S5 PRO User Need a Smaller Camera, Need Help With Options.

[mistermejia]

I am in a pickle!! I need you help/suggestions.

i REALLY REALLY need a compact camera, i just CAN'T take the S5 with the nikon 17-55 everywhere due to the size and weight. last week i went hiking and i was so darn tired from the heat that i thanked God for not taking the big heavy S5/lens. Of course i took ZERO photos :-( I have been looking at the X10 for a while and now i have the money to get it right now. Don't want the X20.

The thing is that i have read that the X10 has a very small point and shoot sensor which is very NOISY for low light, so now i have doubts about getting the X10. Is the low light performance that bad?? What if i bounce flash, would i get better performance out of this little puppy? i just love the size, but not sure now. I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

I honestly love the output result with the 17-55 lens on the S5, but i am ALSO thinking of just selling the lens to buy the X-E1 with the fujinon 18-55 lens. I will just use my nikon 35 1.8 G and Rokinon 85mm 1.4 on the S5 PRO. Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

I will appreciate your wise input in this

 

[Captain Tom L]

Hi Mr Mejia,

mistermejia wrote:
i REALLY REALLY need a compact camera

Since size is a concern, I'd say you go handle X20 (same size as X10) and X-E1 in store to get a feel of each. Maybe that alone will already decide for you.

The thing is that i have read that the X10 has a very small point and shoot sensor which is very NOISY for low light, so now i have doubts about getting the X10. Is the low light performance that bad?? What if i bounce flash, would i get better performance out of this little puppy? i just love the size, but not sure now. I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

Sorry I have no experience with X10, so can't help you here.

Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

Personally, I'm keeping my S5/17-55mm combo. It is still my go-to combo for events. The X-Pro1 AF speed (should be similar to X-E1) is still... not-so-fast, but for hiking and casual stuff, the X-Pro1 is my new favourite! Have you considered the X-M1? It is very small system but the downside is no viewfinder.

 

[mistermejia]

Captain Tom L wrote:

Hi Mr Mejia,

mistermejia wrote:

i REALLY REALLY need a compact camera

Since size is a concern, I'd say you go handle X20 (same size as X10) and X-E1 in store to get a feel of each. Maybe that alone will already decide for you.

The thing is that i have read that the X10 has a very small point and shoot sensor which is very NOISY for low light, so now i have doubts about getting the X10. Is the low light performance that bad?? What if i bounce flash, would i get better performance out of this little puppy? i just love the size, but not sure now. I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

Sorry I have no experience with X10, so can't help you here.

Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

Personally, I'm keeping my S5/17-55mm combo. It is still my go-to combo for events. The X-Pro1 AF speed (should be similar to X-E1) is still... not-so-fast, but for hiking and casual stuff, the X-Pro1 is my new favourite! Have you considered the X-M1? It is very small system but the downside is no viewfinder.

Yes, i know the X-M1 is coming out, but not really interested in it, for the reason you mentioned, and i want the shutter speed dial on it.

I would LOVE to keep my 17-55, but if i don't sell it there is no way i could fund the X-E1 with the fuji lens, so it would have to be either or. The X-pro1 is too big for what i need right now, i like the size of the X-E1 and X10. The only way to keep my 17-55 is by getting the X10 with an external flash. You know what i mean?

 

[Captain Tom L]

mistermejia wrote:

Yes, i know the X-M1 is coming out, but not really interested in it, for the reason you mentioned, and i want the shutter speed dial on it.

From what I saw, the X-M1 operates quite like a SLR. The shutter speed is the unmarked dial on the top plate.

I would LOVE to keep my 17-55, but if i don't sell it there is no way i could fund the X-E1 with the fuji lens, so it would have to be either or. The X-pro1 is too big for what i need right now, i like the size of the X-E1 and X10. The only way to keep my 17-55 is by getting the X10 with an external flash. You know what i mean?

I brought up the X-Pro1 because that's the only X I have, but its technical specs is virtually identical to X-E1. Either way, both X10 and X-E1 is an upgrade over S5 in terms of technology, particularly in MP count. Good luck with your decision!

 

[mistermejia]

Captain Tom L wrote:

mistermejia wrote:

Yes, i know the X-M1 is coming out, but not really interested in it, for the reason you mentioned, and i want the shutter speed dial on it.

From what I saw, the X-M1 operates quite like a SLR. The shutter speed is the unmarked dial on the top plate.

I would LOVE to keep my 17-55, but if i don't sell it there is no way i could fund the X-E1 with the fuji lens, so it would have to be either or. The X-pro1 is too big for what i need right now, i like the size of the X-E1 and X10. The only way to keep my 17-55 is by getting the X10 with an external flash. You know what i mean?

I brought up the X-Pro1 because that's the only X I have, but its technical specs is virtually identical to X-E1. Either way, both X10 and X-E1 is an upgrade over S5 in terms of technology, particularly in MP count. Good luck with your decision!

Does the X10 have better low light performance than the S5, since is newer?? I thought it still wasn't because of the very small sensor?

From what i have seen, i think the X-M1 will be a little too small for me, i think the XE1 is right in between. We'll see. This is going to be a tough one for me

Thank you!

 

[Captain Tom L]

Unfortunately I have no experience with X10, but I'm sure you can find the answer. There's gotta be sample images somewhere on the internet. Personally I am not a high ISO shooter as I rarely go beyond ISO 800 on the S5.

 

[Tom Schum]

mistermejia wrote:

I am in a pickle!! I need you help/suggestions.

i REALLY REALLY need a compact camera, i just CAN'T take the S5 with the nikon 17-55 everywhere due to the size and weight. last week i went hiking and i was so darn tired from the heat that i thanked God for not taking the big heavy S5/lens. Of course i took ZERO photos :-( I have been looking at the X10 for a while and now i have the money to get it right now. Don't want the X20.

The thing is that i have read that the X10 has a very small point and shoot sensor which is very NOISY for low light, so now i have doubts about getting the X10. Is the low light performance that bad?? What if i bounce flash, would i get better performance out of this little puppy? i just love the size, but not sure now. I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

I honestly love the output result with the 17-55 lens on the S5, but i am ALSO thinking of just selling the lens to buy the X-E1 with the fujinon 18-55 lens. I will just use my nikon 35 1.8 G and Rokinon 85mm 1.4 on the S5 PRO. Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

I will appreciate your wise input in this

Here are a few X10 low-light shots. I think it does pretty well. My X10 still has the original sensor; I refused to upgrade to the orb-free one.

























--
Tom Schum

 

[BillyInya]

mistermejia wrote:

I am in a pickle!! I need you help/suggestions.

i REALLY REALLY need a compact camera, i just CAN'T take the S5 with the nikon 17-55 everywhere due to the size and weight. last week i went hiking and i was so darn tired from the heat that i thanked God for not taking the big heavy S5/lens. Of course i took ZERO photos :-( I have been looking at the X10 for a while and now i have the money to get it right now. Don't want the X20.

The thing is that i have read that the X10 has a very small point and shoot sensor which is very NOISY for low light, so now i have doubts about getting the X10. Is the low light performance that bad?? What if i bounce flash, would i get better performance out of this little puppy? i just love the size, but not sure now. I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

I honestly love the output result with the 17-55 lens on the S5, but i am ALSO thinking of just selling the lens to buy the X-E1 with the fujinon 18-55 lens. I will just use my nikon 35 1.8 G and Rokinon 85mm 1.4 on the S5 PRO. Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

I will appreciate your wise input in this

I was in a similar situation as you but with S3Pro and one of my fav lenses is the Nikkor 17-55.

I will spare you my story as I've said it a few times here but end of the day I now have the X-E1 with 18-55mm package.

You will find this very difficult to believe but the 18-55 is on par with, if not better than, the huge Nikkor 17-55. I kid you not. I still don't quite know how Fuji do this.

It took me about a month to really be comfortable with the transition in shooting style and to be honest, after shooting with a DSLR since 2002 the little X-E1 still feels a little strange - I'm talking here mainly about EVF. But I am s l o w l y getting use to it.

I would suggest you consider the X-E1. I think you will eventually appreciate you can jump on-board with the many lenses that are now available for ths Fuji's. Some of them deliver ridiculously good quality. IMO the X-E1+18-55mm package is great value for what you really get.

Good luck

 

[TheoC]

My advice would be to buy the xe 1 with the 18-55 zoom and then buy a cheap Nikkor to FX adapter that allows the use of Nikon g lenses. This toy costs around 15 USD and works excellently. Thus you can use your 85/1.4 and Nikkor 35/1.8 with the XE1. I am afraid you will like the results of your Rokkinon with the XE1 a lot better than with the S5. Manual focusing is just as easy, the evf has excellent resolution and the firmware allows image magnification, with a lot of flickering, though. Happy choosing! And have loads of fun whatever you decide to go with!



Theo

 

[dengx]

mistermejia wrote:

Does the X10 have better low light performance than the S5, since is newer?? I thought it still wasn't because of the very small sensor?

The answer did not change since the last time you've asked.

X10 is about one stop worse than S5.

Regards

 

[Carsten Pauer 2]

I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

...Hiking, or make Photos in the Auditorium ?

Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

Yes, because the X-E1 is to big, every Time when i see this Camera in the Showcase i must Laugh over the Size.

I will appreciate your wise input in this

Buy a NX300 or the X-M1.

The Cameras itself are "compact", but if You Mount a Lens on the Camera, it is not longer "Compact".

The NX300 as the Advantage of 60f Video over the slow 30/24f from the X-M1/X-E1...

Regards: Carsten

 

[mistermejia]

Carsten Pauer 2 wrote:

I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

...Hiking, or make Photos in the Auditorium ?

Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

Yes, because the X-E1 is to big, every Time when i see this Camera in the Showcase i must Laugh over the Size.

I will appreciate your wise input in this

Buy a NX300 or the X-M1.

The Cameras itself are "compact", but if You Mount a Lens on the Camera, it is not longer "Compact".

The NX300 as the Advantage of 60f Video over the slow 30/24f from the X-M1/X-E1...

Regards: Carsten

Hi Carsten. Yes, this is exactly how i feel. I would LOVE to get the X-E1 but i am afraid that AFTER i get rid of my 17-55 with the S5, guilt will be all over me, and yes, i would still have a problem with the X cameras because of the "bigger" lens as well. It is not what i need, so i decided to skip the X-E1. One day though i will buy one of them. Anyway, yesterday evening i purchased the X10 on Amazon for $349. I think i will be VERY happy with it

Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[mistermejia]

TheoC wrote:

My advice would be to buy the xe 1 with the 18-55 zoom and then buy a cheap Nikkor to FX adapter that allows the use of Nikon g lenses. This toy costs around 15 USD and works excellently. Thus you can use your 85/1.4 and Nikkor 35/1.8 with the XE1. I am afraid you will like the results of your Rokkinon with the XE1 a lot better than with the S5. Manual focusing is just as easy, the evf has excellent resolution and the firmware allows image magnification, with a lot of flickering, though. Happy choosing! And have loads of fun whatever you decide to go with!

Theo

Hi Theo. Yes, i am aware that i can use my lenses with the X-E1. I also know the photos would be fantastic, but i did think about it and at the moment it is not what i need. I know for sure that one day i will buy one Furtunately i purchased the X10 last night for $349, as i really need a more compact camera and a bit smaller than the X-E1. I think i will be extremely happy with the X10.

At the moment, the more i use my S5 the more i like it, and with practice my photos seem to keep coming out better and better with the Rokinon. Here is a photo bellow. Thank you for your advice Theo!

 

[mistermejia]

dengx wrote:

mistermejia wrote:

Does the X10 have better low light performance than the S5, since is newer?? I thought it still wasn't because of the very small sensor?

The answer did not change since the last time you've asked.

X10 is about one stop worse than S5.

Regards

Thanks for the info dengx. I will just have to get around the X10 ISO capability, as i purchased it last night. Software and bouncing flash should mostly take care of the unwanted noise. There are many things i do and many places i go where i just can't take a X-E1 because it is still too big with the 18-55 lens. I think i made a really good choice and i don't think the X10 for $349 will disappoint me.

 

[Trevor G]

mistermejia wrote:

I honestly love the output result with the 17-55 lens on the S5,

Same here.

I probably should have kept the 17-55 when I sold the S5 Pro because I am now planning a Nikon V1, and the 17-55 is the perfect lens for it, for what I do.

I shoot low light most of the time and the X20 does not quite have enough grunt at ISO1250. Mind you, it has plenty of noise...

I could have chosen an XE-1, but the Fuji lenses are no real match for the Nikon range.

 

[evoprox]

mistermejia wrote:

Carsten Pauer 2 wrote:

I take lots of pictures of my kid's school activities and in-auditorium plays with not so good light. This is mainly my concern.

...Hiking, or make Photos in the Auditorium ?

Do the S5 users think i will be making a mistake by doing this??

Yes, because the X-E1 is to big, every Time when i see this Camera in the Showcase i must Laugh over the Size.

I will appreciate your wise input in this

Buy a NX300 or the X-M1.

The Cameras itself are "compact", but if You Mount a Lens on the Camera, it is not longer "Compact".

The NX300 as the Advantage of 60f Video over the slow 30/24f from the X-M1/X-E1...

Regards: Carsten

Hi Carsten. Yes, this is exactly how i feel. I would LOVE to get the X-E1 but i am afraid that AFTER i get rid of my 17-55 with the S5, guilt will be all over me, and yes, i would still have a problem with the X cameras because of the "bigger" lens as well. It is not what i need, so i decided to skip the X-E1. One day though i will buy one of them. Anyway, yesterday evening i purchased the X10 on Amazon for $349. I think i will be VERY happy with it

Thanks for everyone's help.

I had a 17-55 on my D300. After I replaced that camera with a NEX-5 I replaced the 17-55 with a Tamron 17-50mm/f2.8 and didn't look back since. I paid a fourth! of what I got for my hardly used 17-55, got a lighter more compact lens with overall higher resolution on 14 and 16MP APS-C sensors and some 600€ left to waste. Just my 2 €cts.

 

[tomhongkong]

Since you have already bought the X10 there is probably not much point in my commenting, however here goes.

I have had a lot of fun with the X10, and recently I have also been using a newly acquired V1 with 10-30 and 30-110 (2.7x multiplier). I dismissed the V1 when it was announced as ridiculously overpriced, but I got my kit for $399.

Frankly much as I have loved the X10 and will continue to use it as my 'compact' when I am going light, the V1 knocks spots off it in most ways. The viewfinder is great, the IQ is great (some folks have equated it to D200) the only downside is that there are a few handling issues to get used to. I honestly have not found it difficult to adjust to. The 30-110 gives an equivalent of 280mm which is far beyond the reach of the X10.

The benefit of the V1 is that you can use your Nikon lenses with FT1 adaptor and still have AF (although you lose the size advantage on N1 lenses). The downside is that there is an increasing number of lenses which work with it and you can be down that GAS slippery slope if you are not careful.

Clearly if you are into PPeeping you will want a D800E but if like me A3 is about as big as you need, the V1 does very nicely.

I don't knock the X10, though, and if A4 is what you need, and can live with the lens range it is great. A bigger problem is just how difficult it is to get the best out of it, it really is a very complex beast (and EXR Auto is often more clever than I am!)

Sorry if I am being 'disloyal' to Fuji by this post. As I say I love the X10 and may have landed on the best of both worlds by my pair (and I often carry both with the long lens on the V1)

tom

 

[Kim Letkeman]

Trevor G wrote:

mistermejia wrote:

I honestly love the output result with the 17-55 lens on the S5,

Same here.

I probably should have kept the 17-55 when I sold the S5 Pro because I am now planning a Nikon V1, and the 17-55 is the perfect lens for it, for what I do.

Henrys has an open box with the 10mm lens ... for 314CAD ... please buy it before I sucumb

http://www.henrys.com/79272-OPEN-BOX-NIKON-1-V1-BLACK-W-10MM-LENS.aspx

I shoot low light most of the time and the X20 does not quite have enough grunt at ISO1250. Mind you, it has plenty of noise...

My J1 was actually quite nice at 3200iso but only when there was some light. Still, it is far above the 2/3" sensor, especially in RAW.

The 17-55 is a great lens, but remember that the 2.7c crop factor makes that wonderful 2.8 look like a mediocre f/7.6 ...

Suggest instead the new 18 1.8 prime and the 50 1.8G prime and maybe the 35 1.8G prime ... that would be less convenient but would blow the 17-55 away in low light ...

I could have chosen an XE-1, but the Fuji lenses are no real match for the Nikon range.

A small selection of nice lenses ... but very expensive. I miss Nikon off and on and the V1 is very tempting ... but I shot the G5 at 3200 ISO in the woods today at 300mm (600 EFL) and remembered why I went to the larger sensor ...

By the way ... the OP should be looking at m4/3 to get smaller and lighter with very decent image quality ...

--

Nothing Special

This blog is my personal space. Do not confuse this with statements or opinions on behalf of any employer I have ever had, have now, or will ever have in the future.

kimletkeman.blogspot.com

 

[cantanima]

mistermejia wrote:

...The thing is that i have read that the X10 has a very small point and shoot sensor which is very NOISY for low light, so now i have doubts about getting the X10.

Actually, the X10's sensor size is the same as the X20: 2/3". The resolution is also the same: 12MP. The major difference is the sensor layout: EXR v. X-Trans.

fujifilm-x.com/x10/en/story/story2/page_03.html

www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x10
www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x20/

(Of course, compared to an X-E1, the sensor is quite a bit smaller. However, most P&S sensors I've seen are 1/2" or smaller.)

 

[Trevor G]

mistermejia wrote:

Does the X10 have better low light performance than the S5, since is newer?? I thought it still wasn't because of the very small sensor?

The X10 certainly does not have anything like the low noise/low light capabilities of the S5 Pro.

Not at all, not in any way.

The XE-1 or X-Pro 1 might replace the S5 Pro, since they have similar size sensors. The X10 could only be a quick substitute when you can only use a small camera.

In spite of the f2.0 to f2.8 lens on the X10 the images you would get from a Nikon 17-55 f2.8 lens will be noticeably superior.