Tag Archives: 18-55mm

Equipment

Fujifilm X-E1: From DSLR to Mirrorless

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(March 2014: Fujifilm has continued to update the X-trans cameras since I acquired my X-E1 in the spring of 2013. While this article refers specifically to that model—since updated to the similar but improved X-E2—the experiences recounted here should still be relevant to others looking at the Fujifilm system. For broader and updated coverage also see Taking Stock of the Fujifilm X-E1, X-E2, X-T1 Mirrorless Cameras, and check out links to the Fujifilm line of cameras at lenses at the end of this article.)

Recently I have read a lot of good things about some of the new “rangefinder-style” (a useful though not completely accurate description) or “mirrorless” cameras from Fujifilm. As a result I acquired the Fujifilm X-E1 with a few lenses, and I have now had the chance to start using it a bit. I thought I would share some initial thoughts and impressions now, with more thorough reports later on as I use the camera and lenses more.

Background

I am primarily a confirmed full-frame DSLR photographer – I rely on the versatility of these cameras, their speed, the availability of a wide variety of lenses and other accessories, and especially on the excellent image quality that they can produce. However, one downside of this equipment is that it is most certainly not small nor light, especially once you add some (or all!) of the lenses I like to use.

While much of my photography requires what the full frame DSLR system provides, sometimes I have wished for high-quality but smaller and lighter equipment – for example when doing certain kinds of street photography, for certain types of travel, or when I just want to have a camera with me when I’m out and about. I have used a few of the smaller high end point & shoot style cameras ranging from the Canon S95 back to the old Canon Pro One, and I have looked at quite a few others.

I have heard enthusiastic reports on various cameras, including a number of the four-thirds cameras, but I decided that I did not want to consider a camera with a sensor smaller than APS-C, the size of the “cropped sensor” DSLRs. For my intended use, that level of quality – in terms of resolution, useful range of apertures, low-light performance, etc. – will work quite well. Recently several mirrorless cameras with such sensors have been introduced, and they all have their attractions. What led me to settle on the Fujifilm cameras was the combination of an expanding selection of excellent lenses, their somewhat “retro” design that provides hardware knobs and buttons to control settings, and encouraging reports on image quality.Fujifilm X-E1 Mirrorless Camera

I considered the more expensive Fujifilm X-Pro-1, with its hybrid optical-electronic viewfinder, but decided that for my intended use the electronic viewfinder (EVF) of the X-E1 would likely work. (As I read reports from other users, quite a few reported that they used the optical viewfinder option of the Pro-1 less than they expected.) I did not consider the reportedly-excellent X100 since I want interchangeable lenses.

Initial Impressions

What follows is highly subjective, and some of my initial reactions will likely need revision after I adapt to the camera. Speaking of “adapting,” some of this is perhaps based as much on my familiarity and comfort with my Canon DSLRs as on the nature of the X-E1 itself. I have used my Canon EOS 5D II so much that its operation is very much second-nature for me at this point. I rarely have to think about how to do something on that camera, since the “how” has become more or less instinctive. I’m far from that point with the X-E1, but that is to be expected.  Continue reading Fujifilm X-E1: From DSLR to Mirrorless →

Commentary, Equipment

‘Low End’ Cameras – Interesting Choices

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An interesting juxtaposition caught my attention this morning.

Yesterday Michael Reichmann posted a very interesting article (“You’ve Got to Be Kidding“) in which he compares the image quality from the (arguably high end point and shoot) $500 Canon G10 with that obtained from his high end Hasselblad medium format digital system. While some are misrepresenting the point of his article to be that the G10 is equal to the Hassy MF system (it isn’t, and he didn’t write that), the significant point is that for many uses the G10 can produce good size prints (13″ x 19” in Reichmann’s article) that are largely indistinguishable from those that came from the MF camera.

At about the same time I saw a link to a dealmac.com posting about sub-$600 prices for the Canon XSi 12.2MP APS-C DSLR with the quite decent EFS 18-55mm image stabilized lens. Anyone who looks at the features of this camera objectively and knows about the generally quite good reviews of this lens understands that this is a tremendous value for a camera system that is more than capable enough for the vast majority of DSLR purchasers.

So, on one hand we have a small almost pocketable camera (the G10) that can produce excellent quality prints as large as most people will ever produce (much larger, in fact). If your point of comparison is DSLRs of a year or two ago – $1000+ in many cases – this is a quite amazing thing, and could induce many buyers to think about the G10 or a similar camera, either as the camera or as an adjunct when traveling light is important. But wait, the cost of a quite decent DSLR isn’t $1000+ any more – it now appears to be perhaps only $100 more than that of the G10.