The Official Fuji X10/X20/X30/XF1/XQ1 Thread

[Lindsay D]

Thanks Dave. Indeed, I'm using the X10 for all my personal 'walkabout photography'. It's more than capable for most things. I use the screen mostly, though I do use the viewfinder in very bright conditions. The viewfinder would be so much more usable it it included focus confirmation! The focus point in the OVF is a little way down and a bit to the left. That is vague, you would need to practice on a static object and vary your camera to subject distance to get an idea of the effect of parallax. But with practice, you will get better at using the OVF.

I've put a brief summary of how I approach my X10 personal work here: http://lindsaydobsonphotography.com/blog/?p=6343

 

[Neiltluck]

Here's a few from me, as I haven't really posted any pics yet. All from my local churchyard.


Morton Church by Neiltluck, on Flickr


Morton Church by Neiltluck, on Flickr


Morton Church by Neiltluck, on Flickr


Morton Church by Neiltluck, on Flickr


Morton Church by Neiltluck, on Flickr


Morton Church by Neiltluck, on Flickr

Neil

 

[BarryG]

Have to ask why you couldn't try an X10 for 10 seconds in a shop (they are in most high street shops)
Your finding on optical viewfinder would have been immediately apparent?

If the viewfinder had focus, aperture, shutter speed and ISO it would clearly be far better but would also cost £200 more as that seems to be the norm with these things. I shoot through the viewfinder 90% of the time and don't get any issues because I know what the camera will do now, but would love to have the extra info (but not £200 love it)

How do you know the shutter is fast enough in a low light situation? Not a dark room, but an overcast day.

I use aperture priority all the time as I need that control over depth of field, I am constantly reviewing shutter speed thinking about increasing ISO to compensate.

Ill give this a proper run out tomorrow, maybe it will surprise me.

It's a 4/10 for me personally at the moment (usability, not image quality).

X100 is looking more attractive right now.

 

[Lindsay D]

How do you know the shutter is fast enough in a low light situation? Not a dark room, but an overcast day.

I use aperture priority all the time as I need that control over depth of field, I am constantly reviewing shutter speed thinking about increasing ISO to compensate.

Ill give this a proper run out tomorrow, maybe it will surprise me.

It's a 4/10 for me personally at the moment (usability, not image quality).

X100 is looking more attractive right now.

Barry, you'll soon get used to looking on the LCD to check your settings. When I first got mine, I thought I'd never manage without a viewfinder full of information, but it's surprising how soon you adapt. I now love using the X10, everything has become second nature. I spend most of my time in Av, auto DR and usually auto ISO if I'm quickly moving between different environments.

Edit: the X100 is lovely, but only if you're happy with a fixed focal length. In my opinion the autofocus on the X100 is slow and many units have suffered SAB (sticky aperture blade syndrome). But the IQ is great, especially in low light.

 

[allanm]

How do you know the shutter is fast enough in a low light situation? Not a dark room, but an overcast day.

I use aperture priority all the time as I need that control over depth of field, I am constantly reviewing shutter speed thinking about increasing ISO to compensate.

Ill give this a proper run out tomorrow, maybe it will surprise me.

It's a 4/10 for me personally at the moment (usability, not image quality).

X100 is looking more attractive right now.

I think you just need to accept it for what it is and not try to get it to work the same as your other camera.

Take it out, use t and get used to how it works first, then decide on what you want from it.

Doing it the other way round is madness :nuts::nuts:

Allan

 

[Spiritflier]

How do you know the shutter is fast enough in a low light situation? Not a dark room, but an overcast day...

Practice counts in this regard... I'm able to move the camera away from my eye, look at the screen and move back to the viewfinder very quickly! Not having any information in the viewfinder is a minor inconvenience...

...I use aperture priority all the time as I need that control over depth of field, I am constantly reviewing shutter speed thinking about increasing ISO to compensate...

If you're really concerned about depth of field, the X10 probably isn't the right camera for you and neither is anything else with a small sensor. Having said that, if macro shooting is your thing, then the f/2 aperture will give you usable shallow DOF.

 

[urdygurdy]

Few from a mooch around Manchester with X10

Daz

 

[Lindsay D]

Lovely shots Darren - I especially like the top one.

 

[allanm]

Lovely shots Darren - I especially like the top one.

Some suspicious looking bloke reflected in the window though...

Allan

 

[urdygurdy]

Some suspicious looking bloke reflected in the window though...

Allan

wish i knew who he was, he had a great little Fuji X10 camera with him

 

[BarryG]

fair enough chaps, I'll take her out for a proper run tomorrow and report back. Maybe even with a picture or two

 

[Spiritflier]

I took the dogs for a wander along the beach at Ynyslas this evening with the missus and a couple of friends and took the X10 along rather than the 'Big Guns'...

The first shot was taken using a set of 100mm Formatt/Hitech filters just as an experiment... I used a 7-stop ND and a 3-stop ND grad over the top to get the long exposure. The actual filters were bigger than the camera and I only had a Gorillapod with me so I'm quite surprised it worked out!

The next one is one of my first attempts at macro which is my photographic achilles heel!

The last one was a bit of fun so I thought I'd shove it in the pack!

 

[DuncanDisorderly]

Lovely wet bike shots from Lindsay; really enjoyed looking at them.

Here's an image taken earlier today...
Straight out the camera except for a light crop.
180deg panorama from the balcony at Colston Hall in Bristol. Singer on the right is a tad overexposed, but I don't mind as it was the shape if the auditorium that I was after and I can always clone in the singer's details from a shot of the stage taken from the same spot in full manual.

Several times today I had to stop shooting with my 5DII as it was far too noisy.
When you get a quiet gentle song the shutter sound carries a long way.
Hence, as well as the panos, I've taken a lot of shots the DSLR 'should' have taken, but couldn't.
X10 seems to have done the job just fine - here's an example....
Manual mode, ISO 400, f2.8, 1/40s.

 

[DuncanDisorderly]

I took the dogs for a wander along the beach at Ynyslas this evening with the missus and a couple of friends and took the X10 along rather than the 'Big Guns'...

The first shot was taken using a set of 100mm Formatt/Hitech filters just as an experiment... I used a 7-stop ND and a 3-stop ND grad over the top to get the long exposure. The actual filters were bigger than the camera and I only had a Gorillapod with me so I'm quite surprised it worked out!

LOL - we need a photo
Great images

 

[ernesto]

How do you know the shutter is fast enough in a low light situation? Not a dark room, but an overcast day.

I use aperture priority all the time as I need that control over depth of field, I am constantly reviewing shutter speed thinking about increasing ISO to compensate.

As others have said, depth of field with a small sensor isn't as small as with an SLR, so on an overcast day you could safely leave it on F2 - F3 and get the fastest shutter speed for the conditions without overdoing it.
I tend to use P as I then get no issues with maxing out shutter speed if leaving it on F2 accidentally!. Aperture priority doesn't give that much for most shots so unless I am taking the sort of shot where it may matter slightly I don't bother trying to control it.

Based on your two requirements of info in viewfinder and visible affect of depth of field (rather than just to gain more light) the X100 would have been a better choice assuming another of your requirements is not a variable focal length.

Bring focal length into in and neither the X100 or X10 are the right camera. Have you thought about getting a DSLR?

 

[jamin100]

Hi everyone.
I'm wondering if you can help me decide what to do. I want to ditch my d90 and various lenses for a smaller compact system.

I only shoot photos of my children and find that lugging the d90 around is just too much and the camera ends up staying at home.

I think I've narrowed it down to the x10 or x100

I want the nearest quality to my d90 as possible. I like sharp photos especially in the eyes etc. I also love to blow the background out from behind my subjects.

I want to go for the x10 because of the zoom but am wondering if the picture quality will come close to my d90.

I think the x100 would match the quality of my d90 but not sure if I will find the fixed focal length limiting with fast moving children

Any input would be appreciated. I'm going to post this on the x100 thread aswel to get some varied opinions

Thanks in advance

 

[Ed Sutton]

... it's very much a photographer's camera. I find it odd when the X10 is compared to a DSLR - it's a totally different kind of tool.

That's me told.

I think people have been seduced by the look and feel of the X10 and it's image quality, all of which are great and had me suckered, so it gets perceived to be more than it is. It certainly does 'feel' like you are holding a real camera. Which compounds the con trick.

The X10 is a very capable little camera - with clever tricks like panos and close ups - but... It's a compact point and shoot. I like it a lot. If it had a better viewfinder (as in one that showed what was on the sensor more accurately) I'd love it. As it is I get frustrated by it at times - usually when trying to photograph things that move like people or dogs.

I couldn't take a proper camera with me to a tackle show the other weekend, so I took the X10. There wasn't anything moving around too fast so it did okay.

Given its size and ability to work silent the X10 could be a great 'street' camera, but the focus/shutter lag means it's pot luck how you'll capture something moving unpredictably through the frame - especially as there's that weird 'jump' of the image when focus locks.

I don't think it's any surprise that most (all?) the shots on this thread are of things that are either static or don't rely on a captured movement.

 

[jondc]

Hi everyone.
I'm wondering if you can help me decide what to do. I want to ditch my d90 and various lenses for a smaller compact system.

I only shoot photos of my children and find that lugging the d90 around is just too much and the camera ends up staying at home.

I think I've narrowed it down to the x10 or x100

I want the nearest quality to my d90 as possible. I like sharp photos especially in the eyes etc. I also love to blow the background out from behind my subjects.

I want to go for the x10 because of the zoom but am wondering if the picture quality will come close to my d90.

I think the x100 would match the quality of my d90 but not sure if I will find the fixed focal length limiting with fast moving children

Any input would be appreciated. I'm going to post this on the x100 thread aswel to get some varied opinions

Thanks in advance

I have just sold my D90 and bag of lenses and at the moment solely use the X10. Image quality is good but not D90 levels but viewing them on screen you would not know unless you went to 100%. Focus is not as fast and you do get missed focus at times but with face detection on it works well most of the time, this can be coupled with the best shot feature.

Its not as good at blowing the backgrounds out of focus due to the sensor size. There is a pro focus mode that takes two shots to blur the background in one and overlay it, this is not always usable and sometimes it gets it wrong.

This is the biggy thing though, as the camera is relatively small it gets took with us when we go out, whereas the D90 got left at home due to the size.

I would miss the zoom capabilities if I went to the X100 although the IQ would be nice.

 

[ernesto]

I also miss the zoom capabilities. Have had a few fixed lens compacts thinking they would be fine but for me it is too limiting. Can you try your D90 with a small prime on it for a while to see if you could live with it as I would think the X100 would get you closer to what you are after.

Just a thought, the X10 and X100 are not the only cameras available...

 

[Lindsay D]

LOL - we need a photo
Great images

Great images from both of you - as always!

My weaknesses are using the macro mode (must be my shaky hands) and I also find the panoramas frustrating as I tend to get an error message about my panning being the wrong speed. I'll have to practice.

I agree it's great to have a truly silent camera.

 

[Lindsay D]

That's me told.

I think people have been seduced by the look and feel of the X10 and it's image quality, all of which are great and had me suckered, so it gets perceived to be more than it is. It certainly does 'feel' like you are holding a real camera. Which compounds the con trick.

The X10 is a very capable little camera - with clever tricks like panos and close ups - but... It's a compact point and shoot. I like it a lot. If it had a better viewfinder (as in one that showed what was on the sensor more accurately) I'd love it. As it is I get frustrated by it at times - usually when trying to photograph things that move like people or dogs.

I couldn't take a proper camera with me to a tackle show the other weekend, so I took the X10. There wasn't anything moving around too fast so it did okay.

Given its size and ability to work silent the X10 could be a great 'street' camera, but the focus/shutter lag means it's pot luck how you'll capture something moving unpredictably through the frame - especially as there's that weird 'jump' of the image when focus locks.

I don't think it's any surprise that most (all?) the shots on this thread are of things that are either static or don't rely on a captured movement.

Good shots Dave! Yes, we have to acknowledge the type of camera it is - having had a rangefinder as one of my first cameras I tend not to see these differences as limitations - because that would put it in comparison with a DSLR, which doesn't make sense.

I've found it great for street work and pretty good for moving subjects (with the usual rangefinder-type quirks). It has virtually no shutter lag and I find the autofocus far speedier than I expected it to be. For example the new XPro-1 is unbelievably slow and laggy (in my opinion) making it very difficult to target anything that moves. For a tiny camera the X10 is ground-breaking.

 

[Ed Sutton]

...I also find the panoramas frustrating as I tend to get an error message about my panning being the wrong speed. I'll have to practice.

It seems to be better to go faster than you think you need to. Much faster! Probably makes it smoother.

 

[Lindsay D]

It seems to be better to go faster than you think you need to. Much faster! Probably makes it smoother.

I'll give that a go later - it does sound like I was being too slow and as you say being slow makes you more jerky. The odd ones I did get were quite nice though.

I'd love to try shooting some insects - but there aren't any about! All the cold and wet weather has probably made them stay dormant (or killed them off).

 

[Spiritflier]

LOL - we need a photo
Great images

Haha, thanks Duncan... I'll try and get a picture later on. It looks pretty OTT but works really well. In fact, I'm wondering why I've been bothering with the older Cokin 'A' filters! I didn't take my filters with me last night so the ones I used belonged to a friend who'd come with us. My own set-up uses Lee and Hitech 100x150mm filters.

...I want to go for the x10 because of the zoom but am wondering if the picture quality will come close to my d90...

As others have said, the IQ on the X10 is outstanding but not up to the same standard as your D90. A lot depends on what you do with your images. If you only display them on the net or print them small, you probably wouldn't notice much of a difference.

Great images from both of you - as always!

My weaknesses are using the macro mode...

Thanks Lindsay... Macro is my weakest area by a country mile but it's something that I stubbornly refuse to give up on! I've had a couple of good 'uns over the years but nothing outstanding.

...As it is I get frustrated by it at times - usually when trying to photograph things that move like people or dogs...

Hi Ed,

The X10 can cope with moving subjects but it takes quite a methodical approach. For 'off-the-cuff' stuff, it wouldn't be my first choice but if you were photographing a race of some description where the path of your 'target' is known, then it's more than capable of getting the shot.

I've posted this before so I won't shove the full-sized image up again but I hope this proves a point although if you were to ask me if I'd shoot an event with nothing more than the X10 then my answer would be 'no'!

 

[Ed Sutton]

Hi Ed,

The X10 can cope with moving subjects but it takes quite a methodical approach. For 'off-the-cuff' stuff, it wouldn't be my first choice but if you were photographing a race of some description where the path of your 'target' is known, then it's more than capable of getting the shot.

I get what you're saying.

I tend to be more off the cuff. For example, I've got this thing about photographing feral pigeons...




One feature I have found handy is using the focus tracking mode to focus and recompose.

 

[jondc]

I must stop coming on this thread..... :shrug:

I have now ordered a Gordys strap in black with red stitching and just fitted a 3" class screen protector.

Loving the gariz case.........

I have posted this in another thread but thought I would add it to this one also, as it was captured with the X10, cropped and converted in LR3.


pp by Jonnydee9, on Flickr

 

[BarryG]

The picture quality is incredible from the camera. I haven't played with the RAWs yet, but the jpegs straight from camera onto my TV are remarkable.

More to come...

 

[jimgallaher]

I must stop coming on this thread..... :shrug:

I have now ordered a Gordys strap in black with red stitching and just fitted a 3" class screen protector.

Loving the gariz case.........

I have posted this in another thread but thought I would add it to this one also, as it was captured with the X10, cropped and converted in LR3.


pp by Jonnydee9, on Flickr

I know the feeling, I've ordered a Gariz half case and a black gordys wrist strap with red binding, I've also ordered a lens hood/adapter and a 52mm uv and cpl. My little walk around camera is running into serious money.

 

[Spiritflier]

I know the feeling, I've ordered a Gariz half case and a black gordys wrist strap with red binding, I've also ordered a lens hood/adapter and a 52mm uv and cpl. My little walk around camera is running into serious money.

Haha... We're like a bunch of old women!

We certainly like to accessorize our cameras! I was in Jessops earlier with a friend (who was buying an X10) and bought a little micro-tripod to go along with mine.

All I want for mine now is a soft-button but I can't find one I like or a site where I can view a decent selection of them!

 

[BarryG]

^ Also need one of these. Are they not available in any shops? Seems like a missed opportunity of not!

 

[Lindsay D]

Haha... We're like a bunch of old women!

We certainly like to accessorize our cameras! I was in Jessops earlier with a friend (who was buying an X10) and bought a little micro-tripod to go along with mine.

All I want for mine now is a soft-button but I can't find one I like or a site where I can view a decent selection of them!

I bought my X10 all of those things. This is the soft release I got for it (this site has lots of different ones): http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/thumbs-up-leica-bug-soft-release-orange.html

 

[lensworx]

Haha... We're like a bunch of old women!

We certainly like to accessorize our cameras! I was in Jessops earlier with a friend (who was buying an X10) and bought a little micro-tripod to go along with mine.

All I want for mine now is a soft-button but I can't find one I like or a site where I can view a decent selection of them!

Yep as Above, I too am now a proud owner

I could not withstand the urge any longer. A gentle nudge and seeing the image results up close = No Chance of holding off

Already started ordering a few bits

 

[jamin100]

I have just sold my D90 and bag of lenses and at the moment solely use the X10. Image quality is good but not D90 levels but viewing them on screen you would not know unless you went to 100%. Focus is not as fast and you do get missed focus at times but with face detection on it works well most of the time, this can be coupled with the best shot feature.

Its not as good at blowing the backgrounds out of focus due to the sensor size. There is a pro focus mode that takes two shots to blur the background in one and overlay it, this is not always usable and sometimes it gets it wrong.

This is the biggy thing though, as the camera is relatively small it gets took with us when we go out, whereas the D90 got left at home due to the size.

I would miss the zoom capabilities if I went to the X100 although the IQ would be nice.

Thanks, My main concern is being able to blow out the background.
For example, these are the type of shots I like taking and i know im probably asking too much of this little camera but would the X10 be able to achieve shots like the one below? Would the X100?

 

[Lindsay D]

You mean subject isolation Ben?

Depth of field depends on a number of factors including:

Focal length
camera to subject distance
Aperture
Sensor format
Subject to background distance

So on an X10 if you use the zoom at a wide aperture aperture and you're fairly close to your subject (and you pull them away from the background) then you will be able to reasonably isolate them. On the X-100 the sensor is larger so at 35mm the X-100 will have shallower depth of field than the X10.

 

[jamin100]

Yes I think subject isolation is what I mean, that was taken at 105mm f3.2 and isolates my daughter from the background just nicely.

These are the kind if shots I'd like to be able to achieve with the x10.

The zoom of the x10 is what's drawing me too it over the more expensive x100 but isolating the subjects is really something that I want my camera to be able to do

 

[Lindsay D]

Yes I think subject isolation is what I mean, that was taken at 105mm f3.2 and isolates my daughter from the background just nicely.

These are the kind if shots I'd like to be able to achieve with the x10.

The zoom of the x10 is what's drawing me too it over the more expensive x100 but isolating the subjects is really something that I want my camera to be able to do

A camera with a larger sensor will of course give you shallower depth of field, so if portraiture is going to be your main interest then you might want to stick with a DSLR. As far as large sensor compact systems go, you might also want to consider a Sony NEX-5 as that has an APS-C sensor and has a kit zoom lens (though it's f5.6 at the longest end, that's still enough to isolate your subject, particularly if you pull them away from the background).

There is also the Canon G1X but it's quite slow and clunky in operation, the sensor is quite large (it's a little smaller than APS-C) but if your subjects are moving then this camera is not very good.

You can't really expect a small compact camera to give you DSLR large sensor results, you will need to compromise somewhere. Compacts are really about general use and getting out and having fun.

 

[jamin100]

Yeh I know I'm wanting this little camera to do too much.

I've looked at the nex range and my dad has the nex5 but I'm just not over keen on it to be honest. The kit lens seems rubbish and focusing on my dads isn't too great even if you regard it as a p&s

I think I may have to look more towards the x100

 

[allanm]

Yeh I know I'm wanting this little camera to do too much.

I've looked at the nex range and my dad has the nex5 but I'm just not over keen on it to be honest. The kit lens seems rubbish and focusing on my dads isn't too great even if you regard it as a p&s

I think I may have to look more towards the x100

It is possible to isolate subjects with both cameras, but may need a little more work.
I would suggest having a look on Flickr at the X10 and X100 groups and see what people are able to achieve with the cameras.

I don't have any shots like your earlier one, but heres one of my model with the X10. The chairs were only about 6 feet away though.

Allan

 

[jamin100]

Thanks Allan that's quite useful.

 

[jondc]

Yeh I know I'm wanting this little camera to do too much.

I've looked at the nex range and my dad has the nex5 but I'm just not over keen on it to be honest. The kit lens seems rubbish and focusing on my dads isn't too great even if you regard it as a p&s

I think I may have to look more towards the x100

You can isolate your subject from the background but you have to work at it and it is not as easy as it is on the D90 or any other DSLR and the results vary depending on the factors as mentioned by Lindsay D.

Here are a few examples.

The first one is using the pro-focus function and you can see where it has missed judge the isolation on the cheek. All the others are by getting close to the subject and having a degree of isolation between the subject and background with a large apature setting.


Mayah-2 by Jonnydee9, on Flickr


Mayah-1 by Jonnydee9, on Flickr


snowdrop by Jonnydee9, on Flickr


snake by Jonnydee9, on Flickr


Mayah-1 by Jonnydee9, on Flickr