. We'll see.

If we are using luxury car analogies, someone has to toss in an obligatory reference to another unknown quantity, the Sony RX1. There, I tossed it over the transom / hood / bonnet.

Back to the X100.... If you like the X feel / old-time or faux rangefinder vibe, or if the optical-hybrid finder and manual controls really grab you, it is unlikely you'll settle for anything else at least until you get the X out of your system by trying it.

I bought an X100 for all of the above reasons. I liked the look, and was dead set on having an optical finder available to me in a compact package that offered decently high IQ with as large a sensor as was available.

What worked: the camera proved to be compact enough that I did indeed take it with me everywhere. I also found the 35mm equivalent field of view was more suitable for me, today, than I'd imagined it would be. The X100 was something of a revelation for me focal length wise: in the past 28mm (on 35mm film) was my go-to choice; now I'm finding 35mm EFOV is proving to be more versatile for me. It turns out I shoot different subjects than I did ten or twenty years ago.

What didn't work: while I loved the camera as an idea, the implementation details that didn't work so well started to gnaw away at me and cause more frustration than I wanted to experience from a constant companion. Dials were too easily knocked. My copy suffered from flare issues and in different ways both night and day. At the time the firmware made it impossible to customize the camera to easily frequently two needed functions, auto ISO was buried in a menu not along side ISO choices. AF was very quirky and manual focus was unusable.

Some of those things have been resolved or improved upon with more recent firmware; maybe my experience would have been different if Fujifilm had not shipped Alpha software with the camera for a year or more; the latest revs approach what should have been shipped on day one IMO.

I do miss always having at hand a fixed lens / high IQ / small camera and have occasionally contemplated buying another X100 except I remember the frustration and fear of another round with the sticky aperture blade syndrome would hold me back in any case. One thing I don't miss very much, a total surprise to me, is the optical/hybrid finder.

I'm glad I owned the X100 for a while even though it did suffer the SAB problem in the middle of a long trip. I had it repaired and was able to sell it for almost what I paid for it, thanks to a short supply problem at the time. I gave my word to the buyer that I'd stand behind him if he had any grief from Fujifilm over warranty service in the future, which proved prescient as Fuji hasn't been willingly fixing cameras under warranty for second hand owners. That bothers me too, but many makers do that... but the sticky aperture blade issue was a design or build flaw on Fujifilm's part and IMO ought to be covered regardless of who owns the camera. I'm mentioning this in case you buy second hand.

Sony's RX1 might be a big flop. Probably not. It looks very enticing and I've got my pre-order in. It won't be the same camera as the X100 but in some ways it will offer a similar experience while no doubt presenting other frustrations but also should offer some unique benefits too.

I would go X100.
I owned the XP1 and the lack of a real 35mm equivalent made having two lenses a burden and always a pain to figure out which one I actually wanted to use.
I just sold my XP1 in favor of another X100. I now have two.
They are simple, fantastic and the file quality is second to none. I went with the XP1 originally because I wanted the lens options but it turned out to be a bust because of the weird focal lengths and also the horrible Xtrans sensor and lack of RAW support.

My copies do not suffer from any flare issues or any other issues for that matter. Also the size of it is MUCH smaller than the XP1/XE1.

Why not rent both and try them out?

When I told my wife I sold my X100 she exclaimed "But you *loved* that camera!"

That's true, I did love it and was sad to see it go, but I didn't love it enough to overlook the idiosyncrasies that got in my way. It just wasn't a good fit, for me.

hardlyboring wrote:
Why not rent both and try them out?

+1 on that. Using one is the only way to know how you'll get on with it.

I'd say that enough of the X100's issues have been fixed that, at this point, both it and my Nex-7 have a similar number of things that bother me.

If you like 35mm ... X100 !
It's a gem.

Rgds
Velu

douglasf13 wrote:
I'd say that enough of the X100's issues have been fixed that, at this point, both it and my Nex-7 have a similar number of things that bother me.

I've been wondering about that very balance myself as I contemplate another Sony in my life.

I guess with the firmware fixes the X100 is rather like a X100 Mark II without having a second release party.

I really like single lens compact cameras. Today I headed out with the wrong lens on front and didn't have my big bag of lenses with me. Sure you can make lemonade but I'd rather have had cranberry.