I currently have an X100VI, after owning two previous X100's. Its a great camera, but they have gotten bigger and bulkier at each step of the way. I find myself just using my X-T4 most of the time, or if I want to toss a camera in a bag for hiking, my X-M1 + 27mm (preferred over the 23mm) or X-30, due to their size and they were pretty cheap so I dont feel like I need to be too precious about them. I have also always struggled a bit with the focal length although its less of an issue being able to crop with the larger sensor.
I'm considering making the switch to the X-E5, as the form factor is slightly smaller and I can use 10mm/18mm/27mm/40mm pancake lenses for travel or packing light rather than being locked in. I think the only thing that really gives me pause is the leaf shutter + built in ND filter which I do really like.
Anyone else considering the same? I also dont know that I'd actually be able to get a X-E5 though, looking at the current market for the x100vi or x-m5...
I am doing that. I am picturing an aer day pack with the x-e5 and a few small primes.
As you stated, I give up weather sealing on the body, leaf shutter built in flash and ND. What I gain is better focal lengths (not a big fan of 35mm), and hopefully quieter/faster AF.
I will keep a few filters in the sling but will miss the built in flash. Either way I am giving it a shot, my last go with Fuji on their current tech.
The advantages of the leaf shutter are oversold, IMO. Modern shutters are quiet enough, and almost no one is using the X100 leaf shutters for flash sync purposes.
It really comes down to the ND filter IMO...do you use it a lot or can you live without it? It's THE killer feature for having fast-ish glass midday.
Agreed about the leaf shutter, in fact I think I only used high shutter speed with the flash when shooting with a beach sunset as the backdrop. A magnetic filter system can be quick enough!
Looks like Urth has a line of reasonably priced magnetic ND filters, which would be easy to toss in a sling bag and pretty easy to pop on and off. I have their screw on filter set for the X100's I've owned and I like them - those plus an ultrapod and a small camera make a great long exposure setup that fits in a small sling bag.
RoamingScott wrote:
The advantages of the leaf shutter are oversold, IMO. Modern shutters are quiet enough, and almost no one is using the X100 leaf shutters for flash sync purposes.
It really comes down to the ND filter IMO...do you use it a lot or can you live without it? It's THE killer feature for having fast-ish glass midday.
ND is less relevant if you don't shoot video and don't mind the electronic shutter at the higher speeds needed in midday light.
Leaf shutter advantage to me is the lack of any shutter shock plus nearly silent shooting.
Is the ND on the X100 variable at all? I really like my Kase magnetics with a polarizer to two grades of ND. They can be combined if needed for a third level of strength. Easy on/off.
.RRJ wrote:
I would actually prefer not to have any 23mm lenses attached to anything
I wrote that in an ambiguous way, didn’t I? More clearly, I could have written: “Do you think you will ever want/need something other than a 23mm f/2 lens on your camera?”
gdanmitchell wrote:
I wrote that in an ambiguous way, didn’t I? More clearly, I could have written: “Do you think you will ever want/need something other than a 23mm f/2 lens on your camera?”
I do, because I really dont love that focal length, but I dont know how much of that is really necessity. I've traveled with my x100's a lot as long as I've owned them and they've always been fine, and I always pack more lenses than I'll actually use if I'm not trying to keep it simple/light. With the 40mp sensor there's plenty of room to crop images and this is the only fuji I have with that sensor so maybe I'm just not making the most of it yet.
Most of the reviews up to this point kind of drag on the XE5 as having far few fewer features than the X100 for similar money - no OVF, Flash, weather sealing, leaf shutter - but honestly none of that stuff matters to me. I even forgot the X100 had a flash. Maybe I'll test drive this idea of carrying a couple of small primes with my X-M1 first.
.RRJ wrote:
I do, because I really dont love that focal length, but I dont know how much of that is really necessity. I've traveled with my x100's a lot as long as I've owned them and they've always been fine, and I always pack more lenses than I'll actually use if I'm not trying to keep it simple/light. With the 40mp sensor there's plenty of room to crop images and this is the only fuji I have with that sensor so maybe I'm just not making the most of it yet.
Most of the reviews up to this point kind of drag on the XE5 as having far few fewer features than the X100 for similar money - no OVF, Flash, weather sealing, leaf shutter - but honestly none of that stuff matters to me. I even forgot the X100 had a flash. Maybe I'll test drive this idea of carrying a couple of small primes with my X-M1 first....Show more →
I think you are right that things like the leaf shutter, ND filter, lack of flash, less weather sealing make little difference to typical buyers. (To those who are atypical, fine…) So the functional, real-world “downsides” of the XE5 in these area are likely to be pretty minor.
Looked at in isolation, the XE5 is a pretty interesting camera. (Though some of us find some of the added features to seem more like gimmicks that useful tools.)
But we then get back to the main issue with it — the doubling of the price from that of the immediate predecessor, from $850 to $1700. And the comparison — when we look at a camera that lacks he features you mention and see that it costs more than one that has them, well, something doesn’t quite compute.
As to the whole “fixed lens or ILC” question, while I like the feeling of these small fixed-lens camera (they remind me in some ways of cameras that we used decades ago), I think that most buyers would be better served by a camera with interchangeable lens capabilities — either because (as in your case) 23mm (35mm FF equivalent) isn’t their favorite focal length or (as in my case) I really need a small system that can use more than one lens.
No one here has mentioned the OVF once! Why? The X100 line is the only camera for which the OVF makes sense. 23mm is the perfect focal length for it. One can use the X100 line exclusively with the OVF during day time hours. The only two ICL for the X-Pro that make sense are the 23 and the 27. 35 already is a rather smallish rectangle, 50mm even more so. While I do use the 23/27/35 and 50 exclusively on my x-Pro3 with the OVF, that 23mm on the X100 is really perfect.
Nielk Mike wrote:
No one here has mentioned the OVF once! Why?...
While the OVF appeals to a small group of aficionados, that group gets smaller and smaller every year.
One of the reasons that I got the XPro2 back in the day was because it had the hybrid OVF/EVF. When the original XPro (at that time Fujifilm's flagship camera) was release over a dozen years ago there were lots of reasons to want the OVF:
1. The attraction for some photographers of seeing beyond the (roughly estimated) frame lines.
2. The poor performance of the older EVF displays — low resolution, poor color, dim illumination, low refresh rates, glitching, serious latency, etc.
3. Lack of comfort with the idea of giving up the optical displays familiar to users of TLR/SLR/DSLR and rangefinder cameras — a kind of fear of the unknown.
The last two issues have nearly disappeared. Today virtually all camera companies have moved to mirrorless designs that rely on EVF displays, and photographers have gotten so used to the idea that most of us simply think o them as normal now. And the display quality has improved radically, with higher resolution, good color and brightness, fast refresh rates, radically diminished latency, largely overcoming the objections that many had early on. They also display subjects more clearly in poor light. On top of that photographers have come to appreciate the additional data that can be displayed on these screens, especially things like focus aids that require it.
That leaves seeing outside the frame lines as the main remaining perceived advantage. I get that — I used to rate that pretty high. But as a counter, I also find the 100% accurate frame edge depiction of the EVF displays to help a lot with compositional decisions.
Bottom line: There is simply a whole lot less interest in the old-school OVF displays today. (In my case, I gradually moved away from relying on the OVF on my XPro2, and when it came time to replace it I go the EVF-only XT5... and I don't miss the OVF at all. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.)
RoamingScott wrote:
It's the perfect anecdotal data set of how few people care about the OVF.
While I agree, it is a shame. There is nothing like an OVF to use during daylight as it shows the "real" picture and not an overly contrasty scene where it is hard to see anything in the shadows. Forget that person walking into the frame. But yes, the OVF will disappear - and the X-E5 is the first step in that direction.
I find the OVF super annoying to use as the frame jumps around the screen as focus distance changes. It’s doing what it’s supposed to of course, but it requires recomposing, and it takes me out of the moment as if someone moved the scene around versus the frame having moved. Maybe I just need to get used to it, but I wish there was a setting that kept the frame averaged/static, and I could just be surprised a little by the resulting image — similar to how the M camera OVFs are not 100% accurate.
I may be in the minority but the only thing I will miss is the built in flash on the X100VI. It’s the only Fujifilm camera left in my equipment. I’m considering moving to an ILC X-E5 or even an X-M5. It’s a moot point for now because none of the Fujifilm camera I consider moving to is available without paying over MSRP.
