Getting me a X-Pro1

SkvLTD

Senior Member
So I got tickets to Firefly music festival (and either I'll take a date with me who much needs a getaway or sell it off last-minute) and decided to go and experience with the rest of my friends under the same hookup. That created a problem - 3-4 days of party without a camera, since they strictly say DSLR/interchangeable lens rigs are NOT allowed and I know these guys do enforce that (nor do my DJ friend playing have any leverage on sneaking me in safely with my gear) I figured to hunt me down a decent low-light for the price ML, a pancake lens for it, and play it off as a POS'ish camera to get in with.

A6000 was my choice, but after doing proper HW on Fuji, XP1 definitely peaked my interest with price point, first-party AF lens quality, and being a hybrid RF that I've always wanted to properly try. Found a nice condition used body w/ 3 batteries for 300 and decided to go ahead with it. Now I gotta hunt me a deal on the pancake, or a MF vintage solution that would pass for a built-in piece like the X100.

I have considered AW1 to be able to play underwater and whatnot, but IQ and high ISO wise, CX is no match for effectively a pro-level DX that XP1 is.

The next goal for this motion was to get a cam that can easily adapt most vintage lenses so I can start playing with oldies and that fuzzy style bokeh and soap bubbles and whatnot that our Nikons simply suck at adapting due to the mount>sensor distance.
 

kevy73

Senior Member
Nice work... I am looking at a smaller, more compact solution for carrying around with me on days out....

I can't decide between this, the X100T or an olympus O-EM X (insert various models here)
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
I always figured that if I get a small camera it would be a Fuji. I may just get one for the wife's birthday this coming August.:)
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Nice work... I am looking at a smaller, more compact solution for carrying around with me on days out....

I can't decide between this, the X100T or an olympus O-EM X (insert various models here)

If you're not dead-set on OVF like I am, X-E1 is basically Pro1 with only EVF and otherwise the same minus ability to push battery if goings gets tough via OVF-only mode thing and you can EASILY get one for ~<$200.

And I managed to score me the 27/2.8 pancake pancake now for just 225. There's actually quite a bit I can do with that $75 difference from retail, like whole trip to Firefly with some beverages covered, so this is a great load of my wallet despite not being a monumental difference.

May have both my Thurs, but definitely by Friday and then I'll see what I can do with comparisons to my 600 (and perhaps sharpness aside, I DO have the 45 Ai-P, so FOV/aperture would be the exact comparison).
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
I got an E-X2 with the 18-55 2.8-4 and I'm very pleased with the results I get with this combination. I'm waiting for my Nikon adapter so I can do a bit of macro with my larger lenses.
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
The X-E1 (or X-E2 in my case) with the 27mm lens is a nice small setup. If you like to shoot a bit wider, the 18mm f/2 is just a little bit bigger than the 27mm.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Just had a look on google for the X Pro 1, it does have very good reviews.

From what I gather, it was like a non-sports oriented D500 of its time, so that ultimately convinced me. And some of the 12800 ISO jpegs it can snap. Still kinda sad it's not the X-T1 and its iso invariance like the 750 to a degree, but perhaps it comes close to actually simulating that.

Thinking a bit now, I might even skip the Nikon adapter because the only honest thing I'd really want to do is perhaps ultra-reach macro or birding, but since all adapters are manual-only, my 5100 will get that birding preference of AF and full metering and VR.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
So only got a couple hours off the battery and no way to charge any of them last night, but that 27mm is pretty bloody impressive as well as camera's jpeg handling and options (shadows/highlights right in there? Maaaaaan if only our Nikons had that kinda tuning on top of sharpness/contrast/etc!). OVF is seriously weird, but does work and having the option of preview being stuck right in there is neat. Fully digital lens without hard MF stops lets you select which way you want MF to rotate - REALLY spiffy feature. Then of course this thing is a feather compared to anything on my 600. Will try to play more/properly tomorrow-weds, but here are a couple OOC/resized jpegs -

DSCF1057.jpgDSCF1065.jpgDSCF1072.jpgDSCF1081.jpg

Low light noise/handling is seriously up there, especially with OOC jpegs so far.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Firefly16_Sat_Mau5_001.jpgFirefly16_Sat_Mau5_012.jpgFirefly16_Fri_070.jpgFirefly16_Fri_082.jpg

RAWs even without too much/any NR come out grainy, but noise-free like the 2nd shot, otherwise my only gripe is contrast detect focusing in low light vs our phase shift which seems to do much better. In the day time, out of camera jpegs seems to be perfectly fine and sharp as a tack-

ProBroDown16_015.jpgProBroDown16_038.jpgProBroDown16_107.jpgProBroDown16_159.jpg

And some camera jpegs under low-light can come out pretty usable too,

DSCF2181.jpgDSCF2185.jpg

So in all, I am impressed with XP1's ability considering it doesn't really feel, nor has the speed of a serious camera despite its IQ being more than able to be just that. Makes you think, makes you approach your subject since hopes for a sneaky and accurate AF shot are slim to none after sunset, but hence its beauty. Most definitely a stealthy inconspicuous piece to have in a pocket, but everywhere.

Since my biggest spec is battery life - using the LCD to check shots generously, I got a couple days' worth out of 1 off-brand battery, so once you get used to power-saving shooting, this thing does hold up and far better than electronic-everything-only soap bars.

What has me curious now is the 18/2 and the 56/1.2 given how much more practical they could be for my wider angle preference and/or night shooting, especially given how Fuji optimizes their glass for the DX sensor size to work like true FX equivalents (the 27 2.8 IS actually 2.8, and from what I read/seen, the 1.2 IS just like the FX 1.2).
 
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