by Rico Pfirstinger

Talk to Rico (open forum for questions & feedback) – Rico’s Flickr sets – XF23mmF1.4 samples set – Mastering the Fujifilm X-Pro1 reading samples (65 free pages) – Pre-order the new book: Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1

Flickr bravely chose Friday the 13th for a major maintenance downtime, but they were back online with a delay of just one hour. Hoping for the best, I got things  started with this column, but then Flickr  was forced shut down again (well, what did they expect?), causing more delays. And yet, here we finally are, discussing Fuji’s latest XF prime, the fast and quite substantial XF23mmF1.4 R, a much sought-after “35mm equivalent” lens.

If you are interested in this lens, you might also want to have a look at my previous article about using the XF14mmF2.8 R wide-angle lens. Conceptually, both lenses are quite similar:

• they offer premium optics and build quality at a premium price
• they feature a dedicated manual focus mode with analog (engraved) scales indicating distance and depth-of-field
• distortion is fully optically corrected (no additional digital distortion correction necessary)

Size and Specifications

by Rico Pfirstinger

Talk to Rico (open forum for questions & feedback) – Rico’s Flickr sets – RAW converter comparison Flickr set – Mastering the Fujifilm X-Pro1 reading samples (65 free pages) – Pre-order the new book: Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1

Hi there!
The jury is in, and the verdict isn’t clear at all.

Thank you everybody for reading and voting in last week’s little RAW Converter Shootout. About 7,000 readers looked at the comparison set on Flickr, and almost 1,000 made up their minds and cast their vote. In this X-Pert Corner special edition, I am going to present the results of our polling.

Let’s start with the first sample: And the winner is…

by Rico Pfirstinger

Talk to Rico (open forum for questions & feedback) – Rico’s Flickr sets – RAW converter comparison Flickr set (private set, must use this link) – Mastering the Fujifilm X-Pro1 reading samples (65 free pages)

Hello, again! Remember me?

It’s been a while, but to my defense, I have been busy finishing my new book Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1. It went to the printer yesterday (it will be printed in the U.S.A), and it’s expected to hit the stores by the end of October. You can preorder it by clicking here (currently with a 30% discount).

Of course, there’ll also be an eBook version for Kindle, iBooks and the likes. I’ll try to prepare a new set of reading samples for one of the next editions of this column. One will feature a first look at Fuji’s new X-A1 entry-level system camera (I have been testing a pre-production camera for several weeks), another one a look at the XF23mmF1.4 R lens that has just been officially announced (I am currently testing a pre-production sample).

As for this X-Pert Corner edition, it appears like I am promising you an “ultimate” RAW converter shootout, but of course, that’s just stupid marketing blah to lure you in. I was told that this kind of language attracts readers (hey, it worked on you, didn’t it?), and by the way, did I mention that the DSLR is dead and that Fuji is the new Leica?

Relax! Just kidding! ;)

What I am really going to do in this column is offering you a humble comparison of eight different X-Trans compatible RAW converters with respect to critical detail rendering at higher sharpening levels. My goal was to use AccuRaw 1.1.1, Aperture 3.4.5 with Apple Camera Raw 4.0.8, Capture One Pro 7.1.3, Iridient Developer 2.2, Lightroom 5.2RC, RPP 64 4.7.1, Silkypix 5.0.45 and the internal RAW converter of an X-Pro1 to extract as much detail as possible from two proven RAW sample files, then presenting the results without telling you which sample was made with which converter. This means that you’ll have to drop your preconceptions. Just look at the files without a safety net of hearsay! Spooky, huh?

Let flowers speak!

Enough introductory talk, let’s have a look at the first demo file:

By clicking here, you will get to a private Flickr set showing you eight different renderings of this image, labeled DSCF0544-1 to DSCF0544-8, displaying the results from RAW converters 1 to 8, respectively. I didn’t care about matching colors, contrast and the likes (you can change those anytime and anywhere to your personal taste). Instead, I focused on revealing as much sharp detail as possible, so for some of you, the results may look a tad too sharp. That’s intentional, as weaknesses tend to reveal themselves at critical sharpening levels (think “watercolor effect”).

Here’s how it goes: Look at the samples 1 to 8, then vote in the poll below for the one you like the most. I did my best to set each RAW converter to maximum effect with respect to revealing as much detail as possible, but hey, I’m only human (aka not Ken Rockwell). That’s why you’ll also find links to the original RAW files in Flickr’s image descriptions. Go ahead, knock yourselves out and do a better job with the RAW converter of your choosing!

Poll for DSCF0544-1 to DSCF0544-8:

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Personally, I think it’s interesting to not only see how differently the RAW converters are rendering the overall image, but also how different parts of the image reveal quite different levels of fine detail depending on which converter the file was processed with. If you click on the “original size” versions of the samples in Flickr, you will get 100% magnification views in lossless JPEG format, so prepare yourself for extended loading times. Many files are 20 MB+ in size. Yay!

Green is mean!

Our second sample is a particularly tough one, as it contains foliage and grass in all shapes and sizes. It’s a genuine X-Trans nightmare. I love it!

by Rico Pfirstinger

Talk to Rico (open forum for questions & feedback) – Rico’s Flickr sets – X-M1 sample images – Mastering the Fujifilm X-Pro1 reading samples (65 free pages)

Click here to read Andy Westlake’s excellent preview of the X-M1 on DPR – Click here to jump directly to my set of sample images taken with my pre-production camera and lenses

Edit [16/9/13]: Added additional findings to the “pro” section of this article.

Edit [1/8/13]: Added plenty of new samples, both JPEG and RAW (Lightroom & Silkypix) to the Flickr set. Updated Pro/Con comparison with X-E1.

Edit [30/6/13]: Added several SOOC JPEG portrait samples taken with the X-M1 and the two new lenses to the Flickr set.

Edit [29/6/13]: Added my experiences using an USB adapter to get RR-80 remote controls to work with the X-M1

Fujifilm’s new X-M1 mid-range system camera is targeting users and fans of premium compact cameras (like the Sony RX100 or Fujifilm X10, X20 and XF1) as well as users of entry-level DSLR cameras who do not want to compromise on image quality, but prefer a small, lightweight and still affordable package. It’s important to recognize that the X-M1 was at least as much inspired by the Fujifilm X20 and XF1 as was by its older and more expensive system camera sibling, the X-E1.

In other words: This is as much a smaller X-E1 as it is an APS-C sensor sized system camera version of the XF1 or X20. Believe it or not, but the X10/X20 is actually a little bit larger than the body of the X-M1.

A Little Bit of Everything

This turns the X-M1 into kind of a hybrid system: It features the mode dial, scene modes, additional AF modes (including face recognition and pattern tracking), an additional OIS mode and the “art filters” of Fuji’s premium compact and bridge cameras. At the same time, it records images with the same 16 MP APS-C X-Trans sensor found in the larger and more expensive X-Pro1 or X-E1.

In terms of image processing, the tiny X-M1 even surpasses its bigger siblings with the faster EXR Processor II engine already known from the X100S and X20, with conventional 12 Bit RAW image recording. This turns the X-M1 into a pretty responsive camera (at least in Fuji terms). A 95 MB/s SD card (such as a [shoplink 13681]SanDisk Extreme Pro[/shoplink]) certainly pays-off when used in concert with this camera. It takes the X-M1 just about 2 seconds to copy 3 FINE+RAW images from its internal buffer to the card. With its modest burst rate of 5.6 frames per second, this means that the camera can shoot 13 frames in a row at full speed, even though the buffer is just large enough to hold 10 FINE+RAW images at any given time.

Welcome to Plasticland!

by Rico Pfirstinger

Talk to Rico (open forum for questions & feedback) – Rico’s Flickr sets – Touit 1.8/32 samples – Touit 2.8/12 samples – Touit vs. Fujinon comparative samples (Flickr Guest Pass) – Mastering the Fujifilm X-Pro1 reading samples (65 free pages)

Why would a business-savvy lens manufacturer like Carl Zeiss decide to introduce two prime lenses for X-Mount cameras that compete head-to-head with already existing, smaller and cheaper Fujinon offerings, while at the same time ignoring obvious gaps like a fast 23mm lens?

It’s a Sony

The answer is: they wouldn’t. And they didn’t! The new Zeiss Tout 1.8/32mm and 2.8/12mm prime lenses are quite obviously targeted at customers of Sony’s NEX camera system. They perfectly fit into Sony’s current lens lineup, and their design is pretty much in line with the sleek NEX appearance. A fast 23 mm lens to satisfy the cravings of the X-Mount crowd? No such luck, because Zeiss and Sony already offer such a lens (a 1.8/24) for NEX. This is apparently all about what Sony NEX customers want and need.

Carl Zeiss Touit 2.8/12, Fujifilm X-E1 (ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/480s), RAW, Lightroom 4.4

So the X-Mount versions of the Touit lenses were clearly one of those “me too” decisions. But why did Fuji go along with it and invite a formidable competitor like Carl Zeiss into their home, not only offering full technical support and cooperation, but even co-marketing the Touit lenses? I know the real answer but don’t want to spill the beans just yet, so let’s just say that Fujifilm is making money with each X-Mount Touit lens that’s sold. They also like the Zeiss brand’s premium image and the resulting image transfer to the Fuji brand. After all, Panasonic also loves to put a Leica logo on their cameras and MFT lenses.