macky patalinghug
Senior Member
48 hrs with the X-M1
My friend bought the X-M1 with the thought that he could do without a viewfinder –optical, electronic or highbred. When he found out that his life was miserable without one, he decided to sell his X-M1 to me at a third less the price he paid for and at a generous installment time.
I was hesitant to take it because I’m cash strapped and I already have too many cameras. And besides I told myself that should I join the Fuji X-Craze I would opt for the X-A1, not only because it’s the most affordable but also since there’s been a lot of talk that none x-trans Fuji cams were better than their x-trans siblings.
But I guess GAS got the better of me and I bit. So here’s what I randomly think of the X-M1 after my first 48 hours with it.
Responsiveness: The camera has a detectable shutter lag which means you have to anticipate the action of a moving subject. This is something I have unlearned after using too many DSLRs. The AF is fast enough if you know where your subject is moving to. Expect less keepers if your subject is unpredictable. But even entry level DSLRs could do just as bad. The camera is by no means slow but its interface could slow you down. Its Auto ISO, for example, goes only to 1600 and it has no ISO button so you have to go the menu to adjust the ISO should things get dimmer or brighter. This is nothing to worry about if you have control of your subject and/or your lighting. But this often is not the case in everyday life. Then the AF is not in default. In my experience with DSLRs and micro-four thirds, right after replacing an old manual lens with a regular AF lens the AF just returns to doing its job. With the X-M1 I was often scratching my head as to why I got out of focus shots only to remember that I had to return the one of the AF commands. I use the MF despite that I can override the AF commands because it’s where the peeking mode works. I use the peeking mode because there is no way I can enlarge the subject (or maybe I haven’t figured it out how yet) in the LCD screen like the way I can in DSLRs and micro-four-thirds. These are not difficult things to learn if this is the only system you have but I am a Canonite who also uses Nikon and Olympus so this means that I have to imbibe another set of complexities.
The kit lens: Some say it is the best entry level kit lens ever made. It’s hard to argue with this. The X-M1’s 16-50 f/ 3.5-5.6 is wide and sharp and quick. You will not get to truly appreciate its 24mm equivalence until you are shooting a group and you notice your peers are moving a full step behind you because they can’t fit the group in their frame. And by the way, this lens is image stabilized too.
Low light: Some reviewers (many of them event photographers) claim that that X-trans low light IQ beats that of the 5d mk2. I disagree. This APSC still can’t touch the FF’s creamy smooth renditions. In low light at 6400 ISO things could get plastic-looking in the X-M1’s captures. But is this the best APSC sensor in low light? Well, maybe. I haven’t tried the Nikon D7100 and the Pentax K-3 who are also pretenders to this throne. From my own personal experience though, this is the best APSC camera I’ve used in low light.
Ergonomics: It’s small but comfortable enough to hold but the 2 wheels on its top can often be accidentally nudged. Again, I often find myself scratching my nearly hairless scalp, wondering why my captures got funky only to find that my clumsy fingers had bumped the dials and changed the settings.
Colors: Before I had this camera, my blood sugar would often shoot up whenever these X-fools gather around and start showing around what they have captured in their LCDs because the colors evoke too much Christmas candies for kiddies. They were just too vibrant and saturated that they cut my eyes. But thank goodness this was only the LCD’s renditions and my captures with the X-M1 were quite normal when viewed from computer monitors. In fact they can serve-up my pastel kicks. (This shouldn’t come as a surprise though as I’ve seen some pastel-ish samples from an X-E1 brochure.)
LCD: It tilts and brings back many happy memories I had with the Olympus C8080. I haven't given it the extremely bright daylight test but so far I have no major complains with LCD. Wait, there's one -unlike the DSLRs and micro-four-thirds I can't immediately see what I've captured, I have to press the display button.
Durability: How many years can it stand my abusive treatment? Lord knows. The Canon Rebel kits usually last two years of abuse before the lens’ flex wire for focusing conks out. It’s still too early to tell how strong the X-M1 is.
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slowshotmax
My friend bought the X-M1 with the thought that he could do without a viewfinder –optical, electronic or highbred. When he found out that his life was miserable without one, he decided to sell his X-M1 to me at a third less the price he paid for and at a generous installment time.
I was hesitant to take it because I’m cash strapped and I already have too many cameras. And besides I told myself that should I join the Fuji X-Craze I would opt for the X-A1, not only because it’s the most affordable but also since there’s been a lot of talk that none x-trans Fuji cams were better than their x-trans siblings.
But I guess GAS got the better of me and I bit. So here’s what I randomly think of the X-M1 after my first 48 hours with it.
Responsiveness: The camera has a detectable shutter lag which means you have to anticipate the action of a moving subject. This is something I have unlearned after using too many DSLRs. The AF is fast enough if you know where your subject is moving to. Expect less keepers if your subject is unpredictable. But even entry level DSLRs could do just as bad. The camera is by no means slow but its interface could slow you down. Its Auto ISO, for example, goes only to 1600 and it has no ISO button so you have to go the menu to adjust the ISO should things get dimmer or brighter. This is nothing to worry about if you have control of your subject and/or your lighting. But this often is not the case in everyday life. Then the AF is not in default. In my experience with DSLRs and micro-four thirds, right after replacing an old manual lens with a regular AF lens the AF just returns to doing its job. With the X-M1 I was often scratching my head as to why I got out of focus shots only to remember that I had to return the one of the AF commands. I use the MF despite that I can override the AF commands because it’s where the peeking mode works. I use the peeking mode because there is no way I can enlarge the subject (or maybe I haven’t figured it out how yet) in the LCD screen like the way I can in DSLRs and micro-four-thirds. These are not difficult things to learn if this is the only system you have but I am a Canonite who also uses Nikon and Olympus so this means that I have to imbibe another set of complexities.
The kit lens: Some say it is the best entry level kit lens ever made. It’s hard to argue with this. The X-M1’s 16-50 f/ 3.5-5.6 is wide and sharp and quick. You will not get to truly appreciate its 24mm equivalence until you are shooting a group and you notice your peers are moving a full step behind you because they can’t fit the group in their frame. And by the way, this lens is image stabilized too.
Low light: Some reviewers (many of them event photographers) claim that that X-trans low light IQ beats that of the 5d mk2. I disagree. This APSC still can’t touch the FF’s creamy smooth renditions. In low light at 6400 ISO things could get plastic-looking in the X-M1’s captures. But is this the best APSC sensor in low light? Well, maybe. I haven’t tried the Nikon D7100 and the Pentax K-3 who are also pretenders to this throne. From my own personal experience though, this is the best APSC camera I’ve used in low light.
Ergonomics: It’s small but comfortable enough to hold but the 2 wheels on its top can often be accidentally nudged. Again, I often find myself scratching my nearly hairless scalp, wondering why my captures got funky only to find that my clumsy fingers had bumped the dials and changed the settings.
Colors: Before I had this camera, my blood sugar would often shoot up whenever these X-fools gather around and start showing around what they have captured in their LCDs because the colors evoke too much Christmas candies for kiddies. They were just too vibrant and saturated that they cut my eyes. But thank goodness this was only the LCD’s renditions and my captures with the X-M1 were quite normal when viewed from computer monitors. In fact they can serve-up my pastel kicks. (This shouldn’t come as a surprise though as I’ve seen some pastel-ish samples from an X-E1 brochure.)
LCD: It tilts and brings back many happy memories I had with the Olympus C8080. I haven't given it the extremely bright daylight test but so far I have no major complains with LCD. Wait, there's one -unlike the DSLRs and micro-four-thirds I can't immediately see what I've captured, I have to press the display button.
Durability: How many years can it stand my abusive treatment? Lord knows. The Canon Rebel kits usually last two years of abuse before the lens’ flex wire for focusing conks out. It’s still too early to tell how strong the X-M1 is.
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slowshotmax
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