Where were you in the '90s?

Lots of newcomers to this forum in the past 2 years.  All loudly proclaiming how wonderful FUJIFILM is.  The color, the dynamic range etc.  This leads one to ask, where were you during the 90's when Fujifilm was making very competitive SLR's early on that ran toe-to-toe with CaNikon?  Reviews here at DPR of the FUJIFILM S1 and S2 are extremely positive and showed that they were a MAJOR player in the move away from film to digital SLRs.

Why did it take the X series to get you to FUJIFILM?

Why was CaNikon your SLR of choice over FUJIFILM?

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DISCLAIMER: The text written herein is meant to provide the opinions and/or suggestions of the author. No statement herein is meant to be considered law of the land, representative of any party or group, and or a quote from any party or group. Neither is any statement in the contained text meant to be taken as scripture, doctrine, or all encompassing of an entire populous or any groups or individuals therein.

When my dad was shooting film, he exclusively bought Fujifilm's. I didn't know Fuji (D)SLRs existed until the S5. By that time I had already had a Canon and some lenses. I had a fling with NEX but got frustrated with the lack of good lenses. Went back to Canon but got tired of dragging an L lens while having a baby strapped to my chest. I switched to Fuji because they offered a small package with attractive lenses. Discovered the "Fuji colors" and decided to stay

I was shooting Pentax SLR's in the 90's, moved to Canon EOS Elan 7 in the 2000's and got a digital rebel from there.  It was the X100 that got me into Fuji, so I sold my Canon 5D Mk II and went to X-Pro1 and X100 combo, and a Pentax K-5 DSLR kit for my landscape work (weather sealing).  I am a recent fanboy, but glad I am here.

They were not a major player, they were practically building and running on nikon hardware with own sensor and firmware. Not a great way for financial success and certainly reason for the S demise.

At that time people trusted nikon more to make real "nikon" cameras than fuji to make "nikon" cameras. Also don't forget at the time fuji was heavily claiming 2x interpolated resolution of superccd which simply was elusive marketing and many people had viewed it as such.

The S series become classics after they were no longer developed and lasted/aged pretty well. But it was shot in the dark for fuji and not very successful which fortunately forced them to develop the new X system. Well, they still didin't get the AF right...but it is coming.

That's true, the cameras were based on Nikon components.  However, that should not matter at all to the photographer.  The output is what should matter and as the reviews show, FUJIFILM's output was state-of-the-art at the time.

Good point.  FUJIFILM's slimy marketing did not arrive at the creation of the X Series.

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DISCLAIMER: The text written herein is meant to provide the opinions and/or suggestions of the author. No statement herein is meant to be considered law of the land, representative of any party or group, and or a quote from any party or group. Neither is any statement in the contained text meant to be taken as scripture, doctrine, or all encompassing of an entire populous or any groups or individuals therein.

That's where I was  - Minolta X700, 500si, 800si, 7, 7D, Sony A700 and A850.

Sold that lot (and all the G lenses) and got a Canon 7D (with a few L telephotos) and X100.  Liked the X100 so much I got the X-Pro1. The great thing about the X-series is the IQ coupled with ergonomics that do not take a back seat to size/portability.

Cheers!

I had a Fujica ST605  35mm SLR film camera, but that's showing my age I guess.

Now I am returning to Fuji with the XE1 and 35mm lens.

Will be selling off some of my Nikon lenses and Olympus XZ1 to go back to basics.

Cheers

The 90's?

In the 90's I was using Nikon cameras, but they mostly used Fujifilm sensors. Sometimes Kodak or Ilford for B&W, but mostly Fuji for colour.

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Apteryx

Pretty much playing video games and going to school.

Largely using film - particularly MF gear - whilst waiting for digital technology to catch up in the mid 2000's. Clients in particular dictated what you needed to use.

Did you know that Fuji 'colour' used to come in paper-wrapped rolls ... or little 35mm tin canisters ... ? *

* still does - but now harder to source and certainly more expensive!

In the 90's I was still shooting my beloved Canon AE-1P that I bought in 1985 at the Base Exchange on Kunsan Air Base in Korea. I shot that camera exclusively along with Kodak film until sometime around 2000-2001 or so when I bought a sony digicam of some kind. in or about 2006 I bought a Rebel XT as my first DSLR. I stuck with Canon because of my success with the AE-1P.

What brought me around to the Fuji X series was the search for a compact camera that actually worked well. Small sensor cameras I tried were a big disappointment to me after shooting DSLR's.

When I read the specs for the Xpro-1 I noticed three things, APS-C sensor , no AA filter and a simple looking body with knobs to control the basic camera functions. It looked like just the ticket for what I wanted in a camera. As I was saving up the cash to buy a Xpro they announced the Xe-1 and the 18-55 mm lens. I decided that is really all I need and that is what I now have. I will by a 14 mm lens soon as well.

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Warren

I had sold my Canon Ftb(stupid) for an EOS.  Never liked it.  Later I bought a Contax G1 w/ 2 lenses.  I believe it was still the '90's when I got my Contax T3. And Tvs.  I put thos away and went digital in 2001 or so.

Yes I know, as the images below will demonstrate.  Shot last week using FUJIFILM Provia 400X.

And just for fun, some Neopan Acros film, shot last week also.

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DISCLAIMER: The text written herein is meant to provide the opinions and/or suggestions of the author. No statement herein is meant to be considered law of the land, representative of any party or group, and or a quote from any party or group. Neither is any statement in the contained text meant to be taken as scripture, doctrine, or all encompassing of an entire populous or any groups or individuals therein.

shooting Velvia and Provia with my F3HP in an Aquatica housing and a FA & F5. Didn't go digital until the 21st century.

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Conrad --------------------------------------------------- Show Low, Arizona

I was shooting commercially with film on large format (Toyoview 4x5) and Medium Format (Hasselblad).  I used Velvia for color and T-Max 100 for B&W for my commercial work.  Used Ektachome too.  I used Canon for my 35mm film stuff back then, so it was natural for me to stick with Canon when affordable DSLR's started hitting the shelves in the early 2000's.

-Wolfy

I was nutted.

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A solution looking for a problem !

Right.  Was. We believe you.

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DISCLAIMER: The text written herein is meant to provide the opinions and/or suggestions of the author. No statement herein is meant to be considered law of the land, representative of any party or group, and or a quote from any party or group. Neither is any statement in the contained text meant to be taken as scripture, doctrine, or all encompassing of an entire populous or any groups or individuals therein.

Shooting pro sports on a full time level in the 90's there were basically two choices, Canon or Nikon.  I chose Canon, as the new, all electronic EOS line was more technologically advanced than Nikon's offerings in my estimation.

On the Fuji end of things I went through more bricks of Velvia 100 36exp and Fujicolor 800 (in poor lighting) in those years than I care to count.

What got me back to Fuji for my X100 were the "Fuji" colors that no Nikon, Canon or Leica sensor can reproduce.

That and the X100 is the coolest looking camera I've owned since my Minolta Hi-matic rangefinder I bought in 8th grade.

Scott

This is a rather interesting discussion.  As I recall, Fuji did not make SLR or DSLR cameras during that decate.  The last SLR was made in 1986.  This was  the Multiprogram, which was not a successful endeavor.  Next came the S1 in 2000, the S2 in 2002, the S3, then the S5.  For those who liked Fuji SLR cameras, there were no new cameras in the 90s.  Therefore, the option was to continue using the Fuji cameras from the 70s and 80s or move to another manufacturer.

During the 80s, I purchased the STX-1N, which was my first camera.  I then bought the AX-1, AX-3, AX-5, and Multuprogram.  I continued using those film cameras with all the Fujinon X mount lenses from the 80s until I acquired the S1 in 2001.  I then added two S2 cameras, the S3, and two S5 cameras; all of which I have retained. The S5 remains my favorite.  Along the way I also purchased the Nikon  D200, whiich was replaced by a D300. They added speed that was needed for sports photography.

My recent purchase was the X-E1 with the 18-55 lens, but I am reluctant to take a full plunge into this new system.  The concern is that Fuji might once again abandon loyal customers if the new system is not as profitable as expected.  How many of us waited for the S6, after getting Nikon lenses for the Fuji S series DSLR cameras?  This time I will take a more cautious approach.

I don't know where you were Rattymouse in the the 1990s, but Fuji wasn't making 35mm SLRs in that time frame that I am aware of. Back in the mid-1970s their hybrid screwmount Fujica SLRS were interesting to look at (some would say pretty even) but they never caught on big time and the line was closed down when Canon's AE-1 and Pentax K-1000 took virtually all of the market!  Their large format rangefinders were amazing in the mid-1980s and I lusted after them ... but my Nikons and Bronicas were all I needed... often fuled by Fuji film!  Not sure that Fuji's DSLRs can be credited with being products of the 1990s... didn't they show up post-2001?

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Holding a camera, any camera, reduces my blood pressure, calms my nerves, and gives me a sense of opportunity!