“It’s impressively sharp wide open”: dpreview XF23mm real world samples… and more.

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XF 23mm
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– Real world samples online at dpreview here: “Image quality is superb. It’s impressively sharp wide open across most of the frame, and the corners sharpen up quickly on stopping down. Lateral chromatic aberration is essentially non-existent, and the lens is near-perfectly optically corrected for distortion.”

– the XF 23mm at derekclarkphotography here: “the quality of this lens is just stunning and Fuji has done a fantastic job in producing a lens that is more than the sum of it’s parts. The 35mm f1.4 has always had the edge over the other X Series lenses, but the 23mm has a look that is just as special and I can’t wait to use it on a real shoot. I’m a documentary photographer and this is a lens to tell stories. You get a great perspective with an old school 35mm, just the right amount of foreground to background without a load of distortion. It’s also a lens that you can move in close and still get a great look without peoples faces getting all bent out of shape.”

henrysmithscottage XF 23mm review can be read here: “When Fujifilm released the new 23 mm f 1.4 lens; I was faced with a dilemma. I currently have a Fujifilm camera (the X100s) with exactly the same imager and focal length lens combination I that would be possible were I to purchase the newer $900 lens. […] I’m keeping this lens. […] this optic reminds me, just, how wonderful it is to shoot with a very high quality prime lens.”

– Japanese review at camera.itmedia here (translation).

miXed zone: do you need Full Frame? A7 vs X-E2 DOF comparison, guess the format and more!

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X-E2
USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / Pictureline / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / Fotomundus24 GER / PCHstore / AmazonDE (via DR)

FF vs Fuji / Bokeh comparison

– Vernon wrote me this email: “Hi Pat, I came across this post on Reddit from a website that has a test where they show photos and ask the users to guess the format (full-frame, APS-C, etc) and the show the stats of the results of people taking the test here: http://guesstheformat.com/stats. I sent this to you because we’ve been talking a lot about a rumor that Fuji will announce a full frame compact and there’s a somewhat heated debate on here as to whether they need one or not. According to these results, nearly 50% of people couldn’t tell the difference between whether the photo was taken in FF or APS-C. That might add value to the debate. Take Care, Vernon S.” Now it’s your time to play with it… and tell us your results. Click here and start your game!

Bokeh DOF comparison A7 ([shoplink 19559]specs&price[/shoplink]) with [shoplink 19817]Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 D[/shoplink] vs X-E2 with [shoplink 12889]35mm[/shoplink] both at f/1.4 at Mike Kobal here: “The Fuji XF 35mm […] it can’t blow out the background as well as the 50mm on the FF. But the question is: does it really matter? […] As for my own work, 90% of the time I will be just as happy with the bokeh from the Fuji/35mm combo as I would from the FF/50mm set up. The difference simply isn’t big enough to make a significant difference in how the picture reads, remember 90% of the time, for the other 10% I wouldn’t want to give up that special extra I can get from the full frame and a large aperture lens….”

[UDPATE: Mike uploaded some samples taken with the Nikkor at f/2 so that you can compare also the bokeh between the Nikkor (at f/2) and the Fujinon (at f/1.4).]

I don’t know you, but I’m not sure if it’s worth to pay 70% more to have that 10% special extra bokeh DOF. What do you think?

image courtesy: Mike Kobal

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whatdigitalcamera X-E2 review is online here: “We experienced no issues with colour indoors or out, leaving you to concentrate on your photography without the worry of the final result appearing too warm or too cool. […] unless you’re shooting in exceptionally bright conditions, such as towards the sun, you’ll rarely find exposure compensation needs to be used. […] Though the newly developed autofocus algorithm has improved things, it hasn’t dramatically changed the lock-on speed, which remains slower than its Olympus and Panasonic rivals in the compact system camera market. […]  The X-E2 is to put it simply, a stunning camera that’s up there as one of the most attractive on the market and an absolute pleasure to use.”

– See the shots of Vibranze with his X-E2, 55-200 and [shoplink 12946 ebay]8mm fisheye[/shoplink] lens here,

– Wildlife and Landscape Photography photography with the X-E2 (and 55-200) at casualphotography.net: “Focusing on the animals was quick. I had no issues with the auto focus at all. However, once the birds took flight, it was over. But that’s mainly because my reaction time isn’t that great when it comes to fast animals. Again, I’m no wildlife photographer.”

– “I’m finding more and more that for simple daily shooting the X-E2 and iPad air are a killer combo. If like many Fuji shooters you have began embracing in camera jpeg you know that with minimal tweaking and pre-processing you end up with images that are 95% on spot straight out of camera. Apps like Snapseed, iPhoto, VSCO, etc make it easy to put finishing tweaks on images using a phone or tablet before sharing.” Read the full article ” Old School looks, incredible sensor and WiFi?” at fujishooter here.

– [shoplink 17992]Fuji X-E2[/shoplink] vs [shoplink 17992]Sony A7r[/shoplink] vs [shoplink 15259]Panasonic GH3[/shoplink] DOF and noise comparison at soundimageplus here. For his following post “Sony A7r, Fuji X-E2, Panasonic GH3 – Issues, Irrelevancies and the advantages of diversity” click here. In another post here it’s again A7r vs X-E2, but this time with speed booster: “So is this ‘faux full-frame’ or a genuine alternative? Well I think it is a genuine alternative, if you are happy to use manually focused lenses that is.”

– An updated review of the Fujifilm X-E2 at doncraigphoto here: “Primarily I use focus peaking and zoom in to fine tune. However, the AF is very accurate, and fast, which means that I have also been using it quite a bit. In my non-work life, the AF on the X-E2 has worked incredibly well on fast moving toddlers, sports, speeding boats and distant planes (in case you have that need).”

– Fujifilm X-E2 on the New Zealand trip at bjornmoerman here.

– German review at digitalcamera.de (translation).

– You wanna pixel peep? Then check out this Japanese site (translation). Df vs X-E2 vs A7R vs A7 vs GX7 vs GM1 vs E-M1.

– I got this email from Ari Hallami: “No rumor, but some street photography from Helsinki with X-E2. I must be one of the very first ones to receive X-E2 in Finland so it maybe some good reading for the Finnish readers :). Feel free to post“. You can read it here (translation)

– X-E2 hands on at mirrorlessons here: “Ergonomically speaking, it is close to perfection. Every button and dial was in reach of my fingers. The Q button we all know and love, for instance, has been repositioned to the upper middle of the camera’s rear for improved access.”

Mike Kobal has a new favorite mirrorless camera. It’s the X-E2. See his youtube video here.

Daniel Lovegrove’s studio shots with the X-E2 can be seen here.

f stop lounge, the X-E2 and the speed booster at youtube here.

– X-E2 at boxedlight here: “Good things come in small packages. That saying has never been more true than when I use it in reference to the Fuji X-E2. What an amazing little camera… at a good price point. […] Some may say “But it’s not full frame”… So what? Unless you print huge photos you’ll be saving a ton of money and enjoying this camera for a long time. Just make sure the X-E2 meets your needs. Don’t buy a hammer when you need a saw.”

–  PART I: X-E2: New Zealand test-drive &f flight at bjornmoerman.de here: “Even though, I do have quite a few CONS, some of them can clearly be solved by a relative simple firmware upgrade. The main reason why this camera does still not 100% replace my Nikon D800, is the Autofocus tracking in continuous mode. This is not limited to the Fujifilm cameras but rather seems to be a common problem with all mirror-less cameras, including the latest full frame Sony cameras. […] Will I buy the new X-E2? Since I already own the great X-E1, probably not. I would rather wait and see what the successor of the Fujifilm X-PRO1 will bring. Rumours have it that this will be probably be announced early 2014.” Part II: Shooting the streets of Hong Kong with the Fujifilm X-E2 & 27mm pancake lens at bjornmoerman here: “The better autofocus really has been great while using the X-E2 in Street Photography mode. Sometimes things on the street happen quickly. A split second difference in grabbing the focus often makes or breaks the image! […] After I have used my own X-E1 for a few days again now, (yes had to return the X-E2), the main differences I notice are the improved autofocus and the somewhat faster writing speed to the memory card. I also appreciate the higher resolution on the LCD screen to check my focus after the image has been made.”

X100S
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Richard Simko wrote me: “Hi Patrick, I have just came back from Bangkok. There are ongoing anti-government protests going on at the moment. I went to some of those demonstrations with my X100S and X-E1 with 35mm lens. I thought I share them with you as I haven’t seen anybody posting this sort of photojournalistic style taken with X series. These are only pictures. No review or anything like that. As far as cameras performance they held up pretty good except one situation when I was following ex prime minister in the crowd. At that point a DSLR with faster AF and more fps would be prefered tool. But for everything else I did not need anything else but my Fuji’s.” See the Bangkok rallies here.

X-E1
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 – First two parts of a multi-part comparo between the Fuji X-E1 & OM-D E-M1 here at echenique.com. Part I / Part II /

Valéry Villard: “For French readers I have just written an article on my small blog about my passion for the X-E1 and XF lenses. The test is not technical, it just reflect how Fuji and the X-E1 have contributed to strengthen my passion for photography. This device is simply addictive. The entire field test can be downloaded in high quality PDF (150MB). I do not know if anyone interested but when in doubt, I will share;) You can find it here.

Nicolas Datiche: “Hi Mister Fuji Rumors, I’m photojournalist based in Tokyo, recently i bought a Fuji. And i begin to use it for my work, smaller, high quality image… Love it. Usually people say difficult to work in news with this kind of camera, wrong you can. And the new X-E2 AF is faster as enought. A part of my job in Tacloban with X-E1 here (French). Enjoy

X-PRO1
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V Opoku: “Morning Pat,  I finished an article I have been working on for the last week. It is a step by step guide on how to focus with the fuji x cameras with their optical viewfinder. It covers topics such as parallax, using corrected AF Frame, the range within which the real focus box will appear and many more. There are lots of diagrams I put together to explain it all, I have included one in this email for you to get an idea of things. Have a look, let me know what you think and feel free to share it, I know it is not the firmware update that we were all waiting for, but hopefully this will help some fuji x users to understand how these cameras focus a bit more. There is also a link to back to your site in this article, time for bed now. Speak soon.” Read the article here.

Doug Chinnery and his X-PRO1 in the Artic… how did it perform? Discover it here: “It survived, but had a couple of issues. Its not ideal for these extreme conditions, but it held its own and I am delighted with the images it gave me. (all the images here were shot on it).”

image courtesy: Doug Chinnery

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X100
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by Tim Allen: “Hi Patrick, love the site and nice to see you feature some great photography. I recently shot a project which became a small book that I sold to raise money for a charity close to my heart [for The National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS)]. Using Twitter I sold 74 copies and raised over £400 for the charity which I felt very proud of [UDPATE: the sale is now over, all books sold]. The project was shot in two nights at traditional British funfairs and used my X100 which is like a new camera since the recent firmware upgrade. Here’s the link for you: http://www.timallenphoto.co.uk/3balls .
Keep up the good work.
Best regards
Tim. Gallery: http://www.timallenphoto.co.uk/

X-shooter zone: black and white, Fuji at night and travel light!

It’s time to have a break from rumors, deals and comparisons and to focus on what’s all about when you hold an X-series camera in your hands: taking pictures!

So here is another small selection of persons who waited under the rain for the perfect shot, who took the X-PRO1 and hiked through the Bolivian mountains, who translated feelings into images and who looked for the right light source at night before pressing the shutter-release button!

That’s what we have an X for, isn’t it? So let yourself be inspired by the shots of X-shooters in this post and then go out and take some pictures with your X (and if you don’t have it, then buy it! The X-superkit deals run until DEC 24 at AmazonUS, BHphoto and Adorama. You can save up to $1,400 on all XF lenses.)

And if you also have images and stories to share, feel free to contact me via fujirumor@gmail.com, facebook and twitter.

cheers
Patrick

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Carlos Bueno

Hi Patrick,

I have been following FR from the begining. I bought a [shoplink 15293]X100[/shoplink] (wow!!) and after taste the capabilities I decided to buy [shoplink 12882]X-Pro 1[/shoplink] (wow!!^2), while a long pre-order waiting due delays to supply the first units, finally I had it !!. Now after more than one year, I‘m still in love. So, I glad to present trough this time a porfolio www.rawcb.com Almost all photos with the X-pro 1 and a few with the X100.

All the best, and keep on pushing FR!
Carlos Bueno

Carlos Bueno

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Mauro Tandoi

Hi Patrick,

I want to share with you one of my pics taken with x-pro1

Now it’s at the top of 500px hitlist http://500px.com/photo/54102740 – 99.4 point (x-pro1 + [shoplink 12889]xf 35 1.4[/shoplink])

Mauro Tandoi

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Yulana

Hey,
My husband and I went to Bolivia this September and took our Fuji X-Pro1 for a real challenge.  After many years using slr + iphone on the trips Fuji X-Pro1 was very different. Although it is not the lightest and most compact camera, it is a great option for travel photography.

Stealthy look and ability to review photos in viewfinder are really handy (as well as obvious advantages of having all settings visible with camera turned off) in the country where a digital camera worth a yearly salary.

In every aspect the camera was performing top notch with the only exception of battery life. We were getting around 900 shots per charge and had to carry 3 extra batteries (which was barely enough during 4 day backpacking trip). Hope you enjoy this immense beauty as well as we did:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yulasik/sets/72157637145159586/

Thanks,

Yulana

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Marvin Kleinemeier

Dear Patrick,

I have been an X-Shooter for close to one year now. In December 2012 i got an X-E1 ([shoplink 12887]Kit Zoom[/shoplink] + XF 35) and added a X100 in February. I came from a Nikon system but hadn’t been passionate about my photography for a few years prior to switching to Fuji.

A lot has happened in the last year. I documented everything on my Blog. There were some highlights like a Street/Portrait Workshop with Photographer Alberto Garcia Alix where I only used the X100, which is still my favorite for street stuff. A few weeks ago I also attended one of the Fuji X-M1 Workshops that you promoted on your site and was so energized by the great photographer who gave the workshop, that I set out on a spontaneous road trip to the see.

To make a long story short, of 106 photos in my new portfolio on 500px.com close to 100 were shot with a Fuji camera throughout the last ten months. Right now I am eagerly awaiting the new weather-sealed body and the X-Pro2. Keep up the great work here, I am a huge fan.

For some semi-macro (macro with the 35mm F1.4 is not that easy/effective) click here.

Greetings from Germany,

Marvin (Bob Sala Fotografie)

[UDPATE: Marvin took his X-E2 and 35mm out for a night shots session here: ” All taken with the 35mm almost always wide open, iso between 800 and 3200 and shutter speed between 60 and a 100th, handheld – it was much darker than it seems. […] AF is super fast now, too.”]

X-E2USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / Pictureline / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / Fotomundus24 GER / PCHstore / AmazonDE (via DR)

Marvin Kleinemeier (X-E2 night shots)

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Comparisons Reloaded: X-E2 vs A7r (jpeg) + X-E1 vs X-E2 (RAW)

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Save up to $250 (stackable up to $1,400 savings) on ALL XF Lenses with the purchase of the X-E1, X-PRO1, X-M1 or X-E2 body. Check this deal out here at AmazonUS, at BHphoto here and at Adorama here. Offer valid through December 24, 2013

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X-E2 vs A7r JPEG

by soundimageplus

Patrick, firstly many thanks for your recent links. I do very much appreciate it. Via this my post on the jpg. comparison between the A7r and X-E2 got an incredible number of visits. I did that quite quickly so I decided to do a much more comprehensive comparison at all ISO’s and make the files available for download. This is a result of the interest your link created.

This is the newly published link here – and I hope you able to mention this in a post as it’s a much better indication of the differences as far as I’m concerned. It does of course also show how the Fuji files have a lot more detail at the higher ISO’s than the Sony, which I felt was missing from the previous comparison.

As ever thanks again for your support and hope things are going well with you.

X-E2 vs X-E1 RAW

Jordan shared the second part Jordan compares the RAW of the X-E2 and X-E1. Read and see more here at admiringlight: “So, the final verdict?  The X-E2 has a very slight edge in RAW performance over the X-E1.  However, it’s not something that is a big enough difference to sway an upgrade, in my opinion.  The reasons to upgrade from the X-E1 to the X-E2 are predominantly due to improvements in speed and usability. “

X-E2 vs A7r (JPEG comparison), X-E2 vs X-E1 (write speed performance) + subliminal message :)!

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subliminal message: the X-E2 is “seX-y too” (shared by Jan at the FR-facebook wall: “Hello folks, a X-E2 mirrored is just pure S3X!!!!”)

USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / Pictureline / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / Fotomundus24 GER / PCHstore / AmazonDE (via DR)

1) FF vs APS-C, an unfair comparison… or Sony A7r and Fuji X-E2 JPEG comparison at soundimageplus here: “I’ve been writing in the last few posts about how good the OOC jpgs. are from the A7r and how they are better than the Fuji X-E2. Fuji is known for the quality of its jpgs. but they are no longer the best I’ve used. I’ve been writing (as well as Imaging Resource) that the Sony A7r files have the best jpg. rendition currently available. […] As you can see there is a significant difference and the reason that I’m so enthusiastic about what the A7r produces is that these files aren’t what I expect out of camera jpgs. to look like. Imaging Resource made the point in the above link, that Sony A7r jpgs. look much more like raw files very carefully sharpened with a small radius point.”

In another post soundimageplus says that, although the A7r is better, he still loves the X-system here: “the cameras look great and are incredibly good to handle.  […] The X-E1 in the picture above is a wonderfully light little high quality combination for unobstrusive shooting and of course there is a fine lens system that the Sony A7r can’t as yet match. […] Finally, I like the Fuji X system because it’s different. That doesn’t mean that it’s better (or worse for that matter) but it does offer something different. Plus it still has it’s ‘jewel in the crown’ that super special high ISO quality.

2) Jordan Steele did a test in write performance between the X-E1 and X-E2 on Admiring Light here: “So, it seems Fuji was a bit conservative when they said the X-E2 had write times 1.8 times faster than the X-E1.  In practice, when the card isn’t a limiting factor, it’s closer to three times faster.”

3) Shooting football with the X-E2 and the 55-200mm lens at mikecroshaw here: “Overall I was very impressed and enjoyed the experience.  If someone was paying me to get the shots I’d dig out the D800 of course, but the fuji was more than capable for the purpose I needed it for in this case and I’ll probably take it again just to get more practice with the camera.”

4) Fujifilm X-E2 Initial findings and settings for portraiture at prophotonut here: “’I’ve had the Fujifilm X-E2 for just a couple of weeks but I’ve already studied the camera and the manual in detail to work out how I’m going to shoot with it. Here are three main ways I have established for shooting portraits with the Fujifilm X-E2 camera.”