I adore the high ISO performance of the Fuji X100.
I have only been aware that it exists for two weeks, but in that time through my reading about this camera I became convinced it was perfect for me. It’s a compact marketed by Fuji as being the professional’s choice, featuring an APS-C sensor and a fixed 23mm lens (35mm equivalent) with a maximum aperture of f2.0. The relatively large sensor and wide aperture mean this camera excels at low-light photography without requiring the bulk of a DSLR.
It has all the manual control you could possibly ask for, with a manual aperture ring on the lens and external dials to set the shutter speed and exposure compensation. The manual focusing does leave somewhat to be desired but I am content to either set the camera to hyperfocal focusing or leave it in automatic.
It also looks absolutely stunning, with retro styling inspired by rangefinders. It’s hard not to notice the similar style cues to the current Leica range.
While the camera reviews very well, there are also many posts by people who are frustrated with what is commonly called a clunky user interface. I found the Fuji X100 posts at neilvn.com to be an excellent read while I was researching the camera, as they gave me a clear idea of whether these issues would really cause problems in day to day shooting. I was also inspired by the quality of the photographs the camera can produce in the hands of a professional photographer.
Other helpful reviewers were http://www.stevehuffphoto.com, and http://www.kenrockwell.com, with Ken Rockwell’s site including a users guide and a wide range of real life photographs to examine.
I haven’t had any real issues with the UI so far, but I have noticed that I seem to be more willing to adapt to a different way of using a camera than many of my photographer friends. It seems many people expect more customisation so they can change the settings and interface to suit the way they are used to working. I certainly wouldn’t want to make a value judgement about either way of approaching a camera, but this camera does seem to require someone who is willing to learn and change their habits.
I was a little worried that the fixed lens would be hard to get used to, but I am fast falling in love with the 35mm field of view. It’s so close to what my eyes are seeing that I am coming to learn how to compose before raising the camera at all. I’m struggling a little with macro photography - the Fuji has a very nice macro mode, but I seem incapable of stopping myself from shoving the camera right up to my subject. The most effective macro shots I’ve seen browsing flickr taken at this focal length take a wider view and isolate their subject using the rule of thirds and DoF instead of filling the frame, something I’m still trying to learn.
The image quality the Fuji delivers is nothing short of stunning, particularly at high ISO ratings. Even at ISO 3200 the images are excellent and in day time shots it feels like the quality of light has more presence than I am used to seeing on my Canon sensors.
As motivation to keep developing my photography, I’ve decided to try a project365 and post a photograph a day for the next year. I don’t feel my photographs are as striking with the Fuji yet as they were with my DSLR but I know this reflects on me rather than the camera. Hopefully having it as my ubiquitous companion for the next 365 days will help me truly learn how to master its potential.
