From Imaging-Resource -
Mar 27,
18:52 EDT "We've just received a Fuji X-Pro1 compact system camera
with XF 35mm f/1.4 R lens, and have posted our Still Life ISO/NR series
test shots straight from the lab!
The 16-megapixel Fuji X-Pro1 uses a
brand-new color filter array intended to reduce moire, which, according
to Fujifilm, negates the need for an optical low-pass filter, something
absent from the design. The X-Pro1 includes a new"...
Read More
The image quality of the Fuji X-Pro 1 is impressive as it holds it's own
with the Canon 5D MK II DSLR camera. Although the 5D MK II is over 3
years old in technology, it remains an impressive 'Full Frame' sensor
alternative to the APS-C sensor Fuji, especially as it offers excellent
video and is selling at a very competitive price.
In relation to the new Canon 5D MK III 'Full Frame' digital sensor DSLR,
the Fuji X-Pro1 is left wanting for image quality, especially at the
higher ISO ratings. This is not unexpected as the Canon offers the
latest 2012 technology at double the price of the Fuji.
I suspect the next generation of Canon APS-C digital sensor DSLRs which
are due to be announced will deliver a major 'step up' in image quality
compared to the models they replace. I have long predicted that Canon
will release a consumer 'Full Frame' digital sensor DSLR camera at a
reasonable price and this is becoming more likely thanks to the higher
pricing of their new 5D MK III.
I like the rangefinder 'style' camera and the Fuji X-Pro 1 will appeal
to a great number of photographers who will prefer it over a Leica M8
digital rangefinder but (for me) it stops short of what it could
have been!
You might ask, why the Fuji X-Pro1 to Canon 5D
MK II comparison when 'it could be argued' that the cameras appear to be
aimed at different markets?
It
is logical to consider the comparison,
because their body prices are not
that far apart and both are well suited for the same spectrum of
photography.
If the Fuji X-Pro1 had emerged with a
'full frame' digital sensor and even at a higher price, I would
now be checking reviews for the quality of
the 'proprietary' Fuji mount lenses to decide if they merited the
'Fuji investment' instead of moving ahead with the expected Canon 5D MK III DSLR?
TechRadar-"the Fujifilm is
a larger, APS-C sized offering. Fuji also claims that the X-Pro
1 X-Trans CMOS sensor can outperform even full-frame 35mm
sensors"...........
As an
'image quality'
marker for the Fuji X-Pro1, the sensor of the Canon 5D MK II DSLR for stills and video is a hard act to compete with.
However,
there is a lot more to a 'full frame'
digital sensor than image quality, there is the 35mm perspective
where a 50mm focal length lens actually delivers a 'native eye'
50mm 'field of view' without any compression or extension and any
chosen aperture delivers a defined 'depth of field' (area in focus)
which is true in respect of the 50mm focal length.
The same cannot be said of a 35mm focal length lens on the Fuji
X-Pro1 camera with it's 1.5x crop sensor delivering a 52mm
'field of view'. Also consider, the
Fuji X-Pro1 has a 1/4000sec shutter and a
'standard' ISO:200 rating. The
Canon 5D MK II DSLR
has a
1/8000sec shutter, a 'standard' ISO:100 rating, 21MPixels on a 'full
frame' sensor and can deliver 1080 30fps HD video; it is also waterproof
and
dust resistant.
The Fuji X-Pro1 may in the future be able (through the use of
various adapters) to mount other makes of lenses. That would
be a 'make do' solution whilst on the other hand, the Canon 5D
MK II DSLR can already 'natively' mount Zeiss, Sigma and
Voigtlander amongst other lenses of choice built purposely for
the Canon mount.
Fuji X-Pro1 APS-C 1.5x Crop 'Mirrorless' - Combo * Fuji X-Pro1 Body - £1,429.00
(size 140mm x 82mm x 43 mm
- weight 450g)
* Fuji
35mm f1.4 R
Lens (52mm field of view) lens hood extra - £549.00
(size 65mm x
54.9mm - weight 187g)
Total - £1,978.00
vat inclusive in the UK
Canon 5D MK II 35mm 'Full Frame' DSLR - Combo * Canon 5D MK II 'Full Frame' DSLR Body - £1,519.00
(size - 152mm x
113mm x 75mm - weight 810g)
* Canon 50mm f1.4 USM Lens (lens
hood extra)
- £285.00
(size - 73.8mm x 50.5mm
- weight 290g) Total - £1,804.00 vat inclusive in the UK
I can see the Fuji
X-Pro1 appealing to street
photographers, especially for advanced photographers
who desire a 'mirrorless' camera
system compared to an APS-C DSLR or Leica M8 digital rangefinder.
However, the Fuji X-Pro1 is a significant investment when
you consider the body price before you add the lenses and
accessories. Canon and Nikon offer APS-C DSLRs which although
slightly larger, are considerably cheaper and Canon (also
Nikon) is ready to
launch it's new range of (2012) APS-C sensor DSLRs which
I suspect will offer more DSLR technology for less money.
My original estimated price of £1,000.00 retail was
conservative, the Fujifilm X-Pro1 digital camera BODY with APS-C sensor is
available from
WEX Photographic in the UK
on pre-order for £1,429.00 inclusive of vat.
The WEX site reads - "The Fujifilm X-Pro1 is a
highly advanced mirror-less Camera that features a new X lens
mount to allow the use of Fuji's new X range of compact lenses.
What's more is the addition of a newly developed 16 megapixel
APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor which is capable of delivering
resolution that is parallel to a full-frame sensor.
The retro, solid design of the X-Pro 1 includes a textured
rubberised hand grip and a convenient Hybrid Multi Viewfinder
which allows you to instantly switch between an Optical
Viewfinder (OVF) and an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). Choose the
view that suits your style of shooting, the OVF provides a
bright image with minimal shutter lag and the EVF presents you
with information such as the exposure, white balance, and depth
of field indicators for quick manual adjustments".
The price of the body alone, makes it an expensive option as an
APS-C digital sensor compact system camera for a photographer
whose main system is a 35mm 'full frame' DSLR or a Medium Format
camera and an expensive option for an advanced amateur
photographer seeking to upgrade from a compact or an entry level
consumer APS-C digital sensor DSLR.
This
price of £1,429.00 beggars belief - why a Pro camera body
'designed and built from scratch' including the lenses, should
be built around an APS-C
sensor and consider the overall cost, once you add a couple of Fuji
prime lenses, an everyday Fuji zoom lens and some accessories?
This kind of money takes the X-Pro1 into 35mm 'Full Frame' DSLR
territory with one alternative purchase being the
Canon 5D MKII DSLR body
costing £1,521.00 inclusive of vat AND there is cashback
from Canon on certain Canon lenses with the camera body -
Check out this Cashback PDF file!
The Fuji X-Pro1 camera is well on it's way and seems to be proving very
popular amongst reviewers and photographers alike. It's retro styling
and manual controls are what many advanced photographers have
on their wish list. It's the ultimate 'camera eye candy' with it's
rangefinder styling, sleek black lines, compact
and lightweight body, the list goes on and on but clever marketing and
camera seduction can be fraught with disappointments!
It remains to be seen if the Fuji lenses and the sensor hold up for
image quality, although the first reports seem promising. At around
£1,000.00 for the camera body (alone) in the UK and matching the
Sony NEX-7 body for price is the Fuji X-PRO1 really good value for
money? It places the camera body in the 'twilight zone' that area where
it is in-expensive for the technology it delivers but falls short of the
technology it should have at a price that a photographer would have paid
more to attain. At £1,000.00 for the camera body, Fuji is expecting the
advanced user to invest further in Fuji mount lenses and it remains a
thought provoking mystery, why a Pro camera body 'designed and built
from scratch' including the lenses, should be built around an APS-C
sensor?
There is talk about a Leica M mount adapter to allow the use of Leica M
Series lenses. Most photographers who have Leica M lenses from their M3,
M7, MP Leica rangefinder 'film' cameras may consider the Fuji X-Pro1 (and quite rightly so) as a fair alternative to a 'second hand'
Leica M8 digital rangefinder body costing around £1,600.00 but the idea
of spending a couple of grand or more on a beautiful brand new Leica M lens and bolting it onto an APS-C sensor
is not to everyone's taste.
My main wrinkle going with an APS-C
sensor is the 1.5x crop which on a Leica 50mm f2 Summicron lens delivers
a 75mm 'field of view'. This in real terms means that I would have to go
for a much more expensive 28mm lens to deliver a 42mm 'field of view'
which is nearest to the 50mm that I desire. With the X-Pro1 body, I am looking at the Leica 28mm f2 ASPH Summicron-M lens.
I am quite sure
that the 28mm lens and the
X-Pro1 camera would make a nice pairing,
even without the 35mm 'full frame' perspective but at
what cost -
X-Pro1
body around £1,000.00, M mount adapter around £139.00, Leica 28mm f2 ASPH Summicron-M Lens
around
£2,671.00. The total cost is around £3,810.00 without adding a spare battery,
memory or a shoulder bag.
I have no doubts that the new Fuji X-Pro1 camera will prove a success
with many advanced photographers seeking a 'camera system' which is an
alternative to a Sony NEX-7 or a Leica M8 digital rangefinder or even a
APS-C sensor DSLR but
without that all important 'full frame' sensor for which I would have
gladly paid extra - it remains in
the 'twilight zone'.
Over at
DPReview they have previewed the
new Fuji X-Pro1 compact system camera with interchangeable X system
lenses.
Just Posted:"Our preview of the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and
Fujifilm's X system lenses. The X-Pro1 is, in
many respects, the camera that many people hoped
the X100 was foreshadowing: interchangeable
lenses and a cutting-edge sensor combined in a
classically-styled body and retaining the
excellent hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder.
We've had a chance to get our hands on the X-Pro
1 and the 18mm F2, 35mm F1.4 and 60mm F2.4
primes that are being launched alongside it, to
get to really make sense of the camera, its
capabilities and that unusual color-filter
array" --
Read More
Whew, with all these new cameras being released there is a lot to take
in!
UPDATE
- Excellent video on the Fuji X-Pro1 from DPReview -
Video YouTube Link
