The Official Fuji X Pro 1 Thread

Thought I would write a 'mini review' which may help others decide about buying the XPro.

A bit of background, I have been with Nikon throughout my DSLR life, and have a D700, D300 as well as a couple of primes and the 'pro' 24-70 and 70-200, so used to good quality IQ and glass. I also dabble a bit with film cameras. The XPro was bought for 2 reasons... I wanted something more compact and didn't like compacts, and I loved the look (this was to replace my Leica M2). Initially, while I liked it, I had some doubts, as IQ on the 18mm was not as good as hoped, and the AF was poor (compared to the D700).

I have not done too much photography since I got this, so the short bursts I had with it was me still getting used to it. I took it down to London the other day for a few shots in and around work, and then a day at Duxford. Just imported them in and i know know that this is a keeper (until the XPro 2 comes out!!!). I took the D700 with me to Duxford too and really did notice the size and weight difference, its perfect. It looks great and is great to hold. It does take some getting used to when coming from a DSLR though. It is slightly slower, and the AF is not as good. However this is not a huge issue, once you get to know the focusing it becomes second nature. It is quick enough in most situations, but my DSLR will always be 1st choice for action stuff!

The 18mm is not the sharpest wide open, yet stopped down a tad it is very good (not used the 35mm as much but that is a belter!). This image is SOOC at f4 (800ISO).

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While I shoot RAW 100% of time on Nikon, its JPG all the way on the XPro. Most JPGs need minimal tweaking and the IQ on my screen is no different to the D700. Ok, if I pixel peep maybe the D700 and prime may edge slightly, but the difference is VERY fine. The ISO performance is very good too - 1600 is fine and better at 1600 than the D300 at 800ISO!! In fact, at 3200 I have a feeling (could be the Fuji JPG processing) that 3200 is slightly better than the D700.

Good Points - Looks, size & weight, how it feels to hold, ISO performance, controls, IQ, JPG processing, general speed (menus, start up etc...)
Not so Good Points - Battery life (compared to D700), having to press AF button to change AF point, no general AF auto detect like on D700, for fast moving kids it is not as good as the D700.

Overall... even if you are coming from pro type bodies and glass, I don't think it will disappoint. There are some things I think the XPro beats the D700, and vice versa - it does take a little practise to get used to it but after that its a great camera. If you are in a studio, or shoot fast moving kids all the time, then a DSLR does have some advantage but for general family/kid shots and anything else (landscapes, general stuff) its lovely. If you are thinking of getting one, do so!!

There are a few tweaks I would like to see in a new body or firmware/hardware:
- Auto AF Detect (and/or face detect) - Better small tilt flash - ability to move AF points without pressing AF button (like on a dslr) - better battery life.
 
Starastin said:
has anyone ever used some yongnuo flashes or similar off camera with wireless triggers ?
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Not a lot but I've tried out my yn560 using the 603 triggers. They work but there are some quirks due to the fact that the 603's are tx/rx. The transmitter gets confused at times when you use the menu on the x-pro 1 and requires a switching off and on again. Apparently the newer 603's which have a switch to select tx or rx solve these problems.
 
Barrysprout said:
Not a lot but I've tried out my yn560 using the 603 triggers. They work but there are some quirks due to the fact that the 603's are tx/rx. The transmitter gets confused at times when you use the menu on the x-pro 1 and requires a switching off and on again. Apparently the newer 603's which have a switch to select tx or rx solve these problems.
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plain english please ! :thinking:
 
thanks ! :) and I just found out that you can have them for as little as 7 pounds pretty much :D less than my screw in shutter button .

p.s. do you need to set anything in the menu's ? I have a very old flash and an olympus ttl cord, but I couldn't trigger the flash
 
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Ruffmeister said:
Nice pics. The 35mm is a great lens :)

I took the 14mm out today. Has taken me a little while to get used to the perspective but it's a cracking lens as I said a few posts above. I shot RAW + JPEG Fine today.

To be honest I am not 100% on raw. I can definitely see it's benefits. I shoot RAW with a 5D and the conversion process on that seems spot on however on the XPro it seems hit and miss.
CS6 doesn't seem to have any lens corrections for the X system and I have found a lot of the XPro RAW files to have noticeable vignetting. Anyone else have this? I have updated it but still no joy.
The JPEGs are pretty decent to be fair so I may just stick to JPEG most of the time.


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Hi Dan, nice photo. Which filter did you use?
 
MikeM said:
Hi Dan, nice photo. Which filter did you use?
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Cheers :) It was a Haida 10 Stop Slim Multi Coated. Great value for money. Mine was £32.99 here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251191111249

Didn't have any issues at all with it. Colour did need a little tweak in photoshop but I think this is the case of a lot of screw in 10 stoppers.

I have a B+W 52mm which is very similar
 
Quick & easy question for any x-pro1 users.
Does the playback button on yours have a "click" to it? All the buttons on the back of mine have a slight click except the play button (image review)
Not sure if it was like this the first couple of days or not but it feels more spongy and takes more of a press to get it to operate.
 
Got mine handy because I've been entering some custom profiles.. Yes, the playback button seems less clicky than the others.
 
Nice colours on the arcade shots. Was this on auto white balance?
 
The 60mm has just arrived! That completes the basic trinity for now..
 
simonblue said:
All shot on auto W/B and j-peg & no pp :)
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The auto WB certainly seems to nail it most of the time.
Like others, I shoot RAW + fine, but find that the jpegs are fine for my needs so far.
 
Ruffmeister said:
Nice work Simon. I'm sticking to JPEG from now on. Results are spot on out of camera a lot of the time.
I find the XPro RAWs to just be hard work (in CS6 anyway) whereas my 5D raws are a lot easier to process.

What in camera settings did you use? :)
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Thanks :)

I set most to auto or to off,then use camera in A/P,and set my own ISO :)
 
OK, seeing your lovely jpegs prompted me to do some quick comparisons between jpeg and raw.
I am finding my raws have better colour, better dynamic range, and more detail!!
This is with me viewing an image taken as raw+fine, comparing side by side in PhotoNinja with no adjustments to either.
I only have LR v4.1, which doesn't open RAF files, hence the photoninja.
So when you shoot Jpegs, which film simulation do you use as mine is set to pro neg H currently ?
I will do some direct comparisons between provia, velvia etc in the next couple of days to see which I prefer.
 
simonblue said:
My set to provia/standard :)
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Thanks Simon.
I think my problem is that I am so used to shooting RAW only on my Nikon gear, and processing in lightroom, with occasional tweaks where necessary in PS, it has become a habit.
I now have a camera which has so many different settings for film types, and for each film types there are so many adjustments for the jpegs, I think I am "over fiddling".
I need to zero all the settings, and go to provia, take some shots, and start enjoying the camera.
The main reason for buying the X-Pro 1 was to have a portable camera which produces excellent jpegs (to avoid sitting at the PC for hours).
That's my aim.
 
GHP said:
Thanks Simon.
I think my problem is that I am so used to shooting RAW only on my Nikon gear, and processing in lightroom, with occasional tweaks where necessary in PS, it has become a habit.
I now have a camera which has so many different settings for film types, and for each film types there are so many adjustments for the jpegs, I think I am "over fiddling".
I need to zero all the settings, and go to provia, take some shots, and start enjoying the camera.
The main reason for buying the X-Pro 1 was to have a portable camera which produces excellent jpegs (to avoid sitting at the PC for hours).
That's my aim.
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I think you have hit the nail on the head,that's exactly what I do theses days :)
 
Jao said:
Hi all, I have been lurking on this thread for sometime. I am mainly a film shooter (but not a film evangalist, it is all about what works for individuals). ...

I have taken much advice from reading this thread and took a punt on an X-Pro 1 as a replacement for the X100 as wanted to use a wider range of lenses...
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Hi Adrian, I'd be interested to know how you get on with your X-Pro 1. I think @Strappy has one as well. I've been wondering about putting something up in the F&C forum as to what is a good digital camera for an all-manual film shooter? I don't have a DSLR, just a Fuji X10 which I love, but don't use much now. I've got used to my old Pentaxes all-manual lenses and exposure settings; the X10 works fine in P mode, but if you try A or M you're fiddling about changing aperture, shutter speed etc on daft little thumb wheels on the back. So I've been thinking about a bigger X, with dedicated shutter speed dials and aperture on the lenses like it should be. Needs to work very well in A mode, as part of the point of going digital is to get some automation for a change (when I want it) and concentrate on framing...

So what should it be? I like the OVF in the X10, apart from the complete lack of info there. I didn't like the EVF in the XE-1 when I panned it to get the right view. I do like smaller... and I quite like the idea of a tilting display, so wondering about the X-T1... but that's the MOST expensive!!! In fact I could buy a Mamiya 6 and a couple of fantastic lenses for that price (if I was allowed). Oh dear, decisions, decisions.

So, as a film shooter, how do you find the Fuji?
 
Starastin said:
I have a very old flash and an olympus ttl cord, but I couldn't trigger the flash
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As I understand it, Fuji don't make a TTL cord but Canon ones work. I have a cheap eBay job that I keep meaning to test out.

I see that the X-T1 has a couple of extra pins on the hotshoe to power the flash though , not sure it that will cause any issues or not...
 
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