The original Fuji X100 came after the Leica X1 and both models set the current trend for fixed-lens 35mm shooters that are particularly suited to street photography.
Since then we’ve seen the X100 series evolve into the masterpiece that I think is the X100F. The new model is lightyears ahead of the original X100 and it is set for major success.
Last week I gave my initial impressions using the F on the streets of London and I’m looking forward even more to my own camera arriving at Guildford’s London Camera Exchange branch anytime soon.
In passing, I read a superb article by Ian MacDonald on his X100F settings for street shooting. He summarises his personal preferences by pointing out that there are so many ways to customise a modern camera such as the 100F:
“This is just my way, configured to quickly access the things I need when I am shooting on the street. With the camera set up like this I don’t go into the menus at all. I don’t even use the Q menu, as everything I need is assigned to a button or dial, ready to go.
“It seems like a lot when it is all written out, but in the field it comes down to the occasional adjustment to Aperture, Exposure Compensation, or the Auto-ISO setting as needed for exposure control, occasionally switching back and forth between Classic Chrome and Acros depending on how I see a scene, and much more rarely using another feature like wifi or the Digital Tele-Converter. This configuration works well for me and lets me keep my focus on everything happening around me on the street.”
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Hi Bill, Mike, did you come across waxy skin tones with x100f ? I rented it from Calumet and took loads of jpegs yesterday with noise reduction set to -2 or something. Most if not all show waxy skin tones. Otherwise the camera is brilliant, focuses quickly and easy to handle.
Hello Mahesh, no is the short answer. Set the NR to off (which you couldn’t do before) and there should be no waxiness, although I confess I have never been troubled by it anyway.
It’s a beautiful camera just crying out to be taken hold of and customised to one’s own delight. But I once had an X100S and didn’t bond with it: too heavy to count as a compact, too restrictive for me as a go-to camera, and the absence of a tiltable screen was a deal breaker. In principle the Leica X-series has the same deal breaker, but somehow I have bonded with the X1 (really small) and the X-vario (Tiltable EVF and no screw-on lenses for changing focal length.) No problem with IQ (the cameras’ or mine!) But I notice I would really like someone to convince me to have another go with Fuji !!
John, I’ve previously documented my struggles in getting to grips with the earlier X100 models on Macfilos. The X100T was the first that I really bonded with. Two things made the difference; the improved handling in general and the hybrid viewfinder in particular. The X100F is a significant improvement again. It has taken the best from the XPro2 and delivers it in a very neat package. It has grown imperceptibly, it is true, but I would argue that it is still compact enough to fit in a pocket or pouch (I use an AVEA5). It’s not as small as an X70 or Ricoh GR but then I have one of the later so I don’t need it to be.
How do you guys stack this camera up against the Leica Q. I’m getting ready for Rhine River cruise in late April and thinking about a new camera to take along.
I’m sure Bill Palmer and John Shingleton will have their views. My personal thought is that the Q is one of the best fixed-lens cameras you can buy. I stand to be corrected by Bill, who is an out-and-out Fuji fan, but I believe the Q is far away the better camera. But you have to take into account the fact that it is three times the cost of the Fuji and is much larger. In the end, if you can cope with the size and the cost, then go for the Q. You won’t regret it.
John , the Q and the Fuji are not playing in the same sandpit as the Q is so much more expensive than the Fuji and it has a full frame sensor.
I am not really qualified to comment on the Fuji as I don’t currently own one although I did win one of the original 100s in a competition when they first came out and I quickly moved it on through Gumtree as we could not get on-way too fiddly for my liking.
Without hesitation I would say if your budget can stretch that far buy the Q. It is a superb camera in many ways. The build quality is superb. It feels every millimetre a real Leica. It is beautiful to hold. The EVF is brilliant, the lens is surely one of Leica’s best and the autofocus speed is amazing. It has excellent low light performance , the manual focus and macro modes are very clever and the controls are so straightforward. At the end of the day it is the quality of the photos which counts above all else and the Q’s IQ is stunning.
I am sure that the Fuji in its latest iteration is a very good camera but the Q really has raised the bar to new heights. To my mind if you can stretch your budget it’s a no brainer.
John, I’d simply say this. Although I have a strong history with Leica, the Q has never appealed. It is bulky and ill-proportioned to my eye. It may be "better" than the Fuji, but I would have to ask – is it three times better? I somehow doubt it. I could buy an X100F AND an interchangeable lens Fuji WITH a lens for the same money…
But above all, I can drop a Fuji X100 of any generation into a medium-sized pocket; I can carry it pretty well anywhere. That means, to me at least, it is "better" than a camera so bulky it stays at home. The 24mp X100F is the winner in this contest.
John, the polarised responses from Bill and myself show the futility/pointlessness of asking advice on which camera to buy or which car to buy. They also serve to remind me why I gave up reading forums many years ago.
Ignore what Bill and I have said. If you can go to a camera shop/shops which is/are able to let you handle the Fuji, the Q and any other cameras you may want to consider. Handle them, find out how easy/complex they are to operate and then go home and make up your own mind about which one you really want to own. . And don’t do what I once did-I let my head rule my heart and I ended up with the rational choice – which I never liked.
Thanks Bill. I don’t do street shooting per se, but I do a lot of what I call walking about photography. I more or less use the same settings as Ian MacDonald other than the back button focus- using the shutter button is easier for me. Adjusting the exposure compensation before I raise the camera to my eye is very important to me. This is where Fujifilm scores design wise over the current Leica digital Ms which require the camera to be to your eye before you can adjust exposure compensation. Also photographers have to be brave and trust modern sensors in using Auto ISO. I would have preferred an exposure compensation dial to an ISO dial on the new Leica M10.
William
All true, William and I agree with you about back-button focussing – it’s something I have never felt the need for. I also share your view on street photography; do you remember a few years ago the trend for MBWA – "Management By Walking About"? – sometimes I feel that I capture more by just walking about in a receptive flow state than I ever do by setting out to "shoot street".