This one is about gear. Some weeks ago I was looking for a shift in my “day to day” equipment section. I used a Canon G1X – which gave great raw files and was good for my landscape photography. However I was not that happy using it for family business – a little bit to slow, a little bit to bad AF functionality. So I looked – due to some online reviews and posts – into the Fuji X system.
A good deal with my local preferred supplier and the X-E1 with the zoom kit made the change possible, selling my ol G1X saved my budget. Now I have the 56 f 1.4 as additional prime portrait lens – and overall I am pretty amazed how well this camera and lens work.
The AF is not stellar, but much better than my G1X. The low light performance at high ISO is incredible (!) for such a small sensor. It outperforms my 5D Mark II. The overall picture quality in JPEG is very satisfying. The shooting experience is great, the camera is engaging, with lots of manual control options. What I really come to love is the possibility to influence the JPEG rendering options in camera. I set up some presets for b&w pictures, and the results are absolutely satisfying, straight out of camera.
The optical quality of the 56mm lens is exceptional, it is a joy to use and sharp, even at 1.4 – with 5.6 also excellent up to the corners.
All in all – this system gives more than I expected. My 5D MII equipment is in danger, depending on how the Fuji system evolves in the next few month.
2 responses to “First Experiences: Fuji X-E1 and the Fujinon 56 1.4 Lens”
What do you think of cameras on phones these days?
Hi Carol – first: many greetings from Gina and the girls :-)! We hope you are all doing well. We will be in Dorset end of June (again), visiting David and Jane on the way.
To your question: phone cameras are absolutely sufficient for making snapshots and pictures to be used on the web. If you have sufficient light, you will get good results. However, they are by far not as versatile as mirror less systems or DSLR and they are getting to their limits pretty quickly if you need to do print work of landscapes etc. in bigger format or the light is bad. For small books they still might be ok. And you have only limited options to modify the lens.
Of course, the biggest advantage is that you have them with you, almost all the time.
So it all comes down to the question for what purpose the are supposed to be used. I think for day to day “street photography” they will be ok and fine. If you want to use a camera for landscape or business purpose (e.g. photo models), I would recommend to use at least a better compact camera.
I am pretty impressed with the Fuji system. It is smaller than DSLR equipment, lightweight and brings excellent results. But there are others on the market as well – today I believe we have the “golden age” as you can find the right camera for everyone.
As you see from my answer, it is all an “it depends”. There are so many options and considerations. Phone cameras will also improve, and today they are already quite good. For most applications, they will replace the compact cameras in mid future. But if you simply need more (and if it’s just different lenses) – they will not be up to the job.
Regards,
Andreas