WHY I WENT MIRRORLESS: FUJIFILM X

Getting Started + Features

As I mentioned in the initial thoughts a few weeks back, it’s sexy right out of the box – actually from the moment you see and xuất hiện the box, as the packaging is a reflection of the camera. The lenses are also opened to much fanfare due khổng lồ their presentation cradled in a magnetically sealed box with custom foam inserts that look as if they’d be equally adept at cradling eggs of a Fabergé persuasion. Unlike the eggs fit for a Tsar, the camera does feel good in the hand, and durable.

Once out of the box, you’ll have in your hand a deceptively light vintage looking camera body, encasing a 16.3MP APS-C, X-Trans II CMOS Sensor soul. Here are the rest of the basic specs of the camera:

All of that is contained within essentially the same body toàn thân as its predecessor the X-E1. The layout is the same for the most part with the manual shutter speed và exposure compensation dials, but a few buttons have been shifted around. More buttons on this mã sản phẩm are customizable, though this is something I didn’t find the need to vị much as the default layout is good. The exposure comp on the X-E2 does allow you khổng lồ extend to lớn +/-3EV giving you an extra stop over the +/-2EV of the X-E1.

The screen is immobile, and it’s also not cảm biến sensitive. I don’t think most will miss the inability to use the screen as a cảm biến screen, but I think having a tilting screen would have been beneficial. The screen, however, did allow for accurate representation and has a wide viewing angle.

Performance

It’s worthwhile lớn notice the similarities between the innards of the X-E2 and the X100s in terms of performance. They both have the same heart & brain, in that they chia sẻ the same sensor and the same processor. This isn’t a bad thing. The dynamic duo allows for continuous shooting of 7fps as full res, và for an extremely quick real world start up time of 0.5 seconds. No, I didn’t measure that, but there was no need, it’s entirely fast enough to not let a capture worthy moment pass. Strangely, the wake-up time when it’s been idle for a while takes longer and I found it a bit annoying. One has lớn depress the shutter button for what seems lượt thích just too long.

The X-Trans CMOS II also has some dedicated pixels for phase detection, along with the contrast detection. This hybrid is a departure from the X-E1’s contrast only. It’s this, I believe, that allows for the camera’s routed fast autofocus capability. And it is fast, with the caveat that you’re using an appropriate lens. I’ve mentioned in previous đánh giá that while most lenses such as the 23mm f/1.4 & 18mm f/2 are nimble và quick, the 60mm f/2.4 felt lượt thích a sloth in anything other than bright light.

The continuous focusing option now is no longer restricted khổng lồ the rather pedestrian center focal point, & functions decently. Nothing khổng lồ write trang chủ about though. All of this was aided by the firmware update that Fuji released for the X-E2 not long ago, which actually was significant in its noticeable improvements.

Some Witchery With The Sensor

I had lớn speak to someone at Fuji due to the fact that I’m not a camera engineer, và I didn’t understand what the significance of a Bayer pattern RGGB was. I was informed that most RGGB receptors are slotted in a 2 x 2 fashion, but the X-Trans CMOS II uses a 6 x 6. I still wasn’t getting it so they mentioned that the random arrangement of those filters within each phối of 36 receptors means the sensor wasn’t in need of an anti-aliasing filter (yawn) and less moire. Now, it sounded like witchcraft lớn me và I damn near passed out as they were speaking, but the gist is the photos are sharp. & my, are they ever.

The native ISO range of the camera is 200-6400 và normally I don’t care about the highest ISO can go since I generally refuse to lớn go above 1600 unless I absolutely need to. However, to lớn my utter surprise, I found myself shooting often at 2000 ISO & unafraid of 4000. The images rendered at those levels were utterly delightful, especially for casual shooting on the street at night, or at a restaurant. Shooting in JPEG gave some slightly unusual renderings of defocused areas, but the problem was nil in RAW. All in all, the sensor và processor full bộ seem like a match made in a Ben và Jerry’s.

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The lens modulation optimizer system in the X-E2 does warrant a mention also, as it tailors the image processing to lớn the particular lens being used, focal length, và aperture to lớn give better overall unique in rendering, và certainly sharpness into the corners.

Usability

It’s fair to lớn say that the layout of the camera was extremely easy to lớn get used to even if you’ve never picked up a Fuji X series before. The digital EVF was very, very good. It was bright and seemed to vì chưng well in low light. The camera also allows you to vày a zoom spilt screen khổng lồ nail focus and the EFV displays it well.

The EVF wasn’t, however, without fault; it has a proximity sensor which it uses lớn switch it on and off (depending on camera config) và I just felt there were a few too many times where it wouldn’t turn on when I needed it to if my face wasn’t pressed right up against it. This was clearly noticeable when shooting in portrait mode. In landscape, it wasn’t an issue, but in portrait, it was often an issue. Other than that, it functioned well, and the diopter was easy to calibrate. The benefit of the EVF is the same for all EVFs is that you get khổng lồ preview the actual final result of the image, & the representation on the X-E2 is highly accurate.

Flash

The built in pop-up flash was yet another pleasant surprise. With low light performance being so good on the X-E2, paired with gorgeous Fujinon primes, there wasn’t much need to lớn use it, but it was actually effective & easy to use. I’m actually only mentioning it here because it, like the Sony RX100 series, has a flash that can be bent back and bounced off the ceiling. It does a remarkable job spreading out the light by doing this và photos in a room look lượt thích they were lit with a giant softbox. Great for parties.

Image Quality

I’ve sort of spread out my thoughts on image unique throughout this review, but a few things are worth mentioning. The auto white balance setting was more accurate than most cameras I’ve tried, và the JPEG files are great, though they can seem a little over sharpened if you’re nit-picking, and as to lớn be expected, the dynamic range was noticeably poorer than that of the RAW files. Speaking of RAW files, they were truly wonderful; and using Camera Raw/Lightroom, lots of detail was able to lớn be recovered when needed.

One of the nice touches from Fuji is the inclusion of their historic films in the size of a film simulation mode, & the simulations of Provia and Velvia etc. Are applicable in RAW. Weird, but it works, which lets you shoot this & still fiddle in post lớn get just what you want.

Conclusion

Admittedly, I wanted to lượt thích this camera. I wanted it to be what it turned out to lớn be. What is that? Well, brilliant, và flawed. It has character in its looks, and in its performance, and it lacks some things I wish it had. I think the addition of an articulating screen would be good, a better performing EVF proximity sensor, maybe even be made more of metal even at the expense of some weight. The software included is rather rubbish in my opinion, but then again, most owners would probably have Lightroom or Photoshop of some sort. I think having the cảm ứng screen would also aid in autofocus, but I think one way to lớn better it would be to lớn offer less, yes, less autofocus points around the screen; there are so many it takes a load of clicks to get it where you want. Oh, and if they slapped a full frame sensor in this…one can dream.

But here I’m just nitpicking so you all may see I am being objective. But when you see and use this camera, & place it among its contemporaries from Fuji, it does seem as though we are heading in the right direction. With a stable of primes that are generally magnificent, and coming in at under $900, I just can’t think of a reason lớn tell you not to get this as an everyday shooter. I still found myself reaching for the DSLR when it came time to shoot for work, but maybe with time, that would change too, because its size factor & throwback looks deceive you into thinking it’s just for fun & not proper value. But no one judges the value of the Mona Lisa by the kích thước of the canvas. It’s seriously good, và it has something about it that made me want to use it. I took this camera everywhere, and everywhere it went, glances and questions followed.

Parting with the Fuji X-E2 I was reviewing was painful. Handing the box over the shipping counter felt like what I imagine handing over the keys lớn your dream car to a repo man feels like. Or perhaps giving your daughter away to lớn a man you know is not worthy. I did so begrudgingly.

This morning I just sent back a D610 and, while it’s a capable shooter, I dropped it off like I returned a rental oto – because comparatively that’s what it’s like. One’s something you use to lớn get something done, và the other you use just because you enjoy it, & you want to. If a friend had asked me to borrow the X-E2 I would’ve said, “Sure, if I can borrow your girlfriend,” because that’s how it feels. If you have the budget, if you’ve been thinking about it, my advice would be, khổng lồ get one. & never look back. I say this as I have one in my shopping cart.

You can get it here.