X100 - I Consolidated Previous Threads Here for Simplicity

[Laurence]

Please don't feel bad if I have deleted your posts. I like you ALL, and I
only delete to make room and not have too much clutter from putting
these into one posting.

Update #2:

I should be done today with my "walk-through" of the manual,
for practicing all settings and options available. The number of
ways to configure the camera are mind-boggling, and I know that
my own learning curve is to go slow, especially in this case.

The manual itself is REALLY well written, and that's coming from a guy
who has spent much of his career as a tech writer. Shocked I was very
disappointed in the manual for the GA645zi - it was REALLY poor, almost
useless. But this manual is intuitive, and has a fantastic Functional Index
as well as a Task Index with key words and phrases.

I've been basically setting everything to "normal". ISO at 200, viewfinder
at minimal informational icons, automatic "eye detection" for switching
LCD and viewfinder, single area autofocus, auto-ISO, etc. I did take the
option of setting up for Aperture Priority.

There is the Fn Function Button that is very easy to program, and I set it
to "depth of field preview". It can be programmed to just about anything
you want, but for my landscapes I like DOF to be handy.

Although I'm not going to take a shot yet, I couldn't resist looking through
the viewfinder and hitting the little switch to go back and forth from optical
view to electronic view overlay. First of all, the viewfinder is as clear as
I've ever seen, and the frame lines are at a very nice transluscence.

When switching between optical and electronic, it almost made me jump
with surprise. Everything is so....CLEAR....really quite impressive. I still
have to program the electronic mode down to a simpler view. More on
that after I start shooting.

One glitch I found (for me anyway) is that the command rocker wheel
is a bit fiddly...it's easy to try to hit the center OK button, only to have
accidentally hit one of the directional arrow areas on the wheel. Even
with my smaller hands and fingers, I have to be careful. Just a matter of
practice I'm sure.

That's all for now. More later.

Update #3

Just a short statement here; I'll add more later, as I've been called on to
work today.

I just wanted to say: I am BLOWN away by this "electronic viewfinder" and
"optical viewfinder" thing. It is really a joy to look through the viewfinder
and have the real experience of a rangefinder camera through the super-
bright screen. But then...when focusing, it's like looking through an SLR,
with the screen following the focus sharpness as you focus. Shocked
And, along with that the depth of field ALSO changes as you focus and
as you change apertures. Shocked Shocked Truly nice.

I've looked at a couple of electronic viewfinders at a store - most notably
the Panasonic ones. Don't remember the model name. The electronic
viewfinder looked very nice to me. But there just isn't a comparison to the
clarity and ancillary information given with this camera. It takes some real
detailed "looking" to realize that it is an electronic view.

Just a quick impression - more later on today.


I'll take images at the ISO200 and ISO6400 so that you folks can see
any differences. I'm sure there will be some significant noise differences,
although I have read that it's pretty good in that way. I'll take the images
on my tripod to try to be "real-world" consistent. I like real-world images
more than test shots into a grid or a bunch of text patterns.

But...I'll be taking the first images later this afternoon. I'm almost there
in learning the nuances of the camera.

The camera is NOT perfect - I guess no one camera is ever perfect in
every way. It could have used a bit more of the bulge on the body for
maintaining a secure hold. Before I put the strap on the camera, it
sort of made me uncomfortable because I was worried about dropping
the camera.

Regarding the awkward command wheel and selection rocker - I'm now
quite used to it, and it has ceased becoming an issue with me. It's just
a matter of feel, and now I can hold the camera up and hit the correct
buttons quite well. I guess this is part of "ergonomics", but it's pretty
neat the way my thumb and fingers seems to naturally "rest" on the
command dial as though it was a natural movement. I have a feeling
that the Fuji engineers must have thought that through, because it's
really a comfortable reach.

'm going to reiterate the BUILD on this camera. So solid and such a
positive group of buttons and dials and aperture ring. It seems to
literally "click" with a nice touch - I don't feel I have to "guess" if I'm
REALLY at f:5.6 or f:8 or whatever. The consistency of the aperture
ring movement is a real plus. So far, I cannot discern ANY sloppy
movements or any slack in the tightness of the buttons.

I'm trying to make sure I expound on the "issues" and well as the good
points. I want to give an honest assessment. So far...it's the most
"rangefinder-ish" camera I've ever had in my hands. I LOVE to bring
it up to my eye, I really do. It's like - bang! - and it's right at my eye
in the proper place. Vertical orientation is the same.

Another plus that for some reason I didn't expect - when looking through
the viewfinder, the image actually changes with the amount of exposure
compensataion override...is that cool or what? Basically, it's similar to
what I imagine "live view" does for cameras that have that feature. A
super nice experience, and the dial is simply as positive as it gets.

The information in the viewfinder does not get in the way at all - I guess
I could compare it with those heads-up displays on some new cars. It's
"there" but does not capture attention so much that it is disconcerting.
Again, all I can say is: nice touch.

So, as you probably can note from my comments, I truly feel that there
are some great positive things going on with the camera.

Once more - yeah, I'll take some shots this late afternoon, and see how
they look. Cool


There are settings for HDR, which they indicate is High Dynamic Range.

It can be set to "Normal 100%", and then 200%, 400%, and 800%. There are no other explanations about HDR in the manual. I've always been under the assumption that it refers to the shadows and highlights, and how they interact?

Also, the manual indicates you can bracket the HDRs if wanted, along with a whole bunch of other choices (shutter speed, exposure values, ISO values, color values, etc.).

One thing I forgot to say is that the viewfinder is robust, with some rubber framing around it that seems to have just the right amount of
malleability when the eyebrow bone is against it. But, I find that I can keep my
glasses on if I wish, and can STILL see the whole viewfinder area, even
if my eye is quite a distance from the eyepiece. So, that's a nice feature to have. I looked it up, and it's called "high eyepoint".

Also, there is a little wheel for diopter adjustment from -3 to +2, also nice to have.


I've added a little histogram for the lower left corner of the display, as
I think it is a handy thing to have. If it gets in the way, I can temporarily
erase it with a push of a button until the next frame. Or, of course, I
could delete the histogram display on all, by pressing the same button
twice.

Dynamic Range (from Japanese translation) for Fuji X100:
Choose lower values to increase contrast when shooting indoors
or under overcast skies. Higher values for reduce loss of detail
in photographing strong lights and strong shadows. Use higher
values for sunlight on water, portraits against a blue sky, and
for white objects or people wearing white. The very highest values
might show some noise or mottling.


I've unboxed the X100, and charged the battery which took 2 hours. Also
installed a 2GB card.

I'm basically going through the manual, and performing the various
functions and options to get an idea of how things are done. I do not
anticipate using ALL the viewfinder options - just what I feel I need, or
is nice to have in the viewfinder.

Lifting the camera out of the box, the first impression was SMALL! I
had a mental picture of it being larger. So, this is a GOOD thing, and I
actually can put it in my shirt pocket. Shocked But generally, I'll carry
it in a zip-up coat pocket, or in hot weather just carry with the strap
on my shoulders.

The other impression was that it is heavier than I expected. It's not
that it's very heavy at all, maybe 1 pound with everything. The build
REALLY surprised me. It's a frikkin' rock! Shocked Nothing is "loose"
and all buttons seem completely robust. The "feeling" of being of
quality build is a definite first impression. There is no "play" in any
of the buttons, wheels, aperture ring, etc. Very Happy Simply beautifully
designed and manufactured. I've only held a Leica M3 a few times, but
it "feels" like that camera.


On the X100, I just read a post on another forum that a guy bought the
X100 for his primarily landscape shooting. A couple of people called him
a fool, that it's "supposed" to be for people shots. Wow, some people sure
can be rude quickly. I am surprised that there is a "rule" for
the X100 and the subject shot with it. Laughing


But I DO have to say that when I unboxed this thing, it looked REALLY
REALLY nice. Of course, Fuji added their own little bit of "hype" by laying
the camera in some mooshed-up black velveteen material. I thought for
a moment that I might have been taking a baby out of a manger. But, in
the long run...that's okay! If Fuji wants to add a little "bling" to a box, so
be it. Razz


Actually for the past 4 years or so, I HAVE been walking everywhere
with just the Pentax 645 and 55/2.8 lens, whether it be a longer hike, a
short walk in town, or a short walk in the local woods. Shocked It will
be a different experience to carry around a camera that weighs
almost nothing in comparison. Shocked Laughing


Well, in fact I DID fire the shutter yesterday...about 40 times or so. I was
able to take a long break and get out to the local public gardens. It was
really windy, with gusts to 30 mph, but I was able to sneak into the deeper
forest and get out of SOME of the wind. Of COURSE, once I was about
to go back to work, the wind died out completely! But, I did get a few of
a little pond with the water laying quietly. I expected to take a lot more
pictures, but they looked really decent the first time, so I didn't take any
compensatory bracketed images. The only repeats were when I took an
image at 200 ISO and then nearly the same image at 6400 ISO, etc., so
there could be a comparison of how much noise and other aberrations
might show up.

I don't have a decent image editor on this computer that I'm on, but I can
at least crop to show 100% areas from the centers and edges, along
with the basic web-saved images. I'll also go ahead and save a few in my
Photobucket account with a link, so you can go see some original images.

The images look decent on the LCD and in the EVF in review, but I'll not
know the real output until I get them up on the screen.


http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_DSCF0066_Trillium_Bug_ISO1600_Full_Resized_Web_1.jpg

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_DSCF0066_Trillium_Bug_ISO1600_Crop_1.jpg


These below are the first ever image to come out of the X100. It was extremely windy
and I even had to "move" with the flower! I cranked the ISO all the way up
so that I could get a shutter speed that might stop the movement.
So, this is probably not as clear as it gets if I was using a tripod on
a calm day.

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_DSCF0037_Magnolia_ISO6400_Full_Resized_Web_1.jpg

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_DSCF0037_Magnolia_ISO6400_Crop_1.jpg

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_DSCF0039_Magnolia_ISO200_Full_Resized_Web_2.jpg

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_DSCF0039_Magnolia_ISO200_Crop_1.jpg

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_-1_Fuji_X100_First_Pix_050_Willow_Pond_ISO200_1.jpg

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_-1_Fuji_X100_First_Pix_056_Oxalis_BW_200_F2_Web_1.jpg

Hey, it's hard to trump the Pentax 645. Smile These are pretty much
rookie images though. I hope to make them better as I learn more about
the idiosyncracies of this camera. I need to practice patience, and if the
Pentax 645 wins out for me in the long run, then it will still be my "go to"
camera. (Actually, it will always be my go to camera - this Fuji would be
used as a different tool for any circumstances where I realize it
would be the most useful tool).


actually should have expounded more about the "film effects" on the
Fuji X100. I am basically posting ALL these images only as TESTS and
PRACTICE.

My field tests aren't scientific, and definitely not meant to be at
the pixel-peeping level. I guess you call comparison of ISOs to sort of
be "pixel-peeping" but it's not meant that way.

So, to come to my point: I submitted the Velvia film effect to show that
the greens get too saturated for my taste with that effect. I wanted to
see what others thought without first saying it myself.

Also, I'm not all that excited about the Black and White effect. It seems
muddy, at least on the image I posted. However, there are other types
of Black and White effects that I will try, and maybe those will be better
(or worse). Laughing

Remember, this is for the FUN of photography, and the FUN of seeing how
various cameras render images.

Of course, I LOVE my 645, and I'm certain that a digital image is not
going to top it. Cool


I have taken 380 images with a lot of "triple chimping" and other
battery-draining things going on, so it SEEMS that it might be good
for somewhere around 400-500 images when used normally (for the
high JPEG setting). I don't know if that's "good or bad" but it seems to
be a reasonable battery life.


Don't be alarmed if you see
that I've "wiped out" a thread. The deletion of posts won't be because I
"don't like anybody", it will just be for efficiency. Shocked Smile

But for now, here are a couple more images from the first shots the other
day. Remember, these are just "field tests" and simply posted to get a rough
idea of the output of the camera as a whole, especially when I find a new
setting that might be appropriate to show on-screen by rendering an
image that uses that new setting.

ISO3200
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_Fuji_X100_First_Pix_016_Magnolia_Bloom_Web_3.jpg

ISO4000
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_Fuji_X100_First_Pix_013_ISO4000_Smooth_Mag_2.jpg

ISO400
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_Fuji_X100_First_Pix_027_ISO400_Skunk_Peep_1.jpg

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20114/big_65_Fuji_X100_First_Pix_039_Bloedel_Goblet_5000_1.jpg