The Fujifilml X-Pro 1 VS the big-ass SLR

In order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Fujifilm X-Pro 1

I'm a Fujifilm X-Pro 1 user. I'm also a Canon P and Olympus Trip 35 user. The Olumpus really is small. The Canon is about the same size as the Fujifilm. Today's Fujifilm X supporter loves to hate SLR cameras.

"Smaller is better" and "SLRs are big" and "prisms suck" and "humping sucks" and so on are slung around at Fujifilm fan sites. 

I wonder if that crowd have ever used an SLR from, say, the 1970's or 80's. The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 happens to be the same size as my Nikon FE, a regular-sized SLR camera. In fact, it is an SLR camera that was never considered that compact or small. People who valued compact cameras turned it down in favour of other cameras, like the Nikon EM.

Today's 'compact' is pretty much yesterday's 'normal'. Reminds me of cars. Yeah, there are few things to get out of the way. First, the mounting flanges between SLRs and other cameras are quite different. Today's mirrorless cameras typically sport flanges with fillm-to metal distances that measure in the teens and low twenties (mm). And SLR humps do stick up a bit. But the FE's shoulder height is lower than the X-Pro 1's even with buttons sprigging from the top. Minus the mounting flange, the body is also thinner. If the FE had as chintzy a viewfinder as the D5000 or X-Pro 1, it could be much smaller again. But it wasn't built to be tiny. It was built to do the majority of what Nikon's professional line could do, but in a more manageable package. 

Kind of like the Nikon Df... except that the Df is a monster. 

In order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Fujifilm X-Pro 1, Nikon D5000

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So what do Fujifilm fans mean when they think 'SLR'? The above image illustrates exactly what they think. They think small SLRs are like the above D5000. Forgetful brains think today's SLR epitomises the SLR en total. Even Nikon's smallest contemporary D3x00 is bigger than the FE and X-Pro 1.

The D800 is the FE's market equivalent: same juxtaposition to the top models, similar build quality, and on and on. It is of course, much, much larger. The trend to biggun up started after Japanese makers started dumping electronics into every nook and cranny they could. The more the merrier. The more complicated the better. The thicker the manual the better.

Today's SLRs aren't merely huge. They are confoundingly difficult to use. Simple people like me prefer simple devices. That is why I find the Leica M9 so refreshing to shoot. It is pure shooting: few and simple controls; only the necessities made it in. Everything else is out. Shoot and shoot again. It's a pleasure.

Fujifilm's X-Pro 1 harnesses some of that classic look. But its soul is something else. Its soul is crammed as much as is possible with electronic everything. It is nearly as complicated to operate as a contemporary SLR. And like car windows that go down only when you've got the key in, that all-electronic interfaces can be ridiculously obtuse. I love the X-Pro 1 but mainly as an idea or signpost. I hope that cameras will become simple and compact again, with focus on the OVF and precise lens action, not gizmos upon gizmos and a thirty-layered system menu.

The X-Pro 1's electronics slow it down. For everything beside the advancing of film, it takes longer to frame, focus, and shoot a single image than the Nikon FE or Canon P. Or, than any other mechanical 35mm film camera, ever. it is also much larger than most consumer SLR cameras were prior to their Japanification.

In order, from left to right: Fujifilm X-Pro 1, Leica M9. (NOTE: with the same Leica lens mounted, the X-Pro 1 and its adapter are larger than the M9. The combo is not, however, heavier than the Leica.)

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But I love the X-Pro 1. I do. (And I must continue to remind myself of that as again that magnification function fails to trigger, as the camera again stalls, as again I'm met with an almost unusably choppy EVF.) It's the only non-Leica digital camera that is remotely fun to use. If only it had a good EVF or picture-in-picture focus assist functionality from the OVF, it would rock. That is, if it didn't stall, or go mum when I'm trying to magnify the view. If only it was better, I could imagine that with a good 35mm lens on its front it would sort of disappear. But it doesn't.

And this isn't the article for that. This article is just a size comparison between it and some favourites and the awful Nikon D5000.

BTW, these quick photos were taken with the not-at-all-fun-to-shoot-with Sony a7r. It takes lovely images. Everything else is completely Japanified.

In order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Leica M9

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Three Guys First Thoughts: Nikon Df

Three Guys With Cameras has a well thought-out essay about Nikon's soon to be released Df digital SLR. Each 'Guy' raises plaudits and concerns with the new camera. Plusses amount to the use of the D4 sensor. Essential caveats are that the Df sacrifices ergonomic functionality for both manual and automatic lens shooters. Each Guy notes that it is much larger and more complicated than the film cameras it attempts to emulate on the outside.

The Guys are polite in dishing out their conclusion, that the Df is a Frankenstein's monster attempt to hit all market points with one product. 

“Nikon could have made a very nice retro-ish camera but I guess they lost focus somewhere and made a frankenstein-esque hybrid of a D600 and a FA. This is not the “Digital FM2″ that people are lusting after, but overall, I think it’s still a nice camera to use, with reasonably good looks to boot (I personally prefer the black version.) However, at this price point, I’d rather pay for a D800.”

I tend to agree, though with more vociferation. I had considered selling my D800 for the Df back when the only thing known about it was that it would be a digital FM. Instead, I purchased a Sony a7r and Novoflex adapter. 

Sony Alpha a7r and Novoflex NEX/NIK and ASTAT/NEX

Note: Ω's full review of the Sony ILCE-7r (a7r) is now up

In addition to the most amazing audiophile portable audio player ever (review and pictures coming soon) my pre-ordered Sony Alpha α7r hit my doorstep this evening. It came in a big box. It came COD and it packs a USB cable. There's even a wall wart, some literature and a strap. It didn't come with a battery charger. What?

Nope, you have to shell out 59$ for one. And the bad news is that you will need one. Battery life is atrocious. After taking 10 exposures (and probably 10-15 minutes of poking around menus), battery life dropped from 100% to 75%. Naturally I was using live view the entire time. But even the D800's battery-hogging live view would last at least several dozen exposures before draining by the same amount.

Extra batteries are required. Battery chargers are required. 

Otherwise, it’s a snazzy-looking piece of kit, but not as coherently snazzy as Fuji’s X-Pro 1. So far, I have shot only one frame with the a7r. I'm a manual reader, and mine's in Japanese, so it will take a bit longer than normal. So far, the interface is confusing.

All I know how to do is set ISO, RAW/JPEG, and shutter speed. Of course, as a still life audio photographer, I don't need much more than that. I can tell you that the hot shoe syncs just fine with my Flashwaves III wireless transmitter. My profoto Pro-B’s worked perfectly. And the camera doesn't seem to jump too much when shooting. But it is loud, and until I figure out how to keep it from going: kabbup bup bup kaboop, I will obviously have to keep my ears plugged with something sweet. 

Equally as obvious,  I will need to bone up on WB. 

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What is to be sure is that next to the Nikon D800, it is a LOT less sturdy. The side latches are as cheap and flimsy as a Nikon D5000's; the card door is a pull out plastic affair. I see no weather gaskets around any hinge or door. This is NOT a weatherproof camera. It is NOT a weather resistant camera - at least as is dictated by current market standards set by Nikon, Pentax, and Olympus. 

But this bad boy will replace my D800. I need a more agile camera, a camera that can stretch on long bellows without weighing the skeleton down too much. I need a camera that doesn't have a big arse flash sticking out that interferes with bellows or T/S lenses. Naturally, I need a camera with good image quality. So far, the single frame I shot indicates that that won't be a problem. 

What I'm not keen on so far is the complicated control scheme. But then again, I'm a simpler man than most. My needs are like 1/10th of yours. And in the following week or two, I will report on how they are fed by the a7r. I will be shooting several small review projects for ohm. That should get me boned up enough for two largish shoots for Mac Audio and Headphone Book (I'm a geek photographer) come December. 

In the mean time, I will mount the a7r to Nikkor Ai/S lenses via Novoflex’ excellent NEX-F mount adapter and ASTAT tripod ring mount. I don’t expect I’ll use the camera much whilst out and about. Why? Because I don’t shoot Sony style. Whilst out and about, I'm pretty set in my ways. Either a rangefinder or a real SLR. Nothing else- at least not yet. 

Currently I shoot with a Fuji X-Pro 1, which typically is screwed around the tiny Canon 35/2 LTM (M39) lens. I came to 35mm photography from a Nikon FE, and then a Canon P. The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 is a camera so half-arsed that it is tiring to find new derogatory puns that fit it. But without dishing out for a Leica M, it is as close to the simplicity of a physically controlled camera as is available. Shame, really.

The good news is that Sony are not trying to be anything- at least not that I can tell. The a7r is the first interchangeable lens 35mm equivalent 'full frame' camera that is the same size as medium-sized SLRs of yesteryear. I hope that smaller cameras with full frame sensors and traditional layouts come out so that I can replace my half-arsed Fuji. If it be Sony, so be it. 

I am planning to purchase Voigtlander's VM-E helicoid mount in order that I can use my LTM (M39) and M lenses on the a7r, just for fun. Since early this year, I have used a Hawk's Factory helicoid adapter on my X-Pro 1. Amazing. Mostly. Its most serious problem is that it is machined quite cheaply from soft aluminium. Actually that would be its second worst offence. Its first is that the tube through which the lens projects an image is reflective. That surface both exacerbates existing lens flare and creates its own. Voigtlander should be made better. 

Note: Ω's full review of the Sony ILCE-7r (a7r) is now up

Sony α a7 and a7r on sale now in Korea

Sony's new 35mm equivalent full frame Alpha 7 and 7r cameras have been long-awaited by enthusiasts, digital addicts, and professionals alike. The queues are Apple crazy; and just like Apple, all applause for first customers. 

My Alpha 7r will arrive this Friday or Saturday and will replace a D800 for advertising work. 

Fujifilm X100S makes DPReview's 2013 Gear of the Year list

The follow-up to the camera that kicked off Fujifilm's X series has received some well-deserved press. On the outside, the X100S is the same as the camera that preceded it. Under the bonnet, things have changed. Better, faster, higher resolution, the S really is an iterative evolution of Fujifilm's now-classic design.

DPReview's Gear of the Year - Part 1: Fujifilm X100S. 

 Ω Fujifilm coverage

Fujifilm XF23mm F1.4 R coming October for X system

Fujifilm's long-awaited XF 23mm F1,4 R lens received its official press kick off today. You can read the entire thing at DPreview.  This lens should give a very similar field of view to Fujifilm's X100 camera and add an extra stop of light for the shallower depth of field necessary to rival benchmark 35mm f/2,0 film rangefinder and SLR lenses. 

At 300g and 63mm long, it is a rather large 'normal' lens, especially when fitted to bodies that are meant to mimic the look and feel of rangefinder cameras, whose 35mm lenses are much smaller. Of course, it autofocuses, and they don't. 

The XF23mm F1,4R is slated to arrive in October at the rather hefty price point of 899,95$ / 849,99£, but knowing Fujifilm's lenses, it should fail to disappoint. 

Sony's QX "Lens-Style Cameras" actually make sense

Photophile is still alive. And apparently, so is Sony. When Sony Alpha Rumors leaked the QX last month, this photographer pulled a meh face. Why attach a lens to a smartphone? 

Why not just take a small ILC camera out instead? A dedicated camera will take better pictures and have better control of defocus, shutter speed, ISO, and so on. 

The answer can be found in the above video, though by now, it should be obvious to all of us.

It is the smartphone.

The QX works in conjunction with, not in lieu of, the smartphone. It connects via WiFi. Your smartphone is its screen. Your smartphone is its image developer. Your smartphone is its share point. Your smartphone is its central nervous system. The QX merely extends your smartphone's functionality. You do not have to change carriers, or buy a new phone. 

Smartphone photographers take a lot of images of pets, flowers, and kids. The QX will get you closer, lower, and put you there more naturally. It's easier to smile at a bit of lens than at a squinting, squatting daddy. Give the lens to your kids and snap away. Prop it way back on the mantelpiece for family snaps and frame with your smartphone. Pass the QX around at parties, at the club, at school, and snap away with your smartphone when the moment strikes. 

The QX goes where even the smallest of cameras cannot, and because you can use the smartphone to frame your shot, the lens becomes an extension of your hand,  leaving your eyes free to frame without the acrobatics that have until now, been necessary to 'get the shot'.

Samsung banked on the Galaxy NX, an expensive Smartcamera that, whose painful lack of buttons yields it less wieldy than a camera; and because it is large, isn't convenient as a smartphone.  

The QX will work better with spontaneous moments than any camera will. It gives creative directorship to the subject. It will help share moments. 

The QX isn't a professional accessory, but won't stop professionals from using it and making money with it. Amazon pre-orders have already skyrocketed 

The QX isn't small. It isn't cheap. It doesn't do RAW. It won't allow you to change shutter speed, ISO, and a slew of other options. But it is detachable. It does have stabilisation. But best of all, it extends the reach of your phone. It does not act independent of it.

It seems to be exciting. Already it is the most pre-ordered Sony camera in history.

DPreview's Connect calls the QX a "little of both" smartphone and interchangeable lens camera. Check out their hands-on article. The comments are worthwhile, too.

finally, Nikon G to Fujifilm X-Mount Speed Booster is out

Metabones, creator of high-quality lens mount adapters for both still and video cameras have finally debuted the Nikon F to Fujifilm X Speed Booster. It works with both electronic G lenses and traditional Ai coupled lenses to manually focus and adjust the aperture of almost any Nikon F lens. And in what has become traditional Metabones fashion, the adapter comes mated to a removable Arca-Swiss compatible tripod foot.

Speed Booster makes use of the large flange discrepancy between F and X mounts to fit a precise optical element that reduces the 35mm-sized lens image circle to meet Fujifilm's APS-C sensor. This also effectively reduces the effective focal length of the lens as well as allows more light to directly hit the smaller APS-C sensor. 

In other words, a 35mm f/1,4 lens used on a D800 will act much the same on a Fujifilm X, whereas with typical adapters, the 35mm f/1,4 lens would work like a 53mm f/2,0 lens.

Features:

• Industry's best aperture ring covers a 8-stop range with half-stop markings, clearly indicating actual number of f-stops. No more guesswork! (Patent pending). 
• Compatible with both Nikkor G lens &  F lens (include non-AI & AI lens mounts).
• Increase maximum aperture by 1 stop.
• Increase MTF.
• Makes lens 0.71x wider.
• Optics designed by Caldwell Photographic in the USA (patent pending).
• The tripod foot is detachable and compatible with Arca Swiss, Markins, Photo cam ball heads.

Tips: Before mounting your lens to the adaptor, please make sure that the f-stop of aperture ring in the adaptor is turned to "8" (i.e. mounting your lens to the adaptor while only the aperture ring in the adaptor is full open.). 

Remark: This mount is manual aperture control. It does NOT support electronic aperture control. 

Disclaimer: we are NOT licensed, approved or endorsed by Fuji or Nikon.

List of incompatible lenses

Nikkor 2.1cm f4

20/2.8 AI-S

Why Metabones®?

Since its inception, Metabones® has been designing and manufacturing lens adapters recognized among professionals and enthusiasts as leaders in design and workmanship.

Contrary to the popular trend of other factories using an aluminum ring painted black on the camera-body-side, we instead take no short-cut but use precision-machined brass with chromium plating on both the camera-body and the lens sides of our adapters, in order to ensure smooth mounting, great appearance, and durability. The lens side of the adapter features a strong leaf-spring structure, strengthening the adapter-lens connection and ensuring tightness of the lens in order to reduce wear and prevent focus errors and optical alignment issues from appearing.

Metabones® uses matte-black treatment to keep internal reflection to a minimum in order to maintain the maximum optical quality possible with the lens.

Metabones® Nikon G to X-Mount Speed Booster follows this tradition of uncompromising precision, robust build quality and outstanding finish.

Features

• Both camera-side and lens-side of the adapter are made of brass, precision-machined and plated with chromium.
• Satin surface finish - just like your OEM lens and camera mounts.
• Precise fit and solid connection - lens has no play, gap or wiggling when mounted on adapter and no adjustments are required to fit your lens.
• Designed to reach infinity focus while maintaining the correct registration distance required to maintain optical quality of CRC lenses or lenses with floating elements.