What's wrong with the Fuji X100?

Rob MacKillop

Rob MacKillop

Edinburgh Correspondent
Everyone seems to be selling theirs...

For me, it has been a revelation. So intuitive, I don't know it's there. I can "see" scenes, knowing that my X100 will see them too. It's my first apparently pro-level camera, so I don't have any frames of reference. Apparently the auto focus can be sluggish, lazy, temperamental - which is maybe why if feel "at one" with it... It is still on the small side, and fits into my jacket pocket quite easily. It's not perfect, and can be quirky - more reasons to love it. In a word, it has character.

I have guitars which others have rejected as not being fit for such and such a style, but which, for me, have a unique and beguiling quality. Not fit for all purposes, but certainly fit. My students often ask me which is the favourite out of all my instruments, and I've got in the habit of replying, "The one I'm holding at any given time". I love holding the X100. It looks at me with anticipation whenever I put my jacket on, like an excited pup.

What's wrong withthe X100? I don't know...
 
Nothing that I have noticed. However, it clearly is not the camera for everyone.

It is limited by having neither zoom nor interchangeable lenses. Its DNA is very much that of compact rangefinder film cameras, while the dSLR dominates at that level. It must be learned—it can not read minds. It does exactly what you tell it to do, but it helps to be enough of a photographer to be able to do this. It does not respond well to poor technique, nor misunderstanding.

If you do not understand pre-focusing, you will complain about auto-focus. Anticipate like a photographer would, place the focus rectangle on the subject and half-press the shutter. It will confirm that it is in focus. Then all it takes is a little nudge on the button to nail the moment. This is a good technique to use with any AF camera, no matter how fast it can focus.

Also on the topic of focus, you not only can move the focus rectangle around the image so you do not need to re-compose as with most cameras, you can change the size of the rectangle for focus on a large subject or a small specific detail. When shooting macro, switch to manual focus, press the AFL button to achieve approximate focus and use the focusing ring to fine tune. It is slow and precise like using a rack-and-pinion bellows on a dSLR. Though it is clearly an AF camera, the same technique can be used for long exposures of lightning or fireworks. Focus on infinity and forget it.

There have been complaints about how tiny the [OK] button is, and how difficult it is to push it. Just use your thumb and push the whole assembly. Problem solved.

People have been finding tiny "O" rings to fix the Exposure Compensation knob's looseness. All they succeeded in doing was disabling one of the camera's most powerful features. With the live histogram enabled, no matter which viewing method you are using, you can easily dial in perfect exposure without removing your eye from the finder. This is absolutely brilliant and only takes a second! Never in my life have I had such consistently perfect exposures!

With the D700, one must do a test exposure, switch to review mode, toggle to a histogram view, guess the amount needed, hold down a button and turn a wheel to dial it in. Do another test shot and repeat—or hope you can fix the exposure in processing. While it really does not matter what the knob is set to when you bring it to your eye, if you insist at starting at ±0, a quick glance at the top of the camera shows not only EC, but shutter speed and aperture.

Interesting—learn the camera and all the quirks go away.
 
I just stopped picking mine up
I wanted a camera for two things ... Snaps when I'm out and about and photos of Connie
you have no doubt seen some of the photos of Connie I took with the x100? I had a reasonable hit rate with it... But not good enough!
Often to get as close as I would like I would have to shoot in macro mode - try taking photos of an energetic 1 year old in macro mode with that camera - its doable, but it's not exactly enjoyable! Of course manual focus is an option but for the narrow DOF portraits I like to take practically speaking it was a no go with the x100 as the manual focus doesnt feel like proper manual focus!

Pre focusing as Larry mentions didn't work either - you can't anticipate the movements of a child all that well and really you end up with is no different situation to mf...

As for snaps out and about ... Great camera, set it to f8 and manual focus and unless your a real sharp shooter the shutter lag is of no consiquence (I never noticed it). But then they altered the DOF readout in the vf for any given aperture ... And I lost a little confidence. I stepped back from this camera whos corner I had faught and realised it wasn't doing anything I couldn't do with somthing else ... Better, or in a more enjoyable fashion!

The out and about stuff went back to being done with my Epson RD1s - a camera that divides opinion for its quirky nature.
You would love it Rob, it has a crank that looks like a film advance/shutter recock that you use to actually recock the actual mechanical shutter after each shot ... Cool? Yes! ;)
Ok the IQ in many respects isn't as good as the Fuji with it being an 8 year old 6mp sensor ... But the way it handles noise is so film like! I can also use my voigtlander 35mm 1.4 classic which is a lens known for its quirky but beautiful photos
It is also a proper manual focus camera with a proper rangefinder ... under most circumstances I can focus an rf as fast as the x100 could af!

This photo was taken with the aforementioned combo - an out and about snap of Connie!


Connie in Boston Tea Party by Hamish_Gill, on Flickr

As for the general shots of Connie ... well thats where the sony rx100 comes into play!
the af is lightning fast, it doesnt even have a macro mode, it just close focuses as is! If you had asked me what i thought of face detection a year back you would have got some sort of rate about it removing peoples ability to learn how to use a camera properly ... I stand by that, but I know how to use a camera properly, so im more than happy using face detection when it provides a speed advantage! I set the sony to face detect for focus and I can point it at Connie, at any distance and get a sharp photo of her every time! it can in fact pick Connie's face out of a crowd of faces and optimise settings for her! (it has face recognition)
Basically I can almost guarantee to get the shot of Connie I want when I want without doing any sort of thinking ... my priorities are not as a photographer here, but as someone that wants to capture memories of my child! Under these circumstances using an idiosyncratic camera is just not appropriate!

And for the times when I do ant to use an idiosyncratic camera ... well I have far more idiosyncratic than the x100 that I actually enjoy using more than the x100 anyway!

In summary, there is nothing "wrong" with the x100 if you feel its right for you ... But in the end, i didnt feel it was right for me as I didnt really have a use for it!
 
Horses for courses - It's a wonderful thing when you gel with the camera, and not everyone gets to that point

IMHO it's a classic - and will be viewed as such in years to come - even though tech will advance and better/faster cameras will arrive
 
Agreed!
I could/would never sell my Epson rd1 for those reasons!

The thing is, I did gell with it ... We just had a fall out ... Like a pretty ex I wondered if I had done the right thing as I watched her leave, but once she had gone I knew I had done te right thing!
 
Well said Rob.

It does have quirks like slow AF and slight shutter lag (from pull press), but I shoot @F8 & zone focus and learn to half press the shutter to anticipate the shots. For me, it suits my shooting style and street environment nicely.
 
Last edited:
The thing is, I did gell with it ... We just had a fall out ... Like a pretty ex I wondered if I had done the right thing as I watched her leave, but once she had gone I knew I had done te right thing!
Click to expand...

See that's just the reason I couldn't take her off your hands Hamish, just in case you came back into her life and left you being the Gooseberry at the party..:D:D:D:
 
Larry Bolch said:
People have been finding tiny "O" rings to fix the Exposure Compensation knob's looseness. All they succeeded in doing was disabling one of the camera's most powerful features. With the live histogram enabled, no matter which viewing method you are using, you can easily dial in perfect exposure without removing your eye from the finder. This is absolutely brilliant and only takes a second! Never in my life have I had such consistently perfect exposures!
Click to expand...

It's a shame that the knob doesn't work in full manual mode (but with auto ISO on)...
 
Manual shutter and aperture with the exposure compo dial adjusting the floating ISO
Sounds useful to me too... If it could do it...
 
Larry Bolch said:
If it worked in full manual mode, you would not be in full manual mode! ;) :D ;)
Click to expand...

Ok, not full manual mode, half-manual mode then ;)

Like Hamish said, it would be nice if it could do manual shutter and aperture control and let the dial to adjust the ISO...
 
That's too abstract a concept for me ...
And anyway I prefer to measure things by what I give them rather than what I get out out them ... It helps with the megalomania! ;)
 
my X10 is almost always in my possession or in car anyway :D

- - - Updated - - -

my X10 is almost always in my possession or in car anyway :D
 
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