“Should I buy an X-T1?”

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The age old question. Brand spankin’ new camera comes out with a brand spankier new one rumoured to be on the way. Do you buy the new X-T1 hotness or wait for the next new hotness?

The answer to this sort of question ultimately comes down to what you can afford—no to mention your appetite for the constant torrent of upgrades, which we’ll mostly leave out from this post—but one thing I find slips the minds of a lot of photographers (and their Significant Others) is the real cost of any camera gear.

Your cost - What you sell it for = Actual cost

This brings me to a question I was asked on Twitter shortly after posting my review of the X-T1 that I imagine many Fuji fans are pondering as well:

If I have an X-Pro1, should I (buy the) X-T1 or hold for the X-Pro2?

For me, it’s an easy question to answer, but let’s talk it through for fun. The earliest of X-Pro successor rumours say end of 2014 for an announcement with a ship date in early 2015. That’s a full year away. A year of enjoying the very best Fujifilm has to offer before you decide if the X-Pro-Whatever is actually the camera you want. The X-T1 is a massive upgrade over the X-Pro1 and X-E1, even with the firmware updates Fuji keeps throwing at them.

Of course, there are two ends of the spectrum in how you approach upgrade cycles with a bunch of variances in the middle:

  1. Upgrade early and often: You’ll always have the latest and greatest, which is nice, and the best1 your chosen camera platform(s) has to offer.
  2. Stick with what you know: Upgrade only when you absolutely have to. Your camera will be an extension of your hand and eye, and you will attain omnipresent supergalactic oneness with your photography.

Both are valid. I’m ever trying to find the right balance between the two. I think there’s a special case to be made for at least two Fuji bodies:

  1. The X-Pro1: It has been out an awfully long time, and was their first interchangeable offering. A great deal has changed since it came on the scene and Fujifilm cameras have improved significantly. Conventional wisdom is to skip a generation when upgrading, but I doubt many people who owned Nikon D1’s passed on the D2 line of cameras. Thus, I wouldn’t blame anyone for taking an X-T1 steppingstone along their path to the X-Pro2.
  2. The X100: It, and the X100S share a lot of functionality. Selling an X100 to fund the purchase of an X100S will not leave you fumbling with controls as you struggle with a learning curve. You’ll just have faster focus and better overall image quality. Not to mention a black version for the same price.

The one upgrade I think some people could have passed on is the X-E1 to X-E2. I imagine those who waited for the X-T1 are feeling pretty good about their decision right now, and they still have a very capable camera that will produce the same image quality2 as the new(er) X-E2. As a matter of fact, all my tripod-based photography is still done with an X-E1 because I haven’t wanted to pay the exorbitant shipping costs to get a Really Right Stuff L-plate. You see? Balance.

Back to the question at hand

Should you buy the X-T1? If you have an X-Pro1 or X-E1, my answer is, if you can afford it, yes. No question. It’s a massive upgrade over what you have and the glowing reviews are well earned.

If you have an X-E2, that all depends on whether or not you need a weather sealed body. If you don’t, the X-E2 will continue to suit your needs very well. Even better pretty soon it would seem. Focus is quicker on the X-T1, but it’s pretty darn swift on the X-E2 as well.

Whether you have an X-E2 or X-T1, if you think the X-Pro2 is what you’re really going to want, sell your current body when it comes out and buy it. Surely the couple hundred dollars you might lose on the sale is worth a year of use. Think of it as an extended rental. The bottom line is, it’s tough to make a bad decision with Fujifilm’s latest body lineup. They’re all going to produce great images. Your choice comes down to performance. And remember:

Your cost - What you sell it for = Actual cost

  1. Save for launch bugs and lemons like the D600. But those are the minority and largely avoidable with how thoroughly reviewed Fujifilm’s gear is before it’s been released. ↩
  2. Particularly those who shoot RAW. JPEG shooters will miss out on the Lens Modulation Optimizer benefits of the X-E2, but in my experience, it hasn’t been anywhere close to a deal breaker. I’m still holding out hope that Fujifilm will open these up to Adobe along with their Film Simulations. ↩

X-T1 vs. X-E2 size

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In my X-T1 review, I showed an image comparing the X-T1 with the 27mm f/2.8 to a X100S to demonstrate how small a package the X-T1 could be with the right lens attached. However, there’s been some confusion surrounding the size of the X-T1 compared to Fujifilm’s other cameras, particularly the X-E line.

No, the X-T1 is not approaching DSLR sizes. It’s essentially a slightly thicker X-E camera with a hump, and more of a grip. Here are some additional images to help illustrate the differnce.

Front view. Pretty much the same. Only the viewfinder is making the X-T1 a little taller.
Side view. The thickness is most apparently from this side as it include the X-T1’s more substantial grip. In other words, the worst case scenario.
Back view. Not a whole lot more to see here compared to the front view.
Top view. More thickness and the grip. 
Bottom view. 

Bottom view. 

Unless you have both cameras on hand, you’ll hardly notice a difference in size, if at all. You will notice a slight difference in weight, and a significant difference in feel. As mentioned in my review, the magnesium X-T1 feels better in the hand.

X-E2, firmware updates, and full frame Fuji

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This just happened.

Fantastic reporting from DPReview, and well worth the time to read it. Here are a few stand-out items for me:

...we will release new firmware for the X-E2 soon which will improve the refresh rate of the EVF bringing it to the same level as the X-T1 and also add an interval shooting function.

I’m still kind of stunned. I’ll have more to say about this, but it brings a comment I made on Twitter further into light:

Clearly the answer to my question as it relates to EVF performance is “nothin’.” If a firmware update can bring this sort of functionality to the X-E2, I can’t help but wonder if the same is possible with the X100S, as it too sports the EXR Processor II. It’s entirely possible the actual EVF hardware is the limited factor though, rather than the processor.

There was some internal debate about the X100 update, and some people within Fujifilm didn’t think we should upgrade a discontinued model but we decided to do it anyway.

Whoever doesn’t think these updates should happen should kindly be asked to leave the building. As of this moment, Fujifilm’s USP (unique selling proposition for the non-marketing nerds) is their ongoing, unmatched support for their cameras. Some would argue it’s their retro styling, but that hasn’t been the case for years now, and can be very easily copied. Others would say it’s the X-Trans. Well, other cameras are ditching the OLP filter, and great images can can be made with non-X-Trans sensors.

What can’t be easily copied or manufactured is the tough decision and time to invest in updates like these. This isn’t what brought me to Fujifilm, but it’s a huge part of why they are my platform of choice. Yes their optics are great, their colour rendition is (arguably and subjectively) unmatched, but waking up this morning to find a “free” update like this coming my way is what gets me really excited. Not just for me, but for all Fuji shooters.

Our research shows that the attachment rate for a high-end camera like the X-Pro 1 is around 3.8, whereas cameras like the X-A1 it’s more like 1.2. With low-end cameras people often just stick with the kit lens.

This is interesting and no real surprise. It lends further credence to my views on Fujifilm cornering the premium compact market. The differences between Japanese and Western owners is also of interest. It seems as though we—through Fujifilm North America/UK—have a strong voice in the usability changes Fujifilm continue to make. The partnership vs. dictatorship that is all too common with Japanese brands is really great to see.

We also need to refresh our lens lineup.

And:

At the moment we’re focusing on the APS-C format but in the longer term, after we’ve completed our lens lineup… I can’t deny the possibility.

Wait, what? “Refresh”? There’s a lot of mixed messaging going on here as he mentions the need for Fujifilm to slow down and make their line-up less confusing in the preceding sentence. I’m very intrigued to know what this entails. It certainly sounds as though full-frame is in the pipeline, if not already behind a reinfirnced, key-card-access-only steel door in Japan.

The last thing I’ll note is, if you want an X-T1, it sounds like you better get your preorder in posthaste. Demand is twice what Fujifilm were anticipating. Now would also be a good time to get into a new X-E2 with its currently discounted price.

Fujifilm X-T1 Review

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After over a week of use, a couple thousand frames, and well over 5,000 words, my Fujifilm X-T1 review has finally been posted. This is certainly my most comprehensive review to date, and I think one of the more comprehensive reviews to hit the web so far.

I dived deep into the nitty gritty of the camera, how it compares to Fuji’s other offerings, other mirrorless offerings and beyond.

Read More

Fujifilm Metering

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While testing the X-T1 for my forthcoming review—which is over 4,500 words and counting—something interesting about Fujifilm’s metering was brought to my attention.

I’m typically not a big spot metering person, but understanding how it behaves is certainly of value when it comes time to use it. Fujifilm’s spot metering (and as it turns out, centre-weighted metering) behaves in a way I didn’t expect.

Read more.

Rebates

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I’m not sure the last round of rebates from Fujifilm had ended before this new wave of even heftier discounts began. These are fantastic deals, and great for just about everyone except for those who recently purchased and can’t get a price adjustment.

I’m left wondering if rebates like these promote the premium image the company is aspiring to, and in many respects have been achieving. The word “rebate” can be enough to squash that image alone, but that’s a problem with the industry at large.

Things need to sell of course. This time of year is sure to be one of, if not the worst for camera sales. I often wait to list camera gear for sale until May when the weather gets nicer and most people start thinking about taking pictures again. Even though the gear is technically older, it will still fetch substantially more interest and thus, a higher price with more people in the market to buy.

Getting a strong foothold in the market is also really important, and crucial that it be done quickly in this era of smartphones. I don’t have access to any sales figures, but I’d be curious to know if these discounts ultimately result in significantly more sales, and with them a better bottom-line. Or, would a consistently higher price, fewer sales, and the perception that Fujifilm truly believe their products are worth the MSRP be better overall? It would certainly help people’s confidence in buying, knowing they aren’t going to be burned by a massive price-drop a month or 2 after spending hundreds of dollars on a new lens. It would also result in fewer people waiting for the inevitable deal. Imagine you just bought a 14mm f/2.8 at Christmas for the MSRP and now it’s a full $200 less expensive. I know I’d be frustrated.

Fujifilm are well on their way in establishing themselves as the camera-maker who invests in making sure their customer’s experience actually improves months and even years after they’ve purchased a camera with regular firmware updates that offer previously unheard of levels of functionality. They’re also on the right track in trying to corner the premium compact market. The iPhone is without question eating the point-and-shoot market’s lunch, but for more people then Apple’s Phil Schiller might think, iPhones are a long way from replacing proper cameras for a lot of people. The steady development of Fujifilm’s Camera app will further reinforce this, and once they’ve made it easy enough on their entire line of cameras (something they should focus on), there’s no doubt we’ll start seeing Eggs Benedict photos on Instragram that were shot with Fujifilm cameras. Can’t wait.

If things were left to me, I would think that getting the body sold has to be the most important first step. I’d look at offering heavy discounts on older bodies (as they are with the X-E1) touting the message that they’re even better now than the day they were released. Kits or body + lens combos could see the occasional discount as they do today. FUJINON lenses, which are know to be of outstanding quality, would be set at a price and left there.

If market penetration is paramount, drop all the prices a little. Then, Fujifilm’s reputation for taking care of their customers long after purchase will continue to speak for itself, photographers will continue to love them for it and write a plethora of blog posts and tweets about how awesome a company they are. It’s conceivable that “word of mouth” that strong would drive continued sales more than fire-sale rebates would in the long run.

18mm→

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Streetshooter via Thomas Menk:

“The 18mm gets a bad rap from the pixel peepers. They, every one that exist now or that will ever be borne, says it’s not sharp enuff…”

I agree. In my 14mm f/2.8 vs. 18mm f/2 article, I concluded:

“Given the compact size, light weight, and faster aperture, I’d say the FUJINON XF 18mm f/2 was made with street photographers in mind...”

While I’m not on board with 18mm being the ideal focal length for every street shooter, the Fujifilm XF 18mm f/2 doesn’t get the credit it deserves. If you’re a street, portrait or wedding photog, it is definitely worth a look. Read more in my Recommended Kits from late January.

Buy a FUJINON XF 18mm f/2

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany