From a photographer’s standpoint this truly is and interesting cycle, which at times can throw you for a loop. Planning a purchase, requiring the camera, putting it through a thorough test and then finding out if its a keeper. These tools are not inexpensive so you want to make sure you have required the right gear.

Let me get back to the point where I was struggling with the camera. To anyone out there looking to purchase an X-Pro1, do not expect a small SLR. I did not expect an SLR but after a couple of weeks of shooting with it, I had a case of “cold feet”, and was missing the responsiveness of an SLR. I wanted to see my photo on the LCD right after taking the shot, I wanted to be able to frame my shot properly. I didn’t want lens chatter, poor battery life and the somewhat quirky feel of the camera compared to an SLR. I wear +2 readers, so checking the photo in the EVF after you shoot is okay but not great.

So what made me change my mind. Well first of all my camera store did not want to take the camera back so I had to. I already had a few wear marks on the LCD so they could not take it back as a new camera. I fully understand and I am not blaming them. I could put the camera up for sale but have chosen not to. I think it would be relatively easy to sell but I wanted to investigate the camera further and give it better run.

Secondly it all boils down to the images you can capture with this camera and the X-Pro1 continues to impress me. I take the X-Pro1 everywhere, which also means I get images I otherwise wouldn’t have captured. Are they Pulitzer prize winning shots?, no, (still working on that one) but I have family snap shots, shots of friends, landscape shots I probably wouldn’t have shot otherwise. I took the X-Pro1 to a portrait session, shot it with strobes and outside. I found I used it as much as I did my 5D Mark II. The X-Pro1 is slower to use especially if you chimp. I did a bit of that since it was my first studio shoot but was quite pleased to see the results. The X-Pro1 gave me softer looking images while still sharp and the lack of banding in the shadow areas was a nice surprise. I also took the camera along for a real estate shoot. I shot the wide stuff with the 5D Mark II but shot a few hand held with the X-Pro1. Again the camera did not disappoint. I had not really anticipated this to be a landscape camera but I would have to say I am very pleased with the colour and sharpness of the sensor. Mind you, I am still shooting JPEG and have only done a few frames via the in camera RAW converter. Cool that you can convert RAW in camera but it is not practical in the long run. Please hurry up Fujifilm/Adobe and get us RAW support.

Last but not least Fujifilm came through with a firmware update this week. Mainly the lens chatter was fixed but I also feel improved responsiveness in the camera. Via twitter Derek Clark confirmed the same thing.

I will leave you with a series of photos captured over the last couple of weeks.

For more X-Pro1 photos and exif info please link to this X-Pro1 Gallery.

As we left the golf course the sun was setting over Okanagan Lake and I started shooting a series of 5-6 photos with my X-Pro1, which I planned to use for a panorama. While I was shooting I noticed my son was doing a panorama using his iPhone. It didn’t take me long to say; Hey, what are you using to do this. He told me to get the Photosynth app. We downloaded it right away and I gave it a shot. I would have to say I was quite impressed with how the app worked and the result is quite good in my opinion. Certainly a handy tool to have. Click the image below for a larger view.

This morning I merged the X-Pro1 shots into this panorama – Click below to view a larger image.

Soccer Galleries

It always takes a while to get used to a new camera and the X-Pro1 is no different. Thanks to Derek Clark for the hint on switching on the Corrected AF Frame in menu. This a huge help. Thanks also to Patrick LaRoque for the hint on the battery charger. (use the removable part of an Apple charger and use it to plug it directly into a wall instead of carrying the cord around). I have yet to implement that one. I still much prefer the OVF for most of my shooting but for macro of course the EVF is handy. I think the last time I switched the aperture on a lens was back in the eighties, so yes, it takes a while to get used to this again but it works perfectly fine. So far I shoot mostly in aperture priority or manual. Over all I find the camera a real joy to use. It is so light and yet still offers stellar images. Still no RAW support from Adobe but really looking forward to seeing the RAW files. I have had a few moments where I was annoyed that the camera was in EVF mode instead of OVF but I really think it just comes down to teaching an old dog new tricks.

I went to Victoria to my son’s graduation from the theatre program at UVIC. We were at a great presentation, which included monologs, a fashion show, movement class and soap box speeches. For the most part the theatre was quiet so I put the X-Pro1 in quiet mode. No beeps when AF locked in. The shutter is also very quiet so compared to using an SLR, I didn’t feel like I was interrupting anything. At one point during the fashion show I switched to continued AF and was actually surprised in how well it tracked. I shot ISO 1600-3200 in the theatre. We were there for about 6 hours and I shot about 350 frames before the battery died. The battery died just before the final ceremony so I am glad I brought my SLR after all. Getting a second or even a third battery is definitely on the shopping list.

The next day I walked around sunny Victoria. I used the Velvia film simulation mostly. I had a great time teaching my daughter and son how to use the camera. Two of the shots below are captured by my daughter (The Barbie/bike photo and red bike photo).

I also have 50 photos from the Victoria trip in a Smugmug Gallery if interested.

In the beginning of January Fujifilm announced the X-Pro1 and I have been watching closely, reading reviews and checking out sample images. Initially I did not give this camera a chance due to the 1.5x crop factor but since then I have been very impressed with the sample images I have seen. I have been checking fellow shooter Patrick LaRoque‘s blog frequently as he always is on top of Fuji news, X100 and X-Pro1. Check out his site. His blog post on Friday with X-Pro1 links sent me over the edge.

In short I have picked the X-Pro1 to compliment my current kit and in no way to replace my SLRs. Initially I have chosen just one lens, the XF 35 1.4 R. With the crop factor this will be the equivalent of a 50mm standard lens. I look forward to using this combination as a lightweight alternative to lugging around the SLR every single time I leave the house. The X-Pro1 has already been named the poor mans Leica. Although it shares very little with the Leica M9 it still looks like an old style rangefinder camera, which may be less obstructive when out shooting.

Let me move on to my first impressions. Keep in mind I have only been shooting with the camera today. I have only worked with JPEGs so far, waiting for Lightroom RAW support. First off, the battery was already charged which was nice. I could start shooting right away. As soon as I got the battery in the camera Earth Hour started. I figured, great, this will be the ultimate AF test. So without having much of a clue how to use the camera, my first hour was spent in a candle lit room. Yes, it was a bit frustrating but I kept my cool and actually was surprised to have the the camera lock in AF using the assist light. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t all bad either. Back to the battery charger. It seems odd that Fuji would have this type of charger with a chord attached to it. It I want to travel light this seems a bit bulky. My Canon charger plugs right into the wall. The camera feels light but durable. Buttons feel like they will stand the test of time and feel solid. The lens hood has a tiny bit of play and perhaps does not feel as solid as I had expected. The lens however has a good feel to it and the aperture ring turns effortlessly. I have not ventured into manual focus yet and actually do not plan to use the camera this way.

Realistically it will take a few days I think to get the hang of the EVF/OVF thing. I prefer the optical view finder for now but can also see the benefit of the EVF for macro. I got thrown off a bit to start with the parallax correction using the OVF but I am think I will get the hang of it. I need to spend a bit more time with the manual to get deeper into the functions.

The photos do not disappoint so far. It has been a pretty crappy day here. We woke up to snow on April 1st, no April’s fool. I took the camera for a spin downtown, metropolis Vernon, BC. I did a few black and white conversions and took a few snap shots. AF of course was much better in daylight. Write speed to the cards seems slow and I think I need to pick the quick mode as start up time was a bit slow also. I look forward to experimenting with Fuji’s film simulations some more but also to see what the RAW files will look like.

Please check a few samples from today below. If you would like to see larger files, a few more and exif info, jump over to my X-Pro1 Gallery at Smugmug.

We continued on our journey into the sunset and the superb ski team showed great patience as I directed them back and forth on the trails.

The second shoot took us to the summit of Silver Star Mountain and it was just spectacular up there. The upper trails, I think, are often overlooked and I made a mental note to come back and ski this later. In years of skiing at Silver Star I would most often stay on the lower trails. I definitely think I will be getting a cross country ski pass again next year. It’s been too long.

A huge thanks to skiers, Marie-Cat, Pip, Janice, Rob and Guy. And thanks Guy for setting it up.

NB. In the last photo I am getting the “diva” treatment. I spent quite a bit of time running down the trails so when it came time to put my skis back on, my boots had a solid block of ice underneath. Thanks guys for getting me out alive.

Click to view larger images.

To see photos from the games please link to the Penticton Tournament Gallery.

Click to view larger images.