Roundup

Fujifilm HS50EXR

 digitalcamerainfo.com posted his first impressions of the Fujifilm HS50EXR. You can preorder this camera here.

There is spec comparison at thenewcamera here. The battle is between Fujifilm Hs50 and Canon SX50 HS. The clear winner is the Fujifilm HS50. The Canon has more optical zoom, but the Fuji HS50 is better everywhere else. The HS beats also the Nikon 510 in this spec comparison (click here)

XF18-55mm lens

Roel tested the XF 18-55mm kit lens under extremely tough conditions, in the Bahamas :-). He says that “this is not an exhaustive review, but optically speaking, this lens delivers the goods.  In fact, it is the best “kit” lens I have ever used and is a great “first” lens for anyone wanting to get into the Fujifilm X camera system.” Excellent build quality, fast for a variable aperture lens (f/2.8 to f/4), sharp, even wide open, AF is extremely quiet in operation are just some of the PROS of this lens. There are two CONS: the linear motor provides adequate AF speed, but he expected it to be faster. Well, for the second CON just click here.

X-E1

thephoblographer published his X-E1 review. Take a look at it here.

Patrick from Belgium loves his X-E1. He posted his review at stevehuffphoto here.

“I bought this camera from Amazon, with the intent to try it out and then decide whether I will keep it or return (Amazon has a holiday return policy till the end of this month). I am going to keep it. I think I found my perfect travel camera. I am also seriously contemplating on selling my Canon gear and just having this system.” Read the whole review and see the pics here at seenudatari.blogspot.de.

A short X-E1 review with PROS and CONS can be read here at ismono.com

A Dtch review at pixelmania.nl.(translated version)

Another X-E1 video review can be seen here.

An “on travel” review in Burma with a lot of shots can be seen at peterlueck’s German website here (translated version). The X-E1 is a real good travel companion!

Here is the Japanese camera.media (translated version).

A French review can be read here (translated version)

For a simple autofocus video test of the X-E1 with the Fujinon 18-55mm see this youtube video.

X-E1, 35mm and Manhatten. See the pics here at brandonremler.com

A little ISO-test can be seen here.

rangefinderforum.com posted a review about his first 2 week of experience with the X-E1

Look at some low light sample images here!

The winter sun in Barry Island… amydavies enjoys shooting with his new X-E1! See his pics here.

 X-PRO1

When the city sleeps at 5am, George takes his X-PRO1 and 18mm and takes some shots you can see here.

Bullfight in Spain… some pics.

See Rio de Janeiro through the eye of the X-PRO1 at handcarryonly.com… what a city!

The X-PRO1 capturing the winter scenery in Norway (click here)

Six months with the X-PRO1… read the digitlife.fr experience here (translated version)

The X-PRO1 at work can be seen here.

You can read an X-PRO1 review here at japancamerahunter.com

X-PRO1 in Brasil… click here.

Wedding photography with the X-PRO1? Take a look here!

jonasraskphotography.com took a trip way back down memory lane today. Click here to see the pics.

Photo shoot with the X-PRO1 and Fujinon 18-55mm prophotonut.com. Among the others the photographer says: “The new zoom lens is very fast to focus and silent too. I am particularly impressed with the optical image stabiliser. It is so lovely to be viewing rock steady images while composing a shot. I find it great at wide angle too. Wide angle OIS is going to become a big thing driven partly by the need of the video market extensively using stills cameras.“

ERPhotoReview tested the Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4: see the optical performance of this lens here.

X-PRO1 and street photography? Take a look at this pics.

“I’ll keep things really simple. To say the camera performed well would be an understatement, it was brilliant. A very capable camera, that simply worked in very dark conditions with a mixture of lighting. It didn’t trip it up at all and I can’t wait to put it to work on our next wedding.” Look at a lot of nice pictures on picturesinpixels.co.uk (click here).

Click here for a short youtube presentation of the hybrid viewfinder of the X-PRO1.

18mm lens, X-PRO1 and processed in Lightroom 4. gaborimages made a trip around Dublin. Click here to see his pics.

trevorhart impressions here

“Why dead people make the most fabulous decoration”… X-PRO1 in the Sedlec Ossuary.

See the johnnypatience shots in baltimore here.

The initial thought and first shots with his X-PRO1 at nadder-diary.net.

X100

“We finally had the first real frost of the year and it was a dramatic one at that. When I woke up, everything was frozen and covered in a shimmering coat of sparkly blue and white. I didn’t hesitate to grab my camera and get some shots of the frozen landscape before the sun came up and melted everything. I picked up my X100 and headed out the door.” So Thomas Fitzgerald took his X100, faced the frosty morning and made some shots with his Fuji cam. Take a look at the images here.

X100 user report here.

Fuji F800 EXR

Now digitalcamerareview (click here) postet his review of the Fuji F800 EXR ($46 price drop). From the conclusions “Fuji’s new F800EXR was designed to be a competent travel zoom style P&S digicam and this little camera does deliver in that capacity, it can capture images of just about anything – from expansive landscapes, to casual portraits, to in your face macro, to super telephoto shots.”

Fuji FinePix XP170

 You need a camera that is waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and freezeproof? Maybe you should grab the Fuji FinePix XP170 (click here).

 

 

miXed Zone: look through the X20 OVF with digital Trans Panel… and more

naples photo napoli_zps4f15e812.jpg

image courtesy: riflessifotografici

X-PRO1, X-E1 and X100

Massimiliano and Donato from riflessifotografici.it posted some nice shots. The first one, Massimiliano, took his X-PRO1 and walked through the streets of Naples (translated version), while Donato, with the X-E1, shot some portrait images using ambient light (translated version)… and if you want become a better photographer, riflessifotografici offers some courses (in Italian). Choose the course you’d like (basic, advanced or workshops). Start to learn more about photography and to shoot even more beautiful images.

Visit Sean Lee’s website to see his shots with the X-E1 and the X-100.

X100s (AmazonUS)

“It’s a wish list come true!” Focus peaking, Split image focusing, the AF button on the right side… and one desire: let a magic firmware swap all this improvements to the X-E1 / X-PRO1. It’s like Fuji’s next generation cameras. “An X-Pro2 with this new hybrid phase/contrast AF system has the potential for serious disruption. I’d most probably sell the X-Pro1 in a heartbeat for this upgrade.” This are just some thoughts extracted from laroquephoto.com (read here)

XF14mm

Now that he sold the looser of his trinity comparison (the X-PRO1), Alexander put the brand new 14mm on his X-E1. Here are his first impressions.

Here is the link to Roel’s 14mm test. Lot of PROS and very very few CONS… and he confirms what Rico already said in here: almost distortion free!

Will it be wide enough? Mike Kobal’s answer can be read here. Distortion free, fast but the image stabilisation could be better. This are just some of the PROS and CONS he noticed.

Speed Booster

Metabones Speed Booster adapter gives lenses an extra f/stop and nearly full frame focal lengths on APS-C sensors. Mat Gallagher explains how it works and posted some sample images here at dslrnewsshooter.com.

MJR linked this site in the comments. Metabones Speed Booster + FujiFilm X-E1 + Zeiss CP.2 35mm T2.1.

Best at CES / X20

Which was the best digital camera presented at the CES this year? techradar has no doubt. It’s the X20! See it here. And for the first impressions click here.

X20: OVF and Digital Trans Panel

Jump over to minute 35:30. CameraDiner introduces the X20 and X100s. And if you want to look through the OVF with the Digital Trans Panel (an ultra-thin LCD that provides some shooting information), go to minute 38:50. (Thanks Rob for the link)

Readers Lens Reviews Round-Up (Fuji 35mm f1.4, XF 60mm)

The first review, about the [shoplink 384]Fujinon XF60mm (price & specs)[/shoplink], was made by George Greenlee. He used a X-Pro1. The AF speed of the XF60mm has some controversial reviews. George writes:

The Fujinon XF 60MM focuses quickly in when there is lots of contrast even in low light like the night shots below, not DSLR speed but fine for candid work and I would have no hesitation in recommending it for that purpose.

He also has a tip to avoid AF hunting in low light:

There is just not enough data for the AF system to make a decision […] Fortunately the solution is quite simple, just use more focus points and make sure to fill the frame. You do this by hitting the AF button and rotating the selector dial left to increase the number of focus points. For night time candid photography I have found that rotating it two clicks left from the single focus point setting works really well.[…]Overall I am really enjoyed using this lens. It does not deserve a bad rep, you just need to find your own rhythm with it.

His review comes with a good selection of sample shots. Check them out.

Image courtesy: George Greenlee

The short video review below, about the [shoplink 386]Fuji 35mm f1.4 (price & specs)[/shoplink], was made by Adam (YouTube user FuzzyWasHeBear). He writes:

After a few weeks with the lens I show you my results and thoughts on this beautiful lens.Link to flickr images:http://www.flickr.com/photos/adampiper/

He also made a video with an in-depth look at two 35mm lenses on the [shoplink 6136]Fuji X-Pro1 (price & specs)[/shoplink]. Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R and Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton (price & specs).

Fuji X-Pro1 price check: [shopcountry 6136] Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton price check: [shopcountry 6437] Fuji 35mm f1.4 price check: [shopcountry 386] Fujinon XF60mm price check: [shopcountry 384]

 

The Fuji X-E1 Is The One

[shoplink 678][/shoplink]

Sometimes it is good to read someone who confirms what you already were thinking.

I am talking about the [shoplink 678]Fuji X-E1 (price & specs)[/shoplink]. Got an email by Fuji Rumors reader Rey Spadoni. He pointed me to a review he wrote about the X-E1. And he writes:

The newest X-mount body from Fujiflm is a dream come true.  It solves just about every problem I encountered on the X-Pro 1 and then, for kicks, goes even further up the tickle-my-fancy meter.  This is the camera I had been waiting for.  This is The One.

And the auto-focus…?

Much, much improved.  That’s a function of some software updates along with a built in motor within the exceptional, and I mean exceptional, kit lens.  It’s faster and sharper than any other kit lens I’ve used […]

Yes, the lens is a so-called “kit lens”, but it is fast and sharp, and you can control aperture on the lens. Ok, let’s see what Rey thinks about the image quality:

The image quality is indistinguishable to me from the X-Pro 1 and that’s a very good thing.  It seems to be the latest fad for manufacturers to remove the anti-aliasing filter  and Fujifilm’s sensor array seems to prevent moire and other concerning artifacts completely.  I saw no such problems.

Jump over to Rey’s review (click here) to see sample pics and get all of his thoughts about the X-E1.

Fuji X-E1 price check: [shopcountry 678]

Image courtesy: Rey Spadoni

More Fuji X100S And X20 First Impressions

Quick post to feature a X100S and X20 first impressions by Laura Hicks over at digitalcamerareview.

About the Fuji X100S:

At CES I had the opportunity to check out the X100S. It has a retro body design that is pleasing to the senses. Whether you are holding the texturized body or touching the cool metal, the X100S is the embodiment of a tactile experience. It is also solid and well-built. The camera responded quickly and had very good image quality. The f/2 lens was crisp and offered a great depth of field. But one of the most amazing parts of this camera was the electronic view finder (EVF). It was one of (if not the best) EVF I have ever held to my eye.

On the X20:

I was also able to spend some time with the X20 at CES 2013. My first impression of this camera is very good. The body of this camera looks strikingly similar to the X10 with only a few minor changes. The f/2.0-2.8 lens has a fantastic minimum aperture. The X20 has a lot of physical buttons and dials which feeds my need to have control over my camera. The mode and exposure dial are my favorites. The camera has a built-in flash as well as a hot shoe. And for those of us that can’t seem to break away from holding a camera to our eye, an electronic view finder is present.  Both the LCD screen and OVF are bright and crisp.

Fuji X100s pre-order options: Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Fuji X20 pre-order options: Amazon | B&H | Adorama

[via digitalcamerareview]