Bev81 from France
Leading Member
Hi Fuji club
I've spent most of my photography time with Nikon (D70, D90, V1, ...), with Sony (A3000, A6000) for the last years, and a bit of Olympus (E-M5 II) in between. Wanting to try (yes I like the tool as much as the results) something else, looking hard into Sony FF, I told myself that APSC is probably all I need in the end (especially when I see the price & size of FF lenses). So I bought a second hand XT1 + 18-55 (not willing to spend too much while not being sure)
I'm still learning the Fuji ergo, still trying to figure out some options / paramaters, I hope to get some answers here. For instance (if of importance, I run on firmware 5.2) :
- is there a way to delete pictures without to press several time "trash" / Picture / "Ok" ? that's a lot of press at 2 different places. I'm used to something like double clicking the trash button and that' all
- when in the Q menu, it seems that I can select any 1st level option using the wheel but is there a way to enter and modify the options ? I mean for example defining a custom white balance (by aiming a white card, storing the result, and using this WB whithout going into the main menu or relying on a Fn button)
- the video button is very hard to press, not only because of its location but also to its very low responsiveness. is that normal or do I have a "tired" button ?
- In AFC, the AF-L button does trigger a first time focus but does not trigger a continuous AF. Is that normal behaviour or do I miss something ?
- AF-L and AE-L are in the same menu for their behaviour. Is there a way to say AF-L on press and AE-L on toggle for example ?
- If I set the review image as permanent (after each shot) I don't have choice about the way it is displayed (no access to shooting info) ? Did i miss something ?
- I've the histogram on shooting mode but it disappears as soon as I press the shutter ?!?
- when navigating into the main menu, I can leave it and returning to it will present the last option I was in. That's not the case for the "tools" part of the menu (return to the very first option of the shooting menu) ?
- something I don't get at all : in the Q menu, the first icon (BASE / C1 / C2 / ...) What is the purpose or the goal ? I'm probably not in the Fuji philosophy there, I must be missing something important...
- In AF-C I clearly see the AF going back and forth even if the target is not moving. Something reminiscent of Contrast AF system but surprising for a camera with Phase detect sensors (I'm aiming with the center zone focus area). Any hint ?
Ok, I might have other questions but that's all for the moment
As for my initial impressions :
- the 18-55, although a bit heavy, is a very nice / sharp lens. I would say it reminds me of the Oly 12-40 Pro, less the wider end.
- I'm not used to the many wheels (ISO & Speed for instance), but as a Aperture or Speed with auto ISO user, I don't mind. That's not the reason why I wanted to try Fuji, even my very first SLR back in 1989 (Nikon F801 / N8008) was a PSAM cam.
- The battery life is a serious problem though but I wonder if the seller told the truth; it told me the original Fuji battery got tired very soon so he bought 2 non oem ones. The reality is I get less than 100 pictures from any of thoses battery. So either the batteries are all lemon, or the XT1 is a battery eater, or worse the problem comes from my very own sample of the camera ?!? Any similar story from anyone here ?
- I was a bit anxious about all the comments I read about the non love of Fuji by Lightroom (worms, painting effects, you know what I mean...). I'm a long term LR user and I like this tool. To a certain extent, yes, LR does not a good job with X-Trans files. But I did my homework before hand and came to the conclusion that one need to not apply the same sharpening presets as the ones used for bayer sensors. For instance going over 30 for the sharpening strength indeed creates the dreaded worms; on the opposite, going strong on the radius and details have almost no adverse result (contrary to bayer sensor which see a lot a grain then), so problem solved
- Fuji Jpeg ! I'm not into in camera Jpeg (shooting raw is so relaxing !) but I understand that many people say they are good. BUT, how contrasty they are ! Frankly I was astonished by the dark shadows / high contrat even on the supposely soft Astia ?!? For me only Pro Neg Std comes close to what I'm used to. Now I can tell that compared to ones of the Sony A6000 the XT1 Jpeg are really good. Noise and sharpness are very well controlled. Still I much prefer my own result in LR
So you may wonder why a Fuji for me ? I'm not into Jpeg, nor in manual (à l'ancienne) wheels. Simply because the X-Tx line is beautiful, with a nice centered EVF, a flipping screen, a good size, and a nice sharp zoom. I've hoped Sony would supply a similar body, unfortunately they continue to limit APSC line to small boxes. I wanted a A7 like one but they seem to ignore this segment (or reserve it to FF)
I've spent most of my photography time with Nikon (D70, D90, V1, ...), with Sony (A3000, A6000) for the last years, and a bit of Olympus (E-M5 II) in between. Wanting to try (yes I like the tool as much as the results) something else, looking hard into Sony FF, I told myself that APSC is probably all I need in the end (especially when I see the price & size of FF lenses). So I bought a second hand XT1 + 18-55 (not willing to spend too much while not being sure)
I'm still learning the Fuji ergo, still trying to figure out some options / paramaters, I hope to get some answers here. For instance (if of importance, I run on firmware 5.2) :
- is there a way to delete pictures without to press several time "trash" / Picture / "Ok" ? that's a lot of press at 2 different places. I'm used to something like double clicking the trash button and that' all
- when in the Q menu, it seems that I can select any 1st level option using the wheel but is there a way to enter and modify the options ? I mean for example defining a custom white balance (by aiming a white card, storing the result, and using this WB whithout going into the main menu or relying on a Fn button)
- the video button is very hard to press, not only because of its location but also to its very low responsiveness. is that normal or do I have a "tired" button ?
- In AFC, the AF-L button does trigger a first time focus but does not trigger a continuous AF. Is that normal behaviour or do I miss something ?
- AF-L and AE-L are in the same menu for their behaviour. Is there a way to say AF-L on press and AE-L on toggle for example ?
- If I set the review image as permanent (after each shot) I don't have choice about the way it is displayed (no access to shooting info) ? Did i miss something ?
- I've the histogram on shooting mode but it disappears as soon as I press the shutter ?!?
- when navigating into the main menu, I can leave it and returning to it will present the last option I was in. That's not the case for the "tools" part of the menu (return to the very first option of the shooting menu) ?
- something I don't get at all : in the Q menu, the first icon (BASE / C1 / C2 / ...) What is the purpose or the goal ? I'm probably not in the Fuji philosophy there, I must be missing something important...
- In AF-C I clearly see the AF going back and forth even if the target is not moving. Something reminiscent of Contrast AF system but surprising for a camera with Phase detect sensors (I'm aiming with the center zone focus area). Any hint ?
Ok, I might have other questions but that's all for the moment
As for my initial impressions :
- the 18-55, although a bit heavy, is a very nice / sharp lens. I would say it reminds me of the Oly 12-40 Pro, less the wider end.
- I'm not used to the many wheels (ISO & Speed for instance), but as a Aperture or Speed with auto ISO user, I don't mind. That's not the reason why I wanted to try Fuji, even my very first SLR back in 1989 (Nikon F801 / N8008) was a PSAM cam.
- The battery life is a serious problem though but I wonder if the seller told the truth; it told me the original Fuji battery got tired very soon so he bought 2 non oem ones. The reality is I get less than 100 pictures from any of thoses battery. So either the batteries are all lemon, or the XT1 is a battery eater, or worse the problem comes from my very own sample of the camera ?!? Any similar story from anyone here ?
- I was a bit anxious about all the comments I read about the non love of Fuji by Lightroom (worms, painting effects, you know what I mean...). I'm a long term LR user and I like this tool. To a certain extent, yes, LR does not a good job with X-Trans files. But I did my homework before hand and came to the conclusion that one need to not apply the same sharpening presets as the ones used for bayer sensors. For instance going over 30 for the sharpening strength indeed creates the dreaded worms; on the opposite, going strong on the radius and details have almost no adverse result (contrary to bayer sensor which see a lot a grain then), so problem solved
- Fuji Jpeg ! I'm not into in camera Jpeg (shooting raw is so relaxing !) but I understand that many people say they are good. BUT, how contrasty they are ! Frankly I was astonished by the dark shadows / high contrat even on the supposely soft Astia ?!? For me only Pro Neg Std comes close to what I'm used to. Now I can tell that compared to ones of the Sony A6000 the XT1 Jpeg are really good. Noise and sharpness are very well controlled. Still I much prefer my own result in LR
So you may wonder why a Fuji for me ? I'm not into Jpeg, nor in manual (à l'ancienne) wheels. Simply because the X-Tx line is beautiful, with a nice centered EVF, a flipping screen, a good size, and a nice sharp zoom. I've hoped Sony would supply a similar body, unfortunately they continue to limit APSC line to small boxes. I wanted a A7 like one but they seem to ignore this segment (or reserve it to FF)
