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Xpro1 : Worth the Switch at This Stage?

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Kyle Logan

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Need some advice. I have been a Pentax shooter since 2007. Mainly a wide (15%) / normal (75%) / portrait (10%) shooter, and mainly shots of my family, with the occasional vacation shot. I rarely shoot landscapes and anything without people; in fact, about 95% of my shots are of people. And I convert about 80% of my shots to B&W. I also lurk heavily in the ISO 1600+ range, with f/2 / 1600+/ 1/30 being a rather typical exposure for me. In other words, I like low light photography a lot. And I really love the stories that light can illuminate into a photo.

Anyhow, I have a very nice lens selection, and have been happy with Pentax, but for reasons I will touch on, I have been considering a switch to Fuji lately. I have been admiring an Xpro1 for a long while now; even after the X-T1 announcement, I am still attracted to the Xpro1 - particularly now that's it's less than $1k US. I am *very* attracted to Fuji's lens selection. Fuji's primes are what I hoped Pentax would have done over the years quite frankly - but it seems they made a conscious decision to go after the slower aperture / outdoor enthusiast market. Which is what I'm not. And so I'm naturally now interested in a switch.

I am considering either an 18-55/35/56, or 14/18/23/35/56 kit. Obviously, given the investment, this is a big decision for me. I estimate I could fetch about $3K US were I to sell all of my Pentax gear, putting the switch somewhere on the order of $1K - $2K depending on the kit chosen. So sizeable, but something I'd be willing to do. I shot a k100d for years before upgrading to a K5, so I am accustomed to slower AF, but I've been spoiled with regard to AF since moving up to my K5. The K5 is quite a camera I must say. Still, AF isn't everything to me, so long as it is accurate, such as was the case with my k100d.

Anyhow, for all you xPro1 shooters, are you still happy with your choice? And would you do it again now, right now, if you were in my shoes? What are your regrets? What do you miss since switching to Xpro1? And what are you most happy about? I'm mainly looking for a Leica like experience for low light fast aperture photography in a relatively affordable package, and it seems like Fuji might be it, but before I make a huge jump, and possibly a big mistake, I'd love to hear any words of wisdom from you. Thanks in advance.
 
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Sorry, hit Enter too soon. I reposted with text now. Thanks.
 
...why don't you get a secondhand X100 and try using that for a few weeks - you'll then get a fairly close impression of what the x-pro 1 would be like (ignoring the physical size difference) before you spend lots of money and sell what sounds like a very nice kit.
 
Kyle Logan said:
Need some advice. I have been a Pentax shooter since 2007. Mainly a wide (15%) / normal (75%) / portrait (10%) shooter, and mainly shots of my family, with the occasional vacation shot. I rarely shoot landscapes and anything without people; in fact, about 95% of my shots are of people. And I convert about 80% of my shots to B&W. I also lurk heavily in the ISO 1600+ range, with f/2 / 1600+/ 1/30 being a rather typical exposure for me. In other words, I like low light photography a lot. And I really love the stories that light can illuminate into a photo.

Anyhow, I have a very nice lens selection, and have been happy with Pentax, but for reasons I will touch on, I have been considering a switch to Fuji lately. I have been admiring an Xpro1 for a long while now; even after the X-T1 announcement, I am still attracted to the Xpro1 - particularly now that's it's less than $1k US. I am *very* attracted to Fuji's lens selection. Fuji's primes are what I hoped Pentax would have done over the years quite frankly - but it seems they made a conscious decision to go after the slower aperture / outdoor enthusiast market. Which is what I'm not. And so I'm naturally now interested in a switch.

I am considering either an 18-55/35/56, or 14/18/23/35/56 kit. Obviously, given the investment, this is a big decision for me. I estimate I could fetch about $3K US were I to sell all of my Pentax gear, putting the switch somewhere on the order of $1K - $2K depending on the kit chosen. So sizeable, but something I'd be willing to do. I shot a k100d for years before upgrading to a K5, so I am accustomed to slower AF, but I've been spoiled with regard to AF since moving up to my K5. The K5 is quite a camera I must say. Still, AF isn't everything to me, so long as it is accurate, such as was the case with my k100d.

Anyhow, for all you xPro1 shooters, are you still happy with your choice? And would you do it again now, right now, if you were in my shoes? What are your regrets? What do you miss since switching to Xpro1? And what are you most happy about? I'm mainly looking for a Leica like experience for low light fast aperture photography in a relatively affordable package, and it seems like Fuji might be it, but before I make a huge jump, and possibly a big mistake, I'd love to hear any words of wisdom from you. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I'm a Pentax guy too. I'm keeping what I have for a while. To get a taste of Fuji get a used X-100 or new XE-1 with the kit lens at todays bargain price and pretend it is a Leica. I did (X-100) and have no regets. Test the water B4 you jump. My 2 cents.
 
Les Lammers said:
I'm a Pentax guy too. I'm keeping what I have for a while. To get a taste of Fuji get a used X-100 or new XE-1 with the kit lens at todays bargain price and pretend it is a Leica. I did (X-100) and have no regets. Test the water B4 you jump. My 2 cents.
Click to expand...
If you want the OVF and interchangeable lens, then get the X-Pro1. Shooting with the Fuji X is a slower paced affair so be sure that is what you want to do.

I do not have an XP1 yet as I am waiting for the price to drop a little more before I buy. Initially I chose the X-E1 because of the better EVF and the money saved would go towards another lens. However, Fuji's implementation of the OVF is one of the best I've ever seen and I'm still not prepared to fully abandon an OVF yet. (Even though I have the X-E1, I wished I had the OVF many times.)

One benefit of the OVF is that it consumes less power than using the EVF or rear LCD. My last trip to the mountain made me realize that I should have got the X-P1. I took more pictures than I expected and because of my location I was unable to plug in to charge my batteries. Towards the end of the hike, I had to be vary sparing of what I took… until my last battery died. :-(

Since the X bodies are relatively light, I can keep the 14mm or 35mm on the XP1 and the 55-200mm on the X-E1. No missed shots because of having to swap out the wide angle to the zoom when I unexpectedly encounter a bear!

One more thing I'll add from a song, "If it makes you happy. It can't be that bad."
 
Hi Kyle,

Late last November in a fit of considered madness I traded my Nikon D300s and 3 nikon primes for Xpro1 kit with three fuji primes - the classic 35mm, the 14mm for wide and the 60mm.

The reasons it works for me: firstly, my first ever camera was a basic Cosina film camera, which I got as a teenager, dearly loved, still have and it still works. It was fully manual - the moment I picked up the Xpro1 it reminded me of the Cosina. So I instantly liked the way it felt in my hands.

It's small and light. I have small ladies hands. I have it in a small Crumpler bag the one that is a drawstring sack, and the lens are in two Lowpro zipped cases . I can chuck the whole lot into my shoulder bag. I leave the 35mm on it and take the camera with me most days. I didn't do that with the Nikon.

I am one of those slow and contemplative photographer types, have always shot fully manual, so the slower AF suits me. I'm never in a hurry to get a shot.

And I can shoot in square format ... that is a big plus for me, as I can actually compose in 1:1 rather than imagining, then cropping later.

So... yep I am happy with my choice, and would do it again without a second thought. I have no regrets what so ever, and miss nothing about the Nikon, the thing I am most happy about is how much more I'm shooting, because I always have it with me and its so satisfying to use. The lens are miles better than the nikon primes I had.

However, it is worth evaluating how you feel about the slowness of the AF compared to DSLR ..as mentioned, it suits my methodology, but I can see it being frustrating for some photographers. It's not terribly slow, just not super fast. If you can get a good try on one you would be able to get a feel for the AF.

Its worth getting a couple of spare batteries.. compared to the Nikon I had, it's a bit of a hog. Thats the only very tiny negative for me.

G
 
I switched from m4/3 and Nikon DX.

I have no regrets with the X-Pro 1. The camera was significantly improved by the most recent firmware upgrade.

The camera is a bit like a Leica or other M body (or many cameras without AF or old AF) in that in order to use it well quickly you have to practice and be very familiar with the camera. APS-C DLSR focusing automation is more advanced as phase-detection AF is more advanced.

With the OVF you can view what is happening outside the frame and you can also refine your composition taking onto account the scene outside the frame. However the Fujinon 14/2.8 XF lens fills the OVF frame and blocks the lower right corner a bit, so with this lens the OVF advantages are minimal.
 
XP1 is still a great camera, much improved since its introduction through firmware updates. But unless you really need/want the OVF, the XE2 will give you faster AF and will be smaller/lighter. We don't really know what the XT1 will do yet, but it will be much more like your Pentax bodies than the XP1.

Hard to say anything more with certainty until we know what you mean by "...Leica like experience." That means one thing to somebody who's shot with a Leica, something else if you haven't.

True rangefinders have no finder blackout, ability to shoot with both eyes open (if you're right-eyed), ability to see what's outside the framelines. That, plus a compact/solid body, plus fast primes and fast manual focusing with a rangefinder patch, is the Leica-like experience. Inaccurate focusing and framing with long lenses and no ability to use zooms is another part of it. If you shot extensively with rangefinders back in the day and long for a return, the XP1 may be the best bet.

But with the XP1 there's no rangefinder patch, so there's no visual confirmation of focus in the OVF aside from the AF box turning green and a beep. Unlike a Leica/RF, where the center RF patch would merge and tell your eyes/brain the subject was in focus, with the XP1 you rely on the green rectangle being accurate. So it's not the same RF experience you might have had with a true RF. More like the Contax G-series, not like a Leica/etc.

Starting with a used X100 would help you figure out if you like/need the OVF, but once you have an assortment of lenses, you're dealing with different frameline sizing for composition. That can also take some getting used to if you haven't had experience with it in the past.
Kyle Logan said:
...I have been admiring an Xpro1 for a long while now; even after the X-T1 announcement, I am still attracted to the Xpro1 - particularly now that's it's less than $1k US. I am *very* attracted to Fuji's lens selection...I shot a k100d for years before upgrading to a K5, so I am accustomed to slower AF, but I've been spoiled with regard to AF since moving up to my K5... I'm mainly looking for a Leica like experience for low light fast aperture photography in a relatively affordable package...
Click to expand...
 
Kyle Logan said:
Need some advice. I have been a Pentax shooter since 2007. Mainly a wide (15%) / normal (75%) / portrait (10%) shooter, and mainly shots of my family, with the occasional vacation shot. I rarely shoot landscapes and anything without people; in fact, about 95% of my shots are of people. And I convert about 80% of my shots to B&W. I also lurk heavily in the ISO 1600+ range, with f/2 / 1600+/ 1/30 being a rather typical exposure for me. In other words, I like low light photography a lot. And I really love the stories that light can illuminate into a photo.

Anyhow, I have a very nice lens selection, and have been happy with Pentax, but for reasons I will touch on, I have been considering a switch to Fuji lately. I have been admiring an Xpro1 for a long while now; even after the X-T1 announcement, I am still attracted to the Xpro1 - particularly now that's it's less than $1k US. I am *very* attracted to Fuji's lens selection. Fuji's primes are what I hoped Pentax would have done over the years quite frankly - but it seems they made a conscious decision to go after the slower aperture / outdoor enthusiast market. Which is what I'm not. And so I'm naturally now interested in a switch.

I am considering either an 18-55/35/56, or 14/18/23/35/56 kit. Obviously, given the investment, this is a big decision for me. I estimate I could fetch about $3K US were I to sell all of my Pentax gear, putting the switch somewhere on the order of $1K - $2K depending on the kit chosen. So sizeable, but something I'd be willing to do. I shot a k100d for years before upgrading to a K5, so I am accustomed to slower AF, but I've been spoiled with regard to AF since moving up to my K5. The K5 is quite a camera I must say. Still, AF isn't everything to me, so long as it is accurate, such as was the case with my k100d.

Anyhow, for all you xPro1 shooters, are you still happy with your choice? And would you do it again now, right now, if you were in my shoes? What are your regrets? What do you miss since switching to Xpro1? And what are you most happy about? I'm mainly looking for a Leica like experience for low light fast aperture photography in a relatively affordable package, and it seems like Fuji might be it, but before I make a huge jump, and possibly a big mistake, I'd love to hear any words of wisdom from you. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I sold my Canon gear and went for Fuji with no regrets. I don't own the XP1. I have X-E2 with a couple of lenses.

Everyone is different and you are likely to get very different response from various people here. The only way to know if you will like it is to try it.

My advice is to get a cheapest used X camera you can find and use it. If you find your Pentax stay at home more than you think, then it is time for a switch. If it is the other way round, you can still sell your X camera without losing much.
 
Kyle, I too use Pentax systems with a nod to primes (35f1.4, 55f1.4, 300f4) over zooms (do have the 20/40 tho' only zoom). I too also used a leica m9 until I traded for XE2 (problems with eye strain, rangefinder) and never looked back. Now I use Fuji with manual primes only, 35f2, 50 f1.4, 75f1.8 and have just ordered a 25f4 Skoper Snapshot. My Pentax is primarily used for wildlife, nature, sports and extreme mountain conditions. Where as the fuji lightweight set up is used for urban, travel and all times when needed to be light and unobtrusive .The XT1 looks the "dogs do das" to replace the Pentax set up BUT WHY change when you have a good enough system that you know, have invested hard earned cash in and never complained about the results. We all have through the internet seen greener fields on the other sides. Years before the internet (yes it was so) you only got new cameras coming out once every few years. You seen them in the small photo shops as then thats all there were or in magazines that came out every month (uk= AP weekly) or back of National Geographic. Today we are at the mercy of electronic consumerism in photography not the mechanical marvels we used in the 60s and 70s so we become conditioned to upgrade for upgrading sake. What I am saying in a roundabout way is if YOU HAVE TO change because the system you have is not doing its job for you (like my Leica did) CHANGE. If it is doing the job don't or modify maybe rationalise and adapt like a XE1 and prime or X100 (s) and some Pentax stuff. Cameras are tools not jewels. I hope this helps.

visit www.farnorthfocus.co.uk
 
Hi Kyle. I traded my K5 plus a load of prime lenses for an XP1 a year ago. I don't think there's a huge difference in focus speed in good light and at least there's no FF/BF issues due to the XP1's CDAF. There is no continuous focus as DSLR users understand it with the XP1 though, you have to decide if this is an issue for you. I have no regrets at all, the XP1 is a lovely camera to own and use as long as you understand it's limitations.

Good luck with your decision.

Pat
 
"..Anyhow, for all you xPro1 shooters, are you still happy with your choice? And would you do it again now, right now, if you were in my shoes? What are your regrets?..."

Yes, yes, and none. It has the same sensor as the latest model and produces excellent IQ. I like the way it handles and the way it puts the important functions on easily accessible dials and buttons unlike some of the competition that makes you go into the menu. It is well made and feels solid.

Absolutely no regrets and I would buy it again if I had to do it all over again. I love the OVF and it is a shame that it was left off of the new XT-1.
Jim
 
Many thanks to everyone who took the time and effort to respond. I greatly appreciate it. It seems that most users are still happy, with some recommending that I try before buying. All good advice. I will probably rent a XP1 for a week before making any decisions. Thanks again, all. MUCH appreciated.
 
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