mrjames
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...and i'm not sure I like it
I got it because DSLRs are so big, I carry 2 DSLR's and a bag full of lenses- 5d3 and 5d2, I wanted to swap my 5d2 for a 6d to save a bit of size/weight on the 2nd body, but thought I might be better to invest in fuji and make a real size/weight saving on my second camera
here's the thing, it's gorgeous, light, small- everything I ever wanted in a pocket sized camera. I got the 18mm f2, which is really light and tiny
but it doesn't fit in a pocket, not a jeans pocket, not a blazer/jacket pocket- and it's too hot to wear a coat right now although i'm even dubious of it fitting into a coat pocket without making a huge bulge
I tried an x100s and it's slightly more pocketable, if I want a camera to go everywhere and not be a hassle I would definitely trade in my x-e1 for an x100- shutter is much much quieter on the x-100, shutter is quiet on the x-e1 but I still felt self conscious taking photos in the street, maybe that's more because I don't really do street photography- when shooting on assignment I usually have to ask for permission to photograph anyway, so don't usually take photos of people unaware
but I realize now i'm not really looking for a camera to take everywhere. I take enough photos for assignments that I don't want to be in 'photo mode' while walking to the shops, I have no interest in shooting street photos- I would like to, but the reality is I probably won't, although you never know...
but if it's not going to fit in a pocket, then it's on my shoulder, or in a bag, and then may as well have my dslr...
I got the camera with the intention to use on assignments- I always take on jobs my 5d3 with 24-70 and 70-200 zooms, and 5d2 with 16-35, and 35 1.4 which I love to use for environmental portraits with really shallow depth of field, my ultimate idea for the new camera was to:
1) replace the 5d2 as my second body on some assignments, maybe even be my primary camera on less demanding assignments, or for just getting a different feel
2) perhaps replace the 16-35 2.8 by using the 10-24 on the fuji
3) or replace the 35mm by using a wide fast prime on the fuji, meaning i'd have to change lenses less often on the DSLR and just keep zooms on the DSLR's, and use primes on the fuji
4) use a wide angle on the fuji for wide angle coverage even if using 2 longer lenses on the DSLR- like say 70-200 and 85mm so if I need to grab a quick wide shot I can do it with the fuji, also means when shooting with just one dslr I could take the 5d3 with 24-70, and then the fuji with the 10-24 and a fast prime, wouldn't need to bring 16-35 with me
5) so I could have a DSLR on each shoulder and the fuji round my neck, leave the zooms on the cameras and use the prime for 'discrete' shots, shooting with 3 cameras!
6) I love silent shutter on my 5d3, so I was going to upgrade my 5d2 to a 6d to get another camera with silent shutter but thought the x-e1 might be even more discrete
After having shot a job with it the other day I think it's too quirky to use professionally, obviously I need to spend more time with it but it's pretty slow overall, shutter lag is quite noticeable, and especially slow to change focus (you have to first press a button, then scroll through endless focus points, on the 5d3 I have it limited to 15 points, and you just select the one you want by nudging the joystick a few clicks). Could use focus/recompose, like I do with the 5d2...
the 18mm f2 is no replacement for the 35mm, I saw no 'magic' in the fuji shots- they were nice, but they lacked that full frame look, the wide and shallow look you get with the 35mm at f2 (I rarely shoot wider than f2 although I can go to 1.4 if needed)
I shot the 23mm 1.4 and it's a much better lens than the 18mm, shot side by side against the 5d3/35mm I think they were comparable with the canon at f2. but it's so big that then the size difference between the 2 cameras is much reduced, also it's a very very expensive lens
the 18mm f2 gives shots that are equivalent to 28mm f3.2 on full frame, so 'worse' than shooting a 2.8 zoom (although much more portable). The 23 1.4 has an equivalent of 35 f2.2- similar to the 35mm and it has the 'magic' but I lose the ability to open up further and get 'more magic'
check the screen shots below for some samples: the 23 was way more contrasty than the 18mm and the 30mm
i'm not sure whether to 1) keep the x-e1 as a small travel camera, 2) sell the 18mm lens and get the 23mm, having something I can use professionally but maybe making it too big for travel (although if it can't fit in a pocket, the extra couple of inches doesn't take up much room in a bag- but then if I have my bag may as well have my DSLR...)
I thought about getting a speed booster to let me use canon lenses on the fuji system- but no aperture ring on my lenses so would have to shoot everything wide open
I read the sony nex adapter can communicate electronically with canon lenses- giving you full electronic aperture control from the camera- meaning I can use my canon prime lenses as if they were native mount! Very tempted by the idea of using my 35mm on the nex
or I could keep the fuji and use a speed booster with a manual focus/manual aperture lens- but then would lose AF, which might not be so bad, as I didn't really get on well with the AF system... and although manual focus lenses are cheap it would mean i'd have to buy new lenses, although a set of primes + the adapter would still be cheaper than the fuji 23mm
on another note I'm predominantly a stills guy, but got asked to do a video shoot and finding myself doing more video work now- the sony is leagues better in video mode, haven't compared the 5d3 against the fuji but the lack of manual control on the fuji is infuriating, totally unusable even as a B roll camera
I would push the boat out and get a RX1 if it had a viewfinder, but alas it does not- i'm tempted by the a7 too, but it seems to only be slightly smaller than the 6d- I think there is no solution to this problem and i'll just have to use DSLR's for my work, and keep the fuji as a fun camera or sell it
I got it because DSLRs are so big, I carry 2 DSLR's and a bag full of lenses- 5d3 and 5d2, I wanted to swap my 5d2 for a 6d to save a bit of size/weight on the 2nd body, but thought I might be better to invest in fuji and make a real size/weight saving on my second camera
here's the thing, it's gorgeous, light, small- everything I ever wanted in a pocket sized camera. I got the 18mm f2, which is really light and tiny
but it doesn't fit in a pocket, not a jeans pocket, not a blazer/jacket pocket- and it's too hot to wear a coat right now although i'm even dubious of it fitting into a coat pocket without making a huge bulge
I tried an x100s and it's slightly more pocketable, if I want a camera to go everywhere and not be a hassle I would definitely trade in my x-e1 for an x100- shutter is much much quieter on the x-100, shutter is quiet on the x-e1 but I still felt self conscious taking photos in the street, maybe that's more because I don't really do street photography- when shooting on assignment I usually have to ask for permission to photograph anyway, so don't usually take photos of people unaware
but I realize now i'm not really looking for a camera to take everywhere. I take enough photos for assignments that I don't want to be in 'photo mode' while walking to the shops, I have no interest in shooting street photos- I would like to, but the reality is I probably won't, although you never know...
but if it's not going to fit in a pocket, then it's on my shoulder, or in a bag, and then may as well have my dslr...
I got the camera with the intention to use on assignments- I always take on jobs my 5d3 with 24-70 and 70-200 zooms, and 5d2 with 16-35, and 35 1.4 which I love to use for environmental portraits with really shallow depth of field, my ultimate idea for the new camera was to:
1) replace the 5d2 as my second body on some assignments, maybe even be my primary camera on less demanding assignments, or for just getting a different feel
2) perhaps replace the 16-35 2.8 by using the 10-24 on the fuji
3) or replace the 35mm by using a wide fast prime on the fuji, meaning i'd have to change lenses less often on the DSLR and just keep zooms on the DSLR's, and use primes on the fuji
4) use a wide angle on the fuji for wide angle coverage even if using 2 longer lenses on the DSLR- like say 70-200 and 85mm so if I need to grab a quick wide shot I can do it with the fuji, also means when shooting with just one dslr I could take the 5d3 with 24-70, and then the fuji with the 10-24 and a fast prime, wouldn't need to bring 16-35 with me
5) so I could have a DSLR on each shoulder and the fuji round my neck, leave the zooms on the cameras and use the prime for 'discrete' shots, shooting with 3 cameras!
6) I love silent shutter on my 5d3, so I was going to upgrade my 5d2 to a 6d to get another camera with silent shutter but thought the x-e1 might be even more discrete
After having shot a job with it the other day I think it's too quirky to use professionally, obviously I need to spend more time with it but it's pretty slow overall, shutter lag is quite noticeable, and especially slow to change focus (you have to first press a button, then scroll through endless focus points, on the 5d3 I have it limited to 15 points, and you just select the one you want by nudging the joystick a few clicks). Could use focus/recompose, like I do with the 5d2...
the 18mm f2 is no replacement for the 35mm, I saw no 'magic' in the fuji shots- they were nice, but they lacked that full frame look, the wide and shallow look you get with the 35mm at f2 (I rarely shoot wider than f2 although I can go to 1.4 if needed)
I shot the 23mm 1.4 and it's a much better lens than the 18mm, shot side by side against the 5d3/35mm I think they were comparable with the canon at f2. but it's so big that then the size difference between the 2 cameras is much reduced, also it's a very very expensive lens
the 18mm f2 gives shots that are equivalent to 28mm f3.2 on full frame, so 'worse' than shooting a 2.8 zoom (although much more portable). The 23 1.4 has an equivalent of 35 f2.2- similar to the 35mm and it has the 'magic' but I lose the ability to open up further and get 'more magic'
check the screen shots below for some samples: the 23 was way more contrasty than the 18mm and the 30mm
i'm not sure whether to 1) keep the x-e1 as a small travel camera, 2) sell the 18mm lens and get the 23mm, having something I can use professionally but maybe making it too big for travel (although if it can't fit in a pocket, the extra couple of inches doesn't take up much room in a bag- but then if I have my bag may as well have my DSLR...)
I thought about getting a speed booster to let me use canon lenses on the fuji system- but no aperture ring on my lenses so would have to shoot everything wide open
I read the sony nex adapter can communicate electronically with canon lenses- giving you full electronic aperture control from the camera- meaning I can use my canon prime lenses as if they were native mount! Very tempted by the idea of using my 35mm on the nex
or I could keep the fuji and use a speed booster with a manual focus/manual aperture lens- but then would lose AF, which might not be so bad, as I didn't really get on well with the AF system... and although manual focus lenses are cheap it would mean i'd have to buy new lenses, although a set of primes + the adapter would still be cheaper than the fuji 23mm
on another note I'm predominantly a stills guy, but got asked to do a video shoot and finding myself doing more video work now- the sony is leagues better in video mode, haven't compared the 5d3 against the fuji but the lack of manual control on the fuji is infuriating, totally unusable even as a B roll camera
I would push the boat out and get a RX1 if it had a viewfinder, but alas it does not- i'm tempted by the a7 too, but it seems to only be slightly smaller than the 6d- I think there is no solution to this problem and i'll just have to use DSLR's for my work, and keep the fuji as a fun camera or sell it
