Fuji X PRO 1 review by Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake
Chris Niccolls is one of the nicest reviewers out there and he just published that Fuji X PRO 1 video review. Enjoy!
(And thanks Jordan for sending me this!)
UPDATE: Here is the link to the video on youtube.
The Fuji X PRO 1 camera can be preordered:
in USA/Canada at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here), Epxansys US (Click here) and Expansys Canada (Click here).
in Europe at Jessops UK (Click here), eBay Italy (Click here) and Expansys UK (Click here).
in Asia at Amazon Japan (Click here) and eBay Japan (Click here).
The Fuji X 18mm f/2.0 can be preordered:
in USA/Canada at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
in Asia at Amazon Japan (Click here).
The Fuji X 35mm f/1.4 can be preordered:
in USA/Canada at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
in Asia at Amazon Japan (Click here).
The Fuji X 60mm f/2.4 macro can be preordered:
in USA/Canada at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here).
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Recent comments
Comment from woof woof: DoF isn't affected by sensor size as suc...
Comment from Roy_K: "What I do not understand about some guy...
Comment from DR: Also:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mi...- Comment from DR: Looks like it:
http://photo.yodobashi...
Matthew
4 months ago |:/ still not digging this camera yet…
Jean-Michel
4 months ago |Very interesting camera. Very high average in comparison with other camera. The lack of good lenses on Nex-7 probably will give the advantage to this X Pro-1. Just wait for lens lab tests and legacy lenses tests too. Official pics really not convincing, but from some testers, it seems to be really good.
Vlad
4 months ago |Very nice review.
Ranger 9
4 months ago |Interesting finally to see the X-pro in action. Unless Jordan has really small hands, then I have to say… wow, that’s a big honkin’ camera! In some of the shots it looked as if he was holding a GX690!
I also was interested to note that when talking about the macro mode, he did describe the normal view (0.37x) as “really small.” He showed how you can switch it up to 0.6x, but that’s still not very high magnification AND presumably won’t be usable with lenses wider than the 60. The info readouts in the finder look very neat, but I’m still left wondering whether the optical finder is really workable, or if it’s really just a gimmick and the camera has to be used in EVF mode to be useful.
So while I’d love to have a semi-reasonably-priced, modern, optical-finder camera to use with my M-mount lenses, I’m still not sure this is it. No substitute for an in-person trial, I guess… unfortunately, I would guess that few dealers will stock them.
Renato S.
4 months ago |It has basically the same size as the M9, there are some pics with some side-by-side of both cameras.
Nico Foto
4 months ago |Maybe im spoiled by my m43 cameras, but boy, does that camera look big or what. Particularly with the 60mm tele – say, a gh2 with oly 45mm 1.8 would give a similar fov and dof, and is way more discrete. Im in love with the design of the x pro 1, the iq, the manual controls and the nice selection of primes they are launching, but i cant help but thinking that the complete kit seems bigger than what i’d like a street or travel outfit to be.
fearofhummingbird
4 months ago |In the vid he has the lens hood on the 60. It’s as long as the lens itself.
z
4 months ago |45mm f/1.8 is still half as big even if you didn’t put the hood on. It’s faster too and has the same 90mm f/3.6 equivalent.
Funny though, M4/3 actually has a real Leica branded 50mm equivalent that Fuji pretending to be.
hexx
4 months ago |Fuji doesn’t try to pretend to be Leica – no need for it. Fuji has long history of excellent lenses.
By saying that I don’t imply that Fuji’s 35mm lens will outperform Summicron 50mm, it can’t it cost’s fraction of the Leica lens.
But saying that Fuji is trying is just a bit too harsh and not really true.
Jean-Michel
4 months ago |I’ve big paws. Handling a Nex is a true torture. X Pro-1 is a perfect size. I used to work 20 years with a Mamiya RZ67, then now, I just enjoy with this X Pro-1 size
Thom
4 months ago |+1
Thomas
4 months ago |I’n my humble opinion, m4/3 sensors can still not compete in dof with the APS-C. Just like APS-C can not compete with FF. I would not state that the gh2 gives similar dof than the Fuji does. The background will always be just a tad bit smoother in the Fuji, and that is what makes all the world for me. My dream would be FF, but I will settle for an APS-C.
All the test and talk about resolution and technical stuff always falls on the images. There is just that something that goes missing when you step down the sensor size. And yeah, this is my opinion – and I hope to be proven wrong by some decent bokeh comparisons between the sensors. I would actually love to want to have the OM-D, as it is so much smaller. It’s just that I know that in a year I will grow tired of the image quality.
For the record, I have both sensors at home (even though the GF1 is starting to be a bit outdated).
Atlasman
4 months ago |Thomas
Well said. I own 4/3 and m4/3, APS-C gear and mostly shoot with the APS-C. But once in a while I take out the full-frame and there’s a quality to the images that the others just can’t produce.
woof woof
4 months ago |DoF isn’t affected by sensor size as such, not in any real way that I can see, but by aperture and camera to subject distance.
I have MFT, APS-C and FF systems and the least DoF I can get is from MFT+25mm f0.95 because it has a wide aperture and can focus quite close. You don’t get the same FoV as you’d get with a 50mm f1.4 on FF but the DoF is less.
Nico Foto
4 months ago |In theory (at least) the DOF of, say, an m43 2.0 should be equal to APS-C 2.8, which should be equal to FF 4.0. As far as I know that’s mathematics, optics, science. Not subjective opinion. So, even if i simpathize with what you’re saying, i think its wrong.
A totally different aspect is IQ though. DR, fine gradations of tones, the ability to heavily post process images without “breaking” them. There’s where the sensor size seems to matter.
I guess all sensor sizes have a different “signature”, and that might be good or bad, depending on each ones opinions and aesthetics. For instance, when i first got my GF1, i fell in love with the sharpness of images, the almost pastel-like tones I could get out of it. On the other hand, I value my 7D files, they stand way more massage in PP than m43 files, without making the process obvious.
Ranger 9
4 months ago |“In my humble opinion, m4/3 sensors can still not compete in dof with the APS-C. ”
True, if what you want is shallow DOF. But sometimes less DOF is better, and other times more DOF is better.
If you need more DOF, M43 lets you get it without stopping down as much — which can be important if you need high shutter speeds to stop subject movement. Or if you’re lighting your scene with flash, you need less flash power to get the same DOF.
Lez
4 months ago |Fujifilm FinePix X-Pro1 – sample images from Poland
http://www.lenstip.com/1969-news-Fujifilm_FinePix_X-Pro1_-_sample_images.html
RSilva
4 months ago |In response to Thomas:
Yes and aps-c can’t come close to FF and FF can´t come close to medium format. We all know that story very well but actually there are times that I want to shoot say at f1.4 with less DOF and I can say then that m4/3 has an advantage over the other formats. Still If I want to get more FOV I can use actually any lens, even full frame or medium format lens. I use my 50mm f1.4 SMC and 85mm f1.8 SMC Tak with my m4/3′s camera and I get huge amounts of dof and a creamy bokeh. That said, I only regret m4/3 cameras for not having good wide lens and worst results over a F8 aperture.
Av8R
4 months ago |Ranger…
M9 owner here and every time I hear all the shallow DOF is better this is what comes to my mind.. Sometimes the large DOF is nice. Still I would choose the FF but sometimes I sure miss the EP2.
jlabate
4 months ago |It’s not a rangefinder.
Blaze
4 months ago |This.
Gunnar
4 months ago |there are actually dslrs that have the same size and better control, to me this thing is more about the looks than its abilities.. also the 6fps test looked not as successful as they claimed or is it just me finding half the shots out of focus?
not my cup of tea!
Vlad
4 months ago |Not to start anything, but which are these DSLRs having the same size and better control?
hexx
4 months ago |nice one
Anu Nyymi
4 months ago |Otherwise nice vid, but it is clear that the reviewer is lacking in technical understanding. A perfect sample of this is when he took a shoot of the metal grid and explained how there’s no moire in this camera – no camera on earth would creaate moire with such low frequency pattern.
But the vid was nice in presenting the feel of the camera.
Vlad
4 months ago |I think we are really missing this kind of reviews. There always will be someone doing lab tests about ISO performance, moire and whatnot.
brandon
4 months ago |Z: While it is true that equivalent focal length changes with sensor size, aperture does not. That 45\1.8 is equivalent to 90\1.8, not 90\3.6. Additionally, aperture is logarithmic; Even where doubling applies, converting 1.8 then becomes approx. 2.5, not 3.6.
Kylberg
4 months ago |The Fuji is just a little heavier than the new Oly, but the volume is bigger similar to Leica M9. Handling similar to M9 but lighter probably being the target from Fuji.
It is unique in features compared to DSLR and “mirrorless” with the hybrid viewfinder. It depends a lot on what photography you are into. I am comparing EM5, NEX-7 and X-pro1 which to purchase. All are great cameras, all have things that are annoying: EM5 poor implementation of EVF (no histogram) + this toggle-mania depending on what info you need to view ? different in EVF and monitor. NEX-7: there are decent lenses, but not at the focal lenght I need. X-pro1: Could have been a bit smaller.
Having said that I know too little about the X-pro1, still, at the moment it is the one that appeals most to me. IQ seems to be excellent and the lenses I happen to need are already there, or in the lens roadmap 2012-13.
Agent00soul
4 months ago |What do you mean the E-M5 has no histogram?
As far as I can tell from the manual, you can get the live histogram in the EVF.
Or do you mean that you can’t combine live histogram with some other function (a weakness that does exist, unfortunately)?
Ranger 9
4 months ago |The way I look at the X-1 Pro is that if you want an APS-C camera and don’t mind it being that large, there are lots of DSLRs that are about the same size and offer more versatility, better features (e.g. image stabilization), wider choice of lenses and accessories, etc.
To offset that, the Fuji would either have to offer a significant picture-quality advantage (debatable) or some important operational advantage.
The only big operational difference between the Fuji and a generic DSLR is the Fuji’s hybrid optical viewfinder. Does it offer enough advantages (and few enough disadvantages) to overcome the camera’s other limitations?
Personally, I love cameras with optical viewfinders, because I like the fact that I never lose visual contact with the subject. But a Leica M9 is out of my price range, and my Epson R-D 1 is too far behind today’s technology (in terms of pixel count, battery life, and SD card compatibility) to use for anything other than “fun” shooting.
For me the Fuji’s viability would come down solely to how useful, comfortable and versatile the hybrid viewfinder is… but so far I haven’t seen any reviews that give me much confidence in deciding about that.
hexx
4 months ago |what’s really sad is MF, if you listen carefully he says that it’s still shit although a bit better than X100
Kylberg
4 months ago |Yes I know MF of MF lenses is probably best with NEX-7 (zoom in +focus peaking)
The risk with the x-pro is that it remains a conceptual (with some important weaknesses) camera rather than being mature with no real weaknesses. Both X100 and X10 are at the conceptual level.
Every camera is a compromize and regardless of choice there will be things that are annoying.
hexx
4 months ago |let’s hope that AF is better so there won’t be need for MF. AF is actually better on X100 after latest update also you can focus as close as 40-50cm without switching to macro mode and also it looks like they’ve changed ‘sensitivity’ of the MF ring on X100.
Haven’t had time to go out and shoot properly to claim it’s definitely better but from my initial tests, new FW seems to improve both AF speed and MF.
Stockografie
4 months ago |I thought this review was very nice as it does show the camera in action. Even though it is a pre production model.
What I do not understand about some guys is how they all get so hung up about MF.
I did not understand this on the X100 either. I have the X100 and have never, NEVER had to use MF as the AF is just tad on spot.
And I shoot from landscape to street. Even my quick Street shots, where focus speed and accuracy matters, was never a problem. It was always spot on.
If you want a MF Camera get a Leica.
Just my opinion anyway.
Ranger 9
4 months ago |MF isn’t so significant with the X100 because the lens is fixed. It matters more on the X-1 Pro because the system includes only three lenses so far. If you need to go beyond that range, you’ll need to adapt a lens from another system, and that means using manual focus.
I suspect the X-1 Pro is attracting the attention of people who own collections of M-mount lenses because it has the kind of handling they’re used to, will be adaptable to their lenses when Fuji gets around to releasing the adapter, and still will give them the option of AF when they’re using Fuji’s X-mount lenses (which is something you wouldn’t get with an M9, and the fact that it’s a lot less expensive than an M9 helps, too.)
But if manual focus is mediocre or worse, they’ll be in for a frustrating experience, so it’s natural they would want to examine this topic carefully.
stockografie
4 months ago |Ranger 9 you are quite right about adapting other lenses on the X Pro 1 and in this case of course you need to use MF. But why bother with MF on the Fuji lenses is what my question is.
I used to love my Nikkor 50mm on my GF1 and the MF was very usable.
But again on my X100 and on the X Pro 1 with the Fuji AF lenses why bother with MF?
inteliboy
4 months ago |I manual focus most of the time. Always have, always will. Maybe it’s because I learnt photography on manual cameras, or I just like the feel of sturdy mechanical manual lenses. Really though, I think it adds an element of connection with the camera and its lens… an extra layer of the creative process that I really enjoy, rather then just clicking a button. You know, some of the greatest photos and photographers were around long before AF was even around.
Now, Fuji present the X series as these all manual traditional style cameras… except for one utterly bizarre fact, the focus ring barely works. I love my x100, though it does feel so detached… pick up an Fm2n or similar manual camera and wow, you really do feel in control.
Roy_K
4 months ago |“What I do not understand about some guys is how they all get so hung up about MF.”
(1) It’s about the M-mount adapter they just announced. The idea of using M-mount lens on X-PRO1 one is nice, but their MF system is terribly unacceptable both in EVF and OVF. You have to rely on your own eyes. There is no MF assistance similar to Nikon’s focus indicator and NEX’s peaking.
(2) Did you try all of three lens? All of the lense they released are not that great in terms of speed and accuracy. The AF speed of 18mm and 35mm is slow but acceptable. However that of 60mm is very slowwww and not accurate. I tested it myself.Using an adapter provides us a chance to avoid the AF problem and allows us to use other great manual lens (i.e. Nikon F-mount, Leica-M). Even though there is only M-mount adapter at this moment, there will be others soon.
DR
4 months ago |Isn’t this being released today in Japan?
We should start seeing useful user comments soon.
DR
4 months ago |Looks like it:
http://photo.yodobashi.com/fujix/imp/xpro1.html
DR
4 months ago |Also:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/minami/sets/72157629356684095/with/6891267337/
“This photo was taken 4 hours ago using a Fujifilm X-Pro1.”
Cool shots coming up all over the place…