Speaking of X100s: iPhone 6 vs. Regular Camera

Charlie Sorrel puts up a good one for the camera in the iPhone 6. The regular camera he uses? The Fujifilm X100S. Most amazingly, iPhone 6 jpegs hold up very well to post-processing.

“The JPGs from both cameras take this abuse rather well. Even zoomed in to 100%, and with the red and orange sliders slammed all the way over to the right, there are no troublesome artifacts.”

The entire article is worth a read. 

Source: iPhone 6 vs. Regular Camera … Fight!

John Gruber uses a Fujifilm X100s

It looks as if, even old Mr. Canon himself, has picked a lil' something something to fill the tap between his pocket camera, and his Canon 5D. And he loves his X100s:

“I own and adore the year-old X100S. The T update brings face detection, Wi-Fi, the silent electronic shutter, and a few other improvements, but not enough for me to consider upgrading. This is a great camera.”

For those of you in the not-know, John Gruber is a design and interface blogging guru. If a thing is broken, he rails on it. In his short post, he praised the X100s. Had he more time, would he have railed on Fujifilm's breaking of half and third-stops from the exposure and aperture dials to unlabelled rear dials?

or:

Does is his critical eye limited to computer software and hardware? Today's Daring Fireball post is in response to Ken Rockwell's glowing X100T review.

Source: Ken Rockwell Reviews the Fujifilm X100T

Sensor Crop Factors and Equivalence - or why I disabled comments

The current hot topic at Fuji Rumors is the 50-140/2,8 XF OIS lens for X cameras. Rico Pfirstinger's first look article has collected over a hundred comments.

Why?

A number of readers took issue with the size of the lens, which, in my opinion goes against the tenets of X-camera design described by Fujifilm's own evolution graphic. But then again, apart from camera bodies, size never favoured any mirrorless lens attempting to take on a classic focal length and output style. Small sensors require more exotic glass than larger sensors.

That of course, is a can of worms. It has been opened many times.

Most recently, it has been opened by Nasim Mansurov. His treatise misses a few key points, but it's a fair summation of pro-small sensor support. It may be long, but it is an easy read. And it is should add fodder to the anti-equivalence argument. If you're looking for more scientific essays, check these out: 

1. Equivalence - Joseph James
2. What is equivalence and why should I care? - DPReviwe

Then, take a pencil and bisect a notepad into three columns by drawing two vertical lines. Add in a header. Write something like: James / DPReview / Mansurov. Then pencil in the approximate number of comments attached to each article. Then pencil in the number of times a staff writer had to answer questions, respond to trolls, curmudgeons, and/or supporters. 

Then, head to type online and finish a typing speed test. How many words can you type a minute? And, how long does it take you to compose a comment? Even assuming that staff at DPReview and Photography Life type as fast, or faster than you, an anonymous internet dude or dudet, add in a couple of minutes for decorum. No self-respecting writer acts the asshat to readers. They take time to massage their messages, grade grammar, and tweak responses. 

How much time did it take for each writer to respond to all pertinent comments? And, was it even necessary for them to do so?

Disqus and similar chat platforms make it easy to sign up/in and communicate. Until a few months ago, I used Disqus here. I answered comments and accepted likes. Sometimes I would answer in painstaking detail. Other times I'd reach for the nearest spirit and try to keep my head level. 

It was a waste of time. And quite the finger-banger.

Joseph James's approach to a blog is academic. Let the article itself become a reference, not a side note to someone's polemic - unless that person decides to write about the article in one of their own. 

Comment microblogging obfuscates the real message. I do my part on headfonia. And I get caught up in other sites such as Fujirumors and DPReview. But god help me, I shouldn't. 

Sansmirror: Sony is FUDing themselves

While I agree 100% with Thom Hogan, the man doesn't live in Japan. Sony are a consumer company. And there exist no electronic companies in Japan that pay attention to customer retention and brand image.

Sony suddenly end-of-lifing the original A7 and creating an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty, and doubt regarding the A7r and A7s, isn't unusual. It's part and parcel of the game here. 

But it shouldn't be. 

“Still, Sony is FUDing themselves with the A7II: given the sudden price drop on the A7 and the appearance of the A7II at the old price point, why would you want to buy an A7s or A7r right now? You have to believe that Sony will pull the same game on those models in coming months. Moreover, Sony is being more aggressive than most camera makers in cycling products. The A7 barely makes it more than a year before it gets the usual ~25% end of life price drop. That kind of thing used to be done only in consumer DSLRs and compact cameras, and that too rapid iteration in a declining market is what flooded the shelves with multiple generations of products simultaneously. It’s looking like the rapid iteration of the RX100 and the old NEX models is now sneaking across Sony’s entire lineup, to where one year life spans for cameras are becoming more and more the norm at every level. This, too, will tend to make people hesitate once they realize that, because Mark II and Mark III and Mark IV are all coming. Soon. ”