Fuji X100 wide and teleconverters - any good?

[landwomble]

Hi All,
Got a real hankering after a used Fuji. The X-E1 is very nice but what really floats my boat is the X100. Somewhat masochistically, I quite like the idea of a fixed lens in a high quality retro package. I was worried it'd drive me nuts but I discovered that Fuji make wide and teleconverters: which kind of turns it into a 3 lens range camera I guess.
I'd be tempted by the tele - which I think is a 1.4x giving just over 50mm in 35mil terms, which sounds good.
Anyone used one? Opinions? Believe you don't lose any light so you remain at F2?
Sounds almost too good to be true so thought I'd see what we all thought...

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Hi, I can't comment on the TCL as yet but the WCL is very good indeed with no vignetting and retaining the close focusing. You are correct in thinking that you do not lose any light and your maximum aperture remains at F2. The viewing frame in the OVF does not change when the WCL supplementary lens is attached so you need to use the EVF to see the full field of view.

I understand that with the latest firmware update (it maybe just for the X100s) additional field of view markings can now be made to appear in the OVF when using the TCL although as yet I have not had the opportunity to try this.

There are several reviews about the TCL on the internet with varying reports, but in general they seem to be quite favourable.

Hope this helps.,

George.

 

[pingu666]

good front mounted teleconverters should cost a little bit of light, and negliable detail

 

[rickyp]

I've used the WCL-X100 quite a bit, it does exactly what it says on the tin and I didn't notice any drop in sharpness, AF, etc. The only downsides for me were the extra bulk it adds which make the X100/S quite a bit more noticeable for street shooting and also the extra width isn't a huge change. I found myself using it less and less and eventually sold it on in favour of picking up an X-Pro1 and 14mm. I prefer that setup as I have two bodies ready to go and the 14mm gives a much more noticeable change than the WCL-X100.

I've ready quite a few reviews of the TCL-X100 and it seems image quality is maintained but several reviews have mentioned a real impact on AF speed/accuracy especially on the X100 so I'd bear that in mind.

On a side note, I'd recommend trying the X100 alongside the X100S as there is a big step up in overall speed which may justify the extra cost depending on what/how you shoot. I upgraded and it made a big difference to me especially when taking photos of our 3 year old who doesn't stay in one place for long.