Moving to a Fuij X-E1

[Maurizio De-Cecco]

It is actually in the bag, unopened box. Will spend the week end trying it.

Actually, as a computer scientist, amateur musicians/composer and part-time amateur photographs, i am deeply fed up with complexity. Want a more direct contact with what i do, without digging in tens of options and menus. The piano fit the bill for music.
The G11 did it for photography for a while, but i wanted a quantum leap, and i chose the X-E1 because i can use it more or less as i used my FX-3.

Hope to be able to post some (nice ?) photo soon ...

Maurizio

 

[Rob MacKillop]

It looks good, doesn't it? A refinement of the xpro1. Same lenses, same sensor, smaller and cheaper. Looking forward to seeing your images, and reading your thoughts about it.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Maurizio - great choice - looking forward to seeing how you bond with it

Which lens did you get?

 

[Beth Carter]

sweet! i'm thinking about getting one too as a second body. i mean, i'd really be purchasing the 18-55mm lens, it's not my fault the body comes with it..

 

[Maurizio De-Cecco]

Lens

Maurizio - great choice - looking forward to seeing how you bond with it

Which lens did you get?

I got the 18-55.
I thinked a lot, and asked around, and finally decided for the zoom over the primes for these reasons:

1) Do not have the money for multiple primes at the moment.
2) Having the zoom give more reasons to get out the camera, like family photos, so it does not risk to stay too much on the shelf.
3) I promised to think to the zoom as a collection of focal lens, and not as way to stop about thinking about focal length.

Maurizio

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

Maurizio i think the XE1 is a wonderful camera.
When i had my Leica Digilux 2 i showed it to a friend who asked me can't it change lenses.
XE-1 to me is the Digilux2 of this decade (with interchangeable lenses) & i would love to get it for this friend.

I got the 18-55.
I thinked a lot, and asked around, and finally decided for the zoom over the primes for these reasons:

1) Do not have the money for multiple primes at the moment.
2) Having the zoom give more reasons to get out the camera, like family photos, so it does not risk to stay too much on the shelf.
3) I promised to think to the zoom as a collection of focal lens, and not as way to stop about thinking about focal length.

Maurizio

Maurizio i think it was a smart move to get the zoom, as primes can be had via adapter using legacy glass eg. 50mm f1.4 legacy can be had around £75. Likewise legacy macro 55mm (eg vivitar), 90mm (eg tamron).

 

[Maurizio De-Cecco]

Some first impression. Not a review, there are tons around, just my personal, very subjective impressions.

First, moving from the G11 to the X-E1 is like moving from a Clio to a BMW (actually, i have no idea, i do not drive , or from a electronic piano
to a good Grand (that i know . It is like "ok, *this* is what they talk about".

Solid, big, serious feeling, nice sounding ^H^H^H^H^H working.

I actually miss a bit the orientable screen, that give you more freedom in composition. But being able to go back to an old school ergonomy is great.
I love the fact that i use the camera from the EVF (ehi, loook, without glasses !!), essential stuff is under your fingers, smooth to use.
My only precedent experience with an EVF was the Sony R1; that was just an hint to what an EVF could become, but barely acceptable as a decisional tool.

So, from this experience, the X-E1 EVF for me is just great, and working without putting on and off the glasses is just a big help to comfort and speed.

Fun to use; not pocketable, but the G11 wasn't either, and with a good bag is even faster to bring it out.

Only thing i would like having, coming from the G11: a dedicated control for ISO speed :->.

OK, i'll post a few photo in the Places section. I read you that in order to make good photos, you should shoot what you love; so, i spent the Christmas day around Paris :->

Maurizio

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Maurizio - glad you are liking it!

I have found that Fuji's auto ISO setting has been very useful for most situations, so have it set to Auto 6400 all the time.

The only time it has issues is when it picks a slow shutter speed, and you're trying to shoot a moving target - like kids!

Then I manually set my shutter speed and continue as normal.

The image quality at all ISOs is so clean - I'm amazed at how far technology has come in this area

 

[Hamish Gill]

Glad you like it Maurizio...

Auto ISO is the best invention going in my books ... As I don't have a fuji any more, but I do have it set on all three of my digitals probably 95% of the time!

 

[Larry Bolch]

Only thing i would like having, coming from the G11: a dedicated control for ISO speed :->.

Easily done. Just assign the Fn button to ISO. However, the Q feature is just about as fast. With one tap, all the major settings are available on the same screen for very quick changes.

And like the others, I strongly recommend exploring auto-ISO. The down-side is that it works with the old 1/focal-length=shutter speed, which is fine for camera movement but often of little use in stopping subject movement. However, one can set both aperture and shutter speed to whatever you want, and in most cases the camera will supply the ISO you need.

 

[Maurizio De-Cecco]

Easily done. Just assign the Fn button to ISO. However, the Q feature is just about as fast. With one tap, all the major settings are available on the same screen for very quick changes.

Yes, i use the Q feature; the ideal would be to be able to change ISO without switching visually to a menu (to check the results in exposition and on the other values). But is a minor point, really :->

Maurizio

 

[Larry Bolch]

Yes, i use the Q feature; the ideal would be to be able to change ISO without switching visually to a menu (to check the results in exposition and on the other values). But is a minor point, really :->

Maurizio

With auto-ISO you need to be aware of the limits—you can't shoot available darkness at 1/1000th, f/16—but it does work very well. Quality is still amazing even at ISO6400, so normally, I set that as the high-end. It allows you to choose any range you want up to that. While auto-ISO with aperture priority bases shutter speed upon the needs of the lens attached, one can also set the shutter speed manually for the minimum subject movement demands. A test shot or two will give you the aperture needed to stay within the safe zone. For the most part, I go with it. On the rare occasions where I need an absolute combination of sensitivity, exposure time and aperture, then I revert to manually setting the ISO. When I do, I use test shots to nail my exposure.